Birch Lodge and a Restored Boat

The Birch Lodge "Navy" has now doubled in size with the addition of a vintage row boat. It is as yet unnamed and unchristened, although Bill is kind of partial to calling it "Trout Leak". (Deb edits this to add--but it doesn't leak!)

This beauty formerly was situated in informal dry dock with about a dozen other steel row boats. Informal storage here in the UP means dumped in a pile at the edge of the woods.

  However, a little sanding and sealing and a lot of paint in a scheme that replicates that visible on old photos, we now have a distinctive water craft to ply the lake. Oh, and it is steel, quite heavy, and takes a bit more effort than those new-fangled flimsy aluminum boats to cruise or carry.

 In fact, you may notice there are TWO oarlocks. They may be for moving between seats - we hope they do not mean it takes two people to move the darned thing through the water. In any event, the sailor will get a work out - A-row-bercize UP-style (Deb edits to say OH BILL!)  (Birch Lodge Boot Camp?) Give it a try!!  (Deb says Bill did this post, it rows nicely....step away from the coffee Bill...)

Tahquamenon Falls and the Duck Lake Fire

About a week ago now, we had heard that the Duck Lake Fire had been largely contained and that the campground at the Lower Tahquamenon Falls was open again to the public.  We had a nice weekend, and Bill's cousins were visiting, so we took a trip up to the falls to see what it was like. 

At one point they were speaking about evacuating Paradise, and we were braced to see burned terrain.  We were very pleased to see no sign of the fire at all in the Paradise area, or along the road out to the falls. 

At the entrance to the Upper Falls Park, we saw a lighted sign along the road warning about the wildfire in the area.

 The fire crews were out working on hot spots, and the roads had not all been opened.  (Since our visit, we have heard that the roads are open, but the forest roads are in rough shape from the vehicles fighting the fire--so if you are planning a trip into the fire area beware.   Also, the area is already starting to green up after the burn!)

The Falls were as usual a fantastic sight, and it was a relief to find all is as usual in the Falls area.

 So if you were lamenting the loss due to the fire, be aware that not all has been lost, there is still plenty of the U.P. that is just fine....come and see for yourself!

The Butterfly Bush aka Lilacs in Bloom

Our lilacs have been wonderful this year.  I am amazed at their bloom, and their fragrance wonderful .  We have noticed that the butterflies are loving them too. 

It has been a very dry spring here, and I have been helping the lilacs blooms last a bit longer I hope by watering them.

 The butterflies seems to like the moisture, sometimes resting on a wet leaf. 

Skipper

Last year I posted a blog on the beautiful  Canadian Tiger Swallowtails which gather on our beach.


Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

 In addition to these beauties.  There seems to be every kind of butterfly on this one bush!

At the same time!

Monarchs

  Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, and Monarch butterflies seem to dominate.

American Painted Lady

Red Admiral

We had lots of Skippers, a Red Admiral, a couple of  Mourning Cloaks, and an American Painted Lady among the bunch.  There are however, some I am not sure of.

Mourning Cloak

 A larger dark butterfly was more shy, but came often over several days.
 I am not sure if this is a dark variation of a swallowtail or could it be a Pipe-Vine Swallowtail?  If so it is rare and not supposed to be in this area. 


Mystery Swallowtail

There was also a butterfly I mistook for a leaf.  This might be a Question Mark?  Truly, that's a name, one of the angelwing variety.
 I didn't see it fly with wings open,  it took off while I was called away, but the little question mark in cream on it's wing makes me think that I am correct here. 

Question Mark

Hummingbird Moth

We also had visits by the hummingbirds and a Humming Bird moth!
He was on the lilacs, but we got a better shot of him on the chives, which were very popular too!

More Blooms or Butterflies?

  I will miss the butterflies, but I will really miss the waft of perfume of those old lilacs through the lodge.


Top of the Lilac and Swallowtails

 Wish you all could have been here, maybe next year?  Maybe later this year?   

Smoke on the Water U.P. Forest Fire

Saturday we made a quick trip up to Rudyard, as we returned about 3:00pm we noticed smoke on the horizon to the north.  We had heard about the 20,000 acre Duck Lake forest fire near Newberry, and we were concerned about the potential outbreak of more fires.  It has been unbelievably dry here this spring.  While that means few bugs to bother, it also means forest fires. 

