40 lashes with a wet noodle! Yes, I deserve it! I have been woefully lax in doing my blog posts for Mountain View Lodges… For this, I apologize. People ask and I continue to say that I will be writing soon. And then another week, month and even years go by… Where does the time go?
That being the question of the day, I will do a bit of a recap in this blog. We are currently in our thirteenth summer at Mountain View Lodges (MVL), Silver City, Michigan. We moved to begin a new life in the Porcupine Mountains and what an adventure it has been!
When we first came to MVL, Rick, my husband, planted some trees just outside of the space on the property we call home. Now they almost block the view at nearly 30′ high! In fact, all the trees have grown and the property seems a bit more cozy now.
When we began, our youngest daughter was only 6 years old. If you have followed any of my previous blogs, you have read about her. She is now 19 years old! And again I ask; where does the time go? After spending many years in the area meeting new people and working beside us, and learning to let God direct her steps, she has decide to venture off to do some Mission work with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). If you would like to read more about her story, you can go to GoFundMe.com/karstenvarcha
So here we are “empty nesters” of sorts. We do have one of our grandkids come and join us for five or six weeks each summer – learning the ropes of business ownership. But we are also looking at what the future holds for us. I find myself wondering; what if some couple comes, falls in love with the area, with MVL, wants to escape the big city for the solitude of the Porcupine Mountains and approaches us like we did the previous owners? Would we be willing to let go? Willing to hand over the reigns to someone else? If so, where would we go? What would we do next? Since these are only fleeting thoughts I don’t have the answers. So we will leave that in God’s Hands…
In the meantime, we will continue doing what we do, enjoying the people we meet and hopefully helping to make their vacation memories all they hoped for and more!

If you are still looking for something to do this summer, how about checking out the 12th Annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival,www.porkiesfestival.org. This is the biggest event in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park every summer. This year’s dates are August 26, 27 & 28 – it is always the last weekend in August prior to Labor Day weekend. Since this is a locally funded and sponsored event, they are always in need of volunteers!

But if you decide to attend, be sure to plan for a day or two before and/or after so that you have time to explore the rest of the Park and all the area has to offer! Classes at the Folk School, shops, waterfalls, Lighthouse and museums, historic sites and you can’t miss the Adventure Mine Tour, www.adventuremine.com!
So, I am hoping that this is only the first of more regular blogs to be posted… Feel free to comment and keep me on my toes!