Cascade Lodge News and Notes

Update

2009-06-23T11:34:00.002-05:00

We are sorry there are no recent posts. Our blog host has been down for several weeks. We are currently looking into new options. Check back in later this week.
Thanks for your understanding.
-Anonymous Cascade Blogger

Hello Early Summer

2009-06-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

Water temps have been warming up fast and so is the fishing! Last time out, the water was 55°F…perfect for crappie fishing! Matt caught a nice pair of crappies out on Caribou Lake last Friday. Two really pretty fish, one was a male (14 in) and the other one was a female (13.5 in). Next time he will remember his camera. Michael Jr. and Dale were out fishing on Pike Lake last weekend too. They boated about 10 nice smallmouth bass with the biggest one weighing about 3lbs! The bass fishing should just keep getting better and better as they start to move into shallow water to spawn. When the water temp gets into the upper 50’s and low 60’s is when the real fun begins. Smallies will hit just about any top-water lure in your tackle box. If you’ve never experienced the thrill of seeing a smally rocket up through the tranquil surface and smash your bait you’re really missing out. Try it once and you will be hooked; I guarantee it! Top-water lures can be equally effective catching nice northerns too!
In other staff news, David and Lek have reported black bear sightings on a couple hikes way back in the woods since the last post. As is usually the case up here, the bears were more afraid of the humans than the humans were of them. Along with Marco our sleigh ride guy, they will all be attending a Twins vs. Red Sox game down at the dome this week. Lucky them, and go Twins! We’re still waiting for the annual moose sightings along Highway 61 that historically take place this time of year. Keep your eyes peeled!

Welcoming the first Summer Holiday Weekend

2009-05-14T19:55:00.001-05:00

The resort is bustling with activity in preparation for the big Memorial Day Weekend Holiday. Grounds are being raked, flowers planted, grass mowed, buildings painted, cabins opened up, and outdoor furniture put out. Our yearly goal at Cascade is to have the whole resort looking great and ready for all the guests and visitors to enjoy. It seems like the entire county kind of comes out of winter hibernation in the few weeks before Memorial Day. Because winter and spring are so long in the arrowhead, there is usually just a short window of opportunity to get all this done. And what a load of work it turns out to be! We will be glad to see the finish line after all these chores are done. A nice hearty dinner and maybe a hot bath will certainly be in order.
The Superior Hiking Trail volunteer members were here recently to clear the trail of deadfall. After the strong autumn winds of last year and the ice storm late this winter, they had their hands full to say the least. They set up camp one night atop Lookout Mountain as they made their way down towards Lutsen. Some also stayed in the Main Lodge the night before they returned home. The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is a 205-mile long footpath that follows the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota from Two Harbors to the Canadian border. There is an additional 39 miles of trail through the City of Duluth from Jay Cooke State to Martin Road. The SHT has trailheads with parking lots every 5-10 miles making it ideal for both day hikes and backpacking. The trail has 81 backcountry campsites! There are no fees, reservations, or permits required to hike or backpack on the trail. The famous trail has been nationally ranked in the top 5 most scenic trail systems in the United States. It’s funded by the Superior Hiking Trail Association, member’s dues, donations and cared for by volunteers. They do a great job with cleanup, signage and everything else that goes into maintaining a world-class hiking trail. Here’s wishing a fun, safe, happy Memorial Day Weekend to everyone from Cascade Lodge and Restaurant!

Gunflint Green Up Weekend

2009-04-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

The stately looking front lawn at the Main Lodge is really starting to green up fast with all the rain that we keep getting. Our front lawn is one of the first to green in the county as it receives about 8 hours a day of direct sunlight. The rain keeps feeding the creeks and rivers and they just keep rising and flowing with even greater intensity. This spring waterfall season has really been amazing so far! The second annual “Gunflint Green Up” up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais will take place this weekend, May 1st-3rd. Volunteers will be planting hundreds of trees in the burned area of the big Ham Lake Fire of 2007. This fire devoured about 100,000 acres of forest in Minnesota and Canada. The trees planted will be red and white pine seedlings. The volunteers will also be tending to yearling trees planted at last year’s event to make sure they have room to grow. Other events include a Green Living Fair, thank you dinners, music and dancing. The finale on Sunday is once again…the running of the Ham Lake Half Marathon. I can think of no better way to welcome in spring and celebrate the rejuvenation the season brings than with a great event like this.
Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen is expected to open this weekend too. The “River 9” section of the 27-hole course will open to walkers only on Friday May 1st. Exciting news, considering the Gunflint 9 Municipal Course still has a foot of snow covering the whole course. Minnesota’s fishing opener is just one week away now, and many anglers are busy getting their boats and equipment ready for the big day. But, word has it that all area lakes at the time of this post are currently 100% iced over. Up until about a week ago, snowmobilers will still zipping around on most lakes. Here’s hoping for some warm weather soon to open up a few of them so we can get some fishing in!

