Do It Now: Winter
Best bets for the weekend
Hike under lights and watch snow sculptors.
Sculptors are making sure the snow goes on: at Winter Festival in Ely (pictured),
Winter Tracks on Minnesota's North Shore, the U.S. Snow Sculpting Championships in Lake Geneva.
It's the biggest festival weekend of winter, and with warm temperatures everywhere, you
have no excuse to stay in. I once froze my toes watching the ski jumpers in Westby, one of our favorite
events; you won't.
Most candlelight skis – we count 26 this weekend – now are hikes, though check before you go. In Minneapolis, the Luminary Loppet now is in Wirth Park and a hike, but who can complain, with s'mores, Surly beer, maple cookies and fire dancers part of the mix.
They'll be throwing things in Wisconsin: frying pans in Gilman, frozen bluegills in Lake Mills and everything in Fish Creek — toilet seats, pie tins, bicycles and maybe people for the human foosball tournament. Those crazy cheeseheads!
Next weekend
Make jest of ugly star of Eelpout Fest.
International Eelpout Festival in Walker, Minn. It's fun just to wander (or drive) around Leech Lake during this goofy event. Be sure to have some 'pout nuggets, which are as tasty as the fish is ugly. Feb. 17–19.
Winter Festival in Madison. See Capitol Square turn into a sports venue, with cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing plus music, family games and ice and snow sculptures. Feb. 18–19.
Color the Wind Kite Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa. This town in north-central Iowa draws kiters from eight states for its festival, the largest in the Midwest, and stunt fliers will perform choreographed kite ballet. Feb. 18.
For more, see our Events Calendar.
This weekend
Get a jump on the Olympics at ski fest.
Pine Mountain Ski Jumping Competition in Iron Mountain, Mich. Jumpers from 12 nations are expected at this town just over the Wisconsin border, a stop on the Continental Cup circuit. Feb. 11–12.
Extreme Winter Festival in Storm Lake, Iowa. This festival features snowshoe races, an extreme bike ride, balloon glow and snow-sculpture contest. Feb. 11–12.
Magical Ice Carving Festival in St. Joseph, Mich. Watch the pros carve sculptures in this Lake Michigan town. There's also entertainment, a scavenger hunt and magic and crafts for kids. Feb. 10–12.
For more, see our Events Calendar.
Roadside Distraction
Here's a contest for everyone who loves the odd and offbeat.
At MidwestWeekends, we love anything that makes us veer off the highway and say, "Wow, what the heck is that?''
We call these things Roadside Distractions, and we always take a photo. Now we're having a contest so you can see some of our favorite things, too.
Becky Beyers of New Brighton, Minn., was first to identify Rocky Taconite, who celebrates the resurrection of the iron-ore mining industry on Minnesota's Iron Range and its shipping ports along the North Shore.
Rocky stands atop a rock slab just west of Minnesota 61 on County Road 5 in Silver Bay, which was created in 1954 around a new plant built to process taconite.
Counting birds
At Christmas, birders go afield for the annual census.
Around Christmas, it's time to count birds.
You won't see three French hens, two turtledoves or a partridge in a pear tree, but chances are good for swans a-swimming,
geese (though not a-laying) and many more than four calling birds.
And when the annual Christmas Bird Count approaches, the National Audubon Society and local bird clubs look for help.
Between mid-December and early January, birders spend a day in the field at thousands of locations across the Americas,
compiling numbers that will be used to monitor the status of bird populations and identify potential threats.
The chocolate cure
As winter drags on, drown your sorrows with sweets.
By February, a lot of people are getting tired of winter . . . time to eat some chocolate.
As everyone knows, chocolate has unique restorative qualities. It's effective draped on strawberries, whipped into mousse,
covering cakes . . . you get the idea.
Here's where to go to thumb your nose at winter (and your diet). And feel no guilt, because these events are benefits.
There are also two Restaurant Weeks, with prix-fixe deals, and a chocolate-themed getaway we've planned just for you.
Where's the snow?
It's finally arrived in the north woods.
