thank you members! - Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway

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Paul Bunyan Scenic
Byway Association
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Rod Nelson, Chair
Roger Hoplin, Vice Chair
Kate Perkins, Secretary
Carol O4oson, Treasurer
Dave Badger
Ron Johnson
Lynn Scharenbroich, Director
Emeritus
Ryan Sjoblad
Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Associa,on
PO Box 401, Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
www.PaulBunyanScenicByway.org
USACE REPRESENTATIVE
Corrine Hodapp
ADVISORS
Carol Altepeter
Cindy Myogeto
Krista Okerman
Mary Plein
Darryl Skallet
John Wetrosky
CROW WING COUNTY
COMMISSIONER
Paul Thiede
Find us on Facebook
THANK YOU MEMBERS!
Bold = Group of 54
Bold with* = Charter Group of 54
Al’s Marine
AmericInn Lodges & Suites
Dave & Mary Badger*
Bait Box Marina*
Bay View Lodge
Beacon Shores Resort
Black Pine Beach Resort*
Boyd Lodge*
Breezy Point Resort*
Crosslake Communica,ons
Mary Lu & Dick Dietz (Birch Breeze
Charitable Fund)
Don & Deanna Engen
Expressions Shoe Center
Heath’s Resort
Don Hickman
Ronda Hopkins & Charles Nolop
Lynn & Paul Hunt* (Hunt U,li,es
Group)
Ideal Community Service Organiza,on
JM Plein Consul,ng
Adeline Johnson
Lake Country Cra#s & Cones
Lakeland Agency
Lakes Area Gallery & Frame Shoppe
Lakes State Bank* (Pequot Lakes &
Crosslake)
Lakeside Lawn & Landscape
John & Karen Larsen
Moonlite Bay Family Restaurant*
Moonlite Square
Rod Nelson
Norway Ridge Supper Club
Gregg & Krista Okerman
Old Milwaukee Saloon & Eatery
Paul Bunyan Ice
Pequot Sand & Gravel
Pine River Chamber of Commerce
Pine River State Bank
Pine Terrace Resort
Pinedale
Don & Buff Spies*
Steve & Donna Stricker, Stricker Arts
Tip Top Resort
Towering Pines Resort
Wildwedge Golf, Mini Golf, Maze &
RV Park*
Wind, Water & Wheels
In-Kind
Dave Badger
Black Pine Beach Resort
Boy Scouts of America, Troop 36
Brainerd Daily Dispatch
Curt Cogan, DNR
Regina Gau
Echo Journal
JM Plein Consul3ng
Ron & Joan Johnson
Marina II Restaurant
Northland Press
Krista Okerman
Jerry Peterson
Keith Simar
Stricker Arts (Steve & Donna Stricker)
See full list of members and supporters:
PaulBunyanScenicByway.org/Byway_Associa3ons_Members
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March 2015
Spot of interest
There are nearly 100 interes3ng spots
along the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway. Each
issue of the Inkslinger will highlight one of
these special places.
Thirteen kiosks along Paul’s Scenic
Byway - a Series
About seven years ago PBSBA built and
installed a series of Informa3onal story
kiosks at 13 wayside loca3ons along the
Scenic Byway. Each loca3on has a unique
and specific story of truthful facts and
tall tale lore, wri4en in a style as if Paul
Bunyan himself were telling it to you. Get
your Scenic Byway tear off map at local
area chambers, info centers, or find it
online: at
www.PaulBunyanScenicByway.org/byway_map
and locate all 13 kiosks for an explore of
the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway.
Beautiful Birds of the Byway Cards to be sold
The Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway and the
Birds of the Byway program are excited
to partner with local ar3st Jeff
Ki4erman to sell packs of deligh2ul
note cards at local businesses.
The note cards will feature some of
the most stunning birds found along
the scenic byway, and the illustra3ons
will be not only beau3ful but
biologically accurate. With the Birds of
the Byway logo and informa3on
accompanying the pack, the Paul
Bunyan Scenic Byway Associa3on
Birds of the Byway note cards hit
hopes the cards will promote birding
shelves in May at area businesses. To
along the byway as a growing
sell these note cards in your store or
a4rac3on and family pass 3me.
business, contact Birding volunteer,
The cards will be perfect for dropping a Pam Perry at pkperry@brainerd.net.
line to a loved one or sending a thank
you note, and the packs make great gi#s. Each pack will contain four cards with
different, original works of art that Ki4erman is crea3ng specifically for this
project. Having studied biological illustra3on at the University of Northern Iowa,
Ki4erman later used his artwork as a teaching tool as he taught high school
–connued inside
Well hello there, Shorty.