Spring Fever

2009-04-16T18:30:00.001-05:00

Rivers and creeks broke wide open across the arrowhead region the past few days. Water is flowing from every nook and cranny as it thunders from higher terrains down to Lake Superior. What a site to behold, absolutely breathtaking! Air temperatures can vary widely from location to location this time of year. The popular saying “cooler by the lake” comes into play here. High pressure has settled in this last week or so and when the wind comes in from the north or northeast off the lake it has been in the upper 30’s, low 40’s along the shoreline. At the same time, temps of upper 50’s and low 60’s have been reported at inland locations. This is a unique phenomenon indeed. Use caution when traveling in lowlight conditions because thousands of deer are staged along the Highway 61 corridor feeding on open vegetation. These deer are patiently waiting for all the snow to melt at their summer getaway spots. Birders in the area are pleased that the northern spring migration of our “feathered friends” is well underway. Hundreds of different bird species are being identified around the area. Recently, this blogger happened upon a pair of Golden Eagles perched atop Lookout Mountain. The couple was watching for dinner down in the Cascade River Valley when I scared them off. The wingspan on these beautiful birds of prey is over 8 feet in length! A big gaggle of bright blue-wing teal ducks was seen swimming by the resort shoreline yesterday. This group was enjoying a sunny spring day with the rest of us. The ducks were already decked out in the rich hues of their summer plumage.
In staff news, David and Lek have returned to Cascade Lodge after spending the last 5 months in Thailand. David kept us posted via email all winter about their adventures in travel, food and way of life in Thailand. We are very happy to have them back. As you may know David is a great cook over at our restaurant so a very welcome addition again. Matt and Michael Jr. went to Lutsen Mountains last weekend to take part in the “Mountain Meltdown Festival.” It was the last weekend the hills were open, the crowd was huge, and the skiing was fantastic. Some years Lutsen can only open about 10-15 runs because of a lack of snow in March and April. This year however, that massive dumping of 15-20 inches of fresh snow on April 1st prolonged what was already a great ski season. Over 50 runs were still open and all the skiers and snowboarders could not have been happier about it! An outdoor BBQ and live stage music by local bands capped off an awesome weekend.

In like a Lion, out like a Lamb?

2009-04-02T18:16:00.000-05:00

You know the saying about the month that officially marks the start of spring. March comes “In like a Lion, out like a Lamb.” While this saying may hold true most years, 2009 was definitely an exception. The last three Tuesdays of the month have not been very Lamb-like. We should have predicted this I guess because it was “tournament time” after all. Three weeks ago on Tuesday the area received anywhere between 5-8 inches of snow. That snow was a welcome sight because it gave hope to many skiers the season would be prolonged for a few more weeks. A massive warm-up began after that as sunny temperatures in the low 50’s zapped ski trail bases thin and even bare in some spots. This weather buildup led to a severe ice storm two weeks ago on Tuesday, March 24th. Rain, sleet and strong winds whipped through Cook County leaving downed power lines, snapped trees and debris everywhere. Power outages throughout the county were reported as Arrowhead Electric Co-op and MN DOT scrambled to restore power and clean up the mess. Hardest hit were the towns of Silver Bay and Finland. Some residents were without power for several days. On Tuesday, March 31st another big storm coming from the Dakotas was barreling down on the Arrowhead Region. Initial reports suggested we were to receive between 5-8 inches of snow. As it grew closer that amount was increased to 8-12. It started snowing that morning at about 8:00am, growing stronger as the day went on. School was called off early at 1:30pm. Fueled by strong east winds off the lake, this storm turned into a two day event that dropped about 15-20 inches of heavy, wet, lake-effect snow! Ski conditions at Lutsen Mountains the next day were perfectly described by one skier… “Lots of Powder Man”! With all this new snow and no serious warm-ups in the near future, downhill skiing at Lutsen should be excellent right up through “Mountain Meltdown Weekend,” April 11-13th.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-19T20:15:00.001-05:00

Did you know that St. Patrick was not even Irish? He was born on the west coast of England and received his call to preach the gospel and spread Christianity around Ireland. He used a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity with its three green leaves. St. Patrick might not have been Irish, but the O’Phelan family is! They organized a very festive weekend to celebrate the holiday complete with traditional Irish food and live music. Sassanatch played some live pub music Saturday and Sunday and Max Bichel was on the violin on Friday night. The server girls all dressed in green hats and bling all weekend long. The customers had a ball being dined and entertained at the same time! One of the reasons for the great attendance was the fact that March is spring break time for schools all around the Midwest. A lot of families and college students use this time to get their last ski in before all the snow melts. What’s good for local businesses is that we have lots of guests and customers midweek too, rather than just on the weekends.

