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3/3/11 – A lack of recent snowfall continues to make traversing the ice difficult and very slippery. Anglers are advised to wear cleats when fishing in these conditions. The primary focus in the bay remains on whitefish. The catch rates continued to be fair to poor. Single eggs and wax worms have been the bait of choice, with most anglers fishing depths from 50 to 80 feet of water, bouncing baits just off the bottom. Anglers have also begun to catch Menominee using these tactics in shallower water with the primary bait being wax worms. Some of these fish have approached 14 inches. Trout Bay reportedly formed fishable ice for several days over the past week and anglers who made it out reported fair to excellent success rates for Coho. Average size has been around 15 inches. Schools of smelt have also begun to be marked or seen with more regularity. Anglers are having fair success spearing lake herring with some nicer fish being reported recently. Efforts are focused in the early morning hours.

As mentioned in the last post, there are two great events happening this weekend in Munising. Previously, I wrote about the Snowmobile Ice Drag Racing & Vintage Show happening on the Bay. Today’s posting is about another great, family-fun attraction… the annual Taste & Glide cross-country ski event!

Held at Valley Spur Ski Trails (3 miles south of Munising, off M-94), the Taste & Glide is the perfect way to enjoy two of my favorite things – nature and food. The Taste & Glide is an eat-and-ski event that is hosted by the Friends of Valley Spur and catered by Sydney’s Restaurant of Munising.

At your own leisurely pace, you can cross-country ski or snowshoe to the various buffet stations along the trail to enjoy some awesome foods such as chocolate covered strawberries! Besides the great food on the trail, the Valley Spur Lodge will also be open for socializing, warming, eating and entertaining. The event runs from 11am-3pm on Saturday, March 5th and there is a fee to take part in the event but definitely worth it!

If you’re wondering about the weather, the weekend forecast is looking really nice with temperatures in the mid-20s and partly cloudy. The weather guy is also saying we’re suppose to get snow later today, tonight and some tomorrow. I don’t think it’s going to be a ton but some to help freshen things up! Have a great weekend and we hope to see you around!

Some of the food at the Taste & Glide

Snowmobile Ice Drags on Munising Bay

Wow, here we are in to March already but it’s still winter here. I haven’t talked about the weather much because, for snowfall, it hasn’t been that impressive. Our snowstorms for February were few and far between and the warm weather a few weeks ago put a dent in the impressive amounts we had prior to it. But help finally arrived over the weekend as Munising and Grand Marais received a few inches of new snow to help freshen things up. Today was another warm and sunny day but help is on the way as we’re supposed to get the cold and snow back again tomorrow.

If you’re looking for some winter fun this weekend, though, there are a couple events happening that will keep you in the winter spirit. One is the Munising Snowmobile Ice Drags & Sno-Show on Munising Bay and the other is the annual Taste & Glide at Valley Spur – two fun events for all interests.

Part 1 of the weekend fun:

The Snowmobile Ice Drags & Sno-Show kicks off Friday evening and runs through Sunday with a variety of snowmobile-themed races/events happening on Munising Bay (near the City Boat Launch) and at Bayshore Park. The racing events (held near the City Boat Launch) include snowmobile ice drags, 25-lap enduro races and kid’s races. The ice drag competition will be divided to classes, so make sure to register if you’re interested in racing your snowmobile!

Besides the racing, there will also be a vintage snowmobile show at the Park featuring a variety of antique snowmobiles for everyone to check out. The Park will also have dealer displays, food, music, demo rides and snowmobile rides for kids.

Here’s a breakdown of the Sno-Show 2011:

Friday, March 4th

• Pre-registration from 6-9pm at Sydney’s Restaurant

Saturday, March 5th

• Late-registration for Saturday events
• Ice Drags & Kid’s 120 Racing – begins at 11am
• Vintage Show at Bayshore Park
• Music at Sydney’s Restaurant feat. the band TRIPOD – 9:30pm-1am

Sunday, March 6th

• Ice Drags (round 2) & 25-Lap Outlaw Enduro Racing – begins at 10am
• Vintage Judging with Parade at 3pm

We hope to see you out there and make sure to catch our part 2 blog posting later in the week for details on the annual Taste & Glide at Valley Spur!

Sno-Show 2011 Poster. Click to enlarge

Here we are already, heading into the last weekend of February! Where has the winter gone? Being the last Saturday of February can only mean one thing – the Trenary Outhouse Classic on Saturday!!! Since 1994, the annual outhouse racing, in downtown Trenary, MI, has been a popular draw and every year this small town of 400 swells with over 5,000 people for one day!

