So, how did you make it work?

Many people over the years have asked this question along with others such as; “Did you just leave your jobs?”, “Did you work in the hotel industry before you did this?”, “Weren’t you scared?”, “How did you know what to do?”

Let me start by saying that hindsight is 20/20.  As we look back over the twist and turns of our lives, we can see how we were led to just this place.  What started as a pipe dream on our honeymoon almost 30 years ago became a reality at just the appointed time.

“Did you just leave your jobs?”  The simple answer is yes.  “Did you ever work in the hotel industry before?”  The simple answer is no.  I have worked from a very young age for both my grandfather and dad.  Work was never […]

Did you always want to own a resort?

This is a trick question.  I believe that everyone has a pipe dream, one of those dreams that couldn’t possibly happen to “me”.   Owning a resort was one of our “pipe dreams”.

While honeymooning in the Rocky Mountain National Park area we stayed at a resort that was for sale, the dream begins.  Would we like to do something like this?  Could we do something like this?  Could we walk away from our jobs, home, etc. for a totally different life?  How would we ever get the money?  As years passed, the dream kept popping back up.  We even had plans to purchase a hotel we liked near Boyne Falls, Michigan.  We took the records provided by the owners to our accountant and he promptly informed us that the business would not carry the […]

Did you used to stay here?  We get this question a lot!  And the answer is a resounding YES!

“On our way to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park to do some hiking of the more than 87 miles of trails, play at the waterfalls, see Lake of the Clouds and eve visit a Bear’s Den, we passed Mountain View Lodges.”  You may recall that this is how the Blog ended before the interruption.

Rick decided to stop and check out the “cabins”.  I, on the other hand, was not interested at all.  So while the kids and I waited in the car he went to take a look.  The cabins were all reserved, but they did have one to show that had not yet checked-in.  The next thing I know he is back […]

We interrupt this Blog…

The next question: “Did you ever stay here?” has been interrupted for another question…

Do you ever see any wildlife?

The answer is YES!  As winter gives way to spring, the forest is bursting with new arrivals.  The trees are budding, fronds of the fiddlehead fern are unfurling, the first signs of the wildflowers are poking up from the soil, the new born fawns are trying to find their footing and the black bear are rising from their long winter slumber.

Summer is the most active time of year.  The visitors are out hiking the hundreds of miles of trails in search of the roaring waterfalls and scenic vistas of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and the Ottawa National Forest.  But the visitors come in many species.  The newly born […]

Welome to the Mountain View Lodges & Gallery Blog!

Chapter 2

How did you find this place? 

It is true that Mountain View Lodges and the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park are off the beaten path.  One needs to be seeking to find.

For many years when your children were young, we vacationed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  But since we were living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we usually headed straight up to Sault Ste. Marie.  We toured the locks.  Took trips across the bridge into Canada, where we visited Lake Superior Provincial Park and viewed the pictographs.  We even took the train ride through the Agawa Canyon, two of us loved it, two of us were bored and one was just a nervous wreck.

This trip piqued our curiosity.  What is on the […]

Chapter 1

So Many Questions…

Over the years, we have had the pleasure of hosting thousands of guests at our cabins on Lake Superior.   And this also means lots of questions.  We will begin by answering some of the basics right here.  We welcome your questions and comments.  Be sure to post your questions and follow the latest updates and happenings at www.facebook.com/mtnviewlodges.

Are you from the area?  Many guests have wondered if we have always lived in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, more affectionately known as the U.P.  Did we grow up here and take over the “family” business?

Well, the answer is no.  Rick and I are actually from the Chicago area.  We have also lived in Colorado and Indiana.  While we have not lived in Illinois for nearly thirty years, we do still have family there and visit each year.