As I unloaded groceries, I smelled smoke.  I thought that someone had perhaps started a campfire.  As I stepped outside, the smoke haze was everywhere.  My heart stopped--did we have a fire coming toward us?  The wind was steep out of the north and north west.
 I ran to close up the lodge and the motel windows.  I noticed you could no longer see the other side of the lake!    I thought about loading the computers and the dogs into the cars just in case. 

Bill more logical, went into town and asked the guys at the bar what was going on.  No nearby fires they new about, but the wind had shifted, and we were now directly downwind of the big fire.

  I was relieved to hear the news, but I was still nervous with such a strong wind and so much smoke in the air.

 By the next morning the wind had shifted again, and we were almost back to normal.  Sunday night brought calm wind and a little rain to ease the fire and my nerves.

The Anna Badgley - Little Trout Lake Preserve

The latest news in the area is the acquisition by the Little Traverse Conservancy of about 25 acres with roughly 4,000' on Little Trout Lake.  This property is just outside of the village of Trout Lake, MI., and borders the Birch Lodge property on our east property line.  The woods behind the lodge and motel are now contiguous with the new preserve.

Ann and Cliff were both concerned with conservation, and Ann donated the mouth of the river connecting Little Trout Lake with Big Trout Lake (aka Carp Lake) to the conservancy in 2006.  She had previously attempted to buy this property to protect it from development so we are sure she would be very pleased.

Little Trout Lake provides shelter to many species of waterfowl when activities on the big lake increase in the summer.  Loons and diving ducks, eagles and osprey are frequently to be found there.  Also, moose have been seen to frequent the shores, as well as white tail deer, porcupine, and beaver.

The preserve will be open to fishing on Little Trout Lake, but camping and fires are prohibited.  The conservancy has plans to improve the dock, and to provide access via the trail from the northeast corner of Little Trout Lake.

Birch Lodge - See you in April!!!

The trees were bare, wintry skies moved in and the cabin became too cold to live in. We realized it was time and closed up the resort for the season - and yes, WE WILL REOPEN next April.

We winterized the lodge and motel by draining and blowing out ALL the pipes - ugh - Bill is beginning to think restoration back to a period BEFORE indoor plumbing might be an attractive option!

We knew it was time because the county road commission was placing the snow-stick/sapling-guides along the edges of the highway right-of-way (these are a low-tech way to keep the plows on the road when there are blizzard white-out conditions). One is at the left of the image here - along with another good winter-is-coming-marker, the golden tamarack trees.

So, among other activities, we stacked the picnic tables up against the motel and broke out the snow blower attachment for the lawn tractor (although Randy, from town, does the heaviest plowing with his 4-wheel drive pick-up truck).

We couldn't help but chuckle about one recent development - now that we are closed for the season, the Canadian Northern Railroad has reconstructed the track crossing near the resort entrance, and the smooth, paved drive is ready to receive, uh, deer?

The closing of the property seemed at times frenetic, compounded by the fact we had moved into the motel temporarily where we could have reliable heat and frozen plumbing was less likely. It was kind of cramped and we were feeling it really was time to leave. However, with all the great people we met this year and the fond memories we have from sharing this special place, we found it difficult to lock up the gate. Even our furry family members weren't at all happy to be leaving, especially Polly (ever seen a Basset sulk?).

We keep repeating, it won't be that long until we return and reopen for guests. Just keep clicking your heels together and repeat, "There's no place like Birch Lodge! There's no place like Birch Lodge!!!!!!" (Geez, does this make Deb the Wicked Witch of the West? Of course not, hmmmm, maybe Wicked Witch of the North??? Guess that makes Bill a Munchkin . . .)

Birch Lodge Late Season is Prime Time

While the temperatures remained in the 50s, Bill decided to scrape and paint the somewhat neglected members of our Birch Lodge structural "family." The entrance gates, which closed for the season November 1 and will be the only public face for the property until next April, were scraped, primed and painted.

The outbuildings behind the lodge had bothered us because they were along the drive leading to the main lodge and impacted visitors' first impressions. They looked run down. The fish cleaning shed got a new roof and painted trim, while the bait shop, the workshop, and the barn/laundry were washed, had siding firmed up and were also scraped and primed (although the bait shop's recent vintage light tan siding panels and window frames were stained brown).

Finally, the light tan paneled pole barn near the cabin, the first building visitors see entering the grounds, was stained brown to give it a more aged appearance and blend in more with the setting.

Unfortunately, much of the stain ended up on Bill, which also gives him a more aged appearance - although he will NEVER blend in with his setting!!!