Our second run ever in "Unit 1" was to a small lake in Becker County that was near where we dropped our girls off with their dad for a visit. We were in the neighborhood and it looked small enough that we would be spared any motorboat traffic.
And it turned out to be a perfect lake, and more importantly a perfect day!
Twin Island Lake is a bit of a mystery. It's located off Becker County Highway 143 in the middle of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. But try finding it on Google, and what you see is a no name lake connected to a non-existent lake called Carmen Lake. But you can actually find it on the official Becker County map, which clearly identifies it as Twin Island Lake.
The lake is only a bit over 100 acres (115 acres according to the best information I could find), and neither time we have been there did we see anyone else on the lake. It is small, and so it's not going to attract anglers, and it's remote enough that people aren't just going stumble upon it. But it's just a complete gem for canoeing!
The water is sheltered by forest, which protects it from big wind-produced waves. It's got a current that flows through the lake from the Egg River that exits on the western end. And the lake is big enough that it provides an entire day of canoeing. Additionally, there are two islands (surprise, right?) that provide some additional opportunity to explore nature.
We spent a lot of time on the lake, canoeing down a small river that exits the lake on the west end where we got to see a fantastic beaver lodge built right on the water's edge. We paddled on a bit after the lodge, but the water was pretty shallow, and I didn't know how far we'd get. So with a bend in the river wide enough, I turned us around and headed back into the lake.
We saw some beautiful natural art where the lake water had bent the bulrushes over into the water, and the blue skies were something you only see in the most moving art.
Being only our second canoe trip we still had some getting used to canoeing together, but by the end of the day, we had figured out the balancing act well enough that Shelley was able to fish while I paddled her around the lake. ... And lo and behold, if she didn't snag a 15-inch northern pike as she let her line drag behind the canoe. There was no fight to the catch all. Shelley felt the telltale snag, started reeling the line in and got the fish all the way to the boat before we realized what she had. ... And when we brought it in she was ecstatic!
Probably the most memorable aspect of the trip was the end. As we made our way clockwise around about three-fourths of the lake, and Shelley continued to fish, I noticed in the western sky that there were some dark clouds forming and moving in fast. I suggested that it looked like rain, and that the last place we wanted to be was in an aluminum canoe in the middle of a lake during a rain storm.
Well, by the time she had reeled in her line, the clouds were even closer and even more threatening, and I suggested that Shelley might want to pick up her paddle and help me get to shore. And we paddled hard.
We made it to shore. I ran to the car and backed it up to the shore where we quickly began to unload the gear. And just as we did, a duck came swimming to shore in the sprinkling rain. The duck dawdled a bit just off shore, swimming back and forth as it cautiously checked us out, but at some point must have decided that we were not a threat. So he came ashore. And as Shelley and I made quick work of unloading the canoe gear, the duck just waddled by, up the access embankment and into the neighboring weeds. It was so normal that it was absurd!
Next up, I lugged the canoe to the top of the access incline where I nearly tossed it up on top of the car. Well, serendipity struck and there was another gentleman who happened by the access to check out the lake. And he jumped in to lend a hand to help me get the canoe tied down. I took the rear and front lead lines, and he started in on the ratchet straps.
As soon we finished, I ran to the car, and Shelley handed me some money. ... "You should go give this to him," she said. "We never would have gotten the canoe up in time without him."
By this time the rain had started to fall, but I knew she was right. I took the $20, ran to his car, thanked him again, gave him the money, and before he could refuse, I bolted back to our car. And just as I dove into the driver's seat, the heavens opened up and it down poured.
It might be too much to suggest that the Holy Spirit planted that gentleman there just at the exact right time that we needed him to be. But I won't deny that it seemed a tad strange that this gentleman just happened to be out checking out a secluded lake that was located on its way to no where. ... The Lord indeed works in mysterious ways.
I can't say enough about this small little lake. It was the perfect adventure for a canoe outing, and we'll be going back. There was so much that we didn't get to explore.
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