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It took about 3 minutes to line up two partners in crime , and one said we could stay at his in-laws ’ lake place so no reservations were needed . “ We ’ ll meet at the Snow Goer offices at 6:30 a . m . tomorrow ,” I commanded . “ We ’ ll be riding by 9 a . m .”
By sunrise , we were already headed north and east , but it didn ’ t look encouraging : It didn ’ t even get below freezing overnight in Minneapolis , and our destination was a mere 140
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miles away . Brown grounds and rising temperatures dominated the landscape during our drive . “ They promised us snow ,” I mumbled , “ I hope they weren ’ t lying to us .” The ground got white north of Turtle Lake , Wisconsin , but it was a couple inches of crust – hardly what we were looking for .
Soon we were unloading sleds at Greg ’ s in-law ’ s cabin near Birchwood . The trails were icy and thin , but generally snow-covered at first as we
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The Lakewoods ’ Role In Snowmobiling History
The history of the family-owned Lakewoods Resort dates back five generations in the Rasmussen family , to 1907 .
It was originally a summer getaway on the south shore of the 2,897-acre , island-littered Lake Namakagon for families who would take a train to the area from Chicago or Minneapolis and then ride by horse-and-buggy the rest of the way to the resort . In 1958 , renovations allowed the resort to stay open year-round , and it began appealing to the skiing crowd . It has survived through two devastating fires – and a lot of winter nights packed with snowmobilers !
“ It was about in 1972 that we started seeing snowmobiles ,” said Kathy Rasmussen ( Lakewoods co-owner with her husband , Phil ) while sitting in the scenic bar overlooking a frozen and well-worn surface of Lake Namakagon . “ The Lakewoods catered to skiers at Telemark in the winter , but the base of customers really changed in the ’ 70s . From about 1972
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to ’ 74 , we started changing our focus to snowmobiling . Once we started housing snowmobilers , then the other local businesses and resorts started staying open year-round as well .”
The legend of the Lakewoods grew quickly among snowmobilers , and even snowmobile media and manufacturers . By the late 1970s , several manufacturers started doing in-season testing and photo shoots out of the area – most intently Yamaha , which housed a team at the Lakewoods most of the winter . It soon became the site of the old Snow Goer Shootout , and later the first Rode Reports was centered here .
In fact , old snowmobile photos adorn the walls inside the fancy dining room , including a 40-year-old image of then 5-year-old P . C . Rasmussen at the Shootout – P . C . is Phil and Kathy ’ s son , and is now the general manager of the business .
The Lakewoods still has everything it needs to remain a snowmobiling Mecca – great accommodations and food , a friendly atmosphere , a fleet of rental sleds , a repair shop and , above all else , a great location .
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