The snow came late, and in less than bountiful amounts, but it's enough for cross-country skiers in the north woods.
There's plenty of snow across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, northeast Wisconsin
and Minnesota's Gunflint
Trail.
In northwest Wisconsin, skiers have just enough to train for the Birkebeiner; in southern Wisconsin, skiers are just scraping by —literally.
In northwest Minnesota, skiers' best bet is Maplelag resort. In northeast Minnesota, it's the Flathorn-Gegoka Trails around National Forest Lodge.
Volunteering on Lake Superior
Be keeper of the light or a modern voyageur.
If you want to live in a lighthouse this summer, January is the time to shine a light on your qualifications.
The national-park service has posted volunteer positions at national parks and monuments around the nation, and some of the most enticing are on Lake Superior.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin has the most lighthouses and the most keeper positions, on Devils, Michigan and Sand (pictured) islands. The park service also needs live-in helpers on Oak and Manitou islands.
In Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the remote Au Sable Light needs a volunteer keeper.
The best of 2011 . . . and 2012
Here are our revelations from the old year and resolutions for the new one.
Every year, we finally do some things we’ve been meaning to do for years, and they’re so much fun we wonder what took us so darn long.
In early February, we finally skied the Luminary Loppet on Minneapolis' Chain of Lakes — twice, in fact, to get a full dose of glowing ice pillars and fire twirlers (and more maple-leaf cookies from the Canadian consulate). Magic!
Later that month, we stumbled onto a fantastical ice garden in Tettegouche
State Park, tipped off by a friend who had seen Paul Sundberg's stunning Photo of the Week galleries (which I promptly bookmarked and
now look at every week).
In May, I hit the bluebell jackpot hiking in Starved Rock State Park, a string of 18
carved-rock canyons along the Illinois River.
The best of 2010 . . . and 2011
Here are our revelations from the old year and resolutions for the new one.
Every year, we finally do some things we’ve been meaning to do for years, and they’re so much fun we want to smack our foreheads and say, “Doh!’’
On Minnesota’s North Shore in February, we skied the Northwoods Trail near Silver Bay, a delightfully tucked away system with a connecting trail to Tettegouche through Paradise, oops, Palisade Valley.
In June, we finally did the whole Circle Tour of Lake Michigan, not just the top half with return by ferry. Gary was scary, but we were awed by Mackinac and knocked out by the endless Michigan beaches — couldn’t Minnesota have just one of those?
We stayed in highly coveted state-park camper cabins right on the lake (now is the time to reserve them for summer, by the way).
Reserving for summer
Nab your spot now in Minnesota and Michigan state parks.
Warm weather may seem far away, but it's time to reserve your spot in Minnesota and Michigan state parks.
In Minnesota, you have only through Dec. 26 to make any kind of reservation — campsites, camper cabins, cabins and lodges — in the state parks. The state is upgrading its reservation system, and the new one won't launch until March 1.
Since reservations can be made a year in advance, the choicest places on summer weekends already have been taken. But there are plenty of spots left in all seasons, and if you want to avoid the crush on March 1, reserve now.
In Michigan state parks, campsite reservations can be made only six months in advance. That means that all the sites in the Lake Michigan beach parks are available from mid-June. They're 100 percent reservable and extremely popular, so you really have to plan ahead.
A peek into an inn
During holidays, B&Bs in five tourist towns open for tours.
Thinking about a B&B getaway this winter? Take advantage of upcoming tours to preview rooms and pick the one you
want.
On Dec. 4, Stillwater, Minn., holds a Christmas Tea and Home Tour in Stillwater, Minn. Each inns will feature food and beverages, 1-5 p.m.
On Dec. 11, the inns of Duluth will hold a
Holiday Tour, with holiday music and
light refreshments.
For more, see How to find a bed-and-breakfast.
Magic under the moon
In winter, plan a trip around a candlelight ski or snowshoe.
On a dark winter night, there's nothing more magical than skiing or snowshoeing on a trail lined by candles.
