.png)
Diaries of a Lodge Owner
In 2009, sheet metal mechanic, Steve Niedzwiecki, turned his passions into reality using steadfast belief in himself and his vision by investing everything in a once-obscure run-down Canadian fishing lodge.
After ten years, the now-former lodge owner and co-host of The Fish'n Canada Show is here to share stories of inspiration, relationships and the many struggles that turned his monumental gamble into one of the most legendary lodges in the country.
From anglers to entrepreneurs, athletes to conservationists; you never know who is going to stop by the lodge.
Diaries of a Lodge Owner
Episode 82: David MacLachlan and the Legendary Lodge 88
Join us on an unforgettable journey through Northern Ontario's rich tourism heritage as we sit down with David MacLachlan, a key figure in the region's tourism landscape. Discover the fascinating generational tales behind Lodge 88, a legacy of passion and perseverance founded by David's grandfather 88 miles west of Shaplow. Through personal stories and anecdotes, David offers insights into spending summers at the lodge, travelling there by train, and the unforgettable moments that have shaped its storied past.
From the adventurous chaos of fishing mishaps at Chaudiere Lodge to the transformative effects of a 19-day water fast, this episode weaves together humour, nostalgia, and personal growth. Hear about the dramatic and often humorous challenges faced at the lodge, including the intricate removal of a muskie hook and a guest's unexpected TV debut. David also shares his personal health journey, exploring the physical and mental trials of fasting, and its impact on type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Explore the seasonal rhythms of managing a lodge and the economic potential of tourism in Northern Ontario. From the tranquillity of fall to strategies for boosting tourism receipts, listen as we discuss the evolving landscape of the region's angling and tourism industry. Learn about the importance of conservation practices amidst climate change and the innovative marketing tactics for Lodge 88. This episode is a celebration of outdoor living, filled with stories and insights into the heart of Ontario's tourism.
I remember Virginia McKenzie and you know she was with Tomogami Lake First Nation. I think she said it best. She said that Northern Ontario is a place you go to bring balance back into your life, and it's so true.
Speaker 2:This week on the Outdoor Journal Radio podcast Networks Diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North Folks. Our guest today is an icon in the Ontario tourism industry. He is the owner of one of the most prestigious lodges in the province and the owner of the business that I aspire to be when I own Chaudière. But he not only owns the legendary Lodge 88, he also is heavily involved with Destination Northern Ontario and champions for every northern tourism operation out there, and we are extremely excited to introduce to our Diaries family Dave McLaughlin. On this show we explore Destination Northern Ontario, the organization and what it's all about, and how they impact the tourism industry in the North as well. We dive into the birth of Lodge 88 and hear some of the amazing generational stories associated with its creation, bringing it to its pinnacle that we see today. So if you love great stories of the North and listening and learning about how hard people are working to maintain and build a strong economy up in the North, this one's a winner. So jump on that train, hit the bar car and enjoy as we steam up to Lodge 88.
Speaker 2:Here's our conversation with Dave McLaughlin. Welcome, folks, to another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North. I'm here with my lovely co-host, willie the Oil man, and we are really, really excited to have on one of the kingpins actually in the business and from back in my show, the air days. I run into this fine gentleman a few times and his name is Dave McLaughlin. And Dave, I know Will, and I are extremely pleased to have you on the show. Welcome.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you very much, and I don't know how much of a kingpin I am, but anyways, we'll go with it.
Speaker 2:We're gonna find out, that's for sure. Well, we'll go with it. We're going to find out, that's for sure, yeah. So listen, dave, I know you from the last decade. We've had well, actually it's probably closer to two decades, but we've had some crossings at different things, and you are the owner of Lodge 88. And I don't really know your story and I would love to find out, and, willie, I'm sure you'd love to too. So maybe give us the history on Lodge 88, marmac, white River, air, like, I mean, I think it's quite a family affair, is it not?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we go back quite some time. We think that this summer is going to be our 67th season, wow. So, going back, you know, to my grandfather's time, and you know we got to spend time at the lodge as kids and you know it was a great escape. You know when my. You know when June rolled around, you know when my. You know when June rolled around, and back in those days in the 60s and 70s, we would travel by trunks not suitcases with wheels on them, but trunks and the trunks would come out and my mom would start packing with our summer clothes and games and all the stuff that we were going to need for the summer. And you know we knew it was the school year was going to end and then either we'd drive up or sometimes, you know, the CP Express would come and pick up the truck and then, you know we could take the train right from the West Toronto Station and get off at the lodge the next morning. And you know we really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:But my grandfather got the idea for the lodge, you know, through his second wife and her family and her sister and her sister's husband were the original builders and owners of Camp La Calche, down the railway line about, oh, probably about 20, 22, 25 miles away on Wabatogushi Lake, and that's how they got the idea and we're thinking it was 1957.
Speaker 1:Nobody wrote anything down and of course everybody's you know, long gone now. So we're just kind of grasping at straws here, I'm grasping at straws here, and so my granddad and his second wife, who we were not allowed to call grandma, we called her Auntie Barbie, they took the train to the bottom of the Sanagi Lake at mile 88. And'd laugh at me and on the European, you know, trade show circuit, because I told them it's a no, it's the same train. And I said no, literally it's the same train we have today. And and he got off the train with a tent and a canoe and literally they, they paddled a mile up the lake and saw this hill and he said that's where he was going to build a lodge.
Speaker 2:Wow, you've got to be kidding me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so from there he had to go and purchase the property. Thank goodness it was a purchase, not a land use permit. He had to pull some strings at Queen's Park apparently to get the property. The, the local M&R, which was based on White River at the time, were were trying to, you know, get him to switch lakes to Fungus Lake, which is on the Trans-Canada Highway, which he knew. But he says he stuck to his guns and was able to purchase close to four acres there on on the hill we're almost surrounded by water and and then they were back the next year to start start building. So we think the next year to start building.
Speaker 4:So we think the first year they actually had guests was 1959. Wow, and Dave, just for all the Diaries listeners out there. So whereabouts is the train come from? Whereabouts is your facility relative to the train?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're 88 miles west of Shaplow on the Canadian Pacific Railway. So that's where the the 88 came in and, uh, you know not the most original name for the lodge. So it goes to show it doesn't matter what you call yourself, you can, uh you can be successful and make a career out of it. So back in those days it was Camp 88, then it was Camp 88 Outfitters and then Camp 88 Lodge, and when we went back in the early 2000s to rebuild we decided to go with Lodge 88. So you know, we're 36 air miles northeast of Wawa, 34 air miles southeast of White River and 88 miles west of Shaplow on the train.
