You may have noticed that I did not make a post to The Pine Needle Lawn last week. If you tried to email me – you received a pesky auto-response. If you tried to call me – you got a message asking to you call my business partner Cameron – I was unavailable.
I had been planning to take a vacation this summer but could not find the right place. My wife and I discussed several locales (Florida, Mexico, Bahamas, even Paris) but could not come up with anything that felt perfect. We have 3 girls and we like to let each of them bring a friend along…After a trip to Florida (or similar) it often feels like we really need a vacation as soon as we get back. Last week – a new cabin rental was listed on LakePlace.com – a just outside of Grand Rapids, MN – I showed it to my wife and we knew this was it.
On very short notice, we made our arrangements, packed up the kids and their friends (and our dog, buster), and headed north.
We arrived in Grand Rapids a few hours later with two SUVs packed to the max. We met John and Kim (owners and hosts) at the private access lot and packed up the pontoon boat for the ferry to the island. John and Kim were great. They helped us pack and unpack the boat, showed us all around the cabin and island, and brought us on a boat tour through the channels that connect Little Jay Gould Lake to other bodies of water (Pokegama, Big Jay Gould, and the Mississippi River). After orientation, John handed over the keys to the pontoon boat and our vacation was underway.
We were extremely lucky to have seven days of sunshine and temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s. We spent the week boating, swimming at the sand bar, fishing (the bite was on), and just plain relaxing. The kids had a great time, the dog had a great time, and my wife and I had a great time. I spent the entire week without Internet access and in and out of roaming cell phone service. I did have access to television (two fuzzy channels), DVDs and VCR - but went without. I was on vacation with my family – and it was absolutely wonderful.
If you are planning a summer or fall getaway (or 2008 getaway) – I highly recommend this area. John and Kim were gracious hosts and their private island is a little slice of heaven. I already miss it.
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Posted on August 6th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: FSBO
