Early Celebration- Canada

After catching a good sized Smallmouth Bass, Caleb was treated to an early birthday present, a float plane ride over the lake!

Our friend flew over to the cabin and got Caleb all strapped in for an aerial tour of Lake of the Woods.

He was thrilled to have the opportunity and said that the lake looks very different from the air.  The reefs are more apparent and the people & boats sure look small!

He took some photos through the summer haze of the island with Grandma and Grandpa’s cabin.

Many thanks to friend and pilot, Bob Harkness! Perhaps one day Caleb will pilot his own float plane.

It was a wonderful early celebration for his 12th birthday since we have headed back over the border.

A pleasant border crossing, past Willy the Walleye with the stars and stripes in the background.  We are back in the USA, weaving our way around the record setting heat wave and meandering around the smoke from the western wildfires.

Lake of the Woods- Ontario

From jumping off the dock,

to a May Fly hatch,

Bald Eagles soar by to feast on fish guts

as the dogs relax in the boats.

Caleb skims along the top of the water past the island

when he’s not out catching walleye for dinner

or a shore lunch.

Cabin projects fill the air,

it’s life at the lake!

At the Cabin- Canada

We are at the cabin in Canada!  We had a few long driving days to get from West Yellowstone to Sioux Narrows and after staying the night in Baudette, a border town, we crossed easily into Canada.  We will be enjoying Lake of the Woods for a few weeks.

Caleb wanted to try out his early birthday present, a new kneeboard.  He got up on the first try and cruised around the lake.  He also got another early birthday present, a new fishing pole.  On his first cast from the dock, he caught a bass!

But this picture is not a bass, he caught about a 24” Northern Pike!  We don’t keep the bass or the pike for eating, so back to the water they go!

Why would this fish swimming picture be so important?  It’s the elusive Musky and you have to prove it was there!

Chris managed to get him in the boat for better polaroid proof and he measured in at 37”.  He also went back into the lake to get bigger for the next catch!  With the sun shining and temps in the mid 70’s, we will be fishing,swimming, watching the bald eagles, and completing projects on the cabin!

Canadian Wildlife & Stateside

We enjoyed two weeks in Northwestern Ontario visiting family, fishing, swimming, watching wildlife, & relaxing by the lake.That is not a dog, that is a Wolf pup!  He is feasting on some fish guts left on the rock.  We have been hearing them howl and Caleb has definitely seen the most!  He saw the adult climb out of the lake and while fishing saw two adults with their two pups along the shore, plus this pup!  His wolf count is at 6!  Chris and I saw an adult trotting along the road into our campground on our way home one evening and watched it pass through the meadow behind our site!  It was definitely the year for wolf sightings!

Caleb counted the number of fish species he has caught this summer…6 again… Rainbow Trout (in Custer State Park, SD), Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Walleye, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass.

He spent time swimming in the lake with his cousins and we thought he might grow gills and become a fish himself!

When not submerged in the water, he was up on skis!

Our two weeks passed by very quickly and it was time to pack up and head back to the U.S.  We had an easy border crossing at Baudette, MN and altered our “usual” driving route.  The MN government is shut-down and that means the State Parks are closed!  We ended up driving and driving when our stopping plans were foiled.  We stopped at the Dakota Magic Casino at Exit 1 on I29 in North Dakota.  They have an RV “park” but the sites are very short, so we found a nice spot in the parking lot for the night.  The extra driving made for a short trip into Aberdeen, South Dakota for another stay at the Wylie Park Campground for Caleb’s 11th birthday!  After lunch, we made our way to the Aberdeen Aquatic Center for Caleb to plunge down the waterslides, tube around the lazy river and dive off the high dive! 

We are headed south and west…I think a stop in the northern Black Hills is next!

Lake of the Woods- Sioux Narrows, Ontario

We’ve been having so much fun that I haven’t had a chance to put together a blog post! 

Fishing for bass, pike, lake trout and walleye…

Playing in the chilly lake water…

Watching the bald eagles soar high above…

Listening to the wolves yip and howl, and although we don’t have a picture, Caleb spotted one swimming while on a jet ski ride and was able to watch it climb out of the water.  He also has been learning to water ski! (Pictures soon to follow.)