Author: Dave Skyberg
The Gateway Gazebo, so named because
it sits at what many consider the gateway
to the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway route at
the intersec3on of CSAH 16 and Highway
371, is located near AmericInn Lodge and
–connued inside
Nice of you to stop by. Hope you’re havin’
a good time up here in my old stompin’
grounds.
Yup, ol’ Babe and I did some stompin’
alright. Stomped up these 10,000 lakes.
But you probably heard that one. Probably
heard a lot of stuff about me. Well, just
between us, some of those stories kinda
stretched the truth a little.
I mean, really. Think how huge a guy
would have to be to leave footprints the
size of Pelican Lake, or Whitefish. Hey, I’m
a big fella, and I admit I could lose a few
pounds, but come on. That would be scary
huge. I’m really more like a cuddly-friendly
XXXXXXXL.
No, it was Nature that shaped this land.
Thousands of years ago, great sheets of
polar ice covered half the continent. Giant
–connued page 2
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Shorty (connued)
glaciers, three miles thick, scraped over the land... strippin’ it down to the
bedrock like loose bark comin’ off a log. The ice dug and gouged and made
fine sand out of whole mountains... then it stopped.
The story goes, it was me and Babe that chopped those glaciers down.
Johnny Inkslinger told everybody we needed ice cubes to keep the root beer
cold at the Really Big Lumberjack Spring Fling Beard Trimmin’ & BBQ. Sheesh!
Who thinks this stuff up? They didn’t even have root beer back then.
Nope, that was the Pre-Root Beer Age, when giant bison and wooly
mammoths and 500-pound beavers roamed the land. Now that’s a big
beaver! Then, after a few thousand years, the climate got warmer and
started meltin’ those glaciers. As they melted, the water filled all those rocky,
sandy scrapes and gouges, leaving the lakes we have today.
The glaciers left an interesting landscape, alright. Hills and valleys and big
rocks stickin’ out. In fact, there’s one big rock out on the Byway that
scientists say was left here by the glaciers. But one old fella said it was a
meteor, and swore he saw it fall right out of the sky! And you know what?
That’s exactly what happened. But it wasn’t a meteor.
Here’s the story. One night as we were all sittin’ around the campfire, there
was a beautiful full moon. And lumberjacks bein’ lumberjacks, we were all
braggin’ about who was tougher and stronger and all that manly stuff. That’s
when I bet the crew that I could throw that big rock all the way over the
moon.
That got ’em goin’, and it didn’t take long to get a pretty good kitty up. Well, I
grabbed that rock and flung ’er up into the night sky as high as I could. To tell
you the truth, I don’t think it went over the moon, but it did just keep goin’,
up and up and up.
We found out where it came down the next morning. Right, smack on top of
that old guy’s two-holer. Good thing he wasn’t in there catchin’ up on his
reading, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, thanks to those glaciers, here we are at the start of the Paul Bunyan
Scenic Byway, where travel has been a way of life since man first got here a
long time ago. Now there are resorts and golf courses and farms and towns,
all contributing to a healthy, thriving community, rich in culture and tradition.
I’d be proud to show you around if you have some time.
What say we take a little jaunt and I’ll point out some of the fascinating
natural wonders and historical tidbits this land has to offer. C’mon along! I’ll
spin a few tales along the way, and you’ll have a great time learning to
Explore the Lore!
Okay, let’s go. You want me and Babe in the back seat? Tell you what. We’ll
just walk. See you at the next stop.
Find this story and more at the Gateway Gazebo. Find all 13 kiosks!
Look for 2015 Tear Off Maps
Available at Chambers of Commerce, Informaton
Centers, Crosslake US Army Corps of Engineers, some
Discover Racks loca3ons and at each of the 13 kiosks
along Paul’s Scenic Byway.
Easily donate to PBSBA by scanning this code soon to
be posted at each of the 13 kiosk sites on the Byway.