Speaking of snow melt, a sudden warm up came within the last few weeks and has really done a number on our snow. Along the Lake Superior shoreline has been hardest hit with lesser effects farther inland. Decent spring skiing and snowmobiling can still be had, but one needs to head back into the woods a little ways to find it. We are crossing our fingers for cooler temps and one more decent snowfall to happen sometime soon. The warm conditions have also caused the cancellation of the Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides for the rest of the season. Jack and Julie, the two big Belgium Horses, step down with so much force that they punch through the weak snow base all the way to the ground. This could cause major damage to their hooves and legs. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Marco and his team entertained hundreds of happy riders over the course of the winter. A special thanks goes out to Marco Good, Jack and Julie! You will be missed. The ice along the shoreline is gone now as well and all you can see is the royal blue waters of Gitchee Gummee. Rivers and creeks are starting to break too. Spring is just around the corner.

March Madness

2009-03-07T21:50:00.000-06:00

The shoreline of Lake Superior around the area is usually open water most of the winter. In the last few weeks however, ice has settled in massive amounts. Our food vendor Ed ventured out on the ice to snap this seldom seen look at the main lodge from out on ice. Several of our guests were also out there too. These people are truly some brave souls. We have recently added a Facebook Cascade Lodge & Restaurant Business Page. It’s really neat with lots of info, cool pictures, events and links. It’s a great way to promote the resort and restaurant and doesn’t cost us anything. Check it out if you have Facebook and we welcome you to become a fan! To keep the lodge and cabins up to date, over the winter we have installed a new wood floor in cabin 14, and painted in room 202 and 212. Room 202 is a mint green now and very refreshing. That was done just in time for the St. Patrick’s Week Celebration. As you know the O’Phelan’s are a proud Irish family and celebrate the holiday big time. We have a lodging special that week where you can get free ski and snowshoe rentals for the whole family if you stay 3 or more nights. The restaurant will have traditional Irish Food and Music. On Friday, March 13 from 6:30-8:30pm Max Bichel will be playing Irish tunes on the Violin. That Saturday and Sunday from 6:30-9pm the group Sassanach, will be playing live Celtic pub music. The food features will be Corn Beef and Cabbage, Mulligan Stew, Irish Fish n’ Chips, Colcannon and Lamb Chops. Should be a festive time with everything going on, because nobody knows how to celebrate St. Patty’s like the O’Phelan clan!

Presidents, Valentines, and Wolves oh my!

2009-02-19T18:01:00.000-06:00

Love was in the air and throngs of guests and visitors flocked to the North Shore for our biggest holiday weekend of the ski season. Conditions were perfect and everybody had a great time skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. It seems like every party brought along their sleds as at least 75 machines were seen coming down from the trail on Saturday alone! The Lodge and the Restaurant were full from Friday through Sunday. Cascade Restaurant had some romantic Valentine’s Day food specials highlighted by Alaskan Snow Crab Legs and succulent Steak….Yum! Results of the Volks Ski Fest were pretty good for a 1st annual festival. The specific set events were the most well attended, such as the Candlelit Skis, Guided Ski/Snowshoe Hikes, Waxing Seminars and Adventure Presentations. Hopefully the Volks Fest will gain more steam next year and grow bigger and bigger every year.
It seems like there are more Timber Wolves around the area this winter than ever before. Leftover meals have been dragged off ski trails by our groomer Michael Jr. Matt reported seeing the same Wolf three times in two weeks! It is described as being a really handsome fellow, with a caramel and white coat, and enormous! Each time spotted it was about an eigth of a mile down the highway from the Main Lodge, which is scary close! A church van load of international student workers including our own Jonathon and Laura, saw a different Wolf just passed the Cascade River Wayside. They were all really excited.
Speaking of Jonathon, he is proud of his new Miss Pac-Man arcade record down in the game room. He annihilated the previous record of 12,500 points and finished with 20,345 points. Quite the accomplishment! He had his picture taken next to the game and score and noted that he would put it on his facebook. Michael Sr. turned 50 years young the other day and celebrated by skiing 50 KM all in one day! His journey first took him over to Solbakken Resort and around the Hall and Massie Loops. From there he proceeded to ski back to Cascade Lodge and then out to ski the entire Deer Yard Lake system and finally back down to Cascade. Whew, I’m winded just typing that!

