An Evening in Bemidji
We picked up Jared from the Bemidji airport last night. He hasn’t been able to join us at Cass Lake for 5 years, so we’re all excited to have him back! Then today, around noon, Chloe’s friend Mary arrived. Our cabin, which sleeps 8, is up to 7 now.
In the morning, we convinced Phyllis to join us for fishing, along with Beth, and of course Tom and me. We decided to try our luck at the Potato Islands since Pike Bay has not been too fruitful (or fish-ful) this week. Our island spot was slow too, so we moved over to the “Green House” but once again, we were disappointed. We ended the morning with six fish, all perch.
We’ve been trying to figure out why we’re catching so few fish this year. Our best guess is the fact that there are an abundance of mayflies right now (that the fish are likely feasting on). We’re hoping they disappear soon and fishing improves for us next week. We’re also aware of the invasive zebra mussels which have been an issue in Cass Lake for the past few years and are hoping the problem is getting better, not worse.
After returning from fishing, the kids did a little tubing in the afternoon behind the T’s boat. We were all a little rushed to get back in, cleaned up, and out the door though, as we had planned our big family dinner out at Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge. We knew we’d have to get there early if we wanted to sit out on the patio. We did get our table, enjoyed our dinner, and had fun listening to the kids/cousins/friends connect and reconnect. (Note: the pic below with kids on their phones was (thank goodness!) not indicative of the entire meal!)
After dinner, Tom, Jared, and I changed into our biking clothes, and geared up for a ride around Lake Bemidji. It was a beautiful night for a ride–not too hot, not too cool. We spotted deer, rabbits, pelicans, and seaplanes (yes, two seaplanes were in flight together over the lake…pretty cool!). We made the 16-mile journey in a little over an hour and a half (including some stops at the bridge, restroom, and Paul Bunyan park). It was an invigorating ride and the trail was clean and smooth.
No family outing to Bemidji would be complete without a Paul Bunyan and Babe photo shoot. We paused there for a brief time on our ride, while the rest of the gang stopped on their way home.
(Upper middle: #BE=Jared. Lower left: B=Zeke, E=Elise, M=Mary, I=Chloe, D=Leah, J=William, I=Zach. PC goes to Beth T. for this and many other photos!)
When we arrived back at the cabin, everyone had an ice cream bedtime snack, the kids played a few rounds of Dutch Blitz, and we hit the hay–feeling thankful for the gifts of health, family, friends, and God’s beautiful creation!