Speaker 2:That's very cool. Can you imagine what it would have been like back then to build? I mean, I guess the train could have dropped supplies off in the 50s at mile marker 88.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Back in those days they had wave freights and were able to bring in building supplies. And when we were tearing down the cabins to replace them, a lot of stuff came from Eaton's and Simpson's. We had the tags on the back Came CP Express. He had some friends at the railway that used to haul stuff up on the little flat cars behind those little uh, I don't even know what you call those speedster things. Uh, you know a few stories about them coming around in a freight train coming and having to uh to jump. But uh, he was from world war ii.
Speaker 4:So he was no stranger to you can't say people are jumping on trains and not tell us some stories here.
Speaker 1:Well, I wasn't there so I can't verify, but I understand that's where his bad shoulder came from. Was an incident coming around the bend with one of those speeders and having to just bail out of it?
Speaker 2:And then have that freight train runner down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, oh, my God, he brought bulldozers in. A lot of uh at the time would have been korean uh war surplus army equipment, so diesel generators we. He had an old willie's uh jeep in there um that we used to bomb around on as kids a hay wagon for, for he had that bulldozer and was able to do some landscaping. He did a trail from the railway right to the lodge. Apparently the bulldozer got stuck on the railroad tracks once and got hit by the train and it's still sitting about half a mile down the road. It hasn't moved since the mid-1970s and it's still there, right now it's still there.
Speaker 1:It's still there. There's an old pickup truck in the back. A railroad engineer heard about the Jeep and he bought a Jeep and he came in looking for parts. So we pulled the Jeep out to the train and they picked it up and he took it for parts. So it was kind of cool to see that thing going down the down the trail again.
Speaker 2:I've been a long time since we had seen that yeah, yeah, those are fantastic stories, like I mean, I just uh it, uh, like I know the history of chaudiere fairly well and uh, just the way that, um, that uh, and Chaudiere um started as a, um, as a, as a camp. It was actually called um, um, uh, the Pennsylvania club and across from from us it was the Ohio club, but um, uh, that was 1909. And just to hear the stories of, like the, we were lucky enough that the owner of Chaudiere, who at the time renamed it from Mohawk Lodge to Chaudiere Lodge, sent a letter to Merle Anderson in Florida who was the original owner of the place, and Merle was a doctor and he wrote back to the owner at that time and this was in the early 40s explaining the three most significant doctorings that he did while he was there. Because on the Upper French River at that time there was not many doctors kicking around and everybody knew he was a doctor from the natives on the Dokeese Reserve and anyway, he tells a story about and they had to canoe from Highway 69 or come across Lake Nipissing, so the trek to get in there was ridiculous.
Speaker 2:And the one story he tells is about a father and a son who were on a canoe trip and by the time they got to the upper French River in this canoe and got to Doc Anderson, the kid was eaten alive and the way that he spoke was even different. But he said he was eaten alive and out of his wits and the poison from all of the bug bites he was unconscious for like two days at the lodge and that's from the bugs back then. And then another story tells about a native fellow who got a muskie hook buried in his wrist and he said buried to the ribbons and he cut that out. So those days, stories from those days, are so interesting to me, especially in this industry. So thank you very much for those that.
Speaker 1:Those are, those are awesome yeah, there's no shortage of fish hook stories. I know that's just a given. There's, you know, a new, a new one or two every season. Oh yeah, you know what?
Speaker 4:I'm a rookie in this game and I'm finding out that every season right now it's this year I the worst one. You know and all my tournament fishing and guiding. This is the worst one I've ever seen is I had a, a lady, uh, probably early 40s. Her and her daughter were fishing together and they were casting rattle traps for smallies and I guess on a back cast the daughter. The daughter grabbed the mom's hand and she had both trebles on her middle finger and her ring finger. The trebles were buried in the nail bed.
Speaker 4:So she comes back to the lodge and I'm looking at it and I'm like I can't push it through. So it's under the nail. I'm like I can't push this thing through. There's nothing else. You're going to have to go get it cut out right. So we I ended up numbing it for her and sent her to red lake and away she went. But that was the worst one I've seen and I'm finding out over these short few years here, david, that that is a real thing for sure yeah, you gotta practice that, practice the hook removal.
Speaker 1:I think the funniest thing I've ever seen. This was about 20 years ago and actually Babe Winkleman was at the lodge shooting an episode and there was a guy there and he's living down in Florida now and he ended up getting a hook, but right in the finger, right, and so, anyways, it was embedded pretty good and, uh, we had a full camp and uh, so this was the highlight of the evening was, uh, the operation to take this hook out, out in the dining room under the lights, and uh, we had a dentist, um, that was going to perform the surgery. Um, everybody, you know, we took a vote and figured he was the best one and they wanted a straight razor and the, the cook, had a straight razor. So, anyways, they had this guy liquored up and uh, gonna start, and they, they took the straight razor out and the dentist thought, well, he passed out and that was it for him. And uh, so, anyways, they managed to get the hook out and then they had the you know, the jock's finger wrapped up.
Speaker 1:But is this funny? Now, if you go back and watch the episode, you can see it. He's, you know, he's going around, you know waving to people and with his finger in the air with a big bandage on it, right in the babe winkleman show nice, nice.
Speaker 2:Well, I, I can't. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you guys this story. This will be my last hook story and this was one of the ones that I couldn't deal with. But I had a wonderful couple from Ohio somewhere in that neighborhood and and they owned, um, it's like a hostess, um, like a potato chips. But they didn't do potato chips, they did pork rinds, you know, like those puffy pork rinds. Anyway, they wanted to, uh, to go musky fishing and um, I, I put, um, I put the pair of them, with my guide, marcel, and uh, mars is probably he'd be, oh, he would have been in his mid 50s at the time, and so off they go, and a beautiful day.
Speaker 2:And then I'm sitting up in the office and from where I, from my office, I was on the second floor of the lodge and I had a great view of the dock and I saw Mars' boat coming in and it was about an hour and a half early, about 3.30, 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I thought, geez, that's real weird. And not only that, he come in and didn't come off of plane until he was about I don't know like 20 yards from the dock, coming in hot, which was, oh yeah, which was very unusual. So I went down and I'm walking to the dock and I look in the boat and the three of them are sitting there and the lady, she was in tears, like upset, like you know, and she said to me I might've killed him and I'm like what. And her husband was sitting right there and I didn't notice, but he and when I looked at him it looked like you know the, the natives. They had like the feather, you know no cartoons.
