We welcomed Mark’s daughter Tana, her boyfriend Eric from Denver as well as Ben’s father Tom to our special place and they were wonderful additions to our group. They joined my grandson Alex (17) and I; Mark Cunningham, his son-in-law Ben Flemke and grandson Max (16); and Kendall Strawmatt and his daughter Kylie (15). Third trip for the kids, they really stepped up to take care of things around camp!
Wednesday July 31, 2024
Grandson Alex fixed the trailer lights and did most of the loading of all our gear, especially the heavy stuff. Got ice, bought groceries and gassed up the truck. We were ready to go!
Thursday, August 1, 2024
I picked up Alex at 7:45, right on schedule. We blew a tire on the trailer on US 53 near Minong. Not the worst place to watch Alex jack up the trailer and change the tire.
Stopped in Superior WI to buy a new spare tire – not shocked that they could not repair the old one 😉
Met the rest of the crew in Two Harbors, only an hour behind schedule. Made it across the border with little difficulty. Much smoother with Ben and Max having their passports for the first time in the last couple trips!
Checked into the Valhalla Hotel in Thunder Bay. Wrapped Mark’s truck and Ben’s car in crash wrap to avoid the inevitable scratches ahead. Dinner at the restaurant was nice.
Learned about the experiences of Tana and Eric working as police officers in Denver. Tana is a detective and Eric is on the SWAT unit. Two dedicated people working in a difficult environment.
Friday August 2, 2024
After a nice breakfast at the Valhalla, we noticed a bald spot on one of Mark’s trailer tire, so we changed our second tire in a good place. We stopped to get more ice, stopped to buy leeches and headed north. Light traffic on the highway, the good gravel logging road was pretty smooth. With the wet spring, the flowers were blooming along the side of the road. The last 24 miles on the old logging road was much better than the May trip. The big washout was nearly dry, but the brush was thick.
Only had to stop twice to clear down trees. The guys made quick work to remove them.
Mark and Tana in the lead truck saw a big black bear go across the road. The berries are ripe, the bears are having a feast.
It was a warm dry day to setup camp. The crew jumped into action to setup tents, canopies and the kitchen. Alex and I tried to launch the boats by ourselves, which turned out to be an adventure as Mark’s boat and trailer got away from us and slid down the hill, dragging Alex along with it.
Tom’s boat and trailer also slid into the river, so after unloading the boat, Eric stepped into the deep water to lift the trailer over the old bridge footings. With help, we got all the boats in the water.
Ken, Max, Alex and Eric made firewood.
Ken made brats and baked beans for dinner on the Blackstone grill and the kids made a nice fire. Got the tin can going to smelt aluminum cans.
Mark’s daughters can talk him into anything, including a new loon tattoo.
Saturday August 3, 2024
Overcast morning with a light sprinkle. Max and Ken made a nice breakfast of biscuits and gravy. Max found a tadpole.
All the motors started right up and we were off!
Alex and I fished my traditional first shoreline called slip bobber. Alex and I had good fishing and a double! Nothing big, but good action.
Alex cleaned all the fish. He is very careful with the fillet knife.
Mark, Tana and Eric had great fishing, lots of Walleyes over 20”. Eric got a 21″ Walleye.
Tana took the early lead in the biggest fish category with a 30” Northern.
Tom, Ben and Max counted 58 walleyes! Nothing big, but 2 triples!
Max was ready to clean fish.
Ken and Kylie had great fishing on the Clear Jack Lake. Two doubles. Lots of bigger fish! Ken lost a big fish that broke his line. Kylie had to get into the water to pull the boat up the creek against the current.
I made blackened Walleye fish tacos for dinner. Ben cooked the fish on the Blackstone grill. Eric and Tana made dirty rice. A great meal!
Sunday August 3, 2024
Clear cool morning. Eric saw Northern Lights at night. Ken made coffee and sausage links. Ben made pancakes.
Decided to take a boat ride to the northern lakes. Picked up a few Walleyes around the mid lake hump. Alex and I both caught a couple nice 16.5″ Walleyes. Hit or miss fishing, but we did have another double of keeper Walleyes.
Ben, Tom and Max had good luck east of the island. They counted 42 Walleyes. Ben snagged the line that broke in Alex’s reel and saved the jig! A nice stringer of fish!
Ken and Kylie had great fishing on the West Arm.
Tana caught another +20″ Walleye, Eric got a 20″ and Mark reeled in the biggest Walleye of the trip – 23.5″. They enjoyed the nice day on the water.