I got hooked in Minnesota's Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. A fat blue moon hung in the sky, a thick coating of hoarfrost made tree branches look like reindeer antlers and more than 400 glowing bags gave the forest a fairy-tale aura.
I often plan winter trips around candlelight events. In Minnesota, you can stay right in the park if you reserve fast enough.
Right now, there are camper cabins available for the Feb. 3-4 skis in Lake Carlos State Park near Alexandria, suites for Jan.
7 and Feb. 4 in Itasca State Park and the guesthouse Feb. 4 in St. Croix State Park.
Vacations for the brain
Go to a summer school, and you'll come home with a skill.
There's still snow on the ground, but it's time to think about summer if you're a photographer, carver or anyone who would like to learn something new.
If you want to come away from your vacation with more than a sunburn, it'll soon be time to sign up for a workshop. At the Clearing folk school in Wisconsin's Door County, some classes fill in the first hour after registration opens.
The Clearing, founded by Danish landscape architect Jens Jensen in 1935, is the oldest folk school in the region. Students stay in stone cottages on the wooded campus.
On the other side of Door County, Björklunden offers digital photography, rosemaling and watercolor painting but also such
seminars as "The Spies of World War II'' and "The Enduring Appeal of Sherlock Holmes.''
Following the Beargrease
The 2011 North Shore sled-dog marathon was one of the most exciting in years.
This week, the toughest athletes in the north woods showed their stuff.
Starting in Duluth, they raced night and day in freezing temperatures, stopping only to snatch a few hours of sleep along the trail. Over four days, they covered 373 miles, racing to the point of exhaustion. And they wagged their tails the whole time.
As always, the dogs — make that "canine athletes" — were the stars of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which started Sunday.
The finish this year was one of the most exciting in years, with 29-year-old Ryan Anderson edging out 2010 champion Nathan
Schroeder by only 20 seconds. In the end, it came down to who had the most fuel left to burn.
Walking on ice
To stay safe and have fun, buy a pair of crampons.
There's snow in the north woods now, and there's something else, too: Ice.
People who are planning to ski or snowshoe may want to have a Plan B. Ice covers many trails, making skiing dangerous and snowshoeing impossible (and destructive to wooden snowshoes).
If you want to hike, bring a pair of crampons. A $4 pair of metal claws strapped to the bottom of my boots once
saved my hide when I was hiking on ice-covered trails in Tettegouche State Park (pictured). I ended up giving one claw and
both ski poles to three friends, so we'd each have at least a little traction.
In their simplest version, crampons are just a metal claw attached to a strap; farm-supply stores, such as Fleet Farm and
Pamida, sell them for as little as $4.
Cheap winter retreats
Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.
In winter, mushing your own sled-dog team is one of the most fun — and expensive — things you can do.
But if you sign up for a mushing retreat at an environmental learning center, you’ll pay less for an entire weekend than you’d pay an outfitter for a half-day trip.
If you’re on a budget — and who isn't, really? — these non-profit centers are your friend. They’re the low-cost Club Meds of the north woods, offering all-inclusive packages that include meals, lodgings in private rooms and all activities, including indoor climbing.
Here are some great ELC weekends for 2011. And see this year's edition of Cheap winter getaways for 15 winter weekends under
$110.
Holiday house calls
On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
The leaves are barely off the trees when holiday mansion tours begin.
In the southern Minnesota town of Rochester, tours already have started at the country manor built by W.W. Mayo's younger son, where 38 rooms are filled with ribbons, garlands and gleaming glass balls.
Built at the same time as Glensheen in Duluth, Mayowood is the same size but much less ornate. It's most remarkable for its
wooded grounds; Dr. Charlie Mayo loved nature and built water gardens and greenhouses, using old X-ray plates for the
panels.
On Lake Superior, Glensheen is decorated and open for holiday tours, teas and brunches. On St. Paul's Summit Avenue, costumed actors portray servants preparing for the holidays at the massive James J. Hill House, built to showcase the railroad baron's wealth.
Readers say Ely is the coolest town
It's got wolves, it's got bears, it's got character.