Speaker 2:Well, they had marcel, had his sock wrapped and tied right around his head and there was a double 10 bucktail sticking straight up the back of his head, right up in the air, and it was tied like the sock had tied this big, like I say, double 10 bucktail. And I remember it was pink and I said what's going on? And the gentleman looked at me and says I'm fine, I'm okay, and his wife is still in hysterics and I'm like, oh my God, get out of the boat, let me have a look at this. Well, what happened was she come back in a backswing and caught him right in the back of the neck, at the base of the skull, and buried one of those troubles right into the back of his neck and I looked at it and I said, yeah, this is way above my pay grade, brother. Oh yeah, so we had to.
Speaker 2:I we took them over and and sent them to sturgeon falls and they and they got it out. But oh my god, that poor girl was traumatized. She didn't even get in a boat for the rest of the week. But, oh yeah, I was like yeah, I'm pretty sure if you're not paralyzed right now, you're going to be okay. But yeah, it was buried right in there, man, wow.
Speaker 4:I've seen one in the head once and that was guiding, but it wasn't a bad one like that.
Speaker 2:It was a little flesh wound yeah, like I mean, well, when you're a like we are or we were, it's uh, you're always dealing with that stuff. But yeah, so listen, tell me a little bit about, um, uh, about the lake esnagami and your family operation. Like, at one time do you have flyout lakes? And I heard rumor that at one time you may have had control over the most fly-ins in the province.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and probably still pretty close. We turned a few outposts back in. So my granddad started out at 88, and he wasn't happy with just having the lodge so he had to have outposts at the north end of the lake and on a couple other lakes, tent camps and cabins and all that stuff. So that's kind of how we got to start in the uh, in the uh outpost uh business. Um, my dad in uh in the early 70s went to marmac so we we took over marmac, which was called swanson at the time, and and both these lodges are on esnagi lake which, you're right, it was called esnagami if you look at the maps. Until sometime in the in the late 50s it was always called Esnagami and then somehow the name got changed to Esnagi and so that lake is 27 miles long and then we had a couple of lakes that you could walk into.
Speaker 1:In 86, we bought the air service. We bought White River Air Service, the main White River base and the outposts that came along with that, with the Duluth family, and the gentleman that we bought it from also had some outposts of his own that were included. And then man Air out in Manitowoc. We ended up taking that over. I'm not sure what the year was and a few more outposts. So at one time we had 57 locations and we would use them all not for fishing but for moose hunting. That you know big, big moose hunt back in the day. So you know when the DeLuces were in White River they'd fly in 550 moose hunters in the fall.
Speaker 1:You know our first couple of years we did 350. And of course you know that's changed a lot. So we turned over, you know, back to them in our, I think probably about 12 outposts sometime, maybe about 10 or 15 years ago, when they raised the rates on them. When they were $75 to $100, it didn't cost much to sit on them, but when they were $900, if they weren't bringing some money in it really wasn't worthwhile 100%. Yeah, so my brother, dannyy, my youngest brother, he runs the air service. Uh, my sister is at marmac and then, uh, and then terry and I are down at 88 and I have another brother that's two years younger than me and he flies for the m&r. Uh, so in his spare time he goes and gives danny a hand up at the airbase as well.
Speaker 4:That's awesome, buddy. That's awesome. You know what I really think, and I think I told you this, david, when we first met, just so the Diaries family out there knows, you know, me and Dave have just met each other over like I don't know, maybe the past eight months, 10 months, yeah, yeah, this spring we were introduced by a beautiful lady named heather gropp. Um heather reached out to me. Actually I was with steve um at the fish and canada show. I was doing a podcast live with him and ang and and uh and uh. That night she had emailed me, you know, saying she thought it might be a good fit for uh, for a team that you're on and a board of directors you're on, and that's how we connected and you know I'm, I was, I was actually blown away, um, because I've watched you on tv, david, you don't know this, but since I was, since I've been watching ang, you know, since I was five years old, you know, and and uh, I've always thought of your place as a staple.
Speaker 4:That's something I would look forward to, you know, and a passion and a drive for something that I wanted in my future, and that was seeing that when I would see you on that TV and when I saw the guys coming in on the train or flying in with White River Air, I was like this is such a cool lifestyle and your lodges are beautiful, your boats, the fishing, and I remember seeing you on that TV going. You know, I want to be that guy one day. And then Heather Groff introduces us and, sure enough, a few months later we're sitting there having breakfast at the Days Inn, right, and I was pretty honoured and I still am to have met you. So thanks for telling us these stories. It's awesome. I was just telling the folks there, stevie, about the, about the, how me and Dave met.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So everybody knows I just had to take a quick break. You know I'm and Dave, you're not aware, but I'm on a water fast. So whenever you're trying to get nine liters of water into you a day, you got to take a leak every once in a while. Oh boy, oh yeah, I'm on day 19.
Speaker 1:He should send you out to California for those fires.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, but you know I'd be like Big Joe Mufferaw.
Speaker 4:There was a reason I brought that up. I thought everyone would love to know about this thing that you're on. It's pretty insane. Why don't you talk about it?
Speaker 2:Noah, and I talked about it a little bit too. But yeah, just to give you a little history, dave, it's just a fast. I'm drinking water. I'm putting about a teaspoon, teaspoon and a half of Grey Celtic salt between nine you know, one liter jars of water. Nine you know one liter jars of water, a little bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice and cayenne pepper, and then supplementing with things to support my body like magnesium, potassium, ubiquinol for my heart and stuff like that. But yeah, I've been 19 days without food.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, wow. How are you feeling?
Speaker 2:I feel good. It's like, I mean, if you can break through the first, you know, four days, a lot of those cravings and a lot of that stuff goes away. And you know you've got like to get away from sugar and a lot of the of of the, the, the, that stuff. You go through withdrawal Like I had. I had headaches a little bit and you know a little uneasy feeling and and uh. But once you get through the those four days, five days, days, five days it's like a light goes on. You feel so much better. And now, like I've never gone this far I've done 10-day fasts in the past, but this one's a long one, this one's a long one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a long time 19 days. Well, good luck to you, and I guess you're trying to lose some weight.