Super Weekend

2009-02-05T21:41:00.001-06:00

Last weekend was an eventful one for sure at Cascade Lodge. It was kicked off Saturday night when about 50 skiers of all ages showed up for our Candlelit Ski. It was part of the first annual Volks Ski Fest that has different events and activities going on all over Cook County from January 31st-February 8th. Michael Sr. led the ski on the trail down to the snowmobile parking lot and back with luminaries lighting the way. What a beautiful night for a ski with temperatures in the 20’s and lots of stars. At the same time that was going on, Marco was driving the horse drawn sleigh with 3 full rides of 15 people! It was his first time out on our newly opened Deer Trap Trail. What a busy night! It is great to see that many visitors coming to experience how wonderful our trail systems are. Cascade Lodge is also hosting the Family Fun Ski Race and the Snowshoe Scavenger Hunt as part of the Volks Ski Fest. The next post will let you know how it all turns out. On Super Bowl Sunday the staff got together to watch the big game. Michael Jr. and Amanda were the gracious hosts and their 52 inch Plasma TV is perfect for watching sports. The potluck style appetizers and food was fabulous, and the tasty beverages wash it all down nicely. The crew was split down the middle with whom they were rooting for; half Pittsburg Steelers fans, half Arizona Cardinals fans. The game itself did not disappoint, coming right down to the wire and almost going into overtime. And “The Boss” cranked loud, really brought the house down at half time. All in all an excellent weekend!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-11T20:02:00.000-06:00

Staff members enjoyed visiting family and friends over Christmas, but then it was back to work as the resort filled quickly during the week leading up to New Years. Guests were treated to some excellent snow conditions for playing around in. For the season to date we have received 50 inches of snow! All the ski trails were open and machine groomed several times over the holidays. One big storm brought in about a foot of snow one day! Needless to say, there were some sore muscles around here after shoveling and plowing all that! The horse drawn sleigh rides have been a big success and have drawn in hundreds of people to Cascade Lodge. The rides started on the 20th of December and went out everyday, 3 times a day starting after Christmas. Marco is the driver and a great guy to have leading the rides. His two big Belgium Draft Horses Jack and Julie, are strong enough to pull a sleigh loaded with a driver and 15 people! The ride through the woods lasts about one hour and is followed up with hot chocolate and a bonfire to warm up. The horses are brother and sister, weigh about 1700 lbs each, stand 15 ½ hands tall, and are 10 years old. They eat lots of hay, oats, and love when people feed them carrots and apples. They are living on the property here all winter long behind the maintenance garage on top of the hill. In the off-season they enjoy logging massive trees and plowing earth. Say hi to them on your way up for a ski or snowshoe!
In staff news Cascade Restaurant has hired two new local servers, Shannah and Breanna. They are really friendly and excellent servers too! Our two foreign students, Johnathan and Laura from Columbia are really great workers. They work both in housekeeping and in the restaurant. Their advanced English speaking abilities allow them to easily communicate with guests and other workers. Johnathan has even been trained by Matt in the fine art of snow shoveling. Michael Jr. and Matt each received ice fishing gear for Christmas and look forward to hitting the “hardwater” many times this season. We were said to see a long time front desk worker Tim, have to leave us this January. Tim is a very likable guy, easy to get along with, and a fantastic salesperson. He will stay in the area, but his new full-time job will be managing the Stille Havet vacation home. He will be sorely missed. Michael Jr. will be taking his shifts from here on out. Hope to see you all out on the trails sometime this winter!

Early Winter

2008-12-06T13:35:00.001-06:00

North Shore residents awoke to a fresh layer of snow on Saturday the 6th of December. It is cold enough now that this several inches of white stuff should stick. We haven’t received much snow to date, but this is a start because everyone wants to start skiing sooner rather than later this month. The inland lakes are all almost completely frozen and a few brave fishermen already are starting to venture out. It has long been known that early ice can yield some of the best catches of the season. Be safe out there guys and gals!

