Finally the heat wave ended and we are enjoying a breezy, sunny, 70 degree day. It's still warm for May on the Gunflint Trail but at least it isn't 90 degrees like it was yesterday. The humidity and temperatures in the 80's this past week were unbelievable and they prompted me to start swimming in the Seagull River to cool off. Even the water temperature is warm, much warmer than I've ever felt it in May.
Last night's windstorm blew trees down all over the Gunflint Trail. One almost hit our outfitting building and one did hit a power line. We were without electricity at Voyageur all evening. Good thing we weren't busy or trying to help guests with permits or fishing licenses. All of the automated stuff doesn't work if we don't have power.
We still have vacancies for Memorial Weekend so if you're looking for something to do, then come up and see us. We'd love to have you as our guest.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Priorities
What are your priorities? This is a question I ask myself not only on a daily basis but also sometimes every minute of the day. This time of the year is especially difficult for me to get my priorities straight. As I walk around Voyageur both my workplace and home, I am continually distracted by everything that needs to be done.
I have written about setting out to find something or to do something only to find myself forgetting all about what I was suppose to be doing and doing something else in the meantime. What's your priority? This morning has been one of those days from the beginning. It began with a simple question from the kids, "Are we going to tennis today?"
Yes or no would be a logical answer for most people but not for me. "We'll see." was my response today. Thank goodness my children are somewhat flexible, I should say very flexible. It's not unusual for them to get a phone call while in school telling them to come home on the bus because a meeting was cancelled and we don't want to drive all of the way to town just to pick them up after practice. Today as I pondered the question I thought about a meeting I have at 4:30pm. My mind whirled, "If I don't go in then I can get this done and that done. If I do go in then I need to do this and that. But I really need to stay home to finish x." And on it went with no answer to the priority question.
I was going to sit down to write my blog much earlier today but then I remembered I had wanted to get the blankets and linens from Riverside Cabin. I had planned to wash them yesterday and never got around to it. So I went downstairs to tell Mike something and was distracted by the laundry left in my dryer from the day before and knew I would need it out before I could do Riverside laundry so I started to fold it. When I was done I noticed some cleaning supplies I had wanted to bring up to outfitting yesterday or the day before, or maybe even the day before that, but hadn't gotten around to it. So, I started getting the cleaning supplies together to bring up to outfitting. On my way Sheri asked where we should put the plants and flowers I had purchased. As I walked around with her I remembered I had wanted to make a planter on the backside of the lodge so I grabbed a shovel and started digging. Remembering some potting soil underneath the deck I went to see how much was there and on my way I passed Elsa with her laundry which reminded me I was on my way to Riverside to get the laundry. Needless to say I was wandering aimlessly with no priority in mind.
Then I thought... What is the most urgent thing at this moment? Oh yeah, my blog. I still don't have my blog done. But as I write this blog I think about the shovel I left out, the laundry that isn't done, the clothes in the store that need to be put away, the cleaning supplies and the flowers that need to be put into the ground along with 10,000 other tasks that need to be done. I remember an invitation to a field trip tomorrow for Josh's class and I wonder how on earth I could spend an entire day in town on a field trip when there are so many things to do here. Then I ask, what is the priority?
The answer to that question is easy. My kids are my main priority. Sorry if you are my guest and that makes you feel badly but my children come first. So, keep that in mind when you visit this summer and my house is a mess, the flowers aren't planted and there's a shovel leaning against the lodge. I have to keep reminding myself what my priority is because sometimes it's easy to forget.
Ooops, almost did it again. I just had a wood tick on me and Rugby is sitting next to me so I started checking him for more wood ticks and almost got up to give him a bath before I realized I hadn't finished my blog. Here I go again. What's my priority?
I have written about setting out to find something or to do something only to find myself forgetting all about what I was suppose to be doing and doing something else in the meantime. What's your priority? This morning has been one of those days from the beginning. It began with a simple question from the kids, "Are we going to tennis today?"
Yes or no would be a logical answer for most people but not for me. "We'll see." was my response today. Thank goodness my children are somewhat flexible, I should say very flexible. It's not unusual for them to get a phone call while in school telling them to come home on the bus because a meeting was cancelled and we don't want to drive all of the way to town just to pick them up after practice. Today as I pondered the question I thought about a meeting I have at 4:30pm. My mind whirled, "If I don't go in then I can get this done and that done. If I do go in then I need to do this and that. But I really need to stay home to finish x." And on it went with no answer to the priority question.
