Live the Adventure

Family Visit

2012-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we were blessed with a visit from our nephew Eric Oberg and his wife Amber, sons Lawrence (4) and Celeb (14 months). Eric works for a mining company in northern Minnesota and had a long four day weekend to enjoy. It worked out for them to come up and spend some time with us, which made us happy.

We filled every moment possible with some exciting adventures. The first day they were here, Joanna and John were scheduled to take a couple of folks on a full day dog sled trip. So, I guided Eric and his family to our Indian Lake overlook. It is a new trail on the opposite side of the Agimac River through a beautiful spruce swamp and up a hill. We put the baby in his car seat and strapped him to our long sled. Then Lawrence hopped in behind him. We took turns pulling them along behind as we snow shoed the trail. They were amazed at the view from the overlook, about a hundred feet above Indian lake. We could see the snowmobile trail on the lake,lined with tree branches to mark the trail that John, Joanna and the other dog sled team would travel on their way back to camp.

On our way back down the hill, Eric climbed in the back of the sled with his two sons and commandeered it around the curves to the bottom, sometimes plowing his own trail to cut off some sharp corners.

Believe it or not, Caleb, the baby, slept through the whole experience, waking only once when they bumped some brush.

The next day, Joanna and John took them on our half day trip trail while I stayed home with the baby. Joanna took Lawrence in her sled while Amber and Eric each had their own sled. Apparently they had a great time, because when Amber came through the door, her face was flush with excitement. She kept exclaiming on what a fantastic time she had. She never dreamed it would be so fun. Joanna might have another willing helper for the Beargrease Race next year.

It's refreshing for us to have family and friends come to stay with us during the long winter months. We don't get out as much at that time and it gives us a chance to slow down, spend more time with them and have some relaxing fun ourselves.

We Are Now On Facebook

2012-01-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone! I know there are quite a few of our wonderful guests who take a look at Our Blog from time to time to see what is happening at camp. Could we ask you a favor? Could you let other folks in your group and other friends of yours know about our facebook page to help pass the word?

It is called Agimac River Outfitters. Facebook seems to be a great way to connect with people and let them know what we have to offer at our place. We've always known that word of mouth is by far the best advertising. So, thank you for getting the word out and letting folks know we are here.

We just got another foot or so of snow this last week. It's been pretty quiet on the western front, but we never seem to have a day without something to keep us busy. John has been plowing the 325 road with this new snow and shoveling walkways etc. Just today he cut and hauled three big tractor buckets full of firewood to our outdoor furnace. And today we are entertaining our pastor and his family from Ignace with an outdoor wiener roast and a half day dog sled trip. We also plan to have some fun and games after supper.

We have had a few more Dog Sled Trip guests this year than before which is nice and our first ice fishermen who came from Duluth, MN up to stay with us in a cabin. They so enjoyed snowmobiling to the different lakes in our area and fishing that they said they would be back.

I really like this time of year when the sun shines brighter and the days are longer. It feels like spring is right around the corner.
Joanna says, "No,not yet!" She has to run a few dog sled races first. Her first race this season will be in Upper Michigan beginning in Marquette on February 17th. That's coming up fast now, so she is getting excited. Stay posted and we'll let you know how she does.

Happy New Year

2012-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of you out there in Blogland. I wonder what 2012 has in store for us. It should be an interesting year. We trust that each and every one of you our guests and visitors to the site will have a prosperous year mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially.

It has been a milder than usual winter thus far, but we still have good ice on the lakes and plenty of snow for outdoor activities like snowmobiling, ice fishing, dog sledding, cross country skiing and snow shoeing. John and Joanna took a couple of folks out yesterday for a full day dog sledding trip and they said it is a gorgeous winter wonderland in the woods.

This last fall, John opened up a hiking trail across the river from camp that runs alongside the river and uphill to a breathtaking over look of Indian Lake. We plan to build a bench this summer for hikers to sit on once they get up there.

We also completed a few projects on our list such as two new outhouses for the campground area; another larger campfire ring right on the lake beside the campground for our cabin guests to be able to sit around a fire and visit; and renovations on cabin 4 in the kitchen and bathroom.

There are a few new administrative changes as well at camp. We raised our prices for the weekly rate from $350/person to $365/person and our nightly rate from $60/person to $65/person- our first rate increase in four years. Right now the U.S. dollar is holding its own against the Canadian dollar which is great. We will be monitoring the two currencies weekly during the fishing season and if necessary adding a currency fee if the U.S. dollar declines below the Canadian dollar. Another decision we made for the health and safety of all our guests is to ban smoking in all of the cabins. Most of our guests who do smoke have been courteous to others and smoked outside the cabins, but we felt we should simply make it clear that there will be no smoking in the cabins from now on.

We had a bit of excitement last week when four Duluth, MN men came up to stay with us to go ice fishing. We've been trying to promote ice fishing at our camp, but haven't had any takers until now. They said they enjoyed the cabin accommodations, had a great time exploring quite a few lakes in the area, had plenty of fish to eat and would be back again. That was good to hear. Dog sled trip reservations are up this winter also which has been helpful to us. It is fun to meet new people and guide them into some of the most beautiful scenery there is.

We feel very blessed to be able to live here and to be able to serve such wonderful guests that come our way. Happy winter!

Home From My Trek to the Lower 48

2011-12-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I returned from a three week trip south to visit family and friends. Originally, John and I had planned to fly down to Pensacola, Florida this fall together to stay with our son Jonathan, his wife, Reseth and our six month old grandson, Aaron. I rarely get to go anywhere with John except a short trip to town every great once in a while. So, this was going to be our big excursion. But, when we realized that Jonathan could only get time off during Thanksgiving from his intense Air Force training as a navigator, John figured he should not go, not wanting to leave Joanna here without someone to plow the roads in case of snow.

He encouraged me to go alone, knowing how much I wanted to see Jonathan and his family. What a fun and relaxing time we had together. Jonathan taught me how to fly a really fun kite with lots of action to it, he took me on a motorcycle ride, and he flew me in a small plane over the Pensacola coast, even turning the controls over to me momentarily. Whew!! What a thrill. It was an added plus that they live near the beach, which we visited three times and the temps were still in the 80's. I just love the ocean.

My last night there, Jonathan took me out to dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant. It was a real windy day and red flags were up all over signifying that people should not go in the ocean. The tides were strong and dangerous. We took a little walk on the beach before dinner and were drawn to a large pier where we saw an emergency vehicle parked, facing the ocean. As we got closer, we saw that there were about 60 surfers, all in black wetsuits out surfing the 6-8 foot waves. Having been a surfer myself in Florida, I was so excited to be able to watch them ride the waves. The sun broke through the clouds just as it was setting, making a spectacular picture.

After spending six days with them, I flew over to Atlanta, Georgia where I rented a car and drove up to Franklin, NC. I had planned to just drive up to my parents door and surprise them. When I rang the doorbell and my mother opened the door, I laughed at the look of utter consternation and bewilderment and joy on her face. She kept backing up saying, "D-D-D-D-Daryl !!! Where did you come from? How did you get here? "

It was hard to keep the surprise from leaking out with all my family members that knew about it. But it worked and it was worth all the effort to keep it a secret. I had two wonderful weeks with them, also visiting my sister and her family and my brother and his family. My mother just told me today that it was one of the two greatest surprises in her life. I forgot to ask her what the other one was...

Race handler photos - Hero's behind the scenes:)

2011-12-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Had to post a few pics of my Beargrease handlers, my mom and cousins Sarah and Holly and friend Leah! They are all troopers and I am so blessed for their support!! Couldn't do it without ya'll!!!

Sled Dogs Fall Training/Conditioning - Getting Ready for a Winter of Dogsledding!!

2011-12-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

Fall is the time of year that my thoughts turn to, well mush! As in Mushing dogs!!! My dad and I are a team in every way with caring for the dogs and running them. Dad goes with me on almost every training run and I couldn't do it without all his help!! He would go with me to handle at the races if he could but he has to stay home to man the generators, plow our 16 mile long "driveway" and feed the dogs left behind. His support means everything to me and he shares in our teams success at the races. We work together well in guiding participants on sled dog trips, teaching them how to drive the sled and commands for the dogs. It has sure been fun to share in all the adventures with my dad!!

With our kennel of racing and touring Alaskan Husky Sled Dogs, training and conditioning of our dogs begins around the 1st of September. When its cooling off in the early mornings and late evenings is an ideal time to hook up some dog power and get our canine athletes into shape after a summer off! We start short and slow, four mile runs with a water break at the halfway point. Keeping sled dogs from overheating is of utmost importance!!! We hook up between 10 and 16 dogs at a time to our big four-wheeler, which they then pull with the engine running, in gear to help hold them back! The goal is to build muscle to help protect the joints from injury which is why we do not allow them to go very fast at first. Hooking up 16 dogs to one gangline for the 1st run of the year can be pretty wild! The dogs are absolutely CRAZY to run and they know what pulling out the harnesses and firing up the ATV's mean!! Its a lot of fun and quite exhilarating to say the least! I just love seeing how much these dogs LOVE to run!!!

As the season progresses we keep gradually increasing the distances they are running, mixing things up with slow/fast - long/short runs. Not only are the dogs getting in shape physically with the conditioning but also there is lots of mental training taking place as well. Teaching new young leaders how to hold the line out, run on the right side of the road, obey commands for turning, and learning how to pass vehicles and other dog teams among other things!! Our location is ideal for training sled dogs with many different roads/trails leading in many different directions. It is a dog mushers paradise to have so many trails to choose from right in our own backyard! The dogs like variety as well as they can get somewhat bored running the same trails and certainly get excited to run new trails!! Seeing moose or lynx, rabbits or partridge also amps them up! Training with the ATV is nice for control with big teams but we are always excited to be on sleds once we get enough snow!!!

My first big race of the year is the John Beargrease Sled Dog Race starting in Duluth, MN at the end of January. I race the mid-distance with 8 dogs for about 112 miles along the north shore of Lake Superior, it is a pretty tough race with some serious hills of the Sawtooth Mountains, not to mention always has some serious competition of highly competitive teams. It has two checkpoints where you can stop and care for the dogs and yourself with the eight hours of mandatory rest time usually divided between both checkpoints. My mom and two cousins, Sarah and Holly have been superstar handlers for me the last several years as well as my good friend Leah who is very knowledgeable and a huge help! It takes dedicated handlers up for adventure to stay up all night in the cold to help me and my team!!! I couldn't do it with out all their help so a huge thank you to you gals!!

