News Flash- Banadad Ski Trail groomer and Boundary Country Trekking guide, Jim Raml was just notified that his wild blue berry jam won first price at this year’s Cook County Fair. While Jim has been working on the Banadad for years, according to Jim this was his first try at putting up jam. Not bad - a blue ribbon on your first try. Way to go Jim!

Grand Opening Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center July 4, 2010 - Allow driving, parking, and shuttle time of 2 or more hours from Grand Marais. (Gates open at 11 AM) - Car-pooling is strongly recommended. Parking Flaggers in orange vests will be stationed at County Rd 81 (Moose Pond Drive), County Rd 11 (Sag Lake Trail) and Trail’s End Campground, giving instructions for parking and shuttles. - Drivers should watch for ‘Flagger Ahead’ signs, slow down, stop, listen to and carefully follow directions. - Each parking area will be filled completely in a pre-determined order. - Shuttle vans and buses will move people from the parking areas to the special event tent at Chik-Wauk. Special accommodation is provided for anyone with a disability or impaired mobility. Please ask a flagger for instructions. July 4 Schedule - 11 AM Gates open - attendees will be assigned a "tour number" - To avoid traffic we suggest you arrive early and & bring a picnic lunch. Picnic tables are available. - 1 PM Ceremony begins “under the big top” - Key note speaker: Jim Sanders, Superior National Forest Supervisor, USDA Forest Service - Ribbon-Cutting - Museum tours in small groups - Cake & beverages - Hike the trails Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center 28 Moose Pond - 57 miles “Up the Gunflint Trail” from Grand Marais, MN 55604 218-388-9915 info@chikwauk.com

 Anytime-

     From: Tuesday June 15, 2010 at 12 Noon

     Until: Friday, October 15, 2010 at 11:30 PM. 

The Gunflint Trail’s Plein Air Summer  is open to all artist (painters) who want to participate.- Sign in at anytime during the event at Trail Center Lodge 8am-9pm Mon-Sun. Artist participants will be given a small packet with an ID card, list of incentives from businesses along the trail and information about the event and show.

Art works categories:
1) Water- Rain, Falls, River, Lakes
2) Landscape
3) Wildlife
4) Buildings
5) People

A show/sale of your work will be held on the Gunflint in October 2010. Participating artist will receive complementary wine and food during the October Show/Sale
More info soon, place of show will depend on number of paintings entered.

There are no fees involved for the Artists. Any sales that take place will go directly through the artist and buyer.

You will be welcome to showcase your work at several different Lodges during the summer. For sale or not. Casual Artist meet up - every Friday and Sunday morning. 8 am -10 am at Trail Center Lodge. Catch up with old friends and make new!

This is a very casual event. Please come paint the beautiful Gunflint Trail and enjoy a free show of your work at the end of the summer season.

INCENTIVES FOR PARTICIPATING ARISTS ONLY!-Contact each resort for details

 Additional Information Contact- Sarah Hamilton, Trail Center Lodge, Gunflint Trail- 218-388-2214
 trailctr@boreal.org

Yesterday morning about 6:30 I was working in our office down stairs and happen to glance out the window into our back yard. As I look here came a large cow moose. She slowly walked up to one of the apple trees and began to smell. However, unlike a deer, she did not nibble on the trees leafs. In the meantime the guest were alerted and were happy to crawl out of bed long enough to see miss moose. The moose after spending about ten minutes in the yard then continued down the trail to the creek. Sorry, I was not able to get a picture of her.

As a result of yesterday's rain the following email was received from, Donna Hart,  USFS  Gunflint Ranger District, Grand Marais, "Effective today, Friday May 14 at noon (12:00 p.m. ) the fire restrictions are liffed, Fires are allowed anywhere, anytime."

This means both inside and outside the BWCA campfires are now allowed.

The Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association annual conference was held this past weekend in Minneapolis (April 18-20). The event attended by Bed and Breakfast owners throughout Minnesota was highlighted with speakers from as far away as New Jersey (Jay Karen CEO from Professional Association of Innkeepers International), Washington (Jeff Logan Vice President from Inside Out Solutions) and Texas (Sara Shusta from bedandbreakfast.com) and as close as St Paul (John Edman director of Explore Minnesota Tourism).

