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Pinetree	01/18/2018 10:38AM   Both Lake Vermilion and Bear Head state parks are open for snowshoeing, and Bear Head offers snowshoe rentals in case you don’t have your own. On snowshoes, you can travel anywhere in either of the parks, except for groomed ski trails. Bear Head now has seven miles of freshly groomed ski trails, with differing levels of difficulty and it also offers a comfortable trail center for park users to come in out of the cold, dry off, or have a snack before heading back out on the trail. Park Manager Jen Westlund said the park also offers comfortable, heated camper cabins that people can rent if they’d like to spend a little more time in the winter woods, without having to rough it too much.
Pinetree	01/12/2018 06:23PM   Bikes=revenue
inspector13	01/17/2018 07:10AM   Lots of Finns shortened their names after coming to the USA. Many Maki’s have no relation whatsoever, coming from various regions of Finland. My paternal great grandmother’s family shortened their name to Maki from Kilpamaki back in the 1890s. By the way, Maki = Hill in English.
Blatz	01/17/2018 07:29AM   ellahallely: " The Ely Echo just had an article about the ski jumps. LINK to the story. “Sailor” Bill Maki was one of the jumpers. Any relation to TGO ?" I lived in Fox River Grove IL and remember them construction the Ski Jump they purchased from ELY. That ski jump helped send at least 1 Olympian from the Norge Club going this year to South Korea.
jeepgirl	01/12/2018 03:16PM   Looks fun. I just got my fat bike this fall and have only been out a few times on single track. I like the River Bottoms and Fort Snelling State park the most so far.
bwcasolo	01/12/2018 04:30PM   fat biking in winter is a hoot! ely is 8 hours, so i doubt it, but good for them to put on the event!
Pinetree	01/12/2018 05:11PM   Fat biking is a huge recreation sport at the Cuyuna Recreation-State Park in Crosby Mn in the winter.
ellahallely	01/24/2018 10:55AM   Isabella also has a winter festival going on the 10th. If your passing through. Not the big city lights of Ely, but still a neat little town. Jim
Pinetree	01/24/2018 11:02AM   ellahallely: " Isabella also has a winter festival going on the 10th. If your passing through. Not the big city lights of Ely, but still a neat little town. Jim" Yes it is, a friend of my brothers owned the cafe there,but haven't asked him recently. Is the cafe still open,I know there was talk of closing it?
ellahallely	01/24/2018 11:21AM   Stony River Café? His name is Tom, great guy. Good home cooking. I know his daughter Pam well. Café is for sale and still open.
Blatz	01/13/2018 12:36PM   Pinetree: "Fat biking is a huge recreation sport at the Cuyuna Recreation-State Park in Crosby Mn in the winter." Cuyuna in summer and winter Cuyuna Yurt Adventure
Pinetree	01/13/2018 12:41PM   Blatz: "Pinetree: "Fat biking is a huge recreation sport at the Cuyuna Recreation-State Park in Crosby Mn in the winter." Cuyuna in summer and winter Cuyuna Yurt Adventure " The Yurts get booked way ahead of time and people love them. It was -27 degrees F. there today and quite a few people riding Fat bikes at the Cuyunna Rec area today.
Blatz	01/13/2018 12:30PM   Fat bikes can be used year around. Heading out to some frozen dirt single track at Silver Lake WI in a few minutes.
whitecedar	01/13/2018 05:43PM   Hi: If you are a rider please check out COGGS, Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee, www.coggs.com. They have built world class trails throughout the Duluth/Superior area. The web site is very strong and the Mission Creek system is oh so sweet. Also, CAMBA in the Hayward area has done excellent work in setting up many mountain bike trails, many of them that are fat bike ready. Rentals are available in Hayward. www.cambatrails.com Thanks!!
ellahallely	01/14/2018 06:59PM   The Ely Echo just had an article about the ski jumps. LINK to the story. “Sailor” Bill Maki was one of the jumpers. Any relation to TGO ?
Pinetree	01/14/2018 05:46PM   Ski jump history TOO high for me
The Great Outdoors	01/15/2018 08:55PM   No relation to Sailor Maki, and the ski jumper Jim Maki was from the Coleraine area if I remember correctly. Those pictures are from Hidden Valley. The original ski jump in Ely was located one block away from the house I lived in on the west end of James Street, near the old Forest Service buildings. I used the smaller jump, never had the guts to try the bigger wooden structure even though we climbed it many times as kids just for the view. Got rather hairy when the floor boards of the box at the top began to rot due to aging, and we used to tip toe around them to go from one side of it to another. If I ever caught my kids doing what we did when we were young I'd have to kill them if I didn't die of a heart attack first when I saw what they were doing! :) The ski jumpers from the Ely area did very well in national competitions, with Jim Grahek making the Olympic Team. Many jumping tournaments in Ely in the late 50's and early 60's.
Pinetree	01/24/2018 11:26AM   ellahallely: "Stony River Café? His name is Tom, great guy. Good home cooking. I know his daughter Pam well." That is exactly what my brother said.
Pinetree	01/14/2018 07:48PM   ellahallely: " The Ely Echo just had an article about the ski jumps. LINK to the story. “Sailor” Bill Maki was one of the jumpers. Any relation to TGO ?" I am sure you had people from all over the country come there to jump and maybe train. I wonder if lot of those were local boys. I see Ellahalley you and the Echo mention some of the local talent. I could also see some daredevil kids with not much experience trying it. I wonder if you had to be certified somehow to jump off that. TGO,I am interested also,is Bill Maki related? I do see there was a lot of Maki's that ski jumped. Even a Jim Maki?
flopnfolds	01/16/2018 07:25AM   I have recollections of going to a ski jump festival in the summer, probably mid 1980's. I recall watching jumpers land on a bright green artificial grass and it being one of the few hot summer days in northern MN. I think it was Ely, but it might have been Cloquet as well.
The Great Outdoors	01/16/2018 02:21PM   Was probably Ely, they had a frost slide on the larger jump and landing at Hidden Valley, and had a contest in the summer. If I recall correctly, it may have been the same weekend as the Blue Berry Arts Festival??
Pinetree	01/11/2018 03:53PM   Winter festival Fatbike-ski combo.