I am hoping to head over to Michigan for the Midnight Run starting in Marquette middle of February if it works out. I have long wanted to race it and have (in my opinion:) a great team this year so hope to bring home some prize money if all goes well! And as always I look forward to racing in my old hometown of Ely, MN for the WolfTrack Classic, a race that I helped out with its inaugural year. Always great to see my sister and all my friends!!! In the future I would like to race the 10 dog, 150 mile CopperDog in MI which follows more of a stage style format. Always new trails/races to run!!! We also host a short fun sprint race here at Agimac River in mid March. All the local sprint mushers come if they can and its a great time and usually last hurrah to our racing season:)

The eight pups that were born in April are very big at about 8 months old now! I am super excited to see how they do in harness and will hook them up for the first time this winter! Future Champions here they come!

Continue to watch the blog for race results later on this winter!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!! Joanna and team :)

Moose Hunters

2011-11-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Resident Canadians who already have their tags can stay with us here at Agimac River Outfitters to hunt WMU 15A. They all did pretty well with most of them getting a moose and for sure seeing quite a few of them even if they weren't able to shoot one.

Non resident moose hunters from the U.S. do their hunting where we have moose tags, about 300 miles north of us, about where the gravel road ends at Stirland Lake. They all bring their own camping supplies, canoes, four wheelers, even generators to be self sufficient.

Scott Bertrand got a nice bull moose which is shown in the first picture above. Another group had a bit of a scare when two older gentlemen were motoring back in their canoe up the river after dark and hit a rock. The canoe capsized and a lot of their gear went down. They grabbed their motor and put it on a rock to mark where it capsized and began paddling. The only problem is that they were disoriented and were paddling in the wrong direction. They were cold and wet and now moving further from their destination. The guys back at camp figured there was something wrong, so they drove their pickup trucks over to the boat landing and shone their headlights out into the dark. Fortunately, the men in the canoe saw the lights, turned around and made it safely to shore.

Aside from that harrowing adventure, they had a blast catching northern pike, and watching a beautiful northern lights display, pictured above. They saw quite a few moose, but weren't able to get close enough for a good shot. However, I'm sure they went home with memories they will never forget.

Caught Our Limit

2011-10-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

Fall is a busy time of year for us. Even though our cabins are pretty empty now, this is the time of year when we do lots of painting on the inside of the cabins, renovation projects and excavating improvements on the premises. We hurry to accomplish all these tasks in a few short weeks before freezing weather sets in and it brings everything to a screeching halt.

But the weather has been SOOOOO nice that Joanna and I just had to get out on the lake to do a little fishing. Our kind and generous guests often give us their leftover live bait (minnows, leeches and worms) as they are departing for which we are so grateful. In fact, I still have quite a few worm and leech containers taking up room in my refrigerator, still hoping to get out fishing.

We went to our favorite spot where we can generally catch quite a few walleye in a very short amount of time. Sure enough, just as the sun is setting over the horizon and the moon is rising on the other side, those walleyes start jumping on our lines.

I have to say that Joanna usually beats me every time in the number of walleyes pulled in. I don't know what it is. We have the same bait, the same lure, do the same thing (just sit there motionless without even jigging the rod) and her pole invariably pulls over with the weight of a fish on it much more often than mine.

We both so enjoy the tug of a fish on the line and always get excited to reel one in. I get a kick out of watching those veteran fishermen who remain sober faced and calm while pulling in a big one as if it's no big deal. But they've probably caught a lot more fish than we ever will. Each time our pole bends, Joanna and I can't help exclaiming with vibrant enthusiasm, " I'VE GOT ONE".

On this particular evening, there was a bit of cloud cover, the wind must have been blowing in the right direction, the water temperature must have been just right, the atmospheric pressure in the correct range and all the other things that pro fishermen are knowledgeable about. We don't pretend to know all those things, but we sure were pulling in the walleyes this night and had a ball doing it. In just an hour and a half we had both caught our limit and threw a whole bunch more back.

Joanna and I had one hilariously funny moment on our outing. We had anchored ourselves where we thought there was the greatest concentration of fish. But after a few minutes of sitting there, I wasn't seeing many fish on my fish finder. We decided we should move a few more feet in another direction. So Joanna went to the front of the boat to lift up the anchor while I started the motor. I revved up the engine and nothing seemed to be happening. It didn't appear that we were moving at all. Joanna kept looking my way, wondering why the boat wasn't going anywhere. I thought that possibly the anchor was somehow still dragging. I called out to her, "Have you got the anchor up?" She hollered back over the sound of the motor that yes, she had it pulled up. She said something else but I couldn't hear her over the roar of the motor. Still, we didn't seem to be making any progress in movement. So I turned up the power on the motor again. Joanna looked back at me and hollered, "Mom, we're not moving." In utter frustration, exasperation and bewilderment, I hollered back to her, "WELL WHY NOT????" Finally, I heard her reply. "YOU DON'T HAVE THE MOTOR IN GEAR!!!" I said, "Oh". And Joanna collapsed on the front seat in laughter. We relived that one all evening, giggling all over again.

The next night we even convinced John to stop working and go out fishing with us. He is always in the middle of some project that he wants to conquer. I begged and pleaded and he consented. He enjoyed it so much that he came out with us the next two nights. There's nothing like being out on a calm, beautiful lake watching the sun go down, the moon come up, listening to the lonely loon call and bringing in some fish.

P.S. You'll have to ask Joanna about how her fish came off the line as she was lifting it in the boat and her line flew back, hooking her minnow in my hair.:(

The Quad Chariot

2011-09-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Some dear friends of ours in Ignace, Elaine and Francis Roy, were camping near us on Indian Lake this past month. They have both been a tremendous help to us from the very beginning since we acquired Agimac River Outfitters in May 2008. Francis is quite gifted in being able to fix about anything, find about anything we need, and make all kinds of things with his creative mind.

One of his inventions is what we call a quad (or four wheeler) chariot. Using two pickup seats complete with seat belts, he put together a type of trailer to pull behind a quad so more people could go together exploring the numerous logging roads and lakes in our area.

Francis let us use his new invention while our daughter Cherish was up for a visit in August. Cherish and Joanna sat in the chariot while I commandeered the quad. Off we went into the bush, checking out blueberries and just having fun.
The girls had a grand time riding in the chariot and said it was a stable and comfortable ride. Good job Francis!!

What a Surprise!

2011-09-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 4th I had invited my friend Linda Micks from Ignace to come out for a visit and to stay overnight. We wanted to join her in celebrating her birthday which was September 4th, just two days before mine. She and I have both just joined the ranks of those in their 60's. Quite a milestone. She got here about 11:30 a.m and we sat around for awhile visiting and catching up on what was happening in each others lives.

After about an hour, Joanna asked Linda if she wanted to go up to see the dogs in the dog yard. She asked if I wanted to go too. I declined as it was rather cool out and I didn't want to put my outdoor shoes back on. While they were gone, I went downstairs to take care of something I noticed needed fixing in the basement. Then I heard John come in from outside. He called down to me and asked if I wanted to come see something cute in the dog yard. I said okay and started up the stairs.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, all of a sudden there was a loud yelling of the word "SURPRISE!!!!" from a large group of people behind me. I jumped and opened my mouth wide as my heart leaped within me. I turned to see about 12 people standing by the door and realized it was a surprise birthday party for me! I was so stunned, my legs would barely hold me up. John said he will never forget the look on my face and my bodily reaction. Linda had her camera in hand and captured my startled look. It was pretty funny. They got me good. I don't know how that many people drove into our place and walked into our house without me hearing them. It was amazing. Needless to say, I was very touched. It was John's idea and between Joanna and my friend Beth Drake, they planned a super fun party. We barbequed hamburgers, went for a hike to the falls and played some games.

It is an experience I will never forget. Thank you John and Joanna.

The Grand Baby is Here

2011-09-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

On August 19th a wonderful event took place at Agimac River Outfitters. Our first grandbaby, Aaron Joseph Oberg arrived on the scene. He is now almost three months old and weighs in at about 15 pounds. He is getting to be quite a big armload for his tiny mother, Reseth who flew up to see her parents at Knife Lake, MN along the north shore of Lake Superior. She left behind her husband, (our son) Jonathan to study for his challenging tests in process to be a navigator in the Air Force.

Reseth only stayed one night with her folks before our daughter, Cherish, swung by from Ely to pick her and Aaron up to come north to Agimac River Outfitters. Cherish also had in tow, Joanna who had made a quick trip south to Ely. They stayed with us for about a week, then Reseth returned to her parent's place where she enjoyed about a week with her relatives and friends.

That little Aaron was not lacking for any attention here with two aunts, two grandparents and his mommy waiting upon his every need. We snatched up that precious bundle the minute he woke from a nap and he entertained us the whole time with his coos and smiles. He is very alert and really seems to understand more than he can express. It will be such fun to watch him grow and enjoy each stage of his life. I wonder what plans the Lord has in mind for him. We shall see.

Great Fishing - Great Scenery - Great Fun

2011-08-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Agimac River Outfitters in Northwestern Ontario is not only a terrific place to stay for fishing because of all the fantastic surrounding lake choices, but it is also a relaxing, refreshing and fun place to be. It does something for the soul to come upon a cow moose with her little calf, or hear loons echoing their lonely call across the lake. It's thrilling to hook a large fish and play with it till it's landed in the boat. The rapids under the bridge offer another form of fun and excitement as you slide over the rocks on a tube, waves splashing all around you. The interaction with God's creation is stimulating to people in different ways, but all beneficial to our health and well being. These are some pictures of our guests, wildlife in the area and some fun activities here at camp. Come be our guest!

Fishing Hot Spot

2011-08-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

We belong to several Regional Travel Associations which promote our camp to people in the United States and Canada. When I receive email inquiries from these organizations, I always put as the subject, "Fishing Hot Spot". More and more we realize this phrase truly identifies our area.