I was going to sit down to write my blog much earlier today but then I remembered I had wanted to get the blankets and linens from Riverside Cabin. I had planned to wash them yesterday and never got around to it. So I went downstairs to tell Mike something and was distracted by the laundry left in my dryer from the day before and knew I would need it out before I could do Riverside laundry so I started to fold it. When I was done I noticed some cleaning supplies I had wanted to bring up to outfitting yesterday or the day before, or maybe even the day before that, but hadn't gotten around to it. So, I started getting the cleaning supplies together to bring up to outfitting. On my way Sheri asked where we should put the plants and flowers I had purchased. As I walked around with her I remembered I had wanted to make a planter on the backside of the lodge so I grabbed a shovel and started digging. Remembering some potting soil underneath the deck I went to see how much was there and on my way I passed Elsa with her laundry which reminded me I was on my way to Riverside to get the laundry. Needless to say I was wandering aimlessly with no priority in mind.
Then I thought... What is the most urgent thing at this moment? Oh yeah, my blog. I still don't have my blog done. But as I write this blog I think about the shovel I left out, the laundry that isn't done, the clothes in the store that need to be put away, the cleaning supplies and the flowers that need to be put into the ground along with 10,000 other tasks that need to be done. I remember an invitation to a field trip tomorrow for Josh's class and I wonder how on earth I could spend an entire day in town on a field trip when there are so many things to do here. Then I ask, what is the priority?
The answer to that question is easy. My kids are my main priority. Sorry if you are my guest and that makes you feel badly but my children come first. So, keep that in mind when you visit this summer and my house is a mess, the flowers aren't planted and there's a shovel leaning against the lodge. I have to keep reminding myself what my priority is because sometimes it's easy to forget.
Ooops, almost did it again. I just had a wood tick on me and Rugby is sitting next to me so I started checking him for more wood ticks and almost got up to give him a bath before I realized I hadn't finished my blog. Here I go again. What's my priority?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Never a Better Fishing Opener
In all of the years we have owned and operated Voyageur Canoe Outfitters I've never seen a better fishing opener. I'm not sure how many fish were caught but the weather was absolutely beautiful.
All weekend long in the BWCA the sun shined brightly and the temperature soared. Yesterday's high temperature reached 77 degrees and reports of sunburned skin were heard.
We did hear about fish being caught on the lakes of the Gunflint Trail over the weekend as well. Plenty of Lake Trout and Northern Pike were caught in the Boundary Waters and on Saganaga with reports of some nice Walleye as well.
While there's never been better weather for the fishing opener we've never not had the Walleye Wranglers here to spend it with. The Walleye Wranglers, long-time guests of the fishing opener, couldn't make it up this year so our fishing reports are quite incomplete.
I'll have to stick with what I know to be true. Without snow flurries and rain thiis year's fishing opener had the best weather ever.
All weekend long in the BWCA the sun shined brightly and the temperature soared. Yesterday's high temperature reached 77 degrees and reports of sunburned skin were heard.
We did hear about fish being caught on the lakes of the Gunflint Trail over the weekend as well. Plenty of Lake Trout and Northern Pike were caught in the Boundary Waters and on Saganaga with reports of some nice Walleye as well.
While there's never been better weather for the fishing opener we've never not had the Walleye Wranglers here to spend it with. The Walleye Wranglers, long-time guests of the fishing opener, couldn't make it up this year so our fishing reports are quite incomplete.
I'll have to stick with what I know to be true. Without snow flurries and rain thiis year's fishing opener had the best weather ever.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Price of a Tow Boat Ride
Will it go up like the price of gas after an oil spill?
Coast Guard Improves Licensing Process for Minnesota Guides and Outfitters. 5/12/2010 http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=69110
A U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters working group has identified strategies aimed at promoting awareness and compliance with licensing requirements for Operators of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV), while ensuring a sensible level of public safety and security.
Uninspected Passenger Vessels are motorized vessels that carry one to six passengers, and not passenger operations on unpowered canoes or drift-boats.