We went up to Boy Scout Island in the far north lake so Alex could clean fish. It is a beautiful campsite.
Alex built a Carin or Inuksuk at the rock point of the island as humans have done for centuries.
Alex and I found a nice fishing spot with a 30′ deep hole between Boy Scout Island and the entrance to Mule Lake.
Visited the trapper’s cabin and noticed moose tracks in the beach.
Ken had replaced the fishing cleaning table at the trapper’s cabin with a desk from the old Owatonna High School.
Max mixed Mark’s secret fish batter recipe, it turned out great! Ken manned the fryer with help from Tom. Started with onion rings and cheese curds before some great fried fish.
Eric poured the oil on the fire to make it visible from space!
We heard wolves howl and the loons responded – very cool! Clear cool night with no moon was perfect for a spectacular northern lights display.
Monday August 4, 2024
In honor of the Olympics in Paris, we enjoyed French Toast for breakfast. Kylie mixed the ingredients; Ben flipped them on the Blackstone grill. Ken made coffee and bacon.
Kylie and Alex pulled the boats up the creek to the Clear Jack Lake.
Max used the oar to push their boat up the creek.
Ben caught a 18″ Walleye right away on Clear Jack Lake.
Kylie changed clothes to fish with her Dad.
Alex and I had good fishing on Clear Jack Lake.
Visited Tim Fisher’s memorial stone and noticed that someone else had added another steel plate to remember their friend.
Alex and I went to the island to clean fish.
Mark, Tana and Eric never left the home bay and they got a lot of big Walleyes including a triple of 18 & 19″ Walleyes! Tana caught another 20″ Walleye and Mark kept and cleaned a keeper Northern.
I followed a couple Ruffed Grouse up the hill with the 6-wheeler. One flew into a tree and waited for me to get a picture. It would have been an easy shot.
Mark enjoyed a ride up the hill and back to camp.
Ken cut down some standing dead trees. The boys hauled them to the path and I tied them up with a chain and drug them up to camp. Kylie helped me toss them behind the fire pit.
I used the chainsaw to cut up the logs so Max and Alex could split the wood.
Everyone enjoyed a Cajun fish boil with potatoes, onions, brats and Walleye fillets. Clear cold night, great for star gazing!
Tuesday August 6, 2024
Beautiful morning, partly cloudy and warmer. Pancakes (Ben) and bacon (Ken) was a tasty way to start the day.
We followed Ken and Kylie down the west arm where they had great fishing on Monday.
Beautiful spot with a 20’ deep hole surrounded by more shallow water.
Even with almost no wind, we had outstanding fishing!
Towards the end of the day, we fished the channel to the main lake. Ben, Max and Tom caught several Walleyes just jigging over the boat. A beautiful spot!
Again, Mark’s boat never left the home bay and caught lots of big fish. Tana completed her string of catching a +20″ Walleye every day! Tana also caught a 28″ Northern. Eric caught the biggest stick!
Ben, Tom and Max landed 44 Walleyes – counted 192 for the 4 days. Max caught the last fish of the trip. A 39” Northern! The big fish got tangled in the stringer, but they were able to land it. A big finish to a great trip!
Nice to have some strong guys as we pulled the boats out of the water. Tana saw a wolf pup as she walked up to camp.
The kids made dinner. Pork steaks were a very tasty last dinner at camp. Nice campfire for our last night in the woods.
Wednesday August 7, 2024
Rain overnight made everyone move slowly. Ken made egg, ham and cheese sandwiches. Packing wet tents is a messy job, but we were fortunate to have the heavy rain hold off until we were on the road.
Ben must have hit something that caused the brake to squeal and caused a flat tire. Everyone pitched in to jack up the car and put on the spare tire. Tom straightened out the heat shield around the brake to stop the squealing.
We made it to the Airlane Hotel without incident. Ordered pizza and shared pictures and stories from a great trip!
Thursday August 8, 2024
No air conditioning in two of the four rooms made for an uncomfortable night and with the window open, it was very noisy.
We hit the road after breakfast. Ben made it across the border on fumes as we pulled into Ryden’s. Traffic on the north shore of Lake Superior was slow with tourists and construction. Noticed some of the leaves were changing, rather early. We said our goodbyes in Two Harbors before splitting up and heading home. It was great to have Alex help me take the boat off the trailer and unpack the truck when we got back home.
It was a great trip with a wonderful group of friends!
Steve Pelton 