Barbara Young, from Grand Marais’s Poplar Creek Guesthouse B & B and the Association’s President chaired the conference. Other B & B’s in attendance from Northeast Minnesota included: A. J Thomson House, Mathew S. Burrows Inn, Ocott House, Solglimt on the Water B&B from Duluth; the Morning Glory B&B from Grand Rapids, Woodland Trails from Hinckley and the Mitchell-Tappan House from Hibbing.

According to Young, “The overall message of the gathering was that occupancy is improving and will continue to improve for the B & B industry and methods of social marketing (twitter, Face book, blogs etc.) are necessary to keep ahead of the curve. The trend is that in a sluggish economy vacationing close to home is popular, practical and safe. This certainly points to B & B opportunities.”

The conference featured workshops promoting packaging with trails and birding; methods of adding value to inn’s offerings and diversification of small business. Additional workshop leaders included a pastry chef; a photography business owner; a health department expert; an energy resource consultant; a marketing guru and a bird guide. Green Journey the Association's new green self-certification program was “kicked-off” at the conference. This unique program – the first Green Lodging certification program in Minnesota - awards from one up to five green leaves for varying degrees of sustainability for member owners of B&Bs. Innkeepers will be encouraged to keep making green improvements to their property in practical ways to improve their rating. The venue Crowne Plaza in Brooklyn Center was in fact chosen partially based on its green initiatives.

According to Pam Thorsen, the Association’s director, “We were impressed with their recycling, their energy savings and their willingness to work with us in not serving bottled water for example.” Many of the vendors at the event also were offering practical “green” solutions to innkeeper’s needs.” According to Young, “This was of one of our finest conferences. Through our workshops and vendors, we gained even more knowledge on improving and promoting our businesses and how we as innkeepers can better work together to improve all our businesses. In addition, I think I can speak for all who attended this year’s conference, we certainly had a great time.” The Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association is a non-profit organization whose aim is promoting the state’s Quality Assured member inns as well as offering support, networking and education for innkeepers.

Organized in 1985 with 12 members, the Association now has 115 members The Assocation sponsors a conference annually, webinars at least monthly and is planning regional workshops promoting Green Journey, other Assocai\tion programs and to discuss members needs. A guidebook is available online to download or by mail from www.minnesotabb.org.

Spring on the Gunflint Trail

 Spring arrived several weeks early this year. The ice went out the earliest on record. Our ski trail, the Banadad closed in March- this has never happened before. The spring bird migration is well under way - robins were seen by Guests at Poplar Creek Guesthouse way too early. Not sure what is going on but it is beautiful on the Gunflint. We will likely have an early green-up, the lakes are already open for canoeing and during April you do not even need to make overnight reservations for the Boundary Waters. This is great time for a visit – join us at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B, at one of our cabins or for the  adventuresome stay at the Tall Pines Yurt. During this time Special Quiet Times rates apply.

Plant Trees along the Banadad Trails- Join Us at the Gunflint Green-Up - May 7th and 8th

Join other friends of the Gunflint Trail at the Trail's annual Green-Up for a weekend of tree planting and tree care. At Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B and cabins we plan to plant Red and White Pines seedlings in the Poplar Creek/Little Ollie area and along the Banadad Ski Trail. Please join us!

We provide tree-planting instruction, planting equipment and tree seedlings, two nights lodging with Barbara's famous breakfasts each morning. One day planting trees with a trail lunch. Also included during your stay, Ted will make a presentation on the area's "Fire history, and Reforestation." Rate for two nights is $89/person/plus taxes, double occupancy.

To register for the Green Up at Poplar Creek call 800-322-8327 or email  us at bct@boundarycountry.com.   

Additional Tree Planting Weekends

Unable to make the Green-Up weekend but still want to help reforest the area, no problem. Join these additional tree-planting weekends. Same deals as during Green-up To register for these weekends call 800-322-8327 or email  us at bct@boundarycountry.com

·        April 30 and May 1 - Rate for two night is $89/person/plus taxes, double occupancy

·        May 14 and May 15 - Rate for two nights is $89/person/plus taxes, double occupancy

Banadad Trail Association Contributes to Tree Plan

1. For the third year running the Banadad Ski Trail remains carbon neutral. The Banadad Trail Association is contributing $168 to offset the CO2 produced in the grooming and maintenance of the Banadad this past winter. This contribution will go towards the purchase of 372 red and white pine trees seedlings to plant along the Banadad during the first three weeks in May. 