Thanksgiving was celebrated last weekend by all the staff members including our two new students from Columbia, Laura and Jhonnathon. They enjoyed the Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet with all the fixins over at the Restaurant. In fact, close to 100 people were served that afternoon! I’m sure a lot of those people caught a little shut eye afterwards especially with some real snoozers for football games on TV. All staff is looking forward to our annual Christmas Party in a few weeks. It promises to be a wonderful time with food, drinks, music and great fellowship. There will even be a gift exchange and prize drawing too!

We are happy to announce that we will be hosting Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides this holiday and winter season. The resort just received clearance from the state park officials this week. This is a wildly popular winter activity and fun for the whole family! The rides are for lodge guests and visitors alike. Two massive Belgium horses will pull the lighted sleigh on an hour long scenic ride through the woods. The sleigh can accommodate up to 15 people! Advance reservations and payment is required through our local tourism office. Rides start just before the holidays and after the new-year are actually free on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Guests arriving for this holiday season will also find 4 additional in-room TV channels. 3 will be Encore movie channels and then one extra satellite channel. That brings us to a respectable 15 in- room channels for your convenience. Happy Holidays!!

2008-11-11T13:54:00.001-06:00

The entire Cascade Lodge staff recently bid farewell to an integral part of our team from spring to late fall. David was an outstanding cook who put in lots of hours and helped lead the restaurant to a successful season. We held a fantastic potluck dinner party last Tuesday night in honor of him and his wife Lek, who are moving back to Thailand soon to teach English. Thank you for all your hard work! The spread was amazing and somewhat Scandinavian with Swedish Meatballs, Pickled Herring, Seafood Enchiladas, Sweet N’ Sour Chicken, Spinach Dip, assorted breads, and even Sonja’s homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake!
Cold temperatures settled in over the weekend just in time for the Deer Season Opener. Many hunters reported great success including a nice pair of 8 & 10- pointers here at the resort. In fact the annual “Big Buck Contest” at Buck’s Hardware in Grand Marais has a youngster sitting atop the leader board. It is the young man’s first season hunting! It seems blaze orange is the hot fashion trend this season as bright colored clad visitors scurry to get some last minute hiking in. They are being treated to some roaring rivers and waterfalls and excellent vistas of Lake Superior now that all the leaves are gone.
Maintenance is super busy getting everything winterized, put away, and equipment readied in anticipation of winter. The removal of a large pine tree went sour the other day. In danger of falling on either the old owner’s home or the maintenance garage, it was determined that this dead tree needed to come down. It ended up coming down all right, but the large branches ended up knocking out our satellite TV dish and damaging part of the roof on the garage :( Oh well, I guess the damage could have been a lot worse. On a lighter note, Matt reported a moose sighting up along the ridgeline on his way into town the other day. However, the report was discredited after finding out his “moose” was actually a farmer’s rather large chocolate colored donkey!

MEA and the return of da “North Stars”

2008-10-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

The last two busy weekends of autumn have come to an end. On the 16th-18th of this month lots of visitors came to the shore for the big MEA holiday. Since MEA is the last three day weekend until the holidays, many families made one more visit up to the northland. They were treated to some last minute fall colors along the lakeshore, great hiking, and some decent weather too! This past weekend the North Star Ski Group invaded several area resorts to get their hands dirty. For many years here at Cascade Lodge and Solbakken Resort this weekend has been a long standing tradition. The ski group comes up from the Twin Cities and volunteers their time and effort helping us clear ski trails before the snow falls. In return we provide them with room and board, equipment, and direction. The Cascade group went out to Deeryard Lake Ski Area on Saturday and cleared the main loop of downed trees, windfall, boulders, and cut back branches to widen the trail. The annual potluck dinner was held Saturday night at Solbakken for everyone to gather and have a nice dinner, talk about the day out in the woods, and about the upcoming ski season too of course! The second day was spent clearing the Pioneer Trail and Ridge Runs that start from the resort trailhead. The trails are looking awesome and ready to be packed, tracked, and skied. We haven’t seen any snow this month yet, but we are more than ready for it now! Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins out there from the Cascade Staff!!