Speaker 2:Well, it's a combination of losing weight I'm type 2 diabetic and trying to get that straightened around and a little bit hypertension. And you know, the blood sugar come right under control after about day four. Oh wow, yeah, although that's because there's no food going in, right. Yeah, but it'll be interesting to see how my blood sugar reacts when I go back on, when I start eating again. Yeah, and again, like I mean, the length of this one is more to try and break addictions. And not only did I go off food, there's no alcohol, no nicotine, no caffeine, nothing, right. So it's kind of to break addiction as well. To break addiction as well, cause, you know, after 35, 40, 35 years of coffee and 30 years of smoking cigars off and on, and you, you kind of build some, you you take on some bad habits.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, we all have. And uh, at some point the chickens come home to roost day for all of us. You know I'll been there, you know, with with health issues and stuff, myself included, and uh, you know I could stand to lose, like, uh, you know, the five pounds of christmas from the last 25 christmas yeah, I know it, I know it, like I mean in.
Speaker 2:Uh, in 19 days. I haven't quite done the math, but I started at 234 pounds-ish, 33 and a half, and I weighed in at 205 this morning. Oh, wow, well, good for you, good for you, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I haven't been this light since high school yeah, yeah, I haven't been this late since high school, wow, wow, well, I've been. We've been pulling out some old pictures, you know, from 20, 30 years ago, and I'm looking at myself and thinking, holy smokes, you know well, you know what happened. Well, we know what happened, um, but any, anyways, yeah, so you know we're, we're gonna be, uh, getting ready to try to do something about, uh, about this Cause, uh, you know, uh, as you get older, it, uh, it, uh, it, it, it does, uh, it does, um, you know, impact what you're able to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and that's uh, that's uh. That's kind of where I'm at. You know what I mean. Like I'm, I'm, I'm 49 now, so you know, my eyes are starting to. I have to wear glasses now and you know, you just start thinking, if I want to make it to see my grandchildren and live a good long life, I better start getting her under control now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, start getting her under control now. Yeah, well, I'm 61. And you know, I'm about the same age as my granddad was when he left the lodge, and so I've been telling people that but he's got a few years left. But yeah, no, it's just like one day you blink and like you know how did this?
Speaker 2:happen? I know Speaking of that now, would you because you've been in this business for so long? Is that actually a consideration for you? Like I was in and out, I was in for a decade and then I was out.
Speaker 1:Well see, we're not as smart as you.
Speaker 2:Steve, then I was out. Well see, we're not as smart as you, Steve. Hey, listen, if it wasn't for my wife and kids not actually being up there with me I'd still be in, right, yeah, but we don't know any better.
Speaker 1:I mean, we grew up in it, that's right. We always said we're almost like farmers, right, like in the spring, when it starts to warm up and the ice, like you just get that itch to to get in the bush and and get going, right, get the planes out and and and the boats and, um, you know, probably you know, if we were just about business and money, you know you would have built it up and sold it and moved on to something else. But uh, it's, uh, it's been a great lifestyle for all of us. All us kids are still in the business. I say kids now as a senior citizen, but no, it wouldn't change it for anything.
Speaker 1:Looking back, and we were talking when we're at the lodge, that's where I feel at home, like you know, like every summer of your life you feel more at home. I sleep better there than in any house that we've owned. Or you know, like you know just the memories you know, like, like I said, of your grandparents, your grand, you know great grandparents, your parents and your siblings. Yeah, you get to understand, you know, when people maybe live in a family home or on land for multi-generations.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, dave, what you said there was.
Speaker 4:It's a lifestyle. You know, dave, what you said there was. It's a lifestyle and you know you are absolutely right and it's something I always heard and always known. But now I really realize it. You know, with me and Krista and the family at Nordic, where we are, it's not a business aspect for you, but it's it's all about your family and your friends being there and that comfortability of you creating that for your future and being one with the with nature and your aspect and your element. And you know and and I really have grown into that and I've and it's's.
Speaker 4:It's actually a debate that me and my partner have quite a bit. Um, he's, as everyone knows, you know Dave is a, he's a very six. Dave Johnson, my partner, he's a very successful, uh, hotel man. You know it's. You know, at one time in in the world he was the big swinging dick in hotels worldwide and uh, and and we look at that as a different thing. It's, it's something we look at different. It was.
Speaker 4:I know it's a lifestyle and I and I feel it and see it and he's all about the business, because that's his business, right, and and to me, I look at a situation like these lodges now, from the time that those guests are at your booth or they call steve nitzwicky at at chaudiere or they reserve through will at nordic. You know it's a personal connection the whole way. Those people are coming up there too. They're gonna make memories with their wife or their grandfather or their brother and, and no matter how small or how big, they're going to remember a lot of them and there are points that are going to stick out in their life, and that's not to me. That's what a lodge is, you know. That is the relevance of that business, and I'd love to hear you say that it's not just an emotionless box that you know one day someone checks in and one day someone checks out it's. It's leaving memories for a lifetime, for you and for the guest absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:When you're in the wilds of northwestern ontario, you need gear you can trust and a team that's got your back. That's Lakeside Marine in Red Lake, ontario Family owned since 1988. They're your go-to pro camp dealer, built for the north, from Yamaha boats and motors to everything in between. We don't just sell you gear, we stand behind it. Lakeside Marine Rugged Reliable Ready.
Speaker 7:Back in 2016,. Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.
Speaker 5:Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.
Speaker 7:Thus the Ugly Pike podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.
Speaker 5:Step into the world of angling adventures and embrace the thrill of the catch with the Ugly Pike Podcast. Join us on our quest to understand what makes us different as anglers and to uncover what it takes to go after the infamous fish of 10,000 casts.
Speaker 7:The Ugly Pike Podcast isn't just about fishing. It's about creating a tight-knit community of passionate anglers who share the same love for the sport. Through laughter, through camaraderie and an unwavering spirit of adventure. This podcast will bring people together.
Speaker 5:Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures. Tight lines everyone.
Speaker 7:Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2:Dave, I would just like to back up a touch when you were talking about looking forward to the spring, and take us to that and tell us how you one of the whether it's a memory, or how you feel or how you felt in the past, when you're opening and that jovial feeling and for me and you can take it to the fall too because for me, as an owner, I had that same feeling twice in a year when we were gearing up to open, and we were in a year when we were gearing up to open and we were when we were gearing down to close, right, because for me, my family wasn't there the whole time and and the the season I was always ready to shut it down and have a break. But I don't take us back and tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, it changes every year depending on the weather and you know if it's an early ice out, a late ice out, you know if you know there still might be some snow on the ground. And you know, we used to, you know even as, even as kids, we used to do school by correspondence, so we'd get out of school early and go in with correspondence. So we got to experience the spring every year and some years you'd have to break ice with that and haul stuff to a certain point and then overland and back in the boat and up again and haul it down the trail, you know, into Maramak. But it's really spring to me is different, because it's just a busy time of year, it's just go, go, go.
