Quiet on the Gunflint Trail

Life is slowing down on the Gunflint Trail.  Most of our guests are gone until Thanksgiving comes.  The weather is that in between fall and winter mess.  The leaves are gone.  A few days ago the tamarack were in their fall splendor but even they have shed their needles.  Snow buntings are migrating south.  The mallards have pretty much flown out.  I haven't heard a loon in quite a while.

Of course, we are still seeing game.  Bruce was at the Trout Lake Road coming home and saw two huge bull moose staring at him.  They probably were distraacted by his car from fighting each other.  It is that time of year when bull moose are looking for cows and ready to fight any other moose who gets in their way.  I believe that most parties hunting moose on the Trail were successful.

Partridge hunting is continuing but still rather slow.  Mandy Kroeger, the head wrangler at Gunflint Lodge, found a covey of six partridge.  She got four of them.  Bruce and I have not been out much but still have a few for winter meals.

Right now everyone is getting ready for deer hunting season.  Stands are being claimed and guns are being cleaned.  I believe that the season opens here on November 7th.  A fresh venison dinner sounds really good right now.

We had a little excitement at Gunflint Lodge last Thursday when one of our duplexes burned down.  The fire department was here quickly and stopped it from doing any more damamge.  Of course, the most important thing is that no one was hurt.

Needless to say, we are now in the midst of planning the building of new units.  On Monday the cleanup and installation of the new septic system starts.  Cement work has to get finished in the next couple of weeks before it gets too cold.  Our contractor is talking with Bruce as I type this.

Unless something really exciting happens, I will probably skip next week.