Voyager's National Park Campsite

We checked out a few campsites that are on the islands out in Lake Kabetogama.  This one was on one of the Grassy Islands.  It was very nice with a grill, picnic table and food locker (to keep the bears from getting your food) and also a nice tent pad in the grass.  This site was nice because you could sit out on the picnic table and catch a breeze which helps keep the bugs off.   The other thing that most camping sites have is a wilderness toilet.  It's an outhouse without the house.  You don't need the house because these are all in the woods at least a hundred feet from the campsite and very private  -- but bring your own toilet papet.

Our resort is called Northern Lights Resort and Outfitters.  The only outfitting we do is rent canoes and kayaks to those who want to go camp on the islands for a few days or a week or two.  We don't have much else that you would need to actually camp.  You need to bring your own tent, sleeping bags, stove, food, etc.  There used to be a guy who had an actual outfitting business on the lake but he retired and no one else was interested in the business.  Its too bad because we get a lot of requests for this kind of service. 

Around the Resort

We had a nest of baby robins next to us.   They grew up very fast and were gone from the nest the day after I took this picture.  There are more nests around the lodge with one full of flycatchers and another robin nest.  There are so many birds around the resort and in the woods all around us that they make quite a racket in the morning but its a nice way to wake up. 

The resort has 12 cabins and the one in the picture is called Teton.  It was completely remodeled over the winter.  They had to keep one back bedroom in order to remodel it otherwise the codes have changed and they wouldn't be able to rebuild in the same place.   The guests who have stayed here in the past have all been really impressed with how nice the "new" cabin is.  It has a loft and big open living and kitchen area with a nice gas fireplace.  It also has beautiful granite countertops and the stove is in the kitchen island.  It has a screened in porch as well as a deck that wraps around half of it.  It would be a beautiful lake home. 

Water Toys!

Jim is in heaven because he gets to keep our boat on a boat lift.  That means we can uncover it, lower into the water and off we go fishing.  The boat is nice and secure sitting on the boat lift when storms come up it -- doesn't get beat against the dock.  The resort has every kind of water toy for the kids and the adults enjoy them too.  The most popular water toys are the giant slide and launcher.  You have to see a kid getting launched off of the big yellow thing to see how it works.  The other water tower is a trampoline and swing. 

If that wasn't enough there are canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, kid size kayaks, water bikes and a paddleboat.  The kids just need a life jacket and they can take any of these things and go for a paddle or ride.  We only require adult supervision when they are on the water tower toys.  There is a small rock pile just past the water towers that the kids paddle out to and go on shore.  They spend hours out there so we call it day care island.  The parents like it becuase they can still see the kids and the kids think it is a great adventure. 

We also do Kids Quest twice a week.  Jim and I do one session and we have them make some crafts.  We learned how to make bird and duck calls at the refuge so we have them make those and we also have them make a bird feeder.  Its easy and they seem to get a kick out of it. 

Kettle Falls Hotel





Kettle Falls Hotel is a very historic building that is on Voyager National Park property and now owned by the park.  You can only get to it by boat.  There is a water taxi service if you don't have a boat.  We took a pontoon from the resort and cruised to it.  It takes over an hour and half to get there from the resort going by pontoon.  It was a fabulous day for a boat ride --warm and sunny and the water was like glass. 

The hotel is famous for its slanted floor which you can see really well in the bar.  If you look at the bottom of the pool table you can see how the bottom is built up on one side to level it.  They sell "pink things" in the bar.  Its a pink lemonade slushy with vodka in it.  I don't know how you could get up from one of the benches on the slanted floor and have any hope of walking straight after drinking a pink thing.  We had lunch at the restaurant there -- the food is very good.  A great walleye sandwich! 

The hotel is located at the dam between Rainy Lake and Namakan Lake.  You can boat to it from either lake and if you want you can have your boat portaged over to the other lake -- for a small fee of $40 round trip. 

Beth's First Nice Walleye

I finally caught a really nice walleye - 25"long and it weighed over 5 pounds.  All walleye between 17" long and 28" long have to be released back into the water on these waters.   Thats ok because the fish are very fat so anything over 13 inches long is worth filleting to eat.  We've had quite a few fish fries already.   We've been fed a few times by our guests and one of the workampers has fried up some fish for everyone.  We've also gone out to eat a few times and enjoyed more fish. 

I got a picture of the sunrise from our fishing spot.  As soon as the weather turned warmer we started fishing our little hearts out.   We had some really warm weather with lots of humidity -- welcome back to Minnesota.  We haven't been in this kind of humidity in several years.  How quickly you forget.  We just talked to friends who are still in Arizona, they have a home in Casa Grande south of Phoenix.  The temp is in the 100's but the humidity is about 5%. 

Yewbush Islands

We've been fishing around the Yewbush Islands in Lake Kabetogama.  These are very small islands with a few trees and some grass and lots of rocks.  Last time we were here we tried to sneak up on the deer to get some close ups but they just swam over to the next island.  This time I just took pictures from the water.   The small doe is getting a drink of water while the buck is to the left eating.  He had beautiful velvet antlers.  Next time I'm bring the camera with the telephoto lens. 

We can beach the boat on any shore that doesn't haven't big sharp rocks sticking out of the water.  Its nice to get out and stretch.   Jim is still outfishing me the score is 6 to 1.   One of these days I'll catch up. 

We have had some very nice guests so far and we've cleaned a lot of fish for them.  We are starting to get the families.  Many kids are already out of school because they had no snow days.  So we get to start doing the Kid's Quest this week.  We get to teach the kids how to make different crafty things.  Jim and I are doing bird feeders and bird calls.  The other couple are doing a hummingbird attractor.  Should be fun!

Voyager's National Park

Lake Kabetogama is in Voyager's National Park.  The west side of the lake still has a lot of private propery -- lake cabins and resorts (where we are) but the east and north side are pretty much just park.  The park covers Rainy Lake to the north, Namakan, Sand Point and part of Crane Lake to the east.  All of these lakes are connected giving the park a huge acreage of water.  It is a boating and fishing paradise.  Of course, it is very far north -- half of the lakes in the park are partly in Canada. 

We haven't gotten out to do a lot of fishing or exploring yet.  Its been cool, rainy and windy but unlike the guests at our resort we can wait for better weather.  We have guests coming from all over the country and right now they are here to fish.  So they go out in the cold and rain and bring back small, bony northerns.  We clean the guests fish so they don't care or realize how difficult to debone these smaller fish can be. 

Usually the guys work the dock and the gals work in the office but I like to clean fish so I end up helping clean fish when the guests bring in a bunch to clean.    I can't wait to clean a few that I caught so we can enjoy a good meal of fresh fish.