Author: Ada

Robert Frost famously penned a poem proclaiming good fences to be good neighbors. But we don’t really “do” fences around these parts and the fences that we do have are usually attempts to keep rabbits and deer out of our veggie gardens.

We kind of think that Robert misspoke when he wrote that poem. Did he mean benches? We’re pretty sure that’s it. Benches. He meant benches all along!

Case in point – just a couple weeks back, we got a really good bench from a really good neighbor.

We’d noticed that bench on the office front porch had done its job well, but was ready for a replacement. Andy mentioned that maybe Bob Sr. over on Gunflint Lake could make a couple new benches for Tuscarora. Ada and Bob know each other pretty well from their time working for the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and Chik-Wauk Museum. (You might also have bumped into Bob if you’ve ever been down to Gunflint Pines.) In fact, you’ve probably seen some of Bob’s benches if you’ve ever stopped in at Chik-Wauk. But we weren’t really sure if Bob was still in the bench making business, so to speak, but figured, hey, it never hurts to ask.

When we floated the bench building project past Bob, he said, “Sure!” and called it a “win-win.” He got to use up some materials that had been clogging up the back of his workshop and we got a brand new bench.

We weren’t sure of Bob’s timeline with the bench project, but we figured he’d give us a call in the next few months when it was finished and we’d trundle down to Gunflint Lake to pick it up. But just 10 days or so after we’d initially asked, Bob and grandson came rolling up with a new bench in the back of the truck. Such service!

After spending a little time in the Tuscarora workshop getting varnished, the new bench is now ready to be enjoyed by you as you wait for the rest of your group to finish up in the office. It would also be a good place to have an ice cream or cold pop (or beer) at the end of your trip.

Thank you Bob for the beautiful bench and thank you for being such a good neighbor.

Jerry Vandiver, a good friend of Tuscarora and canoe country in general, will once again be in concert at Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters. Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 8 at 7:30 p.m. when Jerry and a few Tuscarora crew members will tune up their guitars and fiddles for a night of paddle tunes.

Here’s Jerry and some friends when they stopped by the Visit Cook County booth at Canoecopia 2014 in Madison, WI. Ada and Andy happened to be staffing the booth that year and Jerry was kind enough to swing by for an impromptu concert.

Jerry’s an award-winning singer/songwriter based in Nashville. He scored a Billboard Top 5 single on Gene Watson’s “Don’t Waste It On The Blues,” a Top 20 on Wild Rose’s “Go Down Swingin’,” and #2 on Tim McGraw’s “For A Little While.” Jerry has songs on over 15 million records, two of which are hanging on the walls of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

His collection of paddle inspired songs, True and Deep is a available in the Tuscarora trading post and we feel lucky that he’s made his August concert at Tuscarora a tradition. All are welcome to attend the August 8th concert. We hope to see you there!

We’re at that rare point in the summer; that point where all staff members for the season are here at Tuscarora.

In early May, the staff members started trickling in and now, with the arrival of our last housekeeper, Kenzie, in mid-July, all 11 staff members are finally together . . . at least for now. But in just a few days, the staff members will begin dispersing, heading back home to spend some time with family and friends before returning to college or their next adventure.

We knew it was now or never for getting the 2015 staff photo, so on Sunday afternoon, right after lunch, we trooped everyone out onto the outfitting office steps to sit in the midday sun on one of the hottest days in the last five years to smile pretty for the camera for a couple minutes.

2015 Tuscarora Staff
Front row (L-R): Sean, Liz, Dan, and Mack the Dog
2nd row (L-R): Jack, Kamille, Kenzie, and Mitch
3rd row (L-R): Frank, Shelby, Carter, and Emma
4th row (L-R): Ada and Andy

Special thanks to Andy Ahrendt for serving as this year’s staff photographer; we just wish he and Sue had hopped in the photo too.

We’re thankful for a lot of things this summer, but at the tippy top of the “things to be thankful” list is this year’s staff. Our hats go off to Andy and Sue for hiring such a smart, committed, and lovably goofy crew. We’ve so appreciated their willingness to tackle even the least glamorous of jobs and to step up when necessary to keep everything going swimmingly.

We hope if you’ve been up this summer that you’ve enjoyed their company as well. Maybe you had French toast served and/or prepared by Carter, Emma, Kamille, or Kenzie. Or you’ve been outfitted with paddles, lifejackets, and transported to your entry point by Dan, Frank, Jack, Mitch, or Sean. If you got camp food with us, your food pack was probably filled with smiley faces, compliments of Liz, the food packer. Behind the scenes, Shelby has kept the whole crew fed and happy in her role as crew cook/cheerleader.

It’s hard to imagine life at Tuscarora with this crew, but if we’re lucky, hopefully at least a few of them will return for a second season next year.