After braving the white-knuckle drive from Minneapolis Friday evening, while returning from San Diego, it was nice getting home and sleeping in our beds again. The thought of staying in a hotel one more night and having to unpack the van again was not worth it for me. We drove slow, as did the other travelers braving the elements, and we were surprised to see that the lakes had already frozen as far South as Forest Lake.
The snow let-up north of Duluth and the drive became easier since Highway 61 had recently been plowed and sanded. The kids fell asleep, and I watched the deer grazing alongside the road, aware but not startled by the passing headlights as we drove through the night.
Saturday morning, if you consider 11:30 a.m. the morning, we pulled open the curtains after stumbling out of bed and could not believe our eyes as we looked at Devil Track lake covered with ice. I was expecting to see waves lapping against the shoreline and boats pulling whitefish nets, not ice. My family will be visiting from Iowa for Thanksgiving this year and we are hoping to ice fish. It looks like they might get their wish.
In a couple of short weeks, we will be opening the Raven Rock Grill for dinners, and our break will end. Rachelle and I are excited about the season ahead and feel recharged from soaking in the San Diego sunshine. Winters can be long, especially when they start in October.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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