Good morning to all our fishermen friends who find themselves reading this on any particular day. I am once again done work until October 15 and we are eager to get the show up and running for the season. Things will have to move quickly for us to arrive in camp May 10-15 ish.
Matt and Milo have been in camp this last week and even though the weather has been mild and the sun is shining, there is still nearly 3 feet of snow yet to melt. Hoping for a fast melt is an understatement. THey have been relaxing and hanging out doing some work on our cabin, making plans for the season in between fishing and skidooing. BARK!! Went with them and is Timber ever jealous!! She knew what was up the morning they closed the door in her face Lol. The boys are due home by the weekend….just in time to start packing the garage and to turn around to make another trip up!
Matt and I were in Saskatoon a couple of weeks ago to attend the SCPO “Spring Thaw”, a small meeting for member outfitters across all sectors. Big Game, Bird and Angling. It had been 2 years of Zoom meetings to share updates, many of which we were a part of but this was our first time attending anything in person since we became outfitters. We were able to connect with outfitters from other sectors and participate in discussions related to our outfitting sector. I was able to have a discussion with a few
representatives from Sask Tourism to see if they would be interested in replacing very old (80’s) tourism signage along hiway 102 & 905. I like the idea of a shiny new sign with our name on it!!
Speaking of the 905 hiway, Matt said they have widened it approx 5’ on either side!! This makes a huge difference for the North road. The big truck traffic is increasing so this will absolutely make all the difference especially for people driving it for the first time. I remember my first couple of times driving it…hauling a trailer..scared shitless lol seeing all the abandoned vehicles trashed on the side of the road. But every time I drove it the road seemed to get a little bit wider…now I drive like a local! Well, maybe not that fast, but I am more confident and rely on my radio. Last fall I provided a letter of support to the Hiways Ministry in favour of bridge upgrades, which was ultimately approved. Expect to see some construction and perhaps delays with the bridgework. The North needs it to facilitate reliable travel corridors in the event of emergency evacuation etc. Last year’s forest fires proved that.
Matt and I did our annual shopping trip to Edmonton last week as well. Picked up 4 new (to us) fridges for the lake as the fridge in cabin 2 petered out and died last year. Wathaman is getting a new one and so is the main lodge. We no longer buy kijiji fridges like we did last year…they are always filthy and take me hours to clean. Nope, we found a good used appliance warehouse and rolled up, bought 4, got a good deal and loaded and pulled out in under 30 min. THe fridges all go through a maintenance check, get professionally cleaned and are just the right price for us. No more warm beer for cabin 2!
Wathaman is not only getting a new fridge, but also a new stove and some additional attention at some point. All the supplies have been purchased, Matt and I or Matt and Kevin just need a couple of good hours over there….hahaha…..fingers crossed the ice is off early or even by our May 28 start!!
So we were in Saskatoon to shop and Edmonton to shop so you can imagine my garage is filling up. No pic of the garage this year as it is a total disaster!! Our beef and hog are processed and ready to be picked up at Prime Meats in St. Gregor Saskatchewan. My smoker “Cheech” will be puffing away all summer…still one of the best purchases we have made for the lake!
I am still fielding quite a few calls and inquiries for any vacancy we may have, but I am very happy to let you all know right now that…..We have sold-out our 2022 season!!! We have a busy camp all season but it is to the capacity that Matt and I with Gus, Kevin and the kids can manage. Milo will be doing an early morning shift on the dock this year. Breakfast in the lodge with dad and the boys then off to warm up motors before helping guests to the boats with gear, fetching fish tubs and shoving boats off from the dock. He is really looking forward to it. He is also very excited to operate our new (to us) tractor!!! When we brought it home, Milo sat in it for like 2 hrs in the driveway…excited is an understatement, its his dream come true…Bless his little boy heart! I am happy for him and proud of him taking on more responsibility this year. Of course he will also be working on refining his filleting skills this season too. Freja will be working the dock with Milo in the evenings and also helping me in the kitchen, setting tables, serving desserts and tidying up.
We are all counting down the days until we arrive in camp…21-24 days lol
33 days until the season opens and 37 days until our first guests arrive. Hey Kelly from Tulsa…pretty sure you are at 144 days until you are back on our shores…one of your favourite places on earth and the best friend that we end our season with!
Gear!! I almost forgot! There will be limited hoodies, but new T-shirts. We will have a good selection of hats including a new colour!! WE will also have a few new toques for those of you who find the June and September mornings a bit cool for their commute. No pics of the new gear, you will have to come up and see for yourself. This is the last call for tackle wall requests too.,..we don’t get that many but if you want to contribute, email me a pic so I can get it purchased before we leave!
So, there you have it…pics and news before we leave for the lake May 10-15. Next post will be from around camp and start up and all things Davin Lake. We are so excited for this season….Season 6!! We can hardly believe it! Thank you all for your loyalty and continued support, we wouldn’t want to do this without you!
Cheers to Tight Lines and Rippin’ Drag…See you up there!
Matt, Danica, Milo, Freja and of course Timber & BARK!!
Drive or Fly…Adventure North to Davin Lake Lodge
