Each month we highlight a picture from the Lodge based upon our core values. Here is the May 2020 fun.jouyous.adventuresome team member picture of the month.  It is actually multiple team members, from the food and beverage team.  

Kitchen Crew: Julie Blackstone, Olivia Dyl, Alec Koski, and Widad Mueller
[ May 4, 2020 ]

This picture compiles several pictures of the kitchen crew in early May. It is an indication of how we have been operating in May to ensure health and safety of our staff and guests.  All smiles under the masks.

The golf course isn’t open yet at the Lodge. We continue to prepare the course for this season’s activities, and gearing for a June 1st opening now (depending on course conditions and executive orders).

An interesting setup this year is the contactless aspect of the operations, including putting in measures where golfers do not come in contact with the flag stick or the cup: hence, the possible use of a pool noodle (shown here on #9 green).

As many of you know, we cancelled the running of the inaugural Back 9 Endurance Run this year, and have postponed it until 2021. The race was supposed to be run last week, May 16th and 17th. The weather was great last weekend, and it would have been nice to have held the race. However, due to the current health concerns that have engulfed the world these past several months, and the stay-home, stay-safe executive order in Michigan, we made the decision in late March not to hold the race this year.

That said, to make the race better next year, and to test the markers on the course, we have setup the course this weekend.

We want to see how well we can setup the course, and if the route is one that works well for an endurance run.

We have setup the course markers tonight, and people can come out and run the route tomorrow, Saturday, May 23rd.

Mariah even ran the route late in the evening to see how it looks; and she will be at the Lodge tomorrow to run the route again — we want to see how the flags look in the dark.

For you, tomorrow, track your time on your GPS device (Strava, Runkeeper, Garmin, etc). See how far you run. Provide your GPS route showing you ran the course, and you will get a 10% discount on your food today at the Lodge (we are offering take-out currently), and 15% off your 2021 registration.

Adding a second bathroom has been a request of guests for sometime. As such, we have made changes.

As we get busy opening up all the cabins for the 2020 season, we converted most of our 1-bedroom / 1-bathroom duplex cabins into 2-bedroom / 2-bathroom cabins. This will allow guests with larger parties and couples looking to come together to have additional space and an extra bathroom. In addition, with the current health concerns, it provides the ability for guests to maintain distance between other guests if desired.

All the 2-bedroom/2-bathroom cabins come with:

• 2 living rooms
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• 2 fireplaces

Some of the 2-bedroom/2-bathroom cabins have interconnecting rooms, meaning there is a door inside connecting the cabins to allow open access to both sides of the cabin (cabins 17, 18, 24, 25). We also have a few 2-bedroom/2-bathroom cabins that have a shared outer door with two separate doors inside to give privacy, however, still be in the same cabin unit as the other half of your party (cabins 4, 5, 7, and 23).

So when you are looking to book your stay with us, check out the different cabins available to you and what would fit best to make the most out of your getaway to the Keweenaw.

This is just another change at the Lodge that helps a fun, joyous, and adventuresome atmosphere.

Yesterday, the state of Michigan issued several executive orders related to the current health concerns. In these executive orders, restaurants, bars, and retail shops are allowed to open in the upper peninsula of Michigan this Friday, May 22nd. As part of the executive orders. there are guidelines which restaurants and bars are to follow to ensure safety of the staff and customers.

It is wonderful to see things opening up again, and that the state of Michigan is providing its citizens the ability to make decisions that lead to safe and healthy options for citizens of the state.

That said, we are not comfortable in opening up our restaurant and bar to dine-in at this time. We opened dining services this year on April 30th with our take-out operations, and we will continue to offer food take-out at least through May, and possibly longer (no dine-in). This allows us to focus on improving the different aspects of our food and beverage operations, and to staff according to the plan we put in place back in March when executive orders started being implemented. We are staying the course, and working to be stable and safe with our operations — which can be difficult when new executive orders change the rules under which one can operate.

Our lodging is open (cabins), and you can see our lodging policies in order to see how we keep our staff and guests safe and healthy.

The golf course is currently not open, as we pushed the opening date back to June 1st.

We do have guests on property where they are enjoying the outdoors — in the form of hiking, running, disc golf, and mountain biking. For example, this Saturday we will be doing a dry run of our Back 9 Endurance race. Come out and have a take-out box, eat at a picnic table, and enjoy a run, a hike, or a ride. Our take-out menu for this weekend will be posted on Thursday morning (see hours of operations for food take-out and specialty coffees).

We want everyone to continue to be safe and healthy. Please make quality decisions for your life, and be respectful of others and the decisions they make to be safe and healthy.

The opening date for the golf course this season has been pushed back. Initially the date to open for the 2020 season was Tuesday, May 19th. That date has been pushed back to June 1st.

The golf course is not ready for play. We still have areas on the golf course where we want to improve the turf, and areas where we are cleaning up debris caused by winter weather.  In addition, we are still working on how we feel comfortable in operating the golf course for guests during the current health concerns and executive orders that have been issued for the state of Michigan.