Guests Encounter Lynx along the Banadad

Early this March guests staying at the Poplar Creek Retreat Cabin had quite an experience. The event is told in the following article from our local newspaper-

Cook County News herald- Faris and Bonnie Keeling of Duluth had an adventure many northlanders can only imagine—an encounter with a Canada lynx. The Keelings spent the weekend on the Banadad Trail where they said they enjoyed “blue sky, sunny days and clear, starry nights and skiing and snowshoeing.” However, the highlight of the trip was seeing the lynx.

Reached by phone on March 9, Bonnie Keeling said they spotted the animal far ahead on the trail and quickly leashed their German Shepherd Fernando. Barely “a dot,” the creature dashed into the woods, only to appear back on the trail a few minutes later within 10- 15 yards of the Keelings and their dog. “There it was, a Canada lynx— uncomfortably bigger than we thought they were. For several seconds it carefully examined us with a fierce, intense stare. Then it apparently decided we were harmless and uninteresting, neither predator nor prey—despite ‘Nando’s yipping and whining and straining at his leash, wanting to give chase. It casually turned its back on us, showing off its high haunches, its short, black-tipped tail, and its tufted ears in profile.”

Keeling said it continued leisurely traveling up the trail ahead of them for at least a quarter mile, occasionally stopping and staring back for a few moments, as they followed at a respectful distance.

Barbara’s Kitchen

Breakfast chef Barbara-This summer at the Bed and Breakfast, I will be serving some new entrees.  These were tested this past winter and came up winners. You might be served Ebelskievers filled with spiced apples or croissants filled with scrambled eggs into which boursin cheese has been stirred.  The fruit plate always amazes guests as they count the number of artfully arranged fruits.  Of course, I will continue with some favorites such as the stuffed French toast and puffed oven pancake. Do not forget there is always breakfast dessert.

Lesley continues on our staff. This past winter she put together and served quite a few Firepot dinners at the Tall Pines yurt. If there are four or more guests that want to order this special supper, just let us know a couple days beforehand.  We still do this at the yurt during the warm months too. Lesley also cleans the rooms and cabins and guests have commented on the cleanliness. We are so glad to have Lesley here!

Earliest Ice-Out Ever- Early Spring

The ice went out in Little Ollie Lake on April 2 followed by Poplar Lake on April 6. While we have not kept records for Little Ollie, we have been keeping records when the ice went-out in Poplar. Guest what? For Poplar this is earliest ice-out date we know off. Prior to this year the earliest the ice went out was on April 16 in 2005 and 2006. Between 1990 and 2000 the ice went out six times during May with the latest May 22. After the year 2000 the ice has gone out six times in April and only three time in May.

The weather has been great here. If it continues it should be an early green up and that means we will likely be planting our garden in May instead of our usual time of mid June. Spring on the Gunflint Trail is a beautiful season - Very quiet, no mosquitoes, hike, mountain bike, animal viewing and bird watching or just relax.

 Spring Quiet Season Special Rates at Boundary Country- March 29 through May 13, 2010

Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B - all rooms about 20% off-

·        Dorothy's Room $95/night with breakfast for two

·        Ollie's Room $120/night with breakfast for two.

·        Barbara's Suite $105 without breakfast. $125 with breakfast for two.

Little Ollie Lake Cabin - Great Savings

• Regular Rate weekday $150- Special Rate $99/night
• Regular Rate weekend $175/ night- Special Rate $125/night
• Regular Weekly Rate $999/week- Special Rate-$750

Also Checkout our new last minute Specials for even more savings!

Yesterday, April 6 marks the earliest day that the ice went out on Poplar Lake in our record history. Prior to this year the earliest the ice went out was on April 16 in 2005 and 2006. Between 1990 and 2000 the ice went out six times during May with the latest May 22. After the year 2000 the ice has gone out six times in April and three time in May.

Spring is arriving quite early this year- our first robin was spotted over the weekend of March  26 by guest at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B and we have seen many more since then. Trees buds are ready to burst open and the creeks are open and flowing.Labels