Speaker 1:And you know, now spring is a little different for me because of course I have this other job. So I usually take some time off to go in on the first run and you know, you know get help, get things going and then come back out. Then my job turns into more of, you know, rounding up supplies and hauling them up and putting them on a train or a plane. And we've got, we've been lucky, we've got some really good staff who've been with us for a number of years. So you, you know, you can just let the ladies do their thing and like in the kitchen and the cabins and the laundry and the guys on the dock. We shifted from the cedar boats, you know, about 10 years ago, to the luns, so we don't have two weeks of torture sanding boats. Oh my God, that was just an endurance mission, hallelujah.
Speaker 2:You know, you just prayed you were going to have good weather to get it done. Hallelujah, that was just an endurance mission. Hallelujah, I'm on show here with like 10 of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you just prayed you were going to have good weather to get it done right, oh for sure, and stuff. So spring is a little different. You might have three days to open up, or you might have 10 days or two weeks, but it's always, you know, usually it's, it's, it's, it's, it's enjoyable because the weather's turned. I mean, I remember, like I don't know if it was 2018 we went in on the train, we thought we'd be smart and go in on the train and, um, you know, there wasn't much snow on the highway and the railway and we got off the train and even at the landing there wasn't much. Then we looked down the trail to the lodge and it was like, still waist, deep in snow.
Speaker 1:So here we are going in, walking in this with two chihuahuas and uh, to the lodge, and we got the six-wheeler out and, uh, you know, uh, you know, I, I think normally we would go in in the morning and by lunchtime the diesel would be going, we'd have power early afternoon, we'd have water, at least, to the lodge and stuff. Um, this year I think it was about 10 o'clock and of course the days are longer it was nine or ten and we've. We had hauled the last load in from the train. We hadn't even anything else.
Speaker 1:So, uh, we just uh moved in that I think that was the worst year that we ever had. But, like you, like you said, like just two times a year spring and fall. Fall is different for us. Yeah, there's a lot of work to closing the place up, but, uh, that's when we really enjoy it and, um, you know they, they literally have to, uh, you know they have to drag me out in the fall. It is just such a peaceful time and so we try to stay. For, you know, after the last guests go for at least three weeks Not last year, the year before we actually stayed we came out on October 31st, which is almost when my granddad would come out between the 1st and 15th of November every year, and you know it was just a great time.
Speaker 1:You know it was just nice, but you know it was just a great time. You know it was just nice, but you know we're getting ourselves set up more and that we could stay longer. And now we're talking about maybe, you know, being able to go in and spend some time in the winter. Oh, nice.
Speaker 4:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:Very cool.
Speaker 1:So Terry looks after the lodge primarily yes, yes, that's, he is, he's, he does does everything from the reservations to the scheduling and the maintenance and the hiring of the staff and, like I said, my role is mainly around just rounding up supplies and hauling them up and then covering for holidays when people come out in the summertime.
Speaker 1:Yeah because you're very busy with Destination Northern Ontario. Yeah, so I'm the executive director with that, and so we're an organization that was basically created by the Ministry of Tourism in Ontario to grow tourism in the north, and we receive funding from them and some other ministries. I was just down in Toronto trying to find some more money. Good for you.
Speaker 2:Hopefully you're successful.
Speaker 1:Well, I think we're getting there. You know like it takes a while right to get the messages out, but I think, you know, with all the talk, with the tariffs and everything right now, I think there's a real understanding in government that tourism is one of the sectors that shows promise in terms of growth and maybe being able to, you know, to offer some employment to some affected people, but certainly able to grow. And for sure, you know, within Northern Ontario we've got lots of room to grow.
Speaker 1:so we do Absolutely, and it's a beautiful place on earth, like I mean it is. It is gorgeous. You know, yeah, I always said there's two things. So one, um, northern ontario, like there's destinations around the world that actually, uh, form an emotional people, form an emotional bond with it, and northern ontario is one of those destinations. Anyone that comes to northern ontario, um guaranteed they they will be back um and back back for for life. And the other thing I said was that anyone who has moved from the south to northern ontario they're worse than a reformed smoker in terms of you know what they feel about the North and defending our interests, and I guess my family kind of falls into that category.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, for sure.
Speaker 4:You do a, can you tell us a little bit more about destination uh, northern ontario, if you don't mind? Just tell us a little bit about what they're, what they do and what they're into right now and and what you're, uh, what you're up to there yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know, if you want to think about it, we've done a lot of developmental work over the last decade, um, in terms of talking to the east coast. So you know I the way I explain it is, we've all seen the Newfoundland and Labrador ads on TV and everyone says if we could do those, we'd be, you know, that'd be perfect. Well, they did a lot of work before that and understanding that, you know a lot of their tourism came to be at the time of the collapse of the fishery and trying to reskill and retrain people into the tourism industry. So we've brought a lot of their development programs to Northern Ontario. So you know we've done very well over the years in terms of what we call the Avid products. So Northern Ontario is the number one destination in Canada, probably North America, for angling. You know our claim to fame is the fishery and being close to market. So we're not an exotic, so people can come here, you know, multiple times in one season or you know, year after year, so we don't have to go out and get new business every year. Um, and then, of course, you know we have the the great, uh, you know, iconic scenery. So you know we we say it's canada's from coast to coast to coast to coast, because we've got the the inland coast and um. So that's what we've been doing and where we're.
Speaker 1:Where we're trying to go right now is um to replicate what newfoundland and labrador did. So we feel um, you know, we we call like the angling and those avids are defend and maintain markets and then we have our new markets which are inspire and grow. So this is more around general leisure, where we do underperform and that represents a big growth potential to us. So we're trying to scrape together a war chest that we can go out and replicate the advertising that Newfoundland and Labrador did. They were able to grow their tourism industry to $1.2 billion in tourism receipts. We're starting at $2.5 billion. We're in a much better position. We're closer to market. We're not dependent on airlift. We're 94% people driving in and, like I said, we know we'll do a better job at retaining, or at attracting and retaining visitors where newfoundland has to go. They're a bucket list destination. They have to get 90 of their business new every year and that's that's a real tough uh prospect.
Speaker 4:That's a big number, though they put up for for having to do that.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic yeah, yeah, no, for sure Wow.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say. As a lodge owner, you know how difficult or impossible it would be to run a business and having a 90% turnover you would never do it.
