Last Updated: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 3:09 PM CDT
Outdoors : No cares Chimo Lodge Vaction
by Mark Walters - Columnist
Hello friends.
Anyone living has a history. My history has a lot to do with Pete and Elizabeth Hagedorn and their business, Chimo Lodge and Outposts. I was camp manager at, and also began writing this column from Chimo Lodge back in 1989.
Every year I try to return to Chimo, even if it can only be for a few days.
For me, this fly-in camp located on Roderick Lake in northwest Ontario, Canada is definitely home away from home.
Monday, July 30
High 83, low 53
My wife Laurie, our six-year-old daughter Selina (on her sixth Canadian vacation) and I were flown to Roderick Lake on board a Norseman aircraft. As soon as we landed on Roderick Lake, our vacation of no cares began. Our good friends Tony and Francine Gallichon, camp managers at Chimo, met us at the plane helped unload, and about the time the work was done our good friends, Roger and Eloise Kuipers of Bonfield, Illinois, pulled into camp. The Kuipers had been here three days already and we scheduled this vacation to be at camp at the same time as them. It took Roger about two seconds to tell me that on day one he caught the biggest northern of his life, so everything is perfect in his world.
When I was camp manager, the Kuipers were coming to Chimo so I have had about twenty-years to share meals, an occasional refreshment, laughs, and fish together.
Tonight, we were guests at the Kuipers cabins for fresh fish, and lots of laughs. My buddy, Pete Hagedorn, had to stay in Red Lake due to maintenance on his Cessna 180-aircraft, and was sorely missed by everyone on night one.
Tuesday, July 31
High 87, low 54
When I said this was a no cares vacation, I meant it. The sun was quite a bit past the eastern horizon when we got out of bed and was just about directly overhead by the time Selina, Laurie and myself hit Roderick Lake with yours truly at the tiller of a 16 foot Lund.
Apparently the local school of fish was not upset, because it seemed like we couldn't do anything wrong, as we both trolled and drifted with night crawler harnesses, lead head jigs and floaters.
Selina, who is pretty casual when it comes to fishing, caught three walleye, beating us in the big walleye bet, as well as most fish, and than announced she was done fishing for the day. Selina, like everyone else, was on a no cares vacation, she spent the next three hours playing in the boat, taking in the view and talking to her mom and dad.
About 4 p.m. we headed to camp where Laurie and Selina jumped out of the boat, and Roger Kuipers jumped in, shortly after that, the front of a front hit Roderick Lake and would have an affect on the rest of our holiday. We had no cares.
Wednesday, August 1
High 75, low 45
An incredible storm besieged Roderick Lake that was more wind than rain with plenty of lightning last night and at times, from our bed in our cabin, I thought about the Wizard of Oz scene where the house gets picked up and blown away.
We were so stressed out that once again we had to sleep in and than hung out at camp for quite some time before hitting the water.
This morning, Roger Kuipers and I had the pleasure of fishing a small lake behind camp that kept us out of what was just about gale force winds on Roderick.
This afternoon we had an interesting experience as both couples trolled together out of a 14-foot boat. Eloise Kuipers caught the first fish, next Laurie caught a walleye and when she swung it in the boat her jig went into Roger's hand. Roger's a big guy and it was interesting to watch my old buddy in a pretty concerned mode until the hook pretty much dislodged itself.
Roger Kuipers and I thrive on getting the best of each other and I have to admit that the Kuipers kind of out fished the Walters (do not tell him I said that).
About the time we figured it was time for cocktails and yummies, Pete flew directly overhead in his Cessna and a sigh of relief came over all four of us when the floats hit the water and for the next two days a good time was had by all.
Respect good times and good friends! Sunset
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Ellis D chubbs wrote on Jul 30, 2008 10:03 AM: