West End News: July 4

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Congratulations to organizers, volunteers and riders in the recent Lutsen 99er mountain bike race.  More than 650 racers participated in the 99- and 39-mile races, along with another 100 or so in the kids’ races. 
 
The first West End finisher in the 99-mile race was Regan Bolduc from Lutsen in 176th place overall.  The fastest West Ender in the 39-mile race was Tom Wahlstrom, who just moved from Tofte to Grand Marais, with an incredible seventh place finish. 
 
There were dozens of local folks in both races - so many that I can't mention them all here.  One of the many benefits of this great event is that it motivates West Enders to get on their bikes and enjoy the wonderful trails that are right outside our doors.
 
Here at Sawbill, we had a number of customers who told us that they came up for the race and were making an extended family vacation out of the trip.  I can only imagine that many more families did the same thing along the north shore.  I also had a campground customer who mentioned that they were here to ride the new single-track mountain bike trails in Grand Marais and Tofte.  They were dedicated and knowledgeable mountain bikers and they were highly complimentary of the new trails, declaring that they were as good as any they had ever ridden.
 
The Lutsen 99er is sponsored by a partnership that includes the Cook County Visitors Bureau.  The bureau was created three years ago to combine the efforts of four different tourism groups and promote Cook County as a whole.  The results are really starting to show now, with many quality events attracting tourists and positive press from all over the country.
 
The bureau is funded by a lodging tax and the spending is directed by representatives from each of the four areas of the county, Grand Portage, Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, and the Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder area.  The funds are spent on each area in direct proportion to how much lodging tax is generated.  Although this makes for complicated accounting, it couldn't be more fair to each area.  The proof of success is not only the dramatic increase in tourism, but the fact that Cook County numbers are growing faster than any of our competitors.
 
The Bloodmobile will be in Tofte at Zoar Lutheran Church Tuesday, July 16 from 2:30 until 6 p.m.  If you would like to volunteer to donate a pint of blood, you can call Polly Erickson at 663-7398.  As always, you can contact WTIP for contact information.  Thanks to Polly for her tireless efforts in this important effort.
 
The turtles are out on the roads and at the boat landings right now.  Every year, female turtles seek out sandy soils to dig holes where they deposit their eggs.  The gravel road and parking lot shoulders make ideal nest sites.  Unfortunately, this leads many turtles to cross busy gravel roads during the height of tourism season.  If you see a turtle crossing a road, you can stop and carry them across in the direction that they are already heading.
 
Here at Sawbill, we've had two female snapping turtles that have been laying their eggs at the canoe landing for more than 40 years.  The scars and notches on their shells make them easy to identify as individuals.  They must be very old now, so every year we wonder if we'll see them again.  Last week, they appeared again, right on schedule.  Everyone has fun seeing them close up. I notice that swimmers are a little more tentative about jumping in the lake after they see the powerful beaks on these prehistoric-looking reptiles.
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.

{photo courtesy of Lutsen 99er}