We have really enjoyed this year with our wonderful guests who continually encourage us with their kind comments about all the renovations and new projects we are doing to improve the camp and make their stay more enjoyable and exciting. It really does give us such inner satisfaction to make Agimac River Outfitters a peaceful, relaxing vacation destination. To be able to live in such a beautiful area surrounded by multiple lakes to explore is quite a blessing for our family.

The following is a quote from Loren Lamphear whose group stayed here this summer along with some pictures of their catches.

"Here is a summary of what we caught that week.
There were 8 fisherman and we fished 7 days and we caught the following:

Walleye 795, Largest 27"
Northern 95, Largest 38"
Smallmouth Bass 34, Largest 19"

We averaged 132 fish per day and caught many walleyes in the 20-27" range. We fished primarily Big Indian and Middle. We had the best week of fishing since we started coming to Canada in 1973."

Our best advertising is YOU, our guests who spread the word to your friends about Agimac River Outfitters. A big THANK YOU to each of you!

Outstanding Wildlife

2011-07-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Not long ago on of our guests, Tony Kornfeind, emailed me a picture of a wolf that was swimming across a lake. He was able to get quite close to the wolf and get a fabulous shot. I don't think I've ever seen a swimming wolf, but of course most dogs swim, so I guess wolves can too. We also got a picture of a young bull moose from another guest.
A couple of weeks ago Joanna and I were going up the river to the lake to do a little fishing and we saw a Mama Moose and a little calf swimming by the shore. I immediately stopped the motor hoping to watch them for a bit. The calf's head was barely above water as he splashed about. The Cow soon caught a whiff of our scent and climbed up the riverbank hurrying into the woods. The little one followed. What a joy it is to see wildlife like that!

The last two shots are Bill Phillipsen with a nice Lake Trout and a Smallmouth Bass.
Fishing has been super on all the lakes. I can't wait to get out there myself.

Pike Wars

2011-06-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Who can land the largest Northern Pike? That seemed to be the contest in Pat Mulligan's group several weeks ago. Sean Mulligan from Union Grove, Wisconsin, made his first trip up to Agimac River Outfitters and had a good bit of excitement. He landed a 41 inch, 18.5 pound Northern Pike on Indian Lake. (First picture)

Not wanting to be outdone, another fellow in his group, Mike Galster, from Kenosha, Wisconsin joined in the fun and brought in a 43 inch, 22.5 pound Pike, also on Indian Lake. (Second picture)
They got lots of Walleye as well, but the trophy Pike stole the show this year.
Nice going guys.

Father's Day Celebration

2011-06-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday June 13th, we received the most wonderful gift. Our son Jonathan and his wife had their first baby and our first grandchild. It is a day I have long waited for with great anticipation. For years I have heard grandparents tell me how terrific it was to be a grandparent. You get to enjoy those precious lives and then you get to give them back to the parents to take care of them.

Jonathan and Reseth now live in Pensacola, Florida where he is stationed as an Air Force officer to get training as a navigator for whatever aircraft he will be assigned in the future.

He had been out to Colorado most recently for training in a small aircraft for one month and hoped to return to his lovely wife before the baby came. It all worked out quite well and they have entered a new season of their lives as parents and seem to be thoroughly enjoying it. Reseth is a fabulous photographer, so we know there will be no shortage of photos of this new child. These are some of her shots on Father's Day.

Lake Trout Lunker

2011-06-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

A trophy Lake Trout was caught by a newcomer to Agimac River Outfitters, Bob Wille, from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He brought quite an entourage with him, including lots of wonderful family members and friends. The Lake Trout was caught right here on Indian Lake. In fact, there have been quite a few good sized Trout brought in this year from Indian.

So far this spring, we are hearing that folks are easily catching larger walleye and having a harder time getting the smaller ones on Indian. But our fish remains barrels in the fish cleaning house are quite full most the time, so everyone is filling out their limits without any difficulty and having a great time. It looks like the weather will be warming up here this week as well. So, pack your bags and head on up here for some good fun and fishing.

The Li'l Champs Are Getting Bigger

2011-05-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

Joanna's new litter of 8 puppies has some champion breeding coming from four time Iditarod winner Doug Swingley lines. She is very excited about these puppies and how they may perform in the future for her dog sled races. They will soon be seven weeks old and are in one of the cutest stages of growth. Joanna is often taking interested guests up to the dog yard to show them off. It helps with their socialization too.

Joanna had quite a scare when she took Sparrow, the mother, down to breed her to one of Doug Swingley's champion sled dogs, north of the Duluth, MN area. She took Sparrow into the pen where she was to stay during the breeding process. Inadvertently, the gate was left partially unlatched and when Joanna was looking the other way, Sparrow somehow slipped out and took off. Joanna suddenly noticed she was gone and frantically ran in search of her. Sparrow wasn't in the parking lot or yard, so she looked toward the road and there she was. This all took place in February when the roads were icy and it was very cold out.

Though Joanna called to her, Sparrow was very spooked being in a strange place and would not come to her. She was in the middle of the road and an approaching vehicle tried to stop to keep from hitting her. When they hit the brakes they began to slide and almost ran into Joanna. This caused Sparrow to run toward the intersection of a busier road three quarters of a mile away. I guess she had had enough of this experience and was headed back to Canada. Joanna was getting nervous thinking she could lose her special dog in this unexpected scenario.

The man helping Joanna with the breeding had the foresight to jump in his pickup truck and head over to get Joanna. They raced down the road to catch up to Sparrow. In the meantime, Sparrow ran in front of another car. Eventually Joanna and her helper were able to go around her in their vehicle to get ahead of her. Immediately Joanna hopped out of the pickup to intercept her. She called Sparrow to her, but in her panic state she didn't recognize Joanna. As Sparrow tried to run around Joanna, she grabbed for her and touched her. That seemed to snap Sparrow out of her fear mode and she recognized Joanna, came back and crawled on her lap. Joanna's relief was immense.
Then it was back to business and a successful breeding took place. Whew!

The top three pictures are when they were first born, the rest are more recent.

Ice Out

2011-05-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

A few days ago the ice went out on Indian Lake. We noticed big chunks of floating ice moving downstream on the river and into the rapids under the bridge. So, we went over to the top end of Indian where there is a little camp spot to take some pictures. We wanted all our guests to be informed of this great event and see it for themselves.

Another interesting and exciting event is the running of fish. This year we finally hit the moment dead on and Joanna took some great pictures for you to see. One bridge we went to had all suckers which is what these two pictures show. But another bridge had an abundance of walleyes. At night we could see their eyes sparkling like gems through the dark water. What a sight!

That's about all everyone needs to know; the lake is open, ready to be fished and there are plenty of fish to be had.

Licenses and Bait

2011-05-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

A change has taken place concerning Vern's Minnows in Ignace. The business has been sold and moved to a new location. Gene's Shell station purchased and now houses the Bait/tackle store, which is right on Hwy 17 in downtown Ignace. Their phone number is 807-934-2225 should you need to contact them.

There is another place in Ignace where you can buy licenses, bait and tackle along with some very unique gifts. It is called Black Bear Gifts and is located next door to Gramma's Supermarket in Ignace on Hwy 17. Their phone number is 807-934-6792.

Be sure you purchase your licenses and bait before coming out to camp.

See you soon.

Back From Vacation

2011-05-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Joanna and I just returned from a very relaxing and refreshing three week vacation to Florida, along with our other daughter, Cherish Oberg who lives in Ely,MN. The first leg of our stay was a condo at New Smyrna Beach, where my sister, Nicki joined us for the week. Nicki and I used to surf there in our teen years, so it has always been a memorable place to go back to. We still try to get up and ride smaller waves on our surfboards. We call ourselves the surfing Grandmas.

From surfing to sunbathing to boogey boarding to beach walks to tennis to shopping, we girls had the time of our lives. The weather couldn't have been more perfect with 75-85 degree sun shining days every day. Cherish and Joanna spent a lot of time riding the waves on their boogey boards. I thought they were going to get water logged they stayed out there so long. On several occasions, we had the treat of watching porpoises catching waves nearby us, jumping high in the air and splashing about. They put on quite a show.

After our week at the beach, we moved inland to stay at Nicki's house which is located in a peaceful neighborhood of Cassleberry, Florida on a small, placid lake. We had several nice visits with her son, Scott and wife Genny and of course little three year old Sydney. Another exciting adventure was our visit to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios at Disneyworld. The African Safari was my favorite. Being up close to animals you would see in the wilds of Africa was a rare treat.

We also had a lively visit with my brother Ron, whom Cherish and Joanna hadn't seen in quite a few years. And on the way home, we visited with John's brother, the cousins and John's mother who all live at Timber Wolf Point Resort in Buyck,MN.

All in all we would say it was a terrific vacation and one which we will always remember. Now it's on the fast track as we prepare for opening fishing and welcoming all our wonderful guests back to camp.

Give Me A Break

2011-04-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Actually, we want to give you, our customers, the break. John, Joanna and I have recently been discussing how we can change our rates to assist families with children that want to come to camp. At present, our rate for children is ages 6-11 are half price and under six years of age is free. We have decided to change that to children ages 9-12 are half price and children eight years old and under are FREE. It wasn't so long ago that we had younger children ourselves, so we understand how difficult it is to be able to save enough for vacations. We love families to come stay with us and are always thinking of ways to add special fun activities that would provide enjoyment for them. This year we are adding a volleyball/badminton net, horseshoes and two new campfire rings for folks to relax around and visit with one another. We have future plans for a new, longer dock with an attached sauna.

Even though we don't have a beach area on our river shoreline, there are several beautiful beaches on Indian Lake where guests can have a shore lunch or children can swim and play. Also, John has developed a new hiking trail on the opposite side of the river that leads you to a ridge that overlooks Indian Lake. We plan to build a bench up there to rest and watch the gorgeous sunsets. These are just a few of the ideas we have. Please let us know if you have some thoughts on activities you would enjoy having here as well. We live to serve our wonderful guests.

Deer on Sandbar

2011-04-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

Mike Miller, one of our wonderful guests at Agimac River Outfitters got this picture of a deer running out on the sandbar on Indian Lake when he was here last year. He said the deer got 3/4 the way out on the sandbar, then turned and made a mad dash back to shore. It was quite an experience to see it run so fast so far, he said.

Now that winter is reluctantly giving way to spring, we are looking forward to open lakes, fishing, more wildlife and seeing our great guests return.

For those of you who were unable to watch the TV show featuring our Run Silent Dog Sled Trip business, you can now watch it online at www.realoutdoors.com. Just go to the middle of the page where it talks about watching past shows, click on that and then go down to about the middle of that page to find Run Silent Dog Sled Trips. We've been getting lots of positive feedback about the show. We still can't believe it happened. We thank the Lord constantly for His kindness and goodness to us.

Whoops

2011-03-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

I just sent out our spring newsletter to our guests and friends and folks who signed up to be on our email list. If you didn't receive it, it would be because I don't have your email address or I have an incorrect address and it came back to me. If you did not receive the email newsletter and would like to be on our list, just shoot me an email telling me that.

In the newsletter, I informed everyone of the TV schedule for the airing of the show featuring our Run Silent Dog Sled Trip business by Real Outdoors.

Unfortunately, I made several mistakes and wanted to correct them for you. I stated that we would be on Directv channel 609. It is not 609, but 608. I also stated that we would be seen on Charter Cable on March 26 and 27 at 9:00 pm. It is instead
9:00 AM.

So, the full schedule is as follows:
Pursuit Channel on channel 608 Directv and channel 240 Dish Network
March 28 at 8:30 pm; March 31 at 12:00 am; April 2 at 6:00 am

Charter Cable (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) channel 87
March 22 at 9:00 pm; March 24 at 9:00pm; March 26 at 9:00 am; March 27 at 9:00 am and March 27 at 9:00pm.

Sorry for the confusion. Hope you get a chance to watch it.

Our First Dog Sled Race

2011-03-21T11:17:00.001-07:00

Agimac River Outfitters and Run Silent Dog Sled Trips sponsored their first dog sled race. Joanna worked hard all fall and winter training her dogs for the upcoming winter races. As it turned out, she only was able to run in two races, the Beargrease in Duluth,MN and the Wolf Track Classic in Ely,MN. She had planned to run in the Eaton Rugby race near Dryden and sponsored by our dear friend and vet, Clayton Schneider. It is her most fun race of the season. Unfortunately, she was unable to participate in that race because we were so busy here at camp taking folks on dog sled trips and working with Brian and Patty Whitens of Real Outdoors for the TV taping.

On the way home from the Ely race, she was proposing the idea of maybe doing an easy fun run in the city of Ignace and drawing the mushers in the general area from Dryden to Thunder Bay to Pickle Lake. After spending so much time and effort in training the dogs, she really wanted to experience the thrill of one more race.

We talked about the different possibilities and continued our discussion with John after arriving home. Next, we contacted the local area developer, Doug Pronger, to see what options there might be to involve the Ignace populace.

Because time was short, we decided to have the race at our camp and use a ten mile trail that we use for our dog sled trips. John spent time pushing snow back on the road to prepare a spot for mushers to park their trucks and unload dogs. He cleared snow from around the outhouses and made a spot for a picnic table and to build a fire after the race for lunch. Joanna and I made some signs with arrows to mark the race trail for the contestants. But the weather was NOT cooperating. The temps were hitting the high forties and we wondered if the trails would totally break down.

In our minds we seesawed back and forth, trying to decide if we should continue or call it off. In looking ahead at the weather forecast, it seemed that a few days before the scheduled race on Saturday, March 19th, there was going to be a cool down. The question was--- would it be enough to preserve the trail?

We decided to go ahead with it and ended up with six teams showing up for this grand event. Clayton Schneider brought four teams, Jan Verburg from Pickle Lake came with a team and of course Joanna had a team.

The race got under way at about 11:05. Clayton's team left first, but not before his fired up team took a side turn in the wrong direction. John was able to help him turn around and make his way back to the starting line. He probably would have FINISHED first as well, but thought he was going the wrong way at one point and started to go in a different direction. At any rate, that allowed his nephew Brenden to win the race and Joanna came in a close second.

It was such fun to rehearse the race and laugh about the different challenges along the trail around the campfire. A good time was had by all and there was a general consensus that they would like to see this become an annual event. We'll see.

Update on TV Debut

2011-03-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

We just found out that the filming of Ontario winter sports activities including walleye and northern pike ice fishing, snow shoeing and our dog sled trip business will be aired on the Pursuit television channel (nationwide) channel 609 on Directv and channel 240 on Dish Network, March 28th at 8:30 p.m.; March 31 at 12:00 a.m.; April 2 at 6:00 a.m.

Also on Charter Cable (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) channel 87 on March 22 at 9:00 p.m.; March 24 at 9:00 p.m.; March 26 at 9:00 p.m.; March 27 at 9:00 p.m.

THESE ARE ALL CENTRAL STANDARD TIMES.

Brian Whitens from Real Outdoor/Ontario in Michigan was the company doing the filming at the request of the Ontario government. It will also be put online eventually.

Hope you get a chance to watch it.

Our TV Debut

2011-03-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of weeks ago, a gentleman from Michigan contacted us to see if we would be interested in being a part of a TV promotion for Northwestern Ontario. He and his brother own a television show called Real Outdoors/Ontario which has 50 million viewers in the U.S. The Ontario government subsidized him to come shoot some footage of winter outdoor activities and adventures in our neck of the woods. Brian had heard we had a dog sled trip business and had always wanted to do some dog sledding himself. Of course we were ecstatic to have our business put on TV, but the clincher was that it would be free advertising for us.

So, Brian and his lovely wife Patty came to stay with us for three days. What a wonderful time we shared together, visiting and working on the project! We are not sure yet when the show will be aired on stations in the U.S., but it should be sometime soon in March.

The photo above is of Brian taping John and Joanna in the back part of our dog yard as they shared the story of how we got into dogs in the first place. This year we have gotten quite a few more dog sledding guests than any of the previous years for which we are thankful. It is so fun to meet new people and take them on an adventure of a lifetime.

The John Beargrease Race 2011

2011-02-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

Joanna and I just returned from Duluth, MN where Joanna participated in the annual Beargrease race, one of the most competitive, challenging and prestigious races in the lower 48 states. The race is named after a Native American, John Beargrease, who actually delivered mail by dog team between Two Harbors and Grand Marais from 1879-1899. Each of the contestants is sworn in as an official mail carrier and given a mailbag with mail in it to deliver to the finish line.

Two choices are offered to the mushers- the Beargrease Marathon, which is 370 miles using 14 dogs or the Beargrease Mid-Distance, which is 110 miles using 8 dogs. Joanna runs in the Mid-Distance race. She and her Dad logged many training miles on the dogs to condition and prepare them for this difficult race.

Her two cousins, Sarah and Holly Oberg and I were the handlers. It was our job to drive the dog trailer to the checkpoints and prepare a place for the dogs to rest, heat up water for their food, keep track of her times in and out of checkpoints and make sure she and the dogs were hydrated. We would sleep outside under the stars with the dogs to keep watch over them and to give Joanna a chance to eat and rest herself, if possible. We were all very thankful for the perfect weather-not too cold or hot.

There are three legs to the race. The first leg is 35 miles, the second leg 38 miles and the third leg, the most difficult of all with its long, steep hills, was 33 miles. Joanna did okay on the first leg and was in 12th place out of 39 contestants at that point. As she left the first checkpoint for the second leg of the race, she hung on tight to the handle bar because her dogs were wild to go. She had a super fast second leg of the race which put her in 6th place. Unfortunately, one of her dogs was dehydrated after the second leg and had to be left behind. With excitement and anticipation of having the best finish ever, she left the second checkpoint with seven dogs to tackle the most difficult third leg of the race. Her hopes for a high finish were dashed when she realized she had another dog that was dehydrated and several others had either a shoulder injury or wrist injury. She ended up loading the dehydrated dog in the basket of her sled and with mainly three dogs pulling, she reached the finish line in 13th place.

Even though she didn't make the top ten, she was thankful to do as well as she did considering the difficulties the dogs were having.

In addition to the race itself, Joanna had an unexpected encounter with Jeff King, a four time Iditarod champion. She even got her picture with him as you can see above.

It was a most interesting and exciting adventure. I'd have to say that Joanna definitely keeps our lives from being boring.

Big Foot

2011-01-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

You've heard of the continuous search for Big Foot, I'm sure. Well, we have found lots of Big Feet--our snowshoes. We have had a huge amount of snowfall this year, so the best way to get around in the woods is by snowshoe. It helps us stay up on top of the snow and makes a nice frozen packed trail. We have two very picturesque trails to explore on our big feet. The new trail John just cleared goes from the 325 road to a lookout high above Indian Lake. The other one goes from the 325 road in the opposite direction to the falls. Of course, a person can just cruise through the woods anywhere with good snow shoes. It's a great way to explore new areas in the winter.
So, watch out, you may just come across another----Big Foot!

Warrior of the Woodlands

2010-12-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

I call John our "Warrior of the Woodlands" because he has always enjoyed the adventure of breaking new trails to scenic places. Each year he has to reclear the dog sled trails of downed trees or growing brush. Recently he found a new path to a gorgeous overlook on Indian Lake to which we all snowshoed. Breathtaking is the word to describe the snow and ice covered trees and the jack pine woods. I had a few mishaps, falling to the side of the trail. But not to worry. Our strong and handsome son, Jonathan was there to lift his mother back up. It sure has been fun to have Jonathan and his wife Reseth home for Christmas. It was quite a surprise. Jonathan has been in Officer Training School in Montgomery, Alabama since the beginning of November, so we didn't expect to see them this Christmas. He will return for another month and a half of training in January. Cherish is up from Ely,MN and will be with us for two weeks. So, the two sisters are having a grand time together too. Of course, John and I are thrilled to have everyone home for Christmas. And what a beautiful one it has been!!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-12-03T11:40:00.001-08:00

My oh my oh my, have we got the snow!!! John and Joanna can hardly keep up to the snowplowing and the shoveling to be done around our house and in the dog yard. John has already plowed five times this year and December has just begun. Just to give you an idea how far ahead we are from last year, he only plowed four times all year last year.

We also pack miles and miles of trails for Joanna to train the dogs for races and for dog sled trips for our guests. So, the snowmobile is getting a work out too. The other day I rode with John on the snowmobile to pack a trail and we found a beautiful vista overlooking neighboring Mamieguess Lake. The second picture above is what we saw.

Joanna has to come up with creative ways to wear out her active new Irish Setter puppy, so she hooked her up with Sabre to a little sled and away she went. I think Sabre was the powerhouse of the team, but at least little Saga got some pent up energy expelled. An exercised dog is a well behaved dog they say.

I do love the winter wonderland in which we live. Just looking out our front windows at the glistening snow resting on evergreen limbs, sparkling on the river and neatly covering the ground with its fresh whiteness brings peace and joy to my soul. We don't run the generators during the day in winter, but run on our solar power. So, that adds to the restful silence of our surroundings. We wish more people could come away and enjoy the benefits of this time of year with us.

My Getaway

2010-11-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

Once the summer fishing and fall hunting seasons are over, and we have feverishly hurried to do all renovations we can before the cold temps set in and to prepare for winter, we breathe a sigh of relief and kick back a bit. It's a great time for me to fly away to the south and visit my dear parents and as many siblings, (including their families), as possible. By south, I mean specifically North Carolina. Franklin is a gorgeous setting, nestled in the Great Smokey Mountains and not far from Ashville. I have one sister who lives there, a brother who lives about two hours south of there in Georgia and a brother and sister in central Florida.

It definitely extended my fall season with temperatures hitting as high as 70 degrees. My mother made me lie on a lawn chair to soak up some rays so I'd come back with a tan. I don't think I accomplished that, but I was happy to comply. My parents are doing quite well and we had lots of fun and laughter when everyone was together, playing games and telling stories, eating out and visiting different places of interest. Of course, our family has always been like that. To be free of my usual responsibilities and enter into their world for a few weeks was mighty refreshing.

I also had a fantastic time briefly visiting our previous hometown of Ely, where our daughter, Cherish still lives. We made many life-time friends there and it fulfilled my need for socialization to meet up with different girlfriends and "catch up" on each others lives. Relationships are the most precious gift to us on earth. It amazes me how I won't see some of them for quite a long time, but the moment we are together, it was like we never were apart. Kindred spirits, I guess you'd say.

And of course, it is always good to be back home again , jiggety jig, into the welcoming arms of John and Joanna.

Pictures Above
1st- Parents home in Franklin, NC; 2nd- Mom,Dad and Kathy(a childhood friend)
3rd-Brother Rick, Mom and one of my brother's daughters, Mary; 4th-my sister, Wendy

Fond Memories

2010-10-30T11:29:00.001-07:00

I was recently looking at some pictures our guests have given us of their vacation here at Agimac River Outfitters. One reason we like what we are doing is that we enjoy watching our guests enjoy themselves. To feel the excitement in their voices as they share their experiences hooking different species of fish in the lakes around us is wonderfully fulfilling. To hear the wonder in their hearts from capturing an awesome sunset scene or the rare opportunity of seeing a moose swim across the lake in front of their boats, gives us great pleasure.

Most of our guests come from busy, noisy,crowded cities to this atmosphere where the silence is almost deafening, and they so appreciate it. We all need to be able to go some place where we can hear ourselves think.... where we can just be quiet and enjoy the serenity of God's beautiful creation. We are happy to be able to provide such a place and we want each of our guests to know just how special they are to us.

Moose Hunting Season Is Here

2010-10-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying a mighty fine Indian summer these last couple of weeks. The temperatures have been nice and warm with beautiful clear blue skies. It presses us to get as much outdoor work done as possible because we know cool weather is sure to come soon.

Our camp is full of moose hunters now who are also finding a good grouse population. One group from Toronto came across a Cow Moose on their way up here that had been hit and killed by a vehicle. They were able to save the meat and use one of their tags on it. A few days later, Remo Stirpe of their group shot a cow. The group is pictured above with Remo holding the rifle. The warm weather has the moose hunters a bit concerned, not only because the moose don't move around as much with the warm weather, but also because they do not want the meat to spoil if they do shoot one.
Thankfully, the Shoprite grocery store in Ignace offers cooler space for a nominal fee to help out the hunters.

New Family Member

2010-10-04T19:48:00.001-07:00

Joanna has worked with the Beauceron breed for quite a few years and we have really enjoyed both Shekinah, who is now deceased and Sabre, who is still with us at eight years old. They are very handsome,intelligent,faithful,protective,loving dogs and great companions to have way out here in the bush.

But Joanna has found that Sabre is slowing down a bit in his senior years and can't quite keep up to her on her frequent walks in the area. She has always had a fascination with Irish Setters ever since she read the story Big Red when she was young. The fun loving, playful, personality of the breed was attractive to her in addition to their form and rich, deep red color.

For over two years Joanna has been looking online for just the right breeder with blood lines from Germany and Norway which exhibited the original traits of the breed and not so much hair. The American Iris Setters seemed to be bred for more long hair for the show ring. She was astonished at how difficult it was to find what she was looking for. But she patiently waited till the right one came along.

She found a breeder in Germany that had a six month old female puppy whose name was
Saga. She seemed to fit the bill and Joanna and the breeder made arrangements to fly Saga all the way from Germany to Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was a long trip for a little dog to make, but Saga traveled well and we brought her home with excitement.

She has proven to be just what Joanna wanted- a loving, playful, happy puppy with lots of energy. Now Joanna is the one who is worn out from the walks.

More September Catches

2010-09-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

I wish I could follow our guests around on Indian Lake and other lakes to see exactly how and where they fish. What excellent fishermen they are! It's fun to see the big fish they catch. And it pleases me that though they enjoy landing the monsters, they usually throw them back in the lake to produce more fish.

I'm just a novice, but I've learned so much from the different folks that stay here with us at camp. They kindly offer their advice and share their favorite baits and spots with us to help us do well when we fish. Joanna and I try to get out on the lake every now and then, but John hardly ever fishes. He sticks with his responsibilities in running and keeping up the camp and more often prefers to let Joanna and I go out to play.

Pictured here are some trophy walleye caught by Bill Phillipsen and Jim Drinkwater. Also, a nice string of walleyes displayed by Bill and Steve Hummel.
Can anyone figure out to which lake the road in the picture leads?
Clue- It is close to our camp.

September Fishing is Outasight

2010-09-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Fall is a great time to fish and we had some good fishermen in camp last week to bear out this truth. Steve Mickelson, Jack and Renee Anderson and Donny Tucker all landed some trophy size Northern Pike as well as plenty of walleye. Renee actually caught one of these fish but her husband held the fish for her.

Some Mighty Fine Catches

2010-09-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Jerry Henrich and his great group of guys recently stayed with us at camp. They really hit the jackpot with the large numbers of fish caught in addition to some nice trohpy size fish. One lively member of the group,Skip,accidentally hooked a huge northern pike just playing around with a rattling bass lure. He got it near the boat and it broke his line. He hurriedly rigged another lure, cast in the same direction and caught the monster again. He was determined to land it this time. Tightening the drag a bit to get it to the boat faster, he was getting it closer when the pike suddenly pulled in the opposite direction, straightened out the hooks on the lure and broke free. It was disappointing to lose the fish, but what an exciting experience to have had. The pictures show the whole group together and some of their catches during their stay.
On one particular day at a smaller lake in the area, they came upon a cow and a calf swimming across the lake. They had hoped to see some moose while they were here, but never dreamed it would be on a lake. It amazes me how a moose can swim being as heavy as they are and only hooves to paddle with. Both mama and calf made it across safely.

Our Chilluns Came Home

2010-08-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's always the highlight of our summer when our children are all home together with us. We are privileged to have Joanna live with us at camp year round and join in the work and fun of our life here. Cherish, lives in Ely,MN and tries to make a trip up here three to four times a year. Jonathan and Reseth live in Oklahoma City,OK where Jonathan is serving in the Air Force. They only make it up here once or twice a year. This year, Reseth brought along one of her nephews, Nolan, for his first visit to Canada. So, to get all three siblings together is a rare and wonderful experience. Our children are our richest treasures on earth and we immensely enjoy being with them and watching them interact with each other.
Thankfully, the weather cooperated so that we could partake in outdoor activities like tubing down the "Lazy River" near Mamieguess Lake, swim in the lakes, tube down the rapids at camp, fish in different lakes and do some four wheeling on the many logging roads.
In the following posts you will see pictures that captured some memories of our times together, beginning with the fishing.

Tubing the Agimac River Rapids

2010-08-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Cloud Pictures by Joanna Oberg

2010-08-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Scenery Pictures by Reseth Oberg

2010-08-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

No Eggs From USA

2010-08-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

There has been a recent ban on eggs coming into Canada from the U.S. because of the Salmonella poisoning that has become quite extensive. We wanted to give our guests a heads up about that in case they were thinking of bringing eggs with them on their trip. You will need to purchase them in Canada for now.

Fun Family Time

2010-08-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

My Dad, Francis Jackson, my brother, Rick Jackson and a close family friend, Joey Floyd joined us here at the camp this last week. They are from North Carolina and Georgia. My 85 year old Dad is an outdoors man and was really interested in our Canadian venture with the fishing camp. I knew he wanted to come up to see it in person, but maybe thought it would be too difficult for him at his age. I knew he could do it and it would be a great adventure for him. So, my brother Rick offered to bring him up, for which I was extremely grateful.
They arrived Tuesday at the Thunder Bay airport where I picked them up and brought them back to camp. We fished and fished and ate and fished. Dad did very well, catching the most fish both times he went out with us. We have a wide flat bottom boat which was very stable and wide enough to sit Dad in a lawn chair in the front. Joanna was in the middle and kindly put bait on Grandpa's line every time he needed some.
Dad kept telling John and me how impressed he was with our operation. He just couldn't get over all that had been accomplished and all that we did in the day to day maintenance. All of them were very encouraging and we had five fun filled days together.
The pictures above show Joey with some nice smallmouth bass he caught. Joey was the king of the smallmouth. Then Rick with a trophy size walleye that put up a good fight. He really enjoyed bringing it in and then he released it. The fourth picture shows my Dad with just a few of his catch.

The Striking Loon

2010-07-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Ray Thielbar from Ely, Minnesota captured these stunning pictures of loons with their babies riding piggyback. He has taken quite an interest in loons and I've enjoyed a lot of his other loon photos through the years. There is a large loon population on the lake where he lives. I think these would make great poster pictures. Good job Ray!