Speaker 1:It's not sustainable. It's just not sustainable. Yeah, so we want to grow tourism receipts by at least another billion dollars to about 10 of the provincial average and uh, you know that'll generate over 350 million dollars every year for in tax revenues for three levels of government and provide an additional 14 000 full-time jobs in in uh in northern ontario good paying jobs in local communities.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's awesome. And then, when you were talking about areas that you're underperforming right now, you're talking like ecotourism and like different attractions. Say, I know the Aurora is a tough one unless you're up Canora Way and even at that, but like stargazing and different things, maybe talk a little bit about what some of those other than your staples, which is the fishery and hunting what are some of those things that you're working to build on?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, yeah, that's exactly what we underperform. So the type of tourism that drives, you know, almost every other destination in the world we underperform. So we have a huge opportunity in front of us and we just call it like the general leisure, right. So these are people who are coming up, you know, basically they've got some time on their hands looking for something to do. So, whether it's, you know, finding a beach, or you know, basically they've got some time on their hands looking for something to do. So, whether it's, you know, finding a beach, or you know, as you said, you know northern skies, you know the stars, you know some Wolf howls, yeah, yeah, just not, you know, to the same intensity as maybe someone that's coming up and doing a canoe trip or, you know, a fishing trip. You know just really experiencing. You know what we have, but in a more leisurely way and in a way that people move around.
Speaker 1:And you know we're starting to see, you know, some of that bigger resort development. So I don't know if you're aware of what's going on down in Killarney with Killarney Mountain Lodge. You know they've done some amazing work there. You know a little bit more, maybe in the Muskoka frame of mind, but you know, I believe they're looking at you know, getting to the point of having 300 rooms. They just a couple of years ago built the conference center and the restaurant there. It's the largest log conference center in the world and you know these types of things. You know that we can bring some people in and you know, have them come and, you know, spend a week with us or maybe move around and experience. You know what Northern Ontario is.
Speaker 2:Well, and I think a lot of younger families like I know that when I had chaudiere and most of the Diaries family know that I was within a four-hour drive from the GTA, so I was fairly close to the GTA. But a lot of young families would come and I always struggled with the internet and with Wi-Fi because I didn't. I always had it at the main lodge. But then, you know, some people would say, oh, you should have it in the cottages. People would say, oh, you should have it in the cottages. But I ultimately decided not to have Wi-Fi in the cottages and there's no cell service. There was no cell service where I was at at that time and people loved to bring their kids and have them unplugged.
Speaker 2:And more and more today I think that not just kids but couples and all people of all ages need a little bit of time where they're maybe not totally unplugged but at least aren't hooked to that phone right on the hip, right. I know that for me. A lot of times I just shut my phone off and my wife gets upset because I don't answer her for three or four hours. But for my sanity I need to unplug and I'll tell you what, folks, if you've never experienced the north or the bush or a lake and not had to worry about a phone.
Speaker 2:I'm old enough that and I started doing fishing trips when I was young enough that when we left I would tell my mom and dad you know, I'll see you in a week. If somebody dies, you can call the lodge, but I don't know if I'll get the message and just leave. And there's something so special about having that time when you're truly in the moment and you get to experience the loon calls and the wind in the pines and just even going out and breathing a cool, crisp air at night. And there's so many things that the North has to offer and they're just small, little things but they can be monumental when you're actually there in the moment.
Speaker 4:When you need them to be. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know. So I love the idea and that's what I miss the most about not owning a lodge. I still have an island up on the Upper French, so I'm very connected there to this day. But one of the most favorite things that and I'm sure it's the same with you, dave and Will and will but one of the most favorite things that I do and did was share experiences in the North and, you know, on the upper French River. It was a beautiful place to just, you know, take people to beautiful spots and show them things that you would never see unless you go into the bush Right and and that for all of you listening you know what. Just jump in the car and and head north with the family and and go somewhere. You will not regret it and go somewhere.
Speaker 1:You will not regret it. I remember Virginia McKenzie and she was with Tomogami Lake, first Nation. I think she said it best. She said that Northern Ontario is a place you go to bring balance back into your life, and it's so true. And I know now we've been at the lodge with the internet, so we have Wi-Fi. You have Wi-Fi calling now on your phone, right, so you know it used to be they had to email you, but now they can text you and they can call you and that. But it's still pretty easy once you land there that your brain flips to island time and just throw that thing away and I'll deal with it on my own terms. And just throw that thing away and I'll deal with it on my own terms.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah for sure. So let's talk a little bit about Lodge88. And I would love to be able to do that because over the years I have never had the pleasure of experiencing it. But I am a person who is if there's anybody on this planet that has heard more about Lodge 88 for years and years and years, and Ange and I had a wonderful relationship. Before I bought Chaudière and I had not been to very many lodges that I had never been to an American plant lodge. It was always a housekeeping place because when I was younger I couldn't afford it. But when I bought Chaudière, ange come up and they did a show for me every while. They did 13 episodes in in in my tenure tenure and and Ange was a very important piece to my success. He was my coach, he was my mentor, and do you know who he? Constantly there was never a comparison. Constantly there was never a comparison, but always a place to strive to. And there was only ever one place he talked about when it come to the pinnacle, and that was Lodge 88.
Speaker 1:Well, he's too kind. I don't get it, because when I'm there, all I can see is what's not done in the work that we still have to do, of course.
Speaker 2:we all see that, we all are like that.
Speaker 2:yeah, hey, listen you'll never experience it like I've experienced it when I go back to the place that I sold and poured my heart and soul into for a decade and then see what needs to be done. You know now that one is painful, but you always see that stuff. But I'll tell you what folks, if you're listening. Ange has said that and it was the biggest. There were two things that he spoke to. He said that the cleanliness at Lodge 88 was impeccable. He said that every time he went into one of your cottages or a room or any place, he felt like he was the first person going in there. It was immaculate and extremely beautiful. So, listen, hats off to that.
Speaker 2:And you don't know how much those thoughts of Lodge88 for me helped me when I was doing all of that stuff. Right, you look around and you see what needs to be cleaned up and you, you go and you, you do it and you make sure things are clean. You make sure the bathrooms are clean and and and and. I modeled my business from what I heard from Ange about Lodge88 and from what I the perspective of my guests coming in and what I wanted to give them. The other thing that he talked very pointed at was the food, and again he said the food at your place is outstanding and I just want to thank you, number one, because you are the benchmark For me. Lodge 88 was the benchmark. I looked at all of the pictures on your website and I just hope someday that I get to take the time to get there.
