Black’s Cliff Resort’s Birch Bark Blog

Ruby has to be one of my favorite dogs to photograph.  She has personality coming out of her ears.  Her owners Ben and Deb think that her ears might be the trick to pick up the wireless internet into Muskie Inn.  Their friend Mike is convinced that when Ruby sits in his lap and is closer to the computer he is able to pick up the wireless signal better at Muskie’s kitchen table

Ruby doing her favorite activity, chasing the frisbee (better known as the F word in Muskie).  If you mention the F word in a sentence and she hears it with her bat ears you had better be prepared to go outside for 10 minutes with the purple disk (which is what I called it instead of the F word)

Loving the life of a dog.  I wish life was this simple and joyful for everyone

Ruby’s owner, Ben, getting some much needed therapy on ice.  Nothing is better for Ben’s soul than a few hours spent like this on Lower Kauabashine.

Sun trying to break through the clouds on the last day of February.  Tomorrow tune back in for Cliff’s return to the ice for Ice Out 2010

Today I am going to put up a different type of entry nothing to do with the resort and no pictures.  Once in awhile I find a link to something that I find fascinating and thought I would share

Troy has laughed at me over the years in my love of reading non fiction books about climbing Mount Everest or hiking the Appalachian Trail.  For some reason following the trials and tribulations of folks doing these things fascinates me.  I know I will never climb Mount Everest but I have put my foot for a few miles on the Appalachian trail in a few spots in Tennessee.  I have sat and watched real hikers, hiking through looking like they know what they are doing.  I had this link shared with me by a friend who knows the hiker.  She is journaling her journey along the trail and I plan to follow along as she goes.  Check out the link below.  Go to her previous entry about the police officer in the driveway giving her a ticket for frosted up windows to catch the humor of this writer and a flavor for the type of people that go off on an adventure like this hiking from Georgia to Maine

http://www.trailjournals.com/croft

While checking out the guys work at Bear Den I caught these fun pics of huge big flakes coming down in the pines, Enjoy!

Our rates lower to the lowest of the year through mid week and weekend.  Weekend rates start at 110/night for our regular sized 2bdrs and 125/night for Birchwood.  I also rent out our 3bdrs when needed to smaller groups starting at 125/night.  Nice time to come up and enjoy the snow in warmer temps.  Skiing last weekend I could have done in a sweatshirt no coat needed.  That is my favorite type of skiing

Warning to those we liked the shag carpeting in Bear Den (Nathan and Jamie) the following pictures may be disturbing.  As winter winds down the guys start finding fix it projects to work on.  First thing this year was to pull the old carpet out of Bear Den’s bedrooms and talk about paint on the white walls.  At some point we would like to add to insulation in the walls and put cedar siding up but for now new carpeting and some paint on the walls are on order in the bedrooms

Checking out the new carpet with the proposed paint..  We shall see how they go together.  I know it will make vacuuming Bear Den easier.  The amount of sand found under the old 1970’s carpet could have filled a sandbox for the kids

Room looking very bare.  We shall see how this endeavor turns out with Craig in the South and Troy and Steve let loose.  Craig has his eyes on the flooring in the kitchen, livingroom and dinningroom when he gets back in Spring baring any other major calamaties

I had this classic photo sent to me by Rick Stockton.  It is of Millie Black taken about 1983 or 84.  She is styling in the loon hat made by my mother Trudy for The Hello Minnesota Loon Calling Contest I was in back in the 80’s.  Millie is wearing it well

Rick also sent me this great pic of his grandparents Ed & Marian Gereke.  They are sitting with Rick in their 1969 Shell Lake model 14 foot ski boat equipped with a Johnson 55 HP outboard racing motor. Some will remember this boat flying around the lake at Moc 10 with Rick behind it.  I wonder which was faster this boat or the resort red and white boat.  I am sure there were a few races between the boats

Thanks Rick for sending in these old pics.  Anyone else with fun pics from days gone by send them into me to share on the blog.  I know there are tons of pics out there

Warm Sunday afternoon was a perfect time to  head down the Madeline Trail.  It is 10 minutes from the resort.  We usually ski at Winter Park, but sometimes taking a break and heading down a state trail is fun.  Madeline Trail is out on County J.  Follow County J over hwy 47, passed the new Catholic Church to the next road called Rudolph Rd.  The trail is a mile down Rudolph.  Why we choose this one is the hills are not real bad, it is a gradual trail.  Great for walking, biking or skiing

Sometimes the state trails are not as well groomed as Winter Park.  Today there were no complaints the trail was in perfect shape!

We ran into the groomer part way down

Down the trail we went no phones, Nintendo DS’s or text messages just snow and skis

Who did the first crash on the only big hill on the trail…….

This is my favorite pic of a reluctant skier who has checked out…. until I mentioned Culver’s icecream at the end of the trail

4.5 miles and where is Culver’s

For those that do not know it, Bryon Black our webmaster and brother in law is a muralist extraordinare. He just completed his latest mural at the Minocqua Brewing Compay.  The Brewery opened up the 2nd floor for live music and a relaxed bar for folks to gather.  They commissioned  Bryon to do the Mural which you can see in the background.  Bryon enlisted the help of a few helpers and after a long winter finally has it done.  Stop in to see his art work when you are in town

Going into the old photo file today.  I think this is late 50’s or early 60’s based on the slide and pier

Do summers ever really change?  Add some color and you would have summer 2010

One of the 1st years of the old ski boat.  The engine may change but the boat never has

Raft with its good old diving board, I think some of those skis are out in the shed still

Here is to summer and another summer on Lower Kaubashine

Anyone have some fun photos from summers gone by?  Or anytime of year on Lower Kaubashine.  Please email them in and I will share them on the blog

Amanda Hixson arrived at the resort with her boyfriend Chris for a weekend of snowmobiling with friends.  I am not sure we converted her over to loving a Northwoods winter as much as she enjoys sitting by the lake in the summer, but everyone had a good time.  For the record nobody slept in Tom and Murry’s bed…. really!

Fishing started out with this whopper and progressed quickly to….

Nice fat Northern caught on a minnow

Caught and released back into the lake to spend the next few months eating all the crappie before Tom and Rich try to catch them in June

After a big day of icefishing time to head down the trail for a little snowmobiling

They reported the trails in great shape for Hazelhurst to Eagle River.  They followed 3 groomers and had nice smooth trails the entire way with fresh snow coming down

Quick stop in Eagle River at the Ice Palace

The vacation ended with an infamous dinner at The Moose Jaw Lodge.  See ya in June

Good News, after loosing our 2 bakeries the Baker’s House and The French Bakery in the last year it was a nice surprise to see a new one open between Walmart and Trig’s.

Jim and Brenda McCoy offer some of the best breads in town.  I am partial to their Asiago (spelling… the good bread with the cheese baked in).  They also make great pies and always have a selection of doughnuts to keep Troy happy.  So those in need of good fresh bakery items while in the woods, never fear, check out the Whistle Stop