West End News: June 13

Several months ago, I mentioned my friend Art Wright, who was about to turn 100 years old.  Art did turn 100 four months ago, but unfortunately he passed away last week. 
 
Art was born in Duluth.  His father was the purser on the steamship America before any roads were built up the north shore.  Art’s mother was the teacher at the Maple Hill School in Grand Marais and met Art’s father on the America while traveling to her new teaching post at the ripe old age of 17. 
 
The Wright family lived in Grand Marais for a couple of years when Art was a young boy.  Of course, all of his playmates from that era are gone now.
 
Art took many canoe trips starting from Sawbill. He could remember every detail from his first Sawbill canoe trip in 1938. 
 
A lot of history died with Art, but fortunately, the Cook County Historical Society has many of Art’s best memories on videotape for future generations to enjoy and learn from.
 
Art had many friends from Duluth to Grand Portage.  He was always good company and will be missed.
 
I was sad to read of the death of my friend, Roger Maxfield, who grew up in Taconite Harbor and graduated from Birch Grove School and Cook County High School.  Roger was a gentle and genial soul with many friends. 
 
He and I are the same age and were the last group of young men to participate in the Selective Service lottery at the end of the Vietnam War.  I was lucky enough to get a high number, so I knew I wouldn’t be drafted.  Roger had a very low number, so he was essentially sure to be drafted.  He waited on pins and needles for at least a year, but the war wound down and he never got the call.  I know it was hard on him though, to live with the uncertainty for so long. 
 
Roger worked at Erie Mining for a few years before moving to Honeywell, where he followed his father Floyd’s footsteps by making his living as an electrician.  We’ll miss you buddy.
 
The Lutsen 99er mountain bike race is just around the corner.  The fast growing, 99-mile, main event is scheduled for June 29 and starts at Lutsen Mountains.  If you aren’t already signed up for that race, you better take a pass on it for this year, unless you happen to be a well-trained mountain bike rider.
 
However, there is a 39-mile race that starts at the same time.  If you have put in a reasonable number of miles this spring, there is still plenty of time to register for the shorter distance.
 
If you are not a trained cyclist, or a kid, there are some fun opportunities for you.  On Sunday, June 30, starting at 9:30, there are three kids’ races.   The Micro Niner is for ages 5 to 7 and is a half-mile race.  The Mini Niner is for ages 8 to 10 and is nine-tenths of a mile.  The Junior Niner is for kids from 11 to 13 and runs over a 1.9-mile course.  All the kids’ races are free and will be a ton of fun.  Pre-registration is requested, but no kid will be turned away.
 
If nothing I’ve talked about so far is your cup of tea, there is an open house fun ride Sunday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., sponsored by the Superior Cycling Association, at the Pincushion Trails on the hill right above Grand Marais.
 
There are plenty of opportunities for watching the race or becoming a volunteer.  You can find full details for all things 99er at Lutsen99er.com.  Or, you can contact WTIP and they will give you full contact information.
 
The Lutsen 99er is growing fast and is a wonderful event in itself, but it is really just a part of a fast growing bicycle scene in the West End.  Single track mountain bike trails are still being built and improved at the Sugarbush Trail system in Tofte.  Last week, another section of the Gitchee-Gami state trail was opened in Silver Bay.  The new section is a 2.3-mile section of paved trail between Rukavina Arena in Silver Bay to the West Road in Beaver Bay.  It provides a connection, via a short stretch of gravel, to the longest completed section of the trail between Beaver Bay and Gooseberry State Park.
 
Another 1.1 miles of trail will be completed this summer between the Onion River Road and the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen.
 
When the Gitchee-Gami state trail is completed, it will extend 86 miles from Two Harbors to Grand Marais and will be a major contributor to the economic and physical health of the West End.
 
Every West Ender experienced a feeling of dread last week when word spread that there was a serious fire at Bluefin Bay Resort in Tofte.  Although five condo units ended up being heavily damaged, no one was hurt in either the fire or the firefighting effort.
 
It was indeed a bad incident, but it would have been a whole lot worse but for the efforts of Tofte Fire Chief Rich Nelson, the entire Tofte Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, and every other volunteer fire fighter in Cook County who turned out in support. 
 
These dedicated folks put in untold hours of training and routine maintenance, but it is all worth it when they can efficiently and effectively save a major community asset like Bluefin Bay and keep everyone safe in the process.  I know that the whole community joins me in saying thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do.

(Photo courtesy Bluefin Bay Resort)