Speaker 1:Well, anytime, just give us a call, we'll find a spot. But you know, my granddad ran a clean operation, you know, and then he ran into some problems and that, and my parents, so parents. So we didn't have a choice. We were taught how to do things and to do it right the first time. And I think that's funny what you said about the first time, because that's the housekeepers, that's what they say.
Speaker 1:Like, your job in this cabin is to make it so that people, when they walk through that door, they feel like they're the very first people to stay in this cabin. And so if something breaks, you know we want to know about it. We don't, you know a tap or a light or you know something, so and we we carry, you know stuff that we can change it out quick. But you know, and we're 20 years now in, so you know we're at the point where we're starting to replace things. We've pretty much done the decks and the roofs and, looking at the inside stuff, I told Terry it was time to change the carpets.
Speaker 1:He wasn't too happy about that, so we got a new carpet cleaner which seemed to you know, buy us some time. Anyway, you're, you're right and I think I think people, for you know, don't understand that that's your brand, is not your logo, right? Your brand is your product and, um, you know, like we've been to many places where you know, there, you go into a cabin and there's like four plates, three spoons and two cups and nothing matches, right, yeah, and you just want, and you just want to make it look like that somebody actually cares, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, very well spoken, and now I think that we've accurately painted Lodge 88 in the correct light. Let's talk a little bit about the lake. You've got walleye. I guess, like for most northern lodges, is your bread and butter.
Speaker 1:Yes, so walleye, northern pike and perch in the main lake and then we've got a lake that you can portage into and to be honest, it's a rock lake, it's a pothole, it's a spring-fed lake on the top of a hill and you know it was just minnows in there. We got the M&R to stock at probably going back 30 or 40 years now and stuff. So somebody made a mistake, it was speckled trout and then somebody dumped some lake trout in it by mistake. So we're trying to get that mess cleaned up and get back to just the specs again. But, um, you know again, to be honest, you know like a lot of people went through the lake in the 60s and 70s and I can tell you in the early 80s you know, um, you know it was always a good lake for spawning but the fish were small, like a lot of fish, but small fish, like it was hard to catch a walleye over 14 inches, that's a small walleye. And so we worked with the other operator on the lake at the time and M&R so we were able to get slot sizes put on the lake in 1993.
Speaker 1:So we were 10 years before the provincial slots. We were. We were 10 years ahead. So you know, we've got a pretty impressive fishery, uh, and both in terms of size and and numbers and and again we really stress, uh, conservation. So if you went back in the 60s, anybody that came in, they, they fished every day. They fish every day. They took fish out their their limit, home, right, and and now it's, uh, it's a it's a whole different ball of wax because the they fished every day. They fished every day. They took fish out, they're at home, right, and now it's a whole different ball of wax because the lake honestly can't sustain that.
Speaker 2:Well, and I know from a good source again, angelo Viola, he said that on every trip you will come in contact with an eight to ten pounder uh which is outstanding, like that, those are beautiful walleye and. And he also said and I and I did do a little bit of research with uh, with ang um uh. He said that your northern pike fishery is underutilized. Um and and um. He said it is an. It is an. Actually, it's actually a wonderful uh, northern pike fishery, um, so let's talk a touch about that. Like what are? What's a big northern uh in your lake?
Speaker 1:well, I think the biggest that I've ever seen personally was 51 inches um, so that's, that's a big, big, northern, yeah, um, you know it's a walleye, it's like you know.
Speaker 1:you know, the biggest one I've ever seen out come out of, like I think was 14 pounds, but, like you said, it's not uncommon, you know, you know, just to see fish over eight pounds and and northern, you know, know, in the upper 20s and 30 pounds, you know. So that's good, I mean, we're lucky to be on the lake. So Esnagui Lake, you know, with the MNR, was the very first kind of remote lake in Ontario to have a fisheries management, like a lake management plan, put on it in 1969. So there's been no new development on the lake since the 60s. And actually, you know, there's less people fishing on the lake now than there was in the 60s and 70s and probably the early 80s. So we're very lucky to have that type of fishery, especially in northeastern ontario.
Speaker 1:Um, so we are, and it's a fishery that people know would normally, um, you know, think of and we always call them the exotics, right? So, the northern manitobas or, you know, the northwest territories, or saskatchewan, right, um, so you know, um, and, and people just like to come and have the ability to catch that fish, you know, and of course we encourage them all to go back so someone else to catch them. But we are worried. We are worried about global warming and climate change because we're seeing some, we're starting to see some things that you know these were cold water lakes, right, and these fish were never meant to be in waters that were, you know, warm for you know, three, four, five months of the year, and last year we had a very early ice out and you know we saw some things that you know that are kind of worrying.
Speaker 2:Is it the northern pike that you see the most affected?
Speaker 1:Well, what we found was there was just time and the fish just weren't eating and we attributed it to the warm water. But you know they were down deep so they were, and they were feeding at night. But you know it could just be the year that we had. So we're hoping it's an anomaly, but you know we're not getting the snow cover in the winter that we used to get, we're not getting the ice that we used to get. Now, maybe this year will be different. You know, it seems like this is a little bit more like a regular winter, but when we were kids and even the first couple of years at the Air air service, um, you know, middle of october lakes would start to freeze up, right, and now you're going like at christmas time, like the lakes there's still open water and stuff.
Speaker 2:yeah and uh yeah, right now too yeah, it's a I know on the uh upper french like um, um the owner, uh two owners back Tony Stinson and he owned it from about 1971 until 1996. He had a great tenure with it and when I bought it, brian Dykstra was the real estate agent that brokered the deal. He told me to reach out to Tony and Betsy, who at that time were in their 80s, and Tony actually come to the Toronto Sportsman Show to see me. But there was Tony and then Jerry Noel.
Speaker 2:He was an American fellow from Indiana and they always closed showaudiere on Labor Day and the first thing I did when I opened was I pushed that right back to Thanksgiving. But I asked Tony, I said why did you close on Labor Day? And when I asked Jerry that he said well, you know, all the kids go back to school and I don't have any labor. So that didn't make much sense to me. But I asked Tony and he said we got pushed out Like I mean, in September in the 70s the weather was no good, we had to leave.
Speaker 4:We were icing up, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, so there's been a huge change. And it's funny you talk about your fishery, I know, on Nipissing in the Upper French, I've noticed over the last 15 years that the northern pike seem to that they're. They're changing. The only um once you, once you get um away from the ice out, um, if you, if you want to catch a big northern man, you're the only time I, I, um, I see big northerns being caught is when, uh, we're fishing deep for muskies and those northerns are deep and then they're all snot rockets up shallow. You know you're, we're not catching anything bigger than you know 29, 30 inches from end of June right through till end of August in shallower water. And Nipissing is a very shallow lake, like I mean, we're average depth is 50 feet, not even right. Upper French is a lot different. Like we've got, you know, a 210 foot hole and average depth's probably about 100 feet. But I really I've seen a difference just in that short period of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, things definitely are different, not to say what might be causing it. But you know it's not the same as you know 50 years ago, that's for sure. It's not the same as 50 years ago, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:And, to be fair, I imagine if you go back 50 years ago, you could say the same thing about the 50 before that and the 50 before that, right? So it's hard to say.
Speaker 1:I was at a conference and there was some people from the?
Speaker 1:U of t and they were talking and, uh, they were saying like obviously you know, with with climate change and what we're doing with greenhouse gases isn't helping. But he said that almost like the current feeling is we've never gone this long without some kind of uh, um, you know, going back into an ice age, like we're really overdue. And so you know they're they're saying that um, you know that this climate change is, is, is maybe this much, um, you know, uh, from, uh, um, the rebound from the ice age and and warmer temperatures, with, you know, a little bit of uh, man-made stuff on on top, yeah, yeah, but uh, definitely changing and the world's changing. I was just talking to the toronto star right last week about, um, you know, you know people from from the south now looking for vacations to, you know, in the summertime where they can kind of come and cool off a bit. Oh, yeah, which takes us back 100 years or more, yeah, when people used to leave the cities for up north for that reason.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of the hot spots for show to air was Texas. And as soon as I and I know a Texas drawl, you know you get somebody on the phone and you hear, you, hear, you hear it. And the first thing that I would do to to start to seal the deal is they tell me what they were looking for and this and that, and I'd say how's the weather there? And they'd say, oh, it is hot here. You know it is a hundred and it's been a hundred and nine for the last month and a half. And I said, oh really, it's been a really hot here too. Oh yeah, how hot. Well, we've had like a month of 80. And they're like 80? Oh my God, that was it. That's why they came for the weather.
Speaker 2:Like it was, and that's something to remember too. Like I mean, yeah, you're absolutely right, but no, Dave.
Speaker 4:what are you working on, oh?
Speaker 1:sorry, go ahead, dave. No, I was just going to say we used to have travel agencies and and, uh, we had switched to uh, saber, the online, the reservation system, so we used to have to go to dallas, uh, to the american airlines, uh, flight training center for, uh, for computer training, and uh, I remember being down there, for it was in july one year and, uh, you know, up here in the winter time it's 35 below like don't go out in the car without your foil blanket and your candle and your little shovel and all this stuff, right, warm boots and warm mitts. And down there it was like the reverse, right, like don't be out in the freeway unless you got like a gallon of water and you get stuck and all this stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, that's awesome. Well, listen, dave. Thank you so much. Any last thoughts? Will or Dave, I?
Speaker 4:just wanted to know, dave, can you tell the people where can they find Lodge 88, marmac and White River Air just on your websites, or how can they get a hold of you if they want to get booked with you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's probably the easiest thing to do is to just Google Lodge88. You know that's what people do now, right? So just Lodge and two number eights and we'll come up and you know email and phone number, website, and you know Facebook and Instagram and all that fun stuff. You know it's a business has changed. My grandfather's time he would put a little box ad in, you know Field and Stream and Sports Afield and you go to the post. He went to go to the post office box and get inquiries and checks. And then my dad's time was the sports shows. And now that's all we do is answer social media.
Speaker 4:Yeah, oh, that's awesome. Well, you know what, dave? I personally really appreciate you being on here. I hope we can continue to build our relationship through Destination Northern Ontario and I know, steve, we definitely have to go for a ride on that train track. Buddy, I got to see some more of this. I got to see that bulldozer sitting in that ditch that got thrown off the tracks, baby. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm going to sign it.
Speaker 4:There you go.
Speaker 1:Anytime, guys, just let us know when.
Speaker 2:I've heard some crazy stories about that train. Dave, I don't know if you know this, but you and I shared guests the Caden Brown Foundation with Marty Meadows and those boys. I am telling you they I've never seen a group drink like that. Like I mean, they had a, they had a separate. They hauled a trailer, a covered trailer, up with all of their booze. But anyway, that's it, that's for a different day, but thank you so much. Folks, you'll find Lodge 88, and I highly recommend it. So does the Fish and Canada television show and crew, and go ahead there. Dave, you were going to say something.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was just going to say I think there's been a few people who've been asked to maybe not take the train again.
Speaker 2:Oh, it was a wild ride a few times, from what I hear, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like you know, it's called the Bud Car and it's not because it's Budweiser beer. There's an extra D involved. But yeah, what happens on the train stays on the train. Nice.
Speaker 2:Nice, I love that. I love that. Well, listen, thanks, brother. We really appreciate you being on with us. It was a wonderful hour and a bit and I certainly hope that we can do this again. And for all of you Diaries family out there listening, thank you so much for getting to this point. We really, really appreciate it. And if you're looking for a partnership with us, give Willie an email, a call, and we've got a great deck as well. Don't forget, like I say every week, go over to fishingcanadacom and get into those free giveaways. The more time you enter, the better chance you have to win, and they've got some great stuff. Again, garmin is always stepping up to the plate and they have some outstanding pieces of equipment there. Go and get it, and I guess folks again. Thus brings us to the conclusion of another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North. I'm a good old boy never meaning no harm.
Speaker 2:I'll be all you ever saw been reeling in the hog since the day I was born, bending my rock Stretching my line.
Speaker 4:Someday I might own a lodge, and that'd be fine. I'll be making my way the only way I know how, working hard and sharing the north With all of my pals. Well, I'm a good old boy, working hard and sharing the North with all of my pals.
Speaker 6:Well, I'm a good old boy.
Speaker 2:I bought a lodge and lived my dream.
Speaker 4:And now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems.
Speaker 3:Yeah, as the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Ouellette and I was honoured to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal use by Indigenous peoples all over the globe.
Speaker 3:After nearly a decade of harvest use, testimonials and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession and I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places and meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. And help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. Find Under the Canopy now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6:Hi everybody, I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete Bowman. Now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's favorite fishing show, but now we're hosting a podcast that's right. Every Thursday, angelo and I will be right here in your ears bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio. Hmm, now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week? Well, you know there's going to be a lot of fishing.
Speaker 7:I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 6:Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors.
Speaker 4:From athletes.
Speaker 7:To scientists.
Speaker 5:To chefs If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated, you will taste it.
Speaker 6:And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you are. Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside. Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.