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Meet America’s New Favorite: Bear Head Lake State Park
North America has a new favorite vacation destination. And it’s right in our backyard.
Thanks to an internet poll by Coca Cola, Bear Head Lake State Park in Ely edged out better known parks, like the Great Smoky Mountains, by a land slide. 1.7 million votes secured the $100,000 prize for Bear Head.
It became popular because of two well known research bears, Lily and Hope. We suspect that many of those polled, however, are unfamiliar with the park itself.
If you can’t get to the Boundary Waters, check out why you’ll want to make a trip here.
Choose My Adventure, Day 2: Fishing Hole, Swimming Hole
![[Photo: Stephen Regenold]](http://upnorthica.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/lead.jpg "lead")
Photo: Stephen Regenold
The Gear Junkie has bagged a brown trout. Pam’s caught two. And our river guides? I’ve been too busy snagging branches and submerged rocks to pay attention. We’re losing sunlight on Day 2 of our adventure in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. Think I’ll go for a dip in the 52-degree waters!
Each day, your votes decide which challenges I take on, during this Choose Your Own Adventure vacation I’ve won, via GearJunkie.com. Though today’s vote was close, the majority went to “Take a Swim in a Frigid Stream.” Read on for the story and a whole mess o’ photos.
Choose My Adventure, Vote #3: Bike Off a Sweet Jump -or- Race the Gear Junkie
On this second day of my Choose Your Own Adventure vacation with the Gear Junkie, I got to catch exactly *no fish* and go swimming in a frigid trout stream. And yes, as a matter of fact, it *was* fun. I’ll post the full report on that later, but first, I need your help.
Tomorrow we get to mountain-bike the newly-constructed Allegrippis Trails, which overlook massive Raystown Lake. But just in case that’s not thrilling enough, I need your vote on what to do for fun. What’ll it be:
Take Bike Off a Sweet Jump
A jump would be good, but if I find a log bridge, or bamboo trap to jump over, I will go for that too. I’ll take whatever the trail throws at me. ‘Cause that’s how I roll.
-OR-
Race the Gear Junkie
Will we do a lap around a loop? Or just shoot up a rocky escarpment, with tires buzz-sawing through gravel and calve muscles exploding like pistons in like, an exploding muscle car on fire? I think we all know who would win this one. But don’t worry, I’ll go easy on the Junkie.
Watch for today’s report, but VOTE NOW for Take Bike Off a Sweet Jump -OR- Race the Gear Junkie. And thanks to everyone who’s voted so far; this has been so fun! Keep ‘em coming…
On an Adventure with the Gear Junkie — and So Are You
Word mighta leaked out that yours truly had won a vacation getaway to the Alleghenies, courtesy of everyone’s favorite gear junkie… uh, well, The Gear Junkie. Good news, right? Well, the better news is that you’ll be a part of that adventure.
As grand prize winner of the Choose Your Own Adventure Sweepstakes, I got to pick from an array of outdoor adventures in fly-fishing, kayaking, hiking and mountain biking.
So here’s where you come in: Each day, you’ll get to vote on the next day’s activities. Will you help pick a biking route? Request a demo of survival skills? Have me challenge the Gear Junkie to a physical challenge? Just like in the books, my fate will be in your hands.
But first: “What the heck is an Alleghenies?”
How to Bake a Fish on a Rock
A simple but fantastic way to cook your fishes without the dishes.
I’m a huge fan of cooking with the flames, coals and ashes of a campfire — the meal always tastes better. This is gonna happen in my near future. You bring the catch and I’ll get a fire started. Via Backpacker.
“Rescue Schmescue, Them Fish’re Bitin’!!”
One especially manly fisherman, Joseph Dake, refused rescue after his territorial ice floe broke loose and went adrift yesterday in Lake Winnebago. The fish were biting, the Oshkosh, Wisconsin resident explained.
But wait! Before you judge… clearly this was the work of a wizened outdoorsman, not some wet-behind-the-ears fella. Exercising extreme caution, Dake had laid a ladder across the open water to access his spot, about a quarter-mile out from shore. According to local authorities, “Apparently, he has done this before.”
Kids, don’t try this at home – wait, lemme amend that – just don’t ever try this, anywhere. Ever.
Quiet colors of the Boundary Waters
Lots of pure ‘n’ natural photo goodness mixed into this Flickr set of a trip to Lac La Croix.
Some great shots of an eagle and some other wildlife. But what impresses me most though, are the pics that simply focus on beautiful colors, in places I might have otherwise overlooked; a subtle stippling of blue sky on shaded water, backlit green leaves turned gold by a sunrise, even an old outboard motor. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Jay!
“It’s my poop in a box”
If you’re camping, say, in the Quetico, where are no latrines, you now have yourself an alternative to digging a ‘cat hole’ (and can I just say right now, I’ve always been totally grossed out by that term).
Shit Box is a collapsible and re-usable cardboard porta-potty, in the truest sense. It comes with 10 biodegradable poo bags and caters to any outdoor setting where take-out is the only option. The manufacturer recommends it for camping, fishing, festivals and as their web site says, “kids caught short”.
But why stop there? Shit Box is perfect for uninterrupted Superbowl viewing; all-night Halo 3 tournaments; too-drunk-to-walk-to-the-portapotty tailgating parties and of course, never-leave-the-line midnight sci-fi movie premieres. Via The Goat.
Take-a-Kid-Fishing Weekend at Minnesota State Parks
This weekend, several Minnesota State Parks will be hosting kid-friendly fishing events, in celebration of National Boating and Fishing Week. If you’re over 18 and your kid is under 16, admission to the parks is free for you. Moreover, to help get you and your guppies out there, they’ve set up a page with a whole mess of helpful resources. Included among them are 2008 Regulations, a trip planner and a statewide map of fishing piers [these last two links are downloadable PDF files].
And just remember, if you don’t catch any, use that quality time to teach your child how to tell a straight-faced fish tale.
Brushing up on casting
Seeing all the fly-fishermen in the local rivers got you feeling the tug to try it yourself? Maybe, like me, you don’t want to look like a weenie and ask your buddies to teach you because you’ve forgotten all you learned years ago?
Takemefishing.org has a handy collection of step-by-step tutorials on casting. And they’re not restricted to fly-casting either. Notably absent, though, are tips on un-snagging your fly from the tree branch behind you (I think that’s why I quit fly-fishing, in fact).
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