Below are pictures of what we are seeing on the golf course as of yesterday (Sunday, May 16th). The grass might look good from a distance; however, we want to see stronger growth in order to provide a better experience on the tees, on the fairways, and on the greens for guests.

The course is looking good in areas:

In other areas, there is a need to allow the grass to grow or we need to work on removing the debris (otherwise it makes it difficult to find one’s ball).

And some snow is still holding on.

Pushing the date back also gives the wildlife more time to enjoy the course on their own terms.

Closed until June 1st (you can see the sign on the webcam):

May 16 should have been the big day. The day of the inaugural Back 9 Endurance Run. However, due to health and travel concerns, we had to make the  decision to cancel this year’s race. 

It was a beautiful sunny day for running, and the special project we were working on in lieu of what should have been our inaugural race. Mariah Summers, Race Director and Events Lead at the Lodge, spent the day filming content out on the trails with Trail Genius. The content will be used in a Virtual Experience the Keweenaw, a series of online experiences featuring local adventure hot spots. It has narrative describing how the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge ties into the trail running, hiking, and mountain biking adventures in Copper Harbor and the Keweenaw. The filming, done on the Back 9 trails, shows the entire trail system. There are many different views and terrain showcased throughout the filming.

While we weren’t able to hold the race this year, we are working on making next year’s race even better! Next weekend, May 23, the Back 9 course will be set up at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. The course will be up all day, so come any time, on your own time, and give it a go! It’s a great opportunity to preview the course. Come the 2021 race, you will know what’s in store for you! We would also appreciate feedback on the course (markings easy to follow etc.). All of the information we gather we can use to improve the race for next year. 

The route offers great views of Brockway Mountain as you run towards the golf course segment of the course. This time of year there are no leaves yet on the trees. As a result, your loop around the Little Loon trail will reward you with views of Lake Superior in all of her glory! 

Please visit the Back 9 Endurance Race website for all of the race and course details. 

Here we are, at the start of the summer season in the Keweenaw. The beginning of May is a time of change, as businesses begin opening up, snow is melting, and the temperatures are warming up for guests to enjoy a superior Keweenaw summer and fall season. A change that creates warmth and vibrancy in the Keweenaw.

However, this year has taken an interesting twist. Executive orders are restricting many businesses in Michigan. To stay safe, citizens in Michigan and around the country are being advised to stay home. Normal Keweenaw vibrancy has been dampened and postponed.

This is contrary to what normally occurs during the month of May at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. We are normally ramping up for a summer season. And this wasn’t any different this year, as we had many weekends full of events and weddings. 

We had events and weddings scheduled for every weekend from May until the end of October. In order to allay health concerns and stop the spread of a disease, events in May have been cancelled. We have had several cancellations in June, and we continue to monitor the status for July – October weddings at the Lodge.

Instead of greeting happy and joyful brides, grooms, and their supporting wedding parties, we are now advising and counseling wedding parties about their options for weddings and what we are seeing happening during these times of uncertainty caused by a pandemic and governmental executive orders. Our focus at the Lodge is on celebrating a couple’s most special moments together. Seeing those moments disappearing is disheartening. 

However, not all is lost! The current health crisis might have dampened the spirit and enthusiasm surrounding weddings; however, there might be an end in sight and the future awaits — whether it is in your own backyard, or here in the Keweenaw.

 The sun continues to rise daily in the East, and brightens each and every day. You can do the same! We still have a plan to have a great season, and are executing on that plan. We positively look forward to each and every day, and we want everyone to do the same as they continue to look forward to their special event. We want to find ways for you to have a fun, joyous, adventuresome, and also safe and healthy, experience! To keep wedding planning on track, we will make necessary changes, and we will continue staying positive.

That said, how do the current changes in our environment affect the wedding couple? To put your mind at ease, the result is a positive change.

 It is a  difficult decision you are facing, and we want to be here to ease that decision making process. We can help you make decisions on scaling down your wedding, whether virtual options would fit your situation, or help you find and book a new date that will work for you and your other vendors. Try thinking about what aspects of your wedding are non-negotiable as it relates to the current restrictions in your area. That can help paint a clear picture of whether a new date or cancellation is necessary, or if you can mold your existing wedding to fit the proper criteria. We know you are watching the news, staying up late reading articles from wedding industry experts, and just generally existing in panic mode. Committing to a decision is the best thing to calm your mind and move forward. 

Of course, what we all want is for you to be able to keep your original wedding date as planned. We will do whatever we can to make that happen. Our refund policies are flexible during this uncertain time. We know that we are not the only vendor on your list of contacts, and that you are trying to keep up with and coordinate several different vendor policies. We will be able to offer you a plated dinner versus a buffet, at no extra charge. Or, provide servers for your buffet to minimize guest contact as much as possible. We will be able to offer sanitizing supplies, masks, and gloves. Instead of pre-set tables we will offer rolled silverware. We will try to accommodate any special requests you have to help you and your guests feel comfortable and able to have a great time. 

