Spring Fishing Trip Still Possible!

Bob & I are back home after our 10 day sport show circuit. We travelled to shows in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Aside from an 8" dump of snow in Madison, we managed to miss most of the bad weather, and managed to miss the worst of our Canadian cold while we were gone. We are still in a deep freeze like most of you in the midwest are right now, with temps in the range of -30 and down to -45 with wind chill. Brrr...

The shows were very well attended, and it was great to visit with many of our guests at the various shows. We also met many new people who will be making their 1st Canadian fishing or hunting trip to Rainbow Point Lodge this season. Bob & I are excited to show them a wonderful time at the Lodge this coming summer & fall!

For those of you who haven't made their fishing trip plans yet, we have a couple of odd cottage openings the 1st couple of weeks of season shortly after ice-out (Mid May into Memorial Day weekend). The fishing will be fantastic that time of year, so if you have a chance to get away for a few days, give us a shout and we'll see what we can do for you to get the spring fishing itch scratched!

Shown here is Kurt Carlson with one of the many northern pike caught during opening week. Fast action and plenty of numbers this time of year!
Call us today Toll Free while vacancies last! 1-800-282-9039.


Talk to you soon!

New U.S. Passport Card Update

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE WILL START TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEW PASSPORT CARD, BEGINNING FEB. 1st.

While passports are still the best form of identification when traveling in the world, we have received word today on details of the new U.S. Passport Card implementation. For those of you who have not gotten or applied for your passports, this may be a good option. This card will suffice if you are travelling back from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, by LAND CROSSINGS ONLY. If you travel by air, a passport is still a requirement.

Follow this link for complete details.

US Department of State Passport Card Information

A reminder that passports will not be required until 2009 for travel back from Canada if using land crossings.

Hope this info helps! We'll keep you posted if we hear anything more.

Join us on Facebook

For all you savy internet users, and Facebook fans.......
Our daughter Karla was kind enough to help us get a facebook group set up over the holidays, and we'd like to invite you to find us there, and join the Friends of Rainbow Point Lodge group on Facebook. Share your photos and fish tales on our site. It'll be great for our guests this summer to be able to post their pictures and stories about their Canadian fishing trips. See you there! Don't forget to check out the website from time to time too -- we've made some changes over the last little while, and have some great links to help you plan your fishing or hunting trip.

All Canada Sport Shows coming up

Hi everyone.

Just a heads up that we are going to be attending a few of the All Canada Sport Shows starting next weekend. If you're around any of these cities, we'd sure love to see you!

Milwaukee - Jan 18, 19, 20
Madison - Jan 21, 22, 23
Green Bay - Jan 24, 25, 26, 27

We'll have a busy trip, so help us break it up a bit and come down for a visit! Hope we don't run into any terrible weather like happened this past week!

And Remember everybody -- You DON'T NEED A PASSPORT to come into Canada by land crossings this year! Take advantage of this extension, and get your trips arranged while we still have vacancies. Also, remember that you can look after getting US Passport applications started while you are at the All Canada Show, so you're ready for next year! Visit our Links page on the website for great information sites on this & other important topics.

p.s. -- can't wait for fishing season!!!

Gale

Good News on Passport Requirements!

Anyone that flies into Canada has already had to get used to having a passport handy to travel between Canada & the U.S.

Great News though for those of you traveling through land border crossings!

YOU DO NOT NEED A PASSORT TO TRAVEL INTO CANADA by auto.
There is a tentative date of June, 2009 when the US Department of Homeland Security will require passports at land crossings. We will keep you posted as we hear more. We urge all of our U.S. customers to take advantage of the extended time to go ahead and get their passports so when the regulations come into effect, your travel won't be disrupted.

Visit our links page on our website for access to the US Dept of State Passport site, and many other helpful sites to keep you informed.

Fire Destroys Workshop at Rainbow Point Lodge

The year 2007 didn't have a very good ending for us at the Lodge. During the early morning hours of December 31st we were awoken by loud popping and banging sounds, and looked out to see fire and sparks coming from the back of the Lodge workshop. By the time Bob ran down to check it out, the other half of the building was ablaze. Without a winter fire department in this neck of the woods, we could only call some neighbors, armed with shovels and snow. There was not much we could do but watch, as the fire quickly engulfed the building.

This building was a vital part of our lodge. It was Bob's workshop and tool shed, loaded with more spare parts than a small hardware store, and a lifetime of tools, not to mention the million other things he had collected over the years. It was also Gale's storage room, with a treasure trove of spare household items to keep the cottages well stocked, as well as many personal momentoes. It was also Gale's laundry room, and linen storage building. Needless to say, this was a tremendous loss for us.

We are thankful that this wasn't our home and that no one was hurt, and also thankful that this did not happen during the summer. Not only would it have made camp operating extremely difficult, it would have posed a serious threat of fire spreading to other buildings or the surrounding forest. We have a new understanding what people must go through when they lose their homes.

Click on the photo album link below to view larger images of some photos taken of the fire that night, and the remains later:

View Album

Get your own

Many a good time was had visiting guests, and sipping a cold Labatt's Blue under the shade of the willows at the workshop. We'll miss that particular spot, but 2008 will be a new year. We'll have to build a new favorite deck, and start some new memories for Rainbow Point Lodge.

So, if anybody has a line on some good deals for hardware, parts, tools, linens, dishes, you name it, keep us in mind. We'll have lots to stock up on and get ready for, before we open up next spring. Gale will have an excuse to go to some garage sales!

Looking forward to sharing better news next time! Happy New Year everyone.