Showy Pink Lady Slipper

2010-07-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

Recently a native Ignace resident found a rare beauty hidden in the foliage beside a lake in our area. It is called a Showy Pink Lady Slipper. I love to enjoy the creativity of our God. Each creation is so unique.

Sign In

2010-06-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our guests will notice something new when they come to camp this year. Kara Polyner of Border Country Signs in Ely, MN was the artist who beautifully crafted our logo into a new sign at the entrance of our camp. Nice job, Kara.

Dynamic Duo

2010-06-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little puppies are steadily growing. Leia and Vader are having such fun playing together and really have sweet dispositions. Joanna often takes them on walks to help expend all that pent up energy. They are learning what water is like and investigating all parts of the camp. With championship bloodlines, they should prove to become great leaders on Joanna's racing team.

Fishing Fun

2010-06-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

John, Joanna and I have been working quite steadily since opening fishing either cleaning cabins or improving the looks of the camp in various ways. Recently we had a friend from Ely come to visit for a few days, so we gave ourselves permission to put a hold on the work schedule and have some fishing fun ourselves. John graciously held down the fort allowing us girls some time to relax and get out on the water. The weather was perfect and we caught plenty of fish as we enjoyed each others company.

While we sat in our boat one evening on Indian Lake, I was thinking about a comment one of our guests made. He said even though the spring fishing is great, the fall fishing is possibly his favorite. It's not nearly so crowded and you get a lot more sleep. When fishing the clearer lakes, you need to fish early before sunup and after the sun goes down, which is quite late in the spring. But in the fall the sun comes up later and goes down earlier. So, I think I agree with him- fall is a good time to fish.

Gorgeous Sunset

2010-06-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, we had a very beautiful sunset here at Agimac River. Joanna went out to take some photographs of it with her camera and we received another picture on the same day from one of our guests on the lake.

Deer in Distress

2010-06-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Some recent guests were fishing on Indian Lake when they saw a strange sight. A deer was swimming across a large expanse of water which was about 100 feet deep. It surprised Scott Skrzypcak and his son Tyler who happened to have a camera on hand to record the event.
You can see the progression of the tale in the series of pictures above.
In the first picture you see Tyler on the right watching the deer crossing the lake. In the second picture, the deer is nearing land, but unfortunately, it is a rock wall. They are wondering how he is ever going to get out of the lake. In the third picture, in the center of the picture, you can see some splashing. He is trying hard to get up on the rocks and onto higher ground. In the fourth picture, he finally made it up out of the water and to safety. They figured there must have been some wolves after it to make it flee in such a way. It is quite unusual to even see deer around here, because we tend to have a higher Moose population in this area. What an interesting experience to add to the fishing fun.

Make My Day

2010-06-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Gerald Weaver of Park Rapids,MN (top picture on left)came across some pretty good sized Lake Trout yesterday. He caught all three weighing 9,12 and 15 pounds. With a big smile on his face, he told John that it made his day.
Gerald's Dad, Jim Weaver, and other relatives are also staying here at camp. In fact there are four generations of Weavers here. Jim is 89 years old and has been coming up to this area to fish for many years. Apparently he caught his limit of Walleye right away on his first day of fishing before anyone else got their limit. Jim's grandsons Jason and Greg and his children got some nice catches too.
Sonya and Bucky, pictured with a walleye and Northern Pike, are also from Gerald's group.

Latest Food Update

2010-06-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just heard from a fellow Ontario camp owner that it is now permissible for tourists coming across the border to bring potatoes with them. I called Canadian Customs myself just to validate the story. It is true. Each person is allowed to bring up to 10 pounds of U.S. grown potatoes that are commercially bagged. So the ban has been lifted. I thought that might be of interest to some people.

It's a Tie

2010-06-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Who has reeled in the longest Northern Pike so far this year at Agimac River Outfitters? Well, it's a tie between Aaron Casetta and Gary Ziegler. They both had quite a time wrestling with these monsters to finally tire them and land them in the boat. Aaron's weighed in at 25 pounds and Gary's was 20 pounds. Needless to say, they were both pretty happy campers and went home with some mighty big fish stories to tell. Aaron is in the top picture, Gary in the second picture and a group shot with Gary's Pike in the bottom picture.

Look at dem Lakers

2010-05-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

It's been an exciting opener for fishing this year- fabulous weather combined with outstanding fishing. Our guests are getting good results in Indian Lake as well as all the surrounding lakes. John keeps busy emptying the barrels in the fish cleaning house and gets a good look at what's coming in.
Three gentlemen who stayed with us the second week of fishing hooked these Lakers on Indian.
On the top picture,left to right,it is Bob Brogan from Wisconsin, Lance Goetzman from Wisconsin and Jim Kellam from Florida.
They were mighty pleased as you can see from the photo.

They're Growing Fast

2010-05-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

The sled dog puppies are now about three and a half weeks old and are they growing fast. Eat, sleep, poop- that's all they do. Leia, the female, is quiet and chubby from head to paw, wobbling her way around till she wears out and has to sit down again. Vader, the black male, is active and very vocal about everything. Joanna spends lots of time handling, loving, and socializing them to acclimate them to humans. They crawl on her, nuzzle in close, and after playing for awhile, they peacefully fall asleep. Puppies are lots of fun.

Road to North End of Kukukus Lake

2010-05-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

We have been wanting to check out the road to the north end of Kukukus and the boat landing there, ever since we heard there was a bad wash out and campers actually got stranded last summer.

The MNR told us they did a repair job on the road last fall, so this spring John, Joanna and I loaded into our old, four wheel drive pickup and headed north on the 325 road.

The road was good for about 13 miles until we came to the repaired washout. It is quite an interesting repair job. The spillway is still open for water to flow through and the sides of the banks are packed with rocks about five to six inches in diameter. The banks are fairly steep making us wonder how in the world a person could ever pull a boat on a trailer through there without getting hung up. (In fact we did get hung up there on our way out with our plow frame pushing up logs and trees that had been packed in the dip for winter usage. We were sitting there in our truck in the middle of the spillway with water running under the truck. John and Joanna climbed onto the hood of the truck to get across without walking in the water and pulled the debris out of the way.)

We continued on down the road to the boat landing on Kukukus. There were several other tricky spots, one where the beaver dam alongside the road is about five feet higher than the road itself. One would hope that it never breaks open or the road would be under water for sure. The other spot was a creek crossing, but it was navigable with care.

The pictures give you a pretty good idea of what the difficult spots look like. We thought it might be of interest to those who like to fish Kukukus.

Joanna the Midwife

2010-05-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

It all started the evening of April 27th. I had just returned from visiting my parents in North Carolina for about three weeks. Joanna said, "Mom, Tulsa is going to have her puppies tonight."
Tulsa is the best bred, most expensive sled dog in our kennel. Joanna had bred her to a male with excellent bloodlines in an effort to produce some fantastic racing dogs.
She had high hopes for these puppies. Earlier in the day, Joanna noticed that Tulsa had not eaten her supper which is an indication she would deliver soon. Joanna planned to stay up all night if necessary to offer Tulsa any needed assistance. John and I headed to bed about eleven o'clock, but we told Joanna to let us know if there were any problems.

From our downstairs bedroom, we could hear Joanna coming in at different times to put on warmer clothes since it was so cold. She stayed with her the whole time. Suddenly, at about 3:00 a.m. she came downstairs and tearfully explained that Tulsa had been in labor for quite a few hours and nothing was happening. Joanna has had a lot of experience helping puppies get delivered. She could feel the foot of a puppy that was stuck in breach position in the birth canal, but was unable to grab hold of it to help pull it out.
We called the vet in Dryden which was 2 hours away, waking him from a sound sleep. He kindly advised that the puppy in the birth canal was probably dead, but the ones left in the womb should still be okay for 12 hours. We planned to meet him at the clinic at 7:00 a.m.

We didn't want Tulsa to have to go through a C-section and all the complications that go with it. As John brought the Tahoe up to the dog yard and prepared to load Tulsa, Joanna thought she would check Tulsa one more time to see if there was any change. She cried out to the Lord for help. And He helped her. The puppy had moved down just a bit more so that Joanna could grab hold of one foot. She gently, but firmly pulled and the puppy came out ...ALIVE!!! We all shouted for joy. Then another one came soon after. In all, there were three puppies, however the last one died.

So, Tulsa has a male and a female, Vader and Leia (Star Wars theme). Both are healthy and growing fast with multiple choices for nourishment from Tulsa. What a smorgasbord!

Our Road Department Engineer

2010-02-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

John is a man of many talents and as most folks know, when you own a camp, you wear an assortment of hats. One of John's hats is as our road department engineer. (Doesn't that sound impressive?) Our plow truck is pretty impressive too. It pushes and clears an awful lot of snow for us and it takes a good bit of expertise to operate it, especially when you have to plow 30 miles round trip and climb up two very steep hills. That's right. Our driveway is the 325 road. It is no longer being used for logging, so since we're the only ones out here, we have the privilege of plowing it all by ourselves. John has always had an innate ability to drive different kinds of equipment. He drove large semi tractor/trailer rigs for years, including driving for Schneider National (nicknamed the Orange Pumpkins) for nearly two million miles. Now he's driving an orange dump/plow truck. Is orange your favorite color, John?

Off To The Races

2010-02-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

It's dog sled racing season for Joanna again and she's got four exciting races lined up this winter. The first and most challenging was the John Beargrease mid distance race along the north shore of Lake Superior in January. There were 43 other competitors running the 106 miles to the finish line with eight dogs. Much of the race took place at night with two checkpoints to feed the dogs and rest a bit. I went along to drive the truck and 18 foot trailer and offer what assistance I could. Joanna's cousins, Sarah and Holly Oberg and friend, Leah Richter graciously gave of their time and energy to be Joanna's handlers, which are a bit like a pit crew. Handlers keep track of the racer's times in and out, prepare meals for the dogs so they can eat as soon as they come into the checkpoint, walk and massage the dogs, checking for any injuries, and see to the needs of the musher to make sure they get as much rest as possible. It's quite an adventure.
Joanna did quite well on the first leg of the race. She seemed to be in good physical condition and so did the dogs. But, as it turned it out, she ran into a series of problems on the second leg of the race which combined, caused her to have to withdraw from the race. It was very disappointing for her after all the months of preparation involved. Even so, she has bounced back with a great attitude and is looking forward to her next races in Dryden, Ely, Shebandowan and Pickle Lake. There's never a dull moment with our Enjoyanna!