PaulBunyanScenicByway.org/byway_membership
Click “Become a Member”
Stew Pot $50
Babe $200
Bean Pot $75
Soup $1,000
VISION
Strengthen the quality of life and visitor experience along the
Byway’s route by promo3ng and enhancing the area’s resources and ameni3es that support economic vitality.
MISSION
Promote, preserve and enhance the recrea3onal, historic,
cultural, scenic, natural and archeoelogical resources along
the 54-mile Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway.
GOALS
• Build awareness of the Scenic Byway in clever and
compelling ways through: Community/regional projects
and events; Interes3ng stories from the area’s past
• Develop area ameni3es which are free to the public
• Encourage coopera3on and collabora3on among the
Scenic Byway’s jurisdic3ons, preserving and enhancing
the Byway’s resources.
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Spot of Interest (connued)
PBSBA Projects Completed in 2014
Suites. The gazebo was built with donated labor and
materials. Then a shapely garden area, mulched
path, and decora3ve landscaping was added with
long 3me employees of AmericInn, Sue Erholtz and
Mark Reise, behind the garden design, plan3ng
flowers, spreading mulch and arranging rock edging.
The array of plants was a dona3on from the family of
AmericInn employee, Julie Wolters.
• Par3cipated in:
Soupfest at Crosslake Winterfest, Winner of the GOLDEN LADLE!
(partnership with USACE)
Crosslake’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade (partnership with USACE)
Pequot Lakes Fes,val of the Arts (partnership with Pequot Lakes
High School Art Club)
Crosslake Days Chili Fest (partnership with USACE)
• Con3nued work at Historic Fire Tower, Pequot Lakes (partnership
with DNR, Pequot Lakes Day of Caring, Boy Scouts/Eagle Scouts,
Volunteers)
This Byway site remains an appealing stop for those
enjoying the Byway route.
• Babe & Bobber’s Outdoor Movie Night (partnership with USACE,
Lake Country Cra#s & Cones-Crosslake, Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of
Commerce)
• Explore Minnesota Tourism Grant: web enhancement, brochure
distribu3on (partnership with Explore Minnesota Tourism, Discover
Racks)
• Linda Ulland Memorial Garden Grant (partnership with University of
Minnesota, USACE, Central Region Partnership)
Front page (connued)
biology in Iowa. He’s an award-winning ar3st with a
passion for pen and ink artwork.
Birdwatching is quickly becoming one of the most
popular outdoor ac3vi3es in the na3on, and the Paul
Bunyan Scenic Byway is ahead of the game with its Birds
of the Byway program. Alongside the note cards in retail
stores will be the Birds of the Byway brochure, which
includes informa3on on popular birding sites on the
byway and a checklist of birds that can be found in the
area. Central Minnesota, including the Paul Bunyan
Scenic Byway area, is a
hotspot for nes3ng birds
with some of the highest
numbers in the na3on.
Find the Birds of the Byway
brochure not just alongside
the note cards at area
businesses, but also in
Discover Racks at area
restaurants and hotels.
The Byway’s Gateway Gazebo has two informa3onal
panels located on the inside walls of the structure.
The panel stories give readers a glimpse of the area’s
past, all the way back to the 3me of the glaciers told
through the wi4y perspec3ve of Paul Bunyan. Byway
informa3on is also available in the Gazebo brochure
box and at the AmericInn informa3on rack.
One popular birding site is on County Road 11 between
Breezy Point and County Road 3, where a pla2orm nest
is frequented by a nes3ng pair of ospreys nearly every
summer. The Uppgaard Wildlife Management Area is
another great spot to look for birds, especially during
the spring and fall migra3on 3mes. The area, which is
located on County Road 16 in Ideal Township, has a
mixture of wetlands, rolling hills and hardwood forests.
Birdwatching is a year-round ac3vity. Even in winter,
beau3ful birds like the trumpeter swan and great
horned owl frequent the byway.
Keep an eye out for our spectacular feathered friends!
Find more informa,on about birds and birdwatching
along the Byway at these websites:
www.paulbunyanscenicbyway.org and
www.birdso#hebyway.com.
To see samples of Ki4erman’s artwork, visit
www.jkdrawings.com.