However you choose to proceed with your planning, the most important thing is that you are starting a life together. Take the time with your fiancé to do something special that reminds you of why you fell in love and why you are getting married. Whatever that union looks like now, in the end, you will have a beautiful future to look forward to together. 

All the cabins at the Lodge now have new roofs. The golf course-side cabins (12 cabins*) had new roofs put on them in the spring of 2019, and this spring the roofing crew finished the 2nd phase of the project to ensure new roofs on the forest-side cabin (11 cabins).

In 2019 we started working on freshening up the resort, with an initial focus on deferred maintenance projects — projects that had been neglected in the past. One of those projects we started in the Spring of 2019 was replacing the roofs of the 24 cabin structures we have on property. The shingles were deteriorating, cabins were experiencing leaks, and moss was growing on the roofs.

In the Keweenaw, roofs are critical for the sustainability of a structure. Neglected roofs in the Keweenaw will result in both damaged roofs, as well as damaged integrity to the foundation of the structure. In our case, if a roof had fallen in, the logs would be damaged — either by rot or the weight of the fallen roof.

To show how much snow the Keweenaw gets, and how important strong roofs are, we can point to the 2019 winter season. During the 2019 winter season, we had close to 4 feet of snow on the forest-side cabins before we started to remove the snow. 4 feet of fresh snow equates to around 20 pounds per square foot. We had packed snow, which would mean there was probably twice as much weight on those roofs. That is a lot of weight to have on a roof. We were thankful that none of the cabin roofs fell in. It was also a testament to how well built these cabins were and the craftsmanship in the 1930s. [ And we have gotten better at snow removal this past winter. ]

There wasn’t much documentation about the cabin roofs; however, with our research, we deducted that the singles on the roofs hadn’t been replaced for at least 30 years. When we started on the roofs on the golf course side, we found that there were up to 5 layers (a combination of rolled-roofing and asphalt shingles). On the forest-side cabins we worked on this year, we found up to 3 layers of roofing.

In each of the 2 roofing phases, the roofers found interesting artifacts where the roofers in the 1930s left behind their names — carved their names into history at the resort.

Guests won’t notice much of a difference, as they expect cabins to have solid and strong roofs. However, they will notice that there will be less or no leaks when it is raining in the Keweenaw, and they are enjoying a fire in the fireplace of their cabin.

We thank Joe Goulette and his crew at JG General Contracting for the quality work they did on the roofs on the cabins. They respected the history and the significance of the structures they were working on. They took pride in their work.

* There are 13 cabins on the golf course side, but we only did 12 roofs in the spring of 2019. Cabin 4 didn’t need a new roof, as it was replaced in the past 5 years. A tree had fallen on cabin 4 several years back, and the roof was replaced at that time.

Good morning. It is a glorious day, and to top it off, it is Mother’s Day.

We wish a wonderful Mother’s Day to all the mother’s, and thank each of them for all that they have done, and continue to do, in our lives.

Today we would normally be holding a feast at the Lodge, hosting a number of people throughout the day to celebrate Mother’s Day. Last year we had a packed Lodge, with two full-house sittings to celebrate mothers and the opening of the Lodge for the 2019 summer season. 

This year we had planned another Mother’s Day event — a Mother’s Day lunch, with a wonderful, rustic-focused 5-course menu.

However, with the current executive orders in place which don’t allow dine-in, and with stay-home, stay-safe initiatives still in place in the state of Michigan, we canceled the traditional lunch. Even if the executive orders were not in place, we felt that it was best to cancel the traditional event (we made the decision to cancel it March 24th). This decision was to ensure safety of our staff and guests, and to ensure we can offer what we say we can offer.

That said, we opened up last week on Thursday, April 30th, for food take-out. We didn’t know how that would go and if our kitchen would be ready to handle take-out operations. After the first weekend concluded, we looked back on how the operations went and what we learned (and continue to learn) about offering take-out. We felt comfortable to try a take-out option for Mother’s Day — a Mother’s Day Take and Go Box. We offered a limited number of boxes, as we wanted to make sure we cook wonderful rustic comfort food that has soul.

The Mother’s Day Take and Go Box menu consisted of:

• Appetizer: choose one option – Fish dip or hummus, with our housemade bread
• Salad: choose one option – Garden or spinach
• Soup: Vegetarian minestrone
• Main Dish: Chicken roulade, with wine sauce — served with vegetables and rice
• Dessert: Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, with orange zest

We are happy to say that we sold out of the boxes.

We thank those that purchased boxes, and we look forward to seeing you when you pick up the boxes today.

For those that wanted a box, but we had already sold out, we also thank you for your support and hope you are able to purchase food from our take-out menu or our next special “box” event.

We are open today between 8am and 4pm, for breakfast and lunch (see this week’s take-out menu).

We hope you enjoy the food with your families. Happy Mother’s Day.