12/31/06
Let me give you a day in the life of a resort owner, namely The Rockman for just today. So sit down, it my take a while to get through. But I am sure that by the end, your dreams of being a resort owner will soon fade away. So grab a drink or whatever you like, and enjoy. You will live one day in the life of the Rockman, his wife Patti, his sons Jon and Joe, my nephew Jaybird and of course my buddies Dar and Marie. As they all go through it with me, just at different levels. Well let’s start of with yesterday; we were up and at the resort at 7:00 am.
I started off the day by pulling people out on the lake with the 6 wheeler and the snowmobile trailer and parking people on shore all day until 2:30pm. Then we worked the bar until 11:00pm. Got home, had a shower and watched the rain come down with a quick bite to eat, a valium and went to bed.
Today, we woke up at 6:30 after a toss and turn night of sleep, wondering how much rain and all of the scenarios of what it was doing to the ice and how much the 9 houses that I had taken out with the 6 wheeler on Friday, were settling into the ice, making there own little ponds around them. Walked out into the rain at 7:00am to cut wood blocking for the long day ahead of blocking houses with three 2×4 blocks high, and pulling the ones that were already sitting in 8 to 10 inches of water, just below the floors.
The only remedy for that situation is to start drill a few holes in the deepest area. It will go rite down the holes like a drain pipe, but only to a certain extent, with the weight that is sitting on it and how far it has settled. I had 3 houses that were in 10 inches of water and they are not big houses either, maybe 1800 lbs. It is not an easy way to pull houses that size with a 6 wheeler without getting them going a little first. That takes some time.
Oh ya, I forgot to tell you I did eat an egg muffin sandwich on the go at 11:00 am. I was off once again at 11:30 to get all of the people off that I had towed out the day before, as part of my 10.00 road fee, I will try to get you in and back, if you do not have the means. So you do not have to drag your stuff in and out. Some of them had stayed over night on the lake in the rain. Thank god for my buddy Dar and Maries 6 wheeler, or it would have been a long a** day on a 4 wheeler with the snow starting to fall pretty heavy by now.
More on Dar’s 6 wheeler later. By 3:00pm I was off to retrieve the disappearing bridge that I had put out over the crack, so that people could safely cross to the humps out in front, where the fish have been biting the past few days. As I gathered the 5 different groups of people from the 2 humps, that are out 1 ½ miles in blinding and blowing snow. I was finally on my way back to shore, with the bridge in tow. Now keep in mind, that the water is now a mixture of slush and snow, 4 to 6 inches deep. The bridge starts to get heavier and heavier, until I stop and shovel the slush off so that I can pull it again.
We do make it back to shore by 4:00pm. My only rental for the entire weekend, which I had tried earlier in the day to call to cancel his reservation, has made the drive at 30 mph from the cities and shows up 4 hrs late with no phone call letting me know that he is coming anyway. Off I go again, it is now 4:30 as I give them a ride out to the house in the 6 wheeler. I give them a short run on how to operate things and that they will not be picked up until morning. Cool, they say and off I go back towards shore.
As I arrive back on shore, the snow has now drifted 3 ft high in the drive way. Into the skid loader I go, to get the driveway and the lot cleared out and my driveway up the street also. It is now 6:00 pm and I am starting to get very hungry and tiered and am looking for just a small break from the utter madness of the day. The winds come up to 35 mph and I knew that there were a few house that we had moved earlier in the day that had no banking on the ends and the hole covers were not on.
Let me tell you what happens when you do that: the whole house will fill with sugar snow all the way to the ceiling and it packs in like concrete. Try and shovel that sh*t out of a fish house. The dinner is once again on hold and off my son Jon and I go to put the hole covers on these 4 houses, oh yes, I had just gone home to change into some dry clothes and socks and my tennis shoes, as I have to work in the bar next. We get the houses done in 15 minutes and we come to the last house and as I pull up to it, the 6 wheelers just dies.
I thought at first Jonathan had hit the key with his leg, being he is such a big Brutus. Well that was not the case, when you would turn the key, the starter would just go, Click, Click, Click. So out in get into the 35mph wind to check it out. Now I am a certified small engine mechanic, with no tools. Not even the dreaded ford tool with me, and come to the conclusion that the starter solenoid is fried. I am still trying to be very positive through all of this, when all of the sudden it all becomes very hysterical and I start laughing like I had just heard the funniest joke ever. My son says: dad, are you ok, I really don’t find this very amusing.
My response to him was: what a fitting ending to an already really f***ed up day. That was all I could say, other than, Jon I had just seen a series on the discovery channel about surviving in the Arctic, and that we did have a lighter and some money to light the pilot light on a furnace in one of the fish houses and a pack of cigarettes. He was not amused. So I get on the cell phone and call my wife to tell her the good news, and she was able to locate a couple of family members to retrieve us form the tundra in a matter of minutes with, the out in the elements 4 wheelers.
Now the snow and slush is just stating to freeze, so that is another nice thing to drive through, at night with 35 to 40 mph winds, with blowing snow with little visibility, and a pair of tennis shoes, you know. So I can work in the bar later. Let’s just end this story with the fact that I was no longer warm and dry, I was wet and cold. So here I sit at the computer. Giving you guys a day in my life. Finally at 9:30 I am able to be warm and dry, with a ½ lb bacon cheese burger basket in my belly, and a pillow in my near future. So please forgive me if I do not have a whole lot to say about the bite or what they have been using and where they where fishing and how deep and what kind of structure they have been catching them on.
The situation on mille lacs in a dire state of: No Gosh dam cold weather and 3 inches of rain underneath 4 inches of heavey wet snow. Use your imagination. Not good.
Pray for cold or get out the boats. Still only 4 wheelers and sleds, preferably sleds if you plan on crossing any cracks. I personally would not recommend crossing the crack thing. Stay nearest to where my houses are. That is all good 11 inch ice.
Forgive me, it is now 10:30 and I am tiring to stay awake to ring in the New Year with my love Patti.
Happy New Year to you all.
Good Night!
The Rockman
Ps
The only high light to my weekend was, that there was a young kid by the name of Nathan, that landed a 28 1/2 lb 9 lb walleye his first time on the ice with his dad. Check out the picture @ http://www.rockyreef.com or on this site. It is a west coast heavy weigh for sure.
Running a resort sure ain’t no bed of roses, is it? There will be better days ahead! 
take care, sleep well and maybe I will see you in the morning 
happy new years to all and to all a good night 
I mean Brian comments are so way off base, that I will not even entertain the thought of a responce to someone who doesnt have a clue about the life that we choose as Resorter’s. 
As a matter of fact, If it was just all about the money, we would be long gone by now. 
I am not will to take any undue risks with peoples lives after 18 yrs in the business, especially when it comes to some one elses life. Some resorter’s are just a lot more cautious than others.