Fall Colors

2008-10-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

Well the Fall Color Season has reached its mid point and the leaf enthusiasts did not go home disappointed! Just a short drive away, the Caribou Trail and Honeymoon Trail provided a brilliant array maples, birch and poplar contrasted with the forest green pines. What a stunning display of mother nature hard at work painting the forests! The salmon are still running in the Cascade River, but recent rains have the river full so they are much harder to sight fish. Michael Sr. took his boat out on the big lake for the last time and had some great luck highlighted by a 15lb. Lake Trout reeled in by the good owner himself. Several other Chinook salmon were caught that day too making for some great table fare. Matt and Michael Jr. are hoping the weather holds out for about 3 more weeks so they can get some late fall fishing in before they put their boats away. Matt ventured down to Leech Lake about a week ago and had excellent fishing for walleyes and definitely expects to parlay that into some good luck up here in the Northland. In sports, our local Cook County Vikings football team is 5-0 and ranked first in the state. With a balanced air and run attack led by quarterback Miles Drake, the Vikes are poised to make their second consecutive trip to State! Maybe their bigger brother name sake down in the cities can find similar success this season! Savor what you can for the rest of autumn because the snow will probably fly at some point this month.

Autumn Fun

2008-09-16T12:03:00.003-05:00

The Cascade Lodge and Solbakken Resort crew had their end of the summer staff party on Sunday the 14th. It was a way to celebrate another successful summer of 08’ and usher in the fall color season. We also wanted to thank the summer students for all their hard work housekeeping and in the restaurant. The party began at Golf N’ Stuff miniature golf course in Grand Marais. Groups of 4 went out and had a blast. Even little Marshall got in on the action with his mini putter. The leader board went Skip, Michael Sr., Matt, and Michael Jr. After golf, anyone who wanted to try the climbing wall raced up the tree against one another. Young Ben and Sam probably did the best out of the whole group. The party concluded with a staff BBQ and Ice Cream Social that was very well attended. The food was excellent and the desserts were highlighted by Sonja’s homemade blueberry pie! The fall color season is underway back along the ridgeline with the maples just starting to turn their fiery red hue. Soon, leaf peepers by the thousands will descend upon the area to tour the magnificent display! In other outdoor news, the salmon have just started to run up into the Cascade River. Michael Sr. and Jr. tried their luck last night and returned with no supper. Oh well, better luck next time guys and remember persistence counts!

The Sun Sets on Summer

2008-09-02T11:25:00.002-05:00

Well the official “Last Busy Weekend” of summer has come and gone and we look forward to a pleasant fall color season fast approaching. It was a very good holiday weekend with the resort at full capacity and many a restaurant a goers leaving with full bellies of delicious food. The weather could not have been better and some of our guests even drove up to Grand Portage to attend the Bayou Boogie and get their cajun freak on! A month or so of very little rain lead the Forest Service to enact a fire ban for the blow down area of the BWCA a few weeks ago. Areas close to Lake Superior will still allow for campfires however. Mother nature attempted to even things up last week with a nice dosing of rain. Two nights in a row it poured down after dark with total accumulation of about 3 inches. This was very much needed! With our international summer students leaving already for school, we had some temporary staffing issues in the restaurant and housekeeping departments to address. Some staff members from different areas stepped up to fill the void. Yes, that is our motto here at Cascade…pitch in and do whatever it takes to get the job done!! We have since hired several new staff members including four women to serve at the restaurant and two housekeepers. So far they have done a wonderful job for us! We will introduce them all in upcoming posts. The fishing has slowed somewhat in recent weeks as the water is “turning over,” but Matt is hopeful him and his friend Sean can reel in some big fish this weekend when he comes to visit. On a final note, all the kids around the resort will be returning to school this week to sharpen their young minds and hopefully restore some peace and quiet around here.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

The weather recently has been fabulous with daytime highs in the 70’s and low 80’s here next to Lake Superior! We are settling into more normal mid-late summer warm & dry weather patterns. This has everyone out and about to enjoy the great outdoors without having to worry too much about rain. Cascade staff around the resort has been really busy serving all our guests and visitors so far this month. Most nights we have happily been able to turn the “No Vacancy” sign on! The restaurant has been equally busy serving tray after tray of wonderful food this summer. The cooks have introduced several new menu items on this summer’s menu that are really delicious! There are daily specials for each day of the week too including: Mama’s Red Ribs w/ Sweet Potato Fries, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Jumbo Fried Shrimp Dinner, Fish N’ Chips, and Prime Rib Dinner. There is a different Soup N’ Sandwich special for lunch each day and the Traditional Sunday Dinner as well. Check out the full menu on our website’s Restaurant page! Between guests in Cabin 10 this weekend we will be installing a brand new kitchen. The old fashioned “all-in-one” kitchenette was getting outdated and did not work up to our high company standards anymore so it was time for it go! Since Cabin 10 is one of our most popular cabins, this new kitchen will be a delight for guests to use for many years to come! Despite being so busy, most of the staff was able to spend some time in Grand Marais for the “Fisherman’s Picnic” Festival last weekend. The weather was glorious and everyone had an awesome time seeing all the events, stage performances, shopping, and of course eating way too many Fish Burgers! Matt was able to take all the international staff down to Duluth recently too. The students got to see the beautiful Canal Park area, famous Lift Bridge, big ships, and lots of sailboats. Of course the girls wanted to go shopping, so there were also stops to the mall and retail stores. It seems like this summer of 08’ is just flying by, so savor what’s left because it will not last long enough!