The north-woods Minnesota town of Ely has won the readers' choice category of Budget Travel magazine's annual "America's Coolest Small
Town'' contest.
Ely, on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, left the competition in the dust, earning 118,899 votes. Cloverdale, Calif., placed second with 74,399 votes.
Readers voted from February until polls closed May 9. Editors may or may not include the readers' choices in their September "Coolest Towns'' issue.
Brevard, N.C., in the Blue Ridge Mountains, placed third in the voting. It was followed by the beach town of Saugatuck, Mich.; Kennett Square, Pa.; the beach town of Bandon, Ore.; Cuero, Texas; Nyack, N.Y.; Medicine Park, Okla.; and the Door County village of Egg Harbor, which earned 7,517 votes.
Sightseeing by bicycle
This summer's tours include an extra quota of scenery.
Most bicycle trails are covered with snow, but it’s still time to think about summer tours.
The Horribly Hilly Hundreds, which cover the part of southwest Wisconsin that would have been used for bicycling if Chicago had won the 2016 Summer Olympics, already is full — 1,300 riders are eager for the bragging rights that come with 10,700 feet of elevation gain.
Across the border in Illinois, GITAP, Grand Illinois Trail and Parks ride, is nearly full. Sponsored by the League of Illinois Bicyclists, the June 13-18 ride starts in Freeport this year and winds west, through three state parks, to Galena.
The routes of many of this year's longer tours are especially appealing. Most riders prefer northern routes with lakes to southern routes with cornfields, and this year they get them.
Skiing in the city
On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.
During the great Christmas Blizzard of 2009, Duluth was one of the biggest beneficiaries of snow, with 24½ inches.
That's good news for cross-country skiers, because Duluth and Superior have 82 kilometers of groomed trails. It's a civilized
place to go for a ski weekend; expend a few thousand calories, then hop over to one of the many restaurants and brewpubs for
a burger and a craft beer. And of course, there are many great places to stay.
Last January, I drove there with friends and was able to get onto Lester Park's lighted trail by dusk. We skied 5 kilometers under towering firs before grabbing Vietnamese takeout and retiring to the fireside at Cottage on the Point, a vacation rental on Park Point.
The next day, we skied the 14 kilometers of Magney-Snively Park on the other end of town, stopping to admire panoramic views
of St. Louis Bay from Ely Peak and Bardon's Peak (pictured). Then we skied the gentler loops at Hartley Nature Center, in the
center of town.
A very merry city
At Christmas, Chicago brims with good will.
During the holidays, Chicago always is in a great mood. But after electing one of its own to the White House, it's positively giddy.
Christmas is a great time to visit Chicago. Its open-air Christkindlmarket (pictured), now in its 14th year, is lifted straight from the market squares of Germany, with German vendors plying crowds with cones of roasted almonds and mugs of warm Glühwein.
At the Museum of Science and Industry, the beloved "Christmas Around the World'' exhibit is celebrating its 76th anniversary this year, with ethnic ensembles performing all day on weekends.
Love Handel's "Messiah''? Hear it sung for the 131st year by the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, whose big, impassioned voices will make you weep. The Goodman stages "A Christmas Carol,'' and the Joffrey Ballet does "The Nutcracker.''
All eyes on eagles
In winter, tourists and birds alike head for open water.
Bald eagles may be off the endangered list, but it's still a thrill to see one.
In winter, they're easier to find because they're concentrated around open water. On the Wisconsin River near Baraboo,
Prairie du Sac is an eagle-watching hot spot because there's a hydroelectric plant whose turbines stun fish and make them
easy pickings for eagles.
Prairie du Sac kicks off the season in January with Eagle Watching Days, with guided bus tours to the dam. Dubuque, Iowa, is having a Bald Eagle Watch, with free trolley rides to Lock & Dam 11. In Galena, Ill., the first of three bus tours will visit five eagle gathering spots on the Upper Mississippi.
For details on eagle-watching and more festivals, see Where eagles land. Pictured: Lock & Dam 8 in Genoa, Wis.
© Beth Gauper, 2007 - 2012 all rights reserved
