Rainbow Connection

A final blog of the season- we got a month worth of fish pics to share! So much activity that I just found time to put it all together. Fall brought some great fishing as you'll see. And its also that time of year where we feel a connection to nature, hearing the flocks of birds start migrating south, witnessing some wildlife making visits into camp- some welcome and some not so welcome, and inhaling the smell of fall as you take a glorious walk or drive around camp among all the orange, yellow, and red leaves. Fall is the time of year to have that extra cup of coffee as you wait for the fog to lift. To take a minute to unwind, exhale, and just be. To reward yourself for doing all you do throughout the year.

Craig and Angie get it, as they captured this stunning rainbow view on a recent crisp morning in Keynote:

Its a slower pace where we've seen some connections with buddies staying in the Bears Den growing deeper. Where couples and brothers venture out in hunt of grouse. With sunrises later, and sunsets earlier, guests maximize their time on the water, but also take time to enjoy the laughs, shenanigans, and of course food at their cabin.

Fellow Bears Fans connected with some nice fish including Audi's 40.5" northern:

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Dave "Bender" connected with a beuatiful 26" walleye, as well as some not quite as big:

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Three generations of Franks, Frank IV, V, and VI had some time on the water to re-connect and youngest "Frankie" made Grandpa proud as he caught his PB 22" walleye on his first time in Canada:

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Tim has a knack for landing big northern:

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and buddy Tom simply has fun catching whatever bites and is happy to be up here:

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The Leslie family was back for their every other year tradition, and had four generations of connections as well as Kent and Gloria celebrating their 61th anniversary on the day they arrived.

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This Bears Den group caught plenty of fish, but also appreciated connecting off the water, especially sharing meals, some teamwork packaging fish, and lots of laughs together:

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Just when you thought all the kids were back in school, here came Amber who fished hard with Dad Matt and they got some great bonding time on the water:

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Chris came with buddies for their first time, and landed some nice fish including this 26.5" walleye:

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And Chris from the Eagle's Nest got into lots of perch and the occasional walleye like this:

And first time couple Paul and Kris took advantage of the views with some happy hours on their porch:

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And these familiar faces were back for two weeks this fall (yes they opened and closed it up with us this year). Steve and Andrea were in their element with fall fishing and grouse hunting, got their limit eary, and simply enjoyed re-connecting with the people they used to see regularly, and their happy place without having to do the work that comes with camp ownership.

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And even Ryan and I found more pockets in September to sneak out for some fishing of our own:

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During the last weeks of our fishing season, the water temps have been dropping- in the low 70's early September and we ended the season on October 3rd in the upper 50's. The water level continued to drop as well, ending 2-3 feet lower than May levels. These rocks were all under water in May:

Some camplife snapshots- from the last potlucks of the season to bunnies and Bears showing up:

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The final leaderboards:

Just like last year, wow- the season goes by in a blur and here were are 20 weeks later. It was wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. After the nonstop pace of the last 5 months, we are now enjoying some quiet time on the water and around camp. Now into October, we've already been winterizing cabins and boats, cleaning up around camp, starting a couple projects, and will take our time to finish the rest.

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One of our favorites was watching the White Sox win a playoff game while outside around the campfire as the sun set. For us life long White Sox fans, it doesn't get better than this:

We are already at a record pace for bookings for 2027! And we are excited that next year will mark the 80th anniversary of Tall Pines Camp! If you are lucky enough to have a trip planned next year, expect to celebrate with us in some exciting ways. Look for a holiday newsletter to come out shortly after Thanksgiving with more on that and some of our plans on the latest camp improvements.

In the meantime, we're taking a little line from Kermit the frog:

Someday we'll find it

The Rainbow Connection

The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me