You may be asking yourself, “What the heck is the Outhouse Classic?” I’d say it’s a cross the between the Daytona 500 and the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. To sum it up, imagine outhouses constructed of wood, cardboard, paper (and everything else you can imagine), mounted on skis and pushed by teams one-by-one down Main Street in Trenary. The teams with the fastest times are the winners. The racing teams are divided into 7 categories, based on age, and they range from the “Squirts” (5 & under) through the “Old Farts” (50+). The rules for building a racing outhouse are pretty basic but the outhouse creativity and costumes are unbelievable! What’s even funnier is each outhouse must have a toilet seat and a roll of toilet paper inside! It is definitely a hoot!

Besides the racing, there’s also awesome food, drinks, games and other family-fun activities with all of the proceeds going back to the community. The festivities begin at noon on Saturday (Feb. 26th) and the racing starts at 2pm. If you’d like to construct a last-minute outhouse, the registration fee is $30 and you must be registered by 1:30 on Saturday. For all the spectaculars, you can get your entry pins for $1 before Saturday or $2 the day of race.

So if you’re looking for something to do on Saturday, definitely head over to Trenary and check out this famous Yooper racing event! For more info and whole bunch of other cool stuff, visit their website www.trenaryouthouseclassic.com!

The dogs woke me up yesterday morning for their early morning walk and when I opened the door to take them out, I saw something that I hadn’t seen in awhile. Fresh snow! Not much here in town, but the ground is covered once again just in time for the weekend. We still have some of our guests out there riding and from their perspective, the trails are in good shape once you get of town. The Sziedel’s told me that they couldn’t believe the difference; it was like night & day. Fair in & out of town & freshly groomed & very good once you got out in the woods. They even extended their stay. Thanks guys! So, for those of you who decided to cancel at the last minute this week, I really don’t know what to say other than you are missing out on some pretty good riding UP here this weekend. It may start looking like spring down below, but it’s still snowmobile season UP here above M-28 so don’t get the ATV’s out just yet. There’s still a lot of good snow and great riding left this season. With the exception of last year, March has always been my favorite time to ride. All I can say is keep your eye on the forecast, especially John Dee and weather underground for the latest & keep dancin’! That’s what I do. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride. Thanks again for all of your support.
- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

Almost to the Midnight Run finish line in Munising

It’s already that time of the year for the annual U.P. 200 Dog Sled Race and the Midnight Run! Both of these dog sled events begin on Friday, February 18th and are a must-see U.P. event. Here’s a little more info about each race.

U.P. 200: Fri., Feb. 18th – Sun., Feb. 20th

This 12-dog competitive sled dog race starts in Marquette, runs east to Grand Marais and then back to Marquette for a total race length of 240 miles. This race begins at 7:10pm on Friday night and finishes on Sunday morning in Lower Harbor Park. This is one of the best races around and is also qualifier for the world-famous Alaskan Iditarod.

Midnight Run: Fri., Feb. 18th – Sat., Feb. 19th

The Midnight Run is an 8-dog competitive dog sled race that starts in Gwinn on Friday evening and finishes right here in Munising on Saturday morning. The race covers 91 miles and is generally a fan-favorite because the shorter distance makes for a tight, competitive race. The race beings at 6:00pm on Friday and will finish at Mustang Stadium in Munising on Saturday morning.

Both of these races are very spectator-friendly and the dogs love having people cheering them on. Each race has several checkpoints and layover spots for the dogs and mushers to rest. Spectators are welcome to visit these spots to watch how the mushers care for and interact with their dogs.

So, if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, head up north to see one of our most unique events held during the year. The weather forecast is looking relatively mild during the week but is expected to cool just in time for dog sled racing. We hope to see you around!

Today is the kickoff of the 28th annual Michigan Ice Fest here in Munising. The ice conditions for the climbing are being report as excellent with all ice formations being climbable. If you visit the Michigan Ice Fest website, they’ve posted photos of some of the impressive ice climbing spots. The weather forecast for the weekend is also looking very favorable with temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s, and relatively calm. For in-depth coverage of the event, please visit the Michigan Ice Fest website for a complete schedule of events including demos, clinics, presentations and evening social events.

Events at Bayshore Park

As mentioned previously, there will also be events happening at Bayshore Park tomorrow, Saturday, from 11am to 5pm. At the park, there is a man-made ice climbing wall for anyone to give ice climbing a try. There will also be snowshoe demos, food, games, sledding, an evening bonfire and free shuttle service the Sand Point ice curtain demo area. This is a great place to bring the family and enjoy the festivities.

Also, make sure to visit Sydney’s Restaurant, the official headquarters of the MI Ice Fest, tonight and Saturday night, as they’ll be featuring musician Jan Arnold. She’s a dynamic singer and songwriter who’s performed all around the country. She sings a variety of music and it should be a fun time. The music kicksoff at 9:30pm each night.

Have a great weekend and make sure to continue to vote for Grand Marais in the Reader’s Digest “We Hear You America” contest! There’s only 3 days of voting left!