Spending time with family…

Eating birthday cake…

Relaxing by the lake…

Hanging out on Lake of the Woods in Sioux Narrows, Ontario… for a few more days.

Back in the USA- Canadian Recap

Here are a few parting shots from our trip to Lake of the Woods in Canada this year. Caleb was sad to go because he had SO much fun catching fish- like this 29" Northern Pike!

And swimming in the clear refreshing water!

And jumping off the dock!

And catching BIG Lake Trout with Grandpa (the guide) and Dad (fisherman)!

But it was time to move on, so this morning we left our Canadian spot we've called home for the last couple weeks in Sioux Narrows, Ontario and headed back to the USA. We crossed the border at Baudette pretty quickly and smoothly (although we did have to donate our USA lemon to the border agent to get back to the USA). Not a far travel day, we stopped back at the Baudette City Campground, Timber Mill Park, so that we can pick up our mail in the morning. Then on to the Grand Forks area to restock the cupboards and get some maintenance service done on the truck. We've hit the midpoint and are headed south. Follow along to see what we stop and see along the way!

Bald Eagle- The Symbol of Our Nation

Happy 4th of July to all! Our annual voyage to Canada is wrapping up and we will head back to the USA tomorrow. Caleb has had a great year fishing and this Lake Trout is proof! After we saved our fillets, we took the fish guts over to the rock to give the Eagles and Gulls a special treat.

I kayaked over near the location in my Sea Eagle 370 to catch the following shots of these Bald Eagles. There were 5 Eagles total: 2 adults and 3 juveniles. One doesn't realize just HOW BIG they are until you are underneath while one flies overhead with dinner in it's talons! For all those who are avid birders, please understand that I am not! It was a bit scary!!

The juveniles haven't developed their full coloring yet but are just as massive! As I was bobbing in the waves, looking through the viewfinder, the thought ocurred to me that these Trout remains could attract a Black Bear. Soon from the woods I hear a loud SNORT! Uh Oh! "Hello!" I say outloud, switching my focus to the woods. Then another SNORT! I'm getting nervous but finally see a Doe who isn't so sure about me being in the bay with my kayak. She continued to snort at me, and I know she has a couple babies, so I paddled across the channel to the dock. Phew- not a bear! There are Black Bear and Wolves in this area.

We would also like to wish Grammy a very Happy Birthday!

I will add some more Canada pictures soon! (Technical difficulties...)

Fishing, Swimming, & Tubing at the Lake

Our days at the lake have been filled with water fun!  Caleb tried out his tubing skills behind Grandpa’s boat while the dogs anxiously looked on! He has been swimming, swimming, and swimming!  With a little help he constructed his own boat and took it for a sail.  That’s not an ordinary sail- that’s a duct tape sail! The guys have gone out fishing, bringing back Walleye for dinner… but they didn’t take the camera.  We’ll have to work on that.

At the Lake- Sioux Narrows, Ontario

We crossed the border into Canada on Friday morning, on our way to the lake!  We settled into our spot at Tomahawk Resort on Lake of the Woods and called family to let them know that we were here!  Caleb anxiously packed his clothes because he decided that he is staying with Grandma and Grandpa at the cabin.

One of our purchases this Spring were two Sea Eagle 370 kayaks.  They are inflatable which is perfect for storage in the fifth wheel.  Although we tried them out at home, we hadn’t yet tried them with the dogs :-)  This is a picture of the “first ride” and they all stayed dry!  Now that I know the dogs won’t “dump” the kayak, I take Russell while Chris takes Laser.  Of course when Chris went out with Caleb, both dogs started swimming along!  We are using the kayaks to get from where we park our truck out to the island with the cabin. 

Caleb is really getting into the solo kayaking and can turn on a dime.  He gave me a tour of the island tonight, complete with expert narration.

The guys have gone fishing and caught enough Walleye for a yummy father’s day dinner.  But Caleb has lots of swimming, kayaking, fishing energy and concentrated on catching the “boathouse” fish at the cabin too!

We will be here in Canada for a few weeks, spending time on the lake.  Forecasted temperatures are for the low to mid 70’s, with part sun and cloud as they say in Canada and chance of showers.  Caleb thinks this is perfect swimming weather!