Author Topic: Snowbirding and Sunbirding  (Read 1095 times)

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Offline ben ji

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #50 on: January 27, 2024, 10:49:12 AM »
What’s the mosquito sitch on these Minnesota lakes during summer?

If varies, and gets worse at night.  Most of the time it isn't really that bad at all.  If you are going to be out of the water, just wear bug spray or clothes that ward them off. Camp fires work great for keeping them away.  People don't really ever notice them if they are swimming or tubing/skiing during the day, for example.

Personally, since our kids are nearly out of the house, we don't spend any time swimming really.  I'm either fishing or doing a stroll around the lake in the pontoon.  When I am fishing I am usually wearing long sleeves, like those fishing hoodies, and then a little bug spray on top of them to keep them away.  On a moving boat, they won't get you much, so the pontoon strolls are nice.

The whole thing kinda gets overblown.  Northern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and Northern Michigan all have the same ecological profile, and they are all amazing in the summer. Minnesota does have the advantage of more lakes, of if you like water stuff, that's nice.  Wisconsin and Michigan have way more access to the Great Lakes though.  Duluth in MN is a super desirable place on a great lake, but definitely better in WI and MI if you like the big water 100 foot lake trout and salmon stuff.

I'd much rather chill on one of the smaller lakes in MN as opposed to the great lakes. How big is your "Home" lake up there? Boat dock on it or do you have to put in at the launch every time you take the boat out?

Offline IPA4Me

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #51 on: January 27, 2024, 10:52:48 AM »
Is there anywhere to live in Texas where you don't have to drive 1.5 hrs to get anywhere
I’ve never actually lived in KC, but Dallas feels like it has significantly less sprawl from my experience. You might have to drive 20-30 minutes to visit a friend but most everything you do on a daily basis is in your own little pocket of the city.
DFW is gigantic, so I think you’re meaning just, like, Dallas Dallas? Because the metro sprawl is to the max.
Sprawl? Sure. However every little area has the same pop-up stuff. You really don't have to drive far unless you have a specific major destination like Jerry World, theater, baseball, etc., etc.

Offline Pete

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #52 on: January 27, 2024, 10:54:06 AM »
Yeah, like clams said, that how most people live even in KC.

Offline IPA4Me

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #53 on: January 27, 2024, 10:57:35 AM »
Perfect snow/sun for me.

Summer around the Great Lakes. Winter in south Texas, Arizona, or Florida (south of Fort Myers).

I don't do dry air well.

Offline Pete

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #54 on: January 27, 2024, 11:10:42 AM »
You can live in northern MN on a lake or deep in the woods and still be relatively close to necessities.  Each little lake town has it's own full array of services.  Most all of the spots are within 3 hours of a an airport that has multiple daily flights to MSP or ORD (or both).  I am one hour from BRD (daily flights to MSP), 2.5 hours from DLH (multiple daily flights to both MSP and ORD), and 2.5 hours from FAR (daily flights to MSP and ORD).

My place in MN is closer to a grocery store than my house in north Overland Park.  Just a quirk of geography.  My in-laws found the lake we are on and wanted a place there because they liked the lake, then more in-laws came to the lake and we decided to get a spot on the same lake (5 cabins of related parties)....anyway, it just worked out that the one grocery store (which is also gas station, hardware, equipment rental, bait shop, gun shop, hunting supplies, sporting goods, auto parts, boat parts, etc) is like 1.5 miles from my cabin and off by itself and not really "in town," though the town is 300 people.  I go there almost every day when I decide what I want to cook for dinner and get minnow/leeches/worms for fishing.  I want to get a side by side Polaris so that I can look cooler and more local when I go to the grocery store, but my wife says that is not needed, which is such rough ridin' bullshit.  Rolling up to the American Legion on bingo night in your Polaris is such a flex, and I am consumed with jealousy.

Offline Pete

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #55 on: January 27, 2024, 11:29:23 AM »
For the Sunbirds, if you didn't really care about boating and fishing or being RIGHT ON the lake, there are loads of places where you can get a little place in a town that is walking distance from the lake for really cheap. 
Walker, Bemidji, Nisswa, Cross Lake, just tons of places where little houses in town are cheap.  Like, Council Grove or St. Mary's cheap, but just happen to be next to a rough ridin' lake.  OR, if you were a person who liked to fish, but mostly wanted to be able to try lots of lakes and tow your boat around, it's perfect to get a towny house.

If you crave human interaction, you'll usually be easy driving distance from several different American Legions and VFW's and all of them have something every night.   


Offline Pete

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Re: Snowbirding Insider Input Needed
« Reply #56 on: January 27, 2024, 11:33:21 AM »
For example, I happen to be just south of Leech Lake (enormous lake in north central MN), and the little towns in my area have the following regular lineup each week, not including festivals, and they are spaced out a bit like silver lake/rossville/st Mary’s/wamego…

   ?   Sunday night meat raffle at Hackensack Legion
   ?   Sunday night meat raffle at Walker Legion
   ?   Monday night Lions Club meat raffle at Hackensack Municipally Owned Bar
   ?   Tuesday Bingo at Backus Legion
   ?   Tuesday Bingo at Pine River Legion
   ?   Tuesday Bingo at Walker Legion
   ?   Wednesday Progressive Bingo at Hackensack Legion
   ?   Wednesday Trivia at Backus Legion
   ?   Wednesday Texas Holdem at Pine River Legion
   ?   Wednesday Karaoke at Horseshoe Bay Lodge in Walker
   ?   Wednesday Bingo at Walker Legion
   ?   Thursday Farmers Market with live band in Walker
   ?   Thursday meat raffle at Hackensack Legion
   ?   Thursday meat raffle at Horseshoe Bay Lodge in Walker
   ?   Thursday trivia at Pine River Legion
   ?   Friday meat raffle at Backus Legion
   ?   Friday meat raffle at Pine River Legion
   ?   Friday meat raffle at Walker Legion
   ?   Saturday meat raffle at Hackensack Legion
   ?   Saturday night lakeside concert at Hackensack
   ?   Saturday bingo at Pine River Legion