Around the Resort

2008-07-26T12:29:00.000-05:00

The high season is here and we have multiple projects going on to keep the buildings up to date. Log cabins #3 & #12 have recently been re-carpeted with some really nice soft new carpet. Perfect for laying by the fireplace on cool summer evening or cold fall-winter night! We know that everyone will be really disappointed that the pink carpet in Cabin 12 is gone, but it was time to say goodbye to it! Along with new carpet, the two bedroom apartment unit (5D) is also slated for a new kitchen in the future! Matt, Michael Jr. and Dmitry from Russia recently finished painting the east side of the Main Lodge building and it looks fantastic! It was much needed and we always aim to preserve the historic building for future generations to enjoy! Some of the other cabins will also be painted when time and resources allow. The next project is trail maintenance on the Pioneer Loop and Ridge Runs. The crew will be out mowing and clearing the different sections of the loop. The hiking and mountain biking conditions should be excellent again real soon! Check the trails page on the website for up-to-date trail conditions. The different summer activities have been attended very well so far this summer, with the All-American BBQ and Wildcats in the Woods campfire presentation leading the way! Check them out during your summer vacation here, or on the activities page where you can download the full weekly activities schedule. The two biggest weekends are approaching fast…The Dragon Boat Festival is this weekend July 25th-27th and has paddlers from all over competing on different teams racing in the Grand Marais Harbor. And the famous Fisherman’s Picnic Festival is the following weekend of July 31st-August 3rd. There are many different kinds of activities, events, games, music, dances, and vendors from all over the Midwest serving mouth-watering fare of all sorts! The Cascade Staff will surely be there enjoying all the festivities! See you there!

Rainbows and Wildflowers

2008-07-13T13:01:00.002-05:00

Wow the wildflowers have really exploded this summer with brilliant colors! There are white and yellow daisy's and orange devils paintbrush surrounded by yellow buttercups all along the highway. The green forests backdrop is awesome and inspiring many to slow down a bit and take in the magnificent view. We have had much needed rain on a regular basis this summer so our creeks and water levels are more normal than the past few years and we have had virtually no threat of a forest fire all summer long. Fishing has been good and the Superior National golf course is playing real nicely.
Michael Sr. recently was driving along 61 when one of the brightest, well defined rainbows he had ever seen appeared in the mist. Then, on top of that rainbow, another full rainbow appeared and guess what the most amazing part was? It ended at Cascade Lodge!!!! As he drove up to the Lodge, there it was, silhouetted on top of the lodge building.
Our Raspberries look to be in tip top condition for summer picking and the blueberries will not be far behind. Wild strawberries are pretty much over, but a few can still be had.

Summer on America’s North Coast!

2008-06-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

The weather is starting to warm nicely and all the fun woods & waters adventures have officially gotten underway! We have a full line-up of weekly summer activities laid out at the resort thru Labor Day Weekend. We have Bingo, Canoe Trips, Wildflower Walks, A.M. Nature Hikes, Disc Golf, The All-American BBQ, and Campfire Presentations with S’mores! The big 4^th of July weekend is coming up fast and everyone is very excited. It has kinda turned into a tradition where most of the staff runs into Grand Marais at dusk to watch the fireworks over the harbor with ice cream and hang out afterwards for a while. Alice is our new international student worker. She is a very smart, friendly girl from the Ukraine. She arrived about a week ago and is adjusting nicely to life in America! She would like to travel to Chicago and New York after fulfilling her work requirements. Say hi to her over in the restaurant, or out housekeeping. We may be getting two Russian boys coming up in July, but students are having problems with their visas this summer. We’ll keep our fingers crossed because it will be a busy season! In other staff news, Matt bought himself a new (used) boat! It’s a 16 foot Lund fishing boat with a 25hp Mercury outboard with all the bells and whistles. He is very excited and should be reeling em’ in soon. It’s pretty funny - Michael Jr. is mad because Matt’s new boat blows his out of the water! He is currently trying to convince Amanda to let him buy one too. Happy Independence Day to everyone out there and happy birthday to the great US of A!

