Looking out onto Rossport Bay, Lake Superior

My brother Peter and his wife Johanne live at Selam Siding, on the north shore of Lake Superior. Note from Pete: "We snowshoed up to the lookout above our house. View is great. Look at all the ice in front of the house. Brenen Commisso had a ice shack out front of his house today. Don't know if he caught any fish though. You can see 360 degrees fronm the lookout."

It is beautiful northern living, but Hugh never fails to mention ----- no walleye!!!

Ice huts dot Red Lake and fishing is Fine

If the wind is up an ice hut is a welcome site, a gathering spot. When a fisherman parks his skidoo in front of a hut, it is an "OPEN" sign and he gets more visitors than a person would ever get at home!

Oh yes, Walleye for Supper

The sun is out, the weather has warmed up a touch and we are thinking walleye for supper!! Gwyneth and Wade left baby Rhian with Gramma Cathy for the day and went ice fishing.

Oh yes, life is good.

Cabin at the "West End"

We are all defined partly by our history and up here we do have our own. In the 1920's and 30's there was a gold rush of epic proportions right here at the west end of Red Lake. People came here for the gold, or just employment, usually with nothing. They did what they had to to live, eat and have a roof over their heads. They were mostly young, single and on an exciting adventure. The mines at the west end never produced a lot of gold, only stories and memories. Brian Kreviazuk with a group of friends have taken this old cabin from Bow Narrows camp and reconstructed it at a new location. It is rekindling new interest in this wild time.

Where else could you put so many volunteer hours into a project and then leave it for people to visit and use unsupervised ?

Viking Island in February

Hugh took a ride out to Viking Island to check the snow levels on the roof of the lodge. He needs to take the snow off before we get freezing rain which makes the snow so heavy. Good Idea, it's raining today and we are not used to this mess!

Tower Cabin at Viking Island

This is our newest cabin at Viking Island.

It has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom with shower and electric lights; even it's own frig!! It is dedicated to Harry Robertson who came to Viking Island starting in 1952. He came every year, fishing well into his 90's. He explored all the lakes in the area and considered the island part of his home. He liked the rustic cabin next door, known as the Prospectors Cabin, and would probably wonder why anyone would want such a fancy place.

Earl Meyer at Middle McInnes

Glenn Kreger from Hatley, Wisconsin, sent me this picture of his brother Earl taken at Middle Camp on McInnes Lake last June. Earl at 86 knows how to fish. It doesn't take him long to pick up a lake trout.
These brothers have been fishing McInnes Lake for over a decade. The lake is 25 miles long and over 100 ft deep in spots. They know the lake well but are still learning.
If you would like more details on this lake including maps go to http://www.vikingoutposts.ca/outposts/no_mcinnes.cfm

Gold Rush in Red Lake

Drill rigs are set up on the ice and these guys will move their rigs several times. This is cold tough work, but good pay. This winter there are fewer drill rigs operating due to the slow down in the economy, but with the price of gold going up, some exploration is still ongoing.

Dress Code for January

Hugh and Arthur are taking advantage of some warmer weather to work on Arthur's workshop.

Out for a Walk

It may be cold but we need some fresh air. This is a sleigh that Hugh and Craig's Dad, Art, built for my kids; some things never go out of style!