Our Family

2010-02-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

We've been wanting an updated picture of our family. What better time to do it than at Christmas when we were all together. That doesn't happen too often. And what better person to do it than Reseth, our own professional photographer. Getting everyone to keep their eyes open and smiles going all at once, even for adults, is a challenge.
Great job, Reseth!!

From left to right in back row- Cherish, Joanna, Jonathan and Reseth

Guess Who

2010-02-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

No, it's not a visiting Eskimo from the Arctic Circle, but our very own daughter, Cherish. Reseth, our daughter-in-law from Oklahoma took this unique picture while we were all together at Christmas. It must have been one of those chilly days.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year 2010

2009-12-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

We want to wish all our fine guests a very Merry Christmas and the best New Year yet! No matter what is going on around us in this troubled world, those who trust in, depend on and love our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord can experience His peace, love, joy, and provision. It's a whole different kingdom than the kingdom of this world. There is no anxiety, worry or fear in His kingdom. It's the best life possible.
What a wonderfully fun and exciting Christmas it has been this year with all our children HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. Our youngest is Jonathan who with his wife, Reseth, is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, OK. We don't get to see them very often, so it was especially nice to have them at camp for a good week, along with our oldest, Cherish, who lives in Ely,MN and Joanna who stays with us. It's a joy for John and I to watch and listen to them interact with each other when they are together. They have a great mutual love and admiration for each other. Our days were filled with laughter, fun and games and lots of outdoor activities like dog sledding, snowmobiling and hiking. Reseth is a budding photographer for weddings and other events, so she took quite a few pictures of our times together. You can see some of her work at www.resethphotography.com. Cherish too, captured some excellent candid photos for remembrance sake. Jonathan is a true northerner and was hoping there would be a good amount of snow for him to enjoy while he was here. His desire came true as we had about a foot of fresh snow fall during the week and when they got to Knife River near Duluth,MN to visit his wife's relatives, they really got dumped on with 20 inches of fresh snow. Just to make sure he got his fill of snow, even Oklahoma City got fourteen inches. Now he can go home and throw a snowball. We aim to please, Jonathan.

My Trip South To Visit Family

2009-12-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

I had originally planned to fly down and visit my parents in Franklin, North Carolina in October. That was before I took my Humpty Dumpty fall off a ladder, breaking my ankle. After two months of recovery time, I rescheduled for the Thankgiving holidays and was driven down to Ely by Joanna where I connected with our other daughter, Cherish. She drove us down to Duluth to catch a flight which took us to Detroit and then Ashville, North Carolina. Cherish was quite a trooper helping me find wheelchairs at the airports and carrying extra bags for me. She is our oldest child at 32 and works at a real estate office in Ely as the advertising executive and also pastors Oasis Intl. church in Ely. Being the busy girl that she is, she was in need of a relaxing vacation to visit her grandparents.
We had such fun with Mom and Dad who are 83 and 85 respectively and still in very good health. My sister Wendy and her family also live in Franklin, so we got to spend lots of time with them. My brother Rick and his family live in Gainesville and came up for Thanksgiving day. Each day had some exciting adventure or fun activity planned. Relationships are more important than anything else in life. I so enjoy spending time with family and friends. My sister and brother in central Florida were not able to make it this time, but hopefully I can plan a spring fling on the Florida beaches with them. Right John???

It Was Supposed to be TWO Inches

2009-11-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 15th, it was predicted that we would receive two inches of snow in our area. Sure enough, about ten o'clock in the morning, big, beautiful snowflakes began descending all around us. It was a cozy inside day watching out the window at the beautiful scene before us as everything became blanketed in white.
The next morning we woke up to a gorgeous sunshiny day and over SEVEN inches of fresh snow. Most likely it will have melted by next week, so Joanna went out and took these pictures of the winter wonderland so you could enjoy it with us.

Hunters Hit the Jackpot

2009-11-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Our last group of Moose hunters left just this morning. Lee Lariviere and his group from Southeastern Ontario,shot the cow the day after they arrived. It was quite exciting for them. Then, a couple days before they left they brought down the bull. I think the majority of hunters that come get excited just to be out in the woods. Getting a Moose is simply a bonus. Some hunters don't even get to see a Moose. Some get to see them, but never get a shot at one. So, to be able to take two Moose home is quite an accomplishment. We really enjoyed having Lee's group here and we look forward to seeing them next year.

Sabre- Our Camp Dog

2009-11-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

Sabre is a pure bred Beauceron. The Beauceron is a rare breed that originated in France. They are herding dogs as well as good guard dogs and loyal family companions. Similar to the German Shepherd, the Beauceron is very versatile and excels in many different venues from Police dogs or Search and Rescue to tracking, agility and other protection sports. Joanna came across this unusual breed, which everyone thinks is a cross between a German Shepherd and a Doberman, while looking for another family pet for us. While the guard dog instinct is very strong in them,we have found them to be very lovable dogs.
It's been nice to have Sabre roam the premises, alerting us to the presence of bears or wolves and chasing them away. He sure enjoys his new home where he is free to run all over and investigate what the cat is doing, walk beside John while he mows the lawn, run the outside perimeter of the dog yard fence during feeding time and check into the activities of the camp guests.
The Beauceron is supposed to be reserved with strangers and wants to check people out without being crowded or pet on the head. We tell our guests to just ignore him and let him smell them. Pretty soon he will be eager to chase after a stick or ball that someone throws for him. He loves to play.
Joanna took these nice shots of him on the hillside this fall when the wildflowers were in full bloom.

Our Mighty Mouser

2009-11-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Cricket is her name and hunting mice is her game. Though she truly is a fierce hunter and has drastically cut down the mice population at Agimac River Outfitters, she has a very pleasant disposition for a cat. It all began when our daughter Joanna asked us if we would like to have a cat join us in our move to Canada. I replied, " Joanna, we have 43 sled dogs, a family dog and lots of wild animals out there in the bush. Her chances of survival are pretty slim. Besides, I don't want just any cat- she has to be a good mouser, loveable and be able to survive living outside."
Joanna quickly replied that she fulfilled all three prerequisites. So, I relented, as I always do when Joanna wants to bring another animal home. But I was the one who was surprised. She turned out to be an unusually gentle, loving, affectionate cat AND a great mouser. (Take a look at those teeth in the open mouth picture. I sure wouldn't want to be a mouse caught in those.) She's still alive, so she must have some pretty good wilderness alertness skills.
At first John jokingly called her "dog" because she would follow him outside wherever he went, right behind our dog, Sabre. She even followed him up to the dog yard where 43 dogs went crazy to try to get at her.
She's part of the family for sure and now we don't know what we'd do without her. Thank you Joanna!

Did We Skip A Season?

2009-10-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

What an unusual summer and fall we have had. It was rain, rain, rain most the summer with a few sunny days thrown in there and very much on the cooler side. Then September brought us summer with day after day of warm, sunshine. It cleaned all the mold off of us.
Soon as October rolled around, we skipped fall and went into winter. Fall is one of my favorite times of year with the blend of spectacular yellow, red, and orange leaves against the evergreens. It floods my soul with flutterbursts of awe and appreciation for all God's creation. I wish I could make it stay for two months at least. Maybe we'll be surprised and have a warm Indian summer in November. However it turns out, we did get our first blizzard the beginning of October. Even though it is too early, those heavy white flakes ARE beautiful. It was so thick we could hardly see to the other side of the river.
Maybe we'll have an early spring?????

Training Season

2009-10-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

With the cool weather comes the excitement of dog training. Joanna goes into high gear when the temps dip below 40 degrees F. That means it's time to get out the four wheeler and hook up the dogs for their conditioning for winter trips and dog sled races. It really is a spectacular sight the first time she comes roaring down the hill from the dog yard along the front of the camp and onto the 325 road, heading for the logging roads. She always trains her racing team first since they need the most miles on them. The training begins with short four mile runs for a little while, then up to six mile, eight mile and so on till she's doing 30 to 40 mile runs. The more miles you can get on them before a race, the tougher and better prepared they are and less chance of injury. John and Joanna take excellent care of their dogs and Joanna is becoming a very sought after breeder with the good blood lines she's developed in the kennel.

First Moose of the Season

2009-10-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Moose season is in full swing now. The temperatures have been much cooler this year than last. A member of Ray Talbot's group came up with this huge bull Moose, the first one in camp. Seeing them up close never ceases to fill me with awe. It must be quite a thrill to not only see one, but to claim it for your own. Another group was able to get a calf.

Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall

2009-10-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

I guess I was playing the part of Humpty Dumpty. Although I wasn't sitting on a wall, I was on a ladder leaning against a wall. Joanna and I were attempting to finish up some staining on the side of our two story house during one of the two last warm days of summer, Friday September 25th. Joanna was working on the lower parts while I was on the ladder finishing some higher parts. Of course we were on a side hill which made it a bit more precarious as I had to block one side of the foot of the ladder to try to keep it level. John's last admonition to me was, " Be sure you use big enough boards to block your ladder so it doesn't slip." I looked around but just found a few smaller boards and didn't want to waste any more time looking. (Next time I will look longer.)
As I was making a few final sweeps of the brush above the first floor windows, I felt the ladder sliding off my blocking and knew I was headed to the ground. I landed full force on my right foot and smashed both ankle bones royally. John rushed me to the Dryden hospital for emergency care where they set the bones in place and put on a cast. The following Monday, John drove me to the Thunder Bay hospital for reconstructive surgery with pins and plates in my ankle. I commend the care of the doctors and nurses in both hospitals. They did an excellent job.
Now I have some forced rest on the sofa with my leg in the air. John and Joanna are excellent care givers- what more could I ask for? Maybe a little more common sense.