Showers upon Showers

2008-06-13T18:44:00.000-05:00

Lutsen and Grand Marais residents woke up to flooded creeks and rivers, washed out roads and debris everywhere last Thursday morning. The area received 5 inches of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, June 4th and 5th! Eight inches has fallen in the last week! Local creeks and rivers flooded their banks leading to closed county roads and sections of Highway 61. A tranquil Cascade Creek erupted overnight moving large boulders and hurling logs, branches, and part of an old foot bridge towards the mouth of the creek. Some of this debris got wedged under the bridge to the restaurant and had to be removed. The scene was eerily reminiscent to the “July 4th Storm of 1999” on a smaller scale. However, all this moisture is good for many reasons. Here’s just a few: The fire danger will be greatly reduced this summer…meaning we can have campfires and use our grills! Lake levels are on the rise…whereas last summer they were at historically low levels. There should be a long wildflower season followed by a bumper crop of raspberries and blueberries...satisfying both the peepers and the tummies!

Some of the staff went on a fun camping trip this last week to the End of the Gunflint Trail. They encountered moose, bald eagles, deer, and caught some dandy smallmouth bass- some in the 5lb. class range! The campsites sat right along white water rapids on the Seagull River. The party mentioned that they will be returning to the spot again sometime this summer. Here’s to an excellent summer for all, and hopes of getting some of that nice summer weather soon!

Early Summer at Cascade Lodge

2008-05-31T11:50:00.000-05:00

It is a busy time around the resort here getting prepared for the big summer season. Painting, grounds work, planting flowers and maintenance are just some of the many jobs going on at this time. The weather has been great for the most part- mild temperatures and avg. rainfall will hopefully keep the grass green and forest fire risk down for a long time. The hiking trails and mountain biking trails are drying out nicely and the first wildflowers should pop any day now. Our weekly activities program is set and can be viewed as a PDF from the activities page on the website. There is something going on everyday of the week; definitely fun for the whole family! With all the activities, events, and festivals planned, it should be a most memorable season. In staff news, Matt just returned to the area after attending his best friend’s wedding way out in Chamberlain, SD. I guess it was a beautiful ceremony in an excellent location- a pheasant hunting lodge up on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River Valley. All just a mere 12 hr. drive from Lutsen! Our first foreign exchange students should be arriving from overseas in a couple of weeks. This year they are from Russia and the Ukraine. We are all very excited to meet them and to host their 4 month work visas! Until next time readers; have a great summer and hope to see you all soon!

Outdoor Life

2008-05-07T22:22:00.001-05:00

It seems we may have some new residents that have moved to our neck of the woods this spring. Several moose have been spotted by our crew along Highway 61 between Solbakken Resort and Cascade Lodge. The O’Phelan family has reported seeing, “Moose everyday on the way home for the last week!”They will try to get a picture one these times to post on the blog! Another employee saw a group of about 15-20 loons all in a big circle on Lake Superior just down the shoreline from the Lodge the other day! He thought the reason being was that there is still ice cover on most of their interior lake homes. Seeing that many stately birds together at once is a very rare sighting! Although the ice might not be out on all the lakes by the fishing opener (May 10th), the spring steelhead run is in full effect in the Cascade River! Crewman Michael Jr. caught a nice 5 lb. steelhead on 5/4, but shortly thereafter had to release the fish because it was not clipped-Native; only clipped fish-Stocked may be kept for dinner. Several other non-clipped steelhead were caught by anglers that day. This is a very good sign that native steelhead are making a strong comeback in Lake Superior. Author’s note; Jr's big fish story was indeed confirmed by a DNR trout and salmon official!

One Last Gasp out of Old Man Winter

2008-04-15T19:36:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday on April 10th, Cook County was hammered with 8-12 inches of snow! Hopefully it is the last big snow storm, as the great winter 07/08’ now comes to a close. For the season we received a total of over 85 inches of snow, compared with about 55 inches last winter. We would like to thank all our guests, visitors and staff for a terrific winter season! Lodge crewmembers Matt, Michael Jr, Amanda, and young Ben took advantage of the “fresh powder” on Saturday April 12th to ski at Lutsen Mountains for one last time. They reported that the conditions were “Mid-winter like and excellent!” It sounds like they really had a blast out there that day. Well, that snow is almost all gone now leaving just a sloppy mess in its path. The creeks and rivers have opened up and are starting to “roar!” In the next few weeks they will be upgraded to “raging” status as more snow further inland quickly melts coupled with some spring rainfall and temps in the 50’s. Should make for some great waterfall viewing very soon!