Offline Pete

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #57 on: January 27, 2024, 11:39:00 AM »
I have spent time in Norther WI as well, and it's very similar.  When I was young I lived in Milwaukee for a a couple years, and would go up north with friends.  It was awesome.  Also had relatives in Sheboygan (half way between Milwaukee and Green Bay/Door County), and they loved living by lake Michigan in a small town feel.  Door County and Sturgeon Bay are really great.  Green Bay is OK, but it's really just about football weekends.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #58 on: January 27, 2024, 11:40:31 AM »
I didn't mention golfing, but if you are golfer the courses are amazing.  They don't have to work very hard to keep all them very, very green.  It's a short season for them, but the average town golf course up there is outstanding, let alone the high-end destinations like Gull Lake area in MN, and Kohler in WI.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #59 on: January 27, 2024, 11:43:33 AM »
And the State pride of MN/WI/MI amongst the people who live up North is infectious.  They all truly believe that they are blessed to live in one of the best places on earth.  I think loving the winter is rough ridin' nuts, but those dip shits eat it up (ice fishing booze shanties, snow mobiles, etc.).

It's just kinda fun to be around people who really love where they live, AND not have to pay as much as money bags scrooge McDuck RustyCat in SF and Brooklyn.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #60 on: January 27, 2024, 01:09:32 PM »
Is there anywhere to live in Texas where you don't have to drive 1.5 hrs to get anywhere
I’ve never actually lived in KC, but Dallas feels like it has significantly less sprawl from my experience. You might have to drive 20-30 minutes to visit a friend but most everything you do on a daily basis is in your own little pocket of the city.
DFW is gigantic, so I think you’re meaning just, like, Dallas Dallas? Because the metro sprawl is to the max.
Yeah I don’t think anyone who lives in Dallas means DFW when they say Dallas. Other than going to sporting events, amusement parks, or gigantic box stores like Nebraska Furniture Mart there’s not really a reason to go to another city in the metroplex.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #61 on: January 27, 2024, 01:13:18 PM »
Yeah, like clams said, that how most people live even in KC.
Like I said I’ve only ever visited. But my experience was always like “oh you need to hop on 435 and go to this city [or state] for that.” It probably only feels more sprawling to me because there’s a lot of openness between things.

Offline mocat

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #62 on: January 27, 2024, 01:14:34 PM »
Pete if you snowbird in dallas OR dfw so help me

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #63 on: January 27, 2024, 01:16:55 PM »
I absolutely love the winters in North Texas, but if you’re craving warm weather you’ll be sorely disappointed. It hovers between 30-50 most of the winter. A few glorious days will be right around 60 and sunny.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #64 on: January 27, 2024, 01:20:09 PM »
Nah, we kinda assume we’ll need to try different places before we decide on something, but right now I am a very very strong Arizona lean.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #65 on: January 27, 2024, 01:26:02 PM »
It takes like 8 hours to get from Ft Worth to Prosper, I think catastrophe is high on drugs.
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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #66 on: January 27, 2024, 01:34:01 PM »
It takes like 8 hours to get from Ft Worth to Prosper, I think catastrophe is high on drugs.
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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #67 on: January 27, 2024, 03:19:37 PM »
Pete, I’ll just say it’s pretty nice in south Texas today. In shorts and a tshirt enjoying the weather.

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Offline star seed 7

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #68 on: January 27, 2024, 03:53:25 PM »
I think Pete has pretty well disuaded me from ever summering up north. That sounds truly terrible.
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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #69 on: January 27, 2024, 03:55:34 PM »
Seriously, what kind of psychopathy is a "meat raffle"
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Offline sys

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #70 on: January 27, 2024, 05:03:46 PM »
i guess they don't have enough meat for everyone so they distribute it by lottery?  amazing diversity in these united states of ours.
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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #71 on: January 27, 2024, 07:18:55 PM »
The meat raffle is a slice of rural MN goodness. It’s like a party.  In the Legion halls they have giant large hall filled with huge tables and chairs and a bar, and they all just sit around drinking beer, playing cards, eating bar food, and bullshitting, then people come around selling raffle tix and every 30 minutes or so and they raffle off a table full of choice cuts of meat.  They do a bunch of rounds. It’s quite the spectacle. VERY well attended.

Offline Pete

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #72 on: January 27, 2024, 07:33:20 PM »
There tons of breweries as well, but I rarely go. They are super popular.

There’s also this old rail road called the Paul Bunyan Trail that the converted into a really wide paved trail. It’s quite long and runs north and south. I’m about 1.5 miles from it.  It connects through most of the towns and there restaurants and coffee shops and crap.  Big cycling scene that congregates 20 miles south of me.

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #73 on: January 27, 2024, 07:36:53 PM »
Sometimes I wonder if I was supposed to be born in MN/WI

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Re: Snowbirding and Sunbirding
« Reply #74 on: January 27, 2024, 07:53:01 PM »
The winters are not easy up there. I don’t know how they do it.  The likely explanation is that they drink a lot. Flying down the side of the road on snowmobiles headed to the next bar, or to their ice shanty on the lake.  Most major roads have permanent snow mobile paths running along them. In the summer people still use them with their 4 wheelers.

Those ice shanties can get super elaborate.  They’re basically campers with hydraulics to lower them to the ice and then holes in the floor to fish l.