Fun With the Little Ones

2009-10-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Adam Larson,the husband of John's niece,(pictured on the right) and Eric Oberg, John's nephew (pictured on the left),came up for a first time visit to Agimac River Outfitters. They had heard about the great fishing and plenteous blueberries and wanted to know if the stories were true. It didn't take them long to find out. They hooked a number of Walleyes and got this 37 inch Northern Pike as well. It was also surprising how many blueberries they took home after just a short time of picking; enough to make a number of blueberry pies, I'm sure.
Eric's son, Lawrence and Adam's daughter, Gloria are pictured behind their parents.

King of the Smallmouth

2009-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ernie Baker is John's stepfather. He and Nona, John's mother, have been with us in this new venture with the camp from the beginning. I don't know what we would have done without their support in every way. Nona and her deceased husband started a resort from scratch in northern Minnesota which is still being run to this day by Larry Oberg, John's brother and his wife and family. It's called Timber Wolf Point Resort in Buyck, Minnesota.
Ernie and Nona go south to Texas in the winter and come north to stay at Timber Wolf Point in the summer. They come up from there to visit us at Agimac River Outfitters. Nona is a superb blueberry picker and a true pioneer woman. She has grit. We look forward every summer to having Ernie and Nona come to stay with us. They are such fun.
Ernie really enjoys going fishing on Indian Lake, especially for those delicious Walleyes. But it seems that he has quite a propensity for snagging large, smallmouth bass. So, we nicknamed him the King of the Smallmouth. Here is a picture of one of his beauties and a picture of Ernie and Nona together.

A Loony Loon

2009-08-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

While our grown children were here visiting us at the camp last week, we went out in our 18 foot runabout for the first time since we moved here. We had not had a chance to see all of Indian Lake being so busy at the camp. We zoomed all over, taking in the varied beauty of the majestic rock walls, the hills and islands. On our way back to the camp, we came across a delegation of loons, numbering around thirty. I'd never seen so many loons together at one time. We stopped and turned off the motor, so we could watch them. I do this funny little call trying to mimick the laughing loon. I put out my call hoping to get a response from some of the delegation. A few of the loons came closer to the boat to get a better look at this weird looking loon. Seconds later we heard a splash along side the boat and up popped a loon. It was only about three feet away. They have got to be one of the most striking birds with their tuxedo colors and bright rings around their necks. I kept doing my laughing loon call to see what would happen next. The loon dove under water and swam under the boat. We could see him so well in the clear water. What a sight. He popped up on the other side of the boat and swam under the boat several times. It was a delightful spectacle. We were glad we stopped for a visit.

The Walleye Duet

2009-08-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our daughter-in-law Reseth went fishing with her Dad on Indian Lake and they each caught some real winners. Reseth's walleye was 25 inches and Joe's walleye was 27 inches. I think it made their day.

Shooting the Rapids

2009-08-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since we've resided at Agimac River Outfitters, I have had a hidden desire to shoot the rapids under the bridge on an inner tube. But it seemed that it might be a bit dangerous to maneuver down the rushing water, avoiding rocks beneath the surface. Along comes our son and his wife from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He too thought it would be a thrill to shoot the rapids. After carefully studying the path of the water to make sure it was safe, he donned a life jacket, paddled his tube from the boat landing to the beginning of the rapids and bounced on down the rapids with a big smile on his face. When he made it look so easy, the rest of us jumped on our tubes and took our turn too.

Cole's Catch

2009-08-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ken Klewicki brought a group of men with him to stay with us at Agimac River Outfitters. Among the group was a young man, Ken's grandson, Cole. This is a picture of Grandpa Ken and Cole with a 29 inch Walleye that Cole caught on Indian Lake.
It's great to see the little guys bringing in the big ones.

The Lazy River

2009-08-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Our son Jonathan and his wife Reseth recently came to visit us from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where they are stationed in the Air Force at Tinker Air Force Base. Cherish, our daughter, who lives in Ely, MN came to visit us at the same time so that all our children were here together. Joanna lives here with us at the camp and helps with the dogs for dogsled adventures. What a wonderful time was had by all. We found exciting adventures to take part in every day.
On one warm, sunny day we ventured out on Indian Lake with two boats and some tubes. We made our way through the chain of lakes and rivers to Mameigwess Lake. The river just before entering Mameigwess is absolutely beautiful- crystal clear water, sandy bottom with a good current. The first time I went through there, I thought to myself how fun it would be to bring our children back there and float down that river. So, that's just what we did. We jumped out of the boat, hopped onto our tubes and floated down what we now call "the lazy river". We felt like we were in paradise- perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, wonderful company.

Fish of a Lifetime!

2009-06-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Andy Holtebeck and his nine year old son, Josh, came to Agimac River Outfitters for the first time this June 2009 with a group of friends and family. I just love to see fathers and sons coming together for an adventurous fishing trip. What an opportunity to connect with each other and God's glorious creation!
Josh took the award for the largest fish caught during the week with this monster 46 inch, 33 pound northern pike. His Grandpa Don beside him is holding the heavy fish for the picture. Apparently, he received some helpful coaching from the other veteran fishermen in the boat during the exciting reeling process. Andy calls it the "Fish of a Lifetime".
I bet that one is going up on a wall!

It's Got To Be A Record!

2009-06-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

The week of May 23-30, the guys in two of our cabins were having their own little fishing contest. On a predetermined day, the one who caught the biggest fish on a three foot, pink, Barbie Doll fishing pole was the winner. Towards evening, Josh Miller landed this 45 inch, 31 pound Northern Pike on 6 lb test line, winning the contest, including a trophy with a Barbie Doll on top and $45. They didn't have a net big enough to land the monster, so Trever Miller, his uncle, grabbed it by the gills and yanked it into the boat. Last year Josh caught a 43 inch Northern Pike on a short pole, which might have been the motivation for the contest this year.

Some Recent Catches on Indian Lake

2009-06-10T09:10:00.001-07:00

Tourism Week

2009-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last week Joanna took our best lead dog, Tulsa, with her to the Fort Frances Visitor Center, along with a video demonstrating our winter dogsledding tours. They offered tourist camps an opportunity to advertise their businesses to tourists coming across the border into Canada. It was a fun day for Joanna as she shared with people the excitement of taking a dog sled trip in the beautiful Canadian wilderness. The Fort Frances Times newspaper was there to cover the event and took her picture to put in their paper.

New Additions

2009-05-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Four male and three female puppies were born to one of our best sled dogs, Sparrow, almost two weeks ago. They are named after birds like their mother; Lark, Raven, Siskin, Hawk, Eagle, Swift, and Falcon. Joanna is hoping they will turn out to be stars on her racing team like their parents. Stryder, the father is one of our best dogs as well. So, they have some good genes going for them. It's always fun to have puppies to play with and enjoy. She only had one puppy her first time around, so we were very surprised to find seven puppies in this litter.

2009-05-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

2009-05-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is a wonderful time of year that brings hope of new life. The birds begin to sing, grass starts turning green, flowers pop up out of the ground, and baby lambs are born. Some of these little bundles of wool were born on Resurrection Day Sunday. Joanna and Daryl got to visit Egli's Sheep Farm, just 7 miles west of Dryden soon after these lambs came into the world. At one spot, there were at least 20 lambs in with the ewes. As a pack, the lambs ran back in forth, leaping and bouncing in the air, seemingly full of joy. It was a hilarious sight. One little black lamb was so friendly that he sucked on our fingers. They have strong suction. It almost hurt. The Egli's also have turkeys, baby bunnies, donkeys, llamas, alpacas, goats and pigs. It's a great place to visit when you are coming our way.

Our Final Days of Dog Sledding- spring 2009

2009-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Spring is a great time to get the teams out on lakes because there is no slush. It's solidly frozen with about 2 feet of ice in most places and smooth,compacted snow on top so you can go in any direction. We decided to take some pictures to put on our blog and websites to show the varied and ruggedly beautiful scenery in the area. You might want to come join us next season for some exciting adventure by dog team.

Results of Our First Canadian Blizzard

2009-03-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

When we awoke on March 11th, we were greeted with the snowstorm of the season. Billions of thick, beautiful snowflakes filled the air, blowing hastily to the ground. Piles of wind driven snow blanketed everything in sight. Several times we tried to open our outside door, only to find another foot of snow blocking our exit. We could barely see across the river to the other side. It was a day to stay inside and cozy up with a book, waiting for the storm to subside. The next day, John warmed up his plow truck and slowly began the arduous task of opening up the driveway, the camp roads, the dogyard, and last but not least the 18 miles to Ignace. Some of the hills between here and Ignace are so high that he had to plow sideways at first to try to push the 2 to 4 foot drifts. On the level we probably got around 2 feet of fresh snow. We've had our share of cold weather and snow this year for sure. I'm ready for spring.

Racing Pictures - 2009

2009-03-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Our Racer

2009-03-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

2009-03-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Joanna has been doing more dog sled racing this year than ever before. She moved up to Ignace, Ontario to live with us at Agimac River Outfitters in September 2008. Exploring new winter trails was a big draw for sure. John and Joanna are the guides for Run Silent Dog Sled Trips, taking people out into God's beautiful creation via dog teams. Since business has been quite a bit slower this year because we are new in the area, Joanna has had more time and opportunity to spend training her dogs for races. She participated in four races this year including the 113 mile Beargrease race in Duluth,MN the 16 mile Dryden, Ontario race, the 30 mile Wolf Track Classic race in Ely,MN and the 21 mile Shebandowan race near Thunder Bay, Ontario. She finished 11th,6th,4th and 5th in consecutive order which is very good, considering she was competing against a lot of sprint racers in the shorter races. Although she is happy with how well the dogs ran, she hopes to do even better in the years to come. Countless hours are spent on the computer as she compares pedigrees and breeding of the best racers,planning ways to improve the breeding in our kennel. Not only has it been a fun and exciting hobby for her, it's been a great way to meet some new Canadian friends. Her mother, Daryl,has enjoyed some new and unusual experiences as well while accompanying Joanna to the races- like sleeping by the dogs under the stars at 25 below zero temps. It's all part of the adventure as John would say.

Local Dog Mushers

2009-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

What a fun day we had on Sunday, February 22nd with some new friends from Ignace. There was Karen, Bonnie, Chantal, Kyla, and Debbie. It was a bright, fairly warm sunny day and the dogs were raring to go. The ladies chose to take a four mile ride which brought them back along Agimac River to camp.