Although the Coast Guard cannot waive federal law, which requires operators who carry passengers for hire aboard a boat on federally navigable waters to hold a Coast Guard issued OUPV license, these strategies will bring some relief to the licensing process for Minnesota guides and outfitters.
The following efforts will be enacted in an effort to improve OUPV licensing compliance and public safety:
Administer OUPV license exams in Minnesota. This effort should eliminate the need for interested parties to travel to St. Louis, Mo., or Toledo, Ohio, which are the nearest licensing facilities in order to take an exam. Some locations already identified as possible exam sites include the Ely, Chisholm, and International Falls areas. Other areas may be added in proportion with public demand. Exact locations and dates will be published as soon as they are available.
No course prerequisite. Those seeking to obtain an OUPV license are required to take a Coast Guard exam, but do not have to take a Coast Guard approved OUPV course. However, even though not required, there are approved courses that can be taken in lieu of an examination administered by the Coast Guard. Interested parties are encouraged to ask their local Coast Guard office about the various options available for obtaining an OUPV license.
Provide the option for modified licenses. This change reduces financial and administrative burdens associated with compliance by appropriately tailoring license requirements for mariners operation in geographically restricted waterways. In addition to a full operator’s license, there are two alternatives available: a restricted OUPV license that limits operations to a specific geographic location; or a limited OUPV license for those that are employed by organizations such as yacht clubs, marinas and educational institutions, and limits the operations to the specific activity and locality.
Operators interested in getting a Coast Guard license must first obtain a Transportation Workers Identification Card (TWIC) from the Transportation Security Administration before the Coast Guard can issue a license. The Coast Guard cannot waive this federal requirement. The TWIC program is administered by TSA, and information on obtaining a TWIC can be found at: http://twicinformation.tsa.dhs.gov or call 1-866-347-8942. Operators must also comply with current drug and alcohol testing regulations.
“We are here to help you get a license, but we cannot help you operate without one.” said Lt. Cmdr. Dean Firing, Ninth Coast Guard District Chief of Inspections and Investigations Branch.
These licensing laws are currently in effect, and current operators of uninspected passenger vessels who do not hold a valid operator license are encouraged to work with their local Coast Guard Sector or Officer in Charge of Marine Inspections.
Both the Eighth and Ninth Coast Guard Districts have responsibilities in the State of Minnesota, essentially dividing the state in half.
For residents of southern Minnesota, please contact Marine Safety Detachment St. Paul at 612-725-1871.
For residents in the northern part of the state, including Mille Lacs, please contact Marine Safety Unit Duluth at 218-720-5286.
The approximate costs to be incurred by the individual mariner for each alternative are as follows:
|
OUPV (non-restricted) |
Limited OUPV |
OUPV Restricted |
TWIC*1 |
$132.50 |
$132.50 |
$132.50 |
USCG Application/Issuance Fees *4 |
$145.00 |
$145.00 |
$145.00 |
CPR & First Aid Training *4 |
$ 60.00 |
$ 60.00*3 |
$ 60.00*3 |
Physical Examination |
$100.00 |
$100.00 |
$100.00 |
Drug Test |
$ 49.00 |
$ 49.00 |
$ 49.00 |
USCG Examination Fee *4 |
$ 95.00*2 |
$ 95.00 |
$ 95.00*2 |
USCG Approved OUPV Course |
$750.00*2 |
- |
$500.00*2 |
Safe Boating Course |
- |
$ 30.00 |
- |
TOTAL |
$581.50 or $1,236.50*2 |
$551.50*3or $611.50 |
$521.50*3, $581.50, or $986.50*2 |
*1 TSA collects fingerprints and background information during TWIC enrollment and provides this information to the Coast Guard in order to complete documentation for the Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). The Coast Guard is not currently set up to collect mariner fingerprints and to complete certain functions performed by TSA as part of the TWIC evaluation. If a TWIC is not required, alternative arrangements for these functions would be studied and may result in additional costs.
*2 Mariners must complete a Coast Guard examination OR an approved course may be taken in lieu of examination.
*3 CPR & first aid training required when medical services are not readily available in a reasonable time.
*4 Fees collected by the Coast Guard.
Additional information on licensing can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/nmc. For more information on the Coast Guard’s passenger vessel safety program, go to http://www.uscg.mil/pvs/default.asp.
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