Ski Date

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Liz’s parents were up this weekend and were kind enough to watch the kiddos while we took full advantage of the beautiful weather today and went skiing at Soaring Eagle Ski Trails, located north of Park Rapids about seven miles. The trails were beautiful and it was great to get outside without bundling up like a marshmallow to stay warm 😉 As with many of you, it’s been pretty chilly the last couple weeks with most days barely getting up to zero, so it felt pretty balmy when the thermometer read 20!
Liz Ahrendt Skiing at Soaring Eagle Ski Club

The owners of Half Moon Trail Resort, in Park Rapids, MN are out for a ski at Soaring Eagle Ski Club

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Staff Intro

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GroupWe had a little bonding time today with some of our full time summer staff at the Character Challenge Course! It’s a great place if you are looking to add a few extra thrills to your vacation. Awesome staff and cool facility, definitely a good choice if you want some time off the lake. Here’s a quick intro for our summer staff:

FORREST

Forrest is one of the full time summer staff at Half Moon Trail Resort, in Park Rapids, MN

Many of the past guests know this familiar face! After spending last summer in Texas, he’s back before starting his “real job” as a teacher and coach in Missouri.

Fun fact about Forrest: He can almost clear a two story building with a skinny fiberglass pole…and he’s the only guy I know who has bought a car for $1!

MANDY

Mandy is one of the full time summer staff at Half Moon Trail Resort, in Park Rapids, MN

This is Mandy’s second summer, but she’s like family to us, and we are sooo happy she is back!

Fun fact about Mandy – she jumped out of a plane, and survived!  And, she can crack an egg with one hand.

ANNALISE

Half Moon Trail Staff at the Character Challenge Course

Annalise has been a part of our amazing cleaning crew for quite some time, but she became part of our full time staff last year. We are thankful she is back and hopeful for more great years to come!

Fun fact about Annalise – she’s been cleaning cabins at Half Moon since she was 8!  And, as I found out on the obstacle course this morning, she is very fast!

KAYLA

Michaela is one of the full time summer staff at Half Moon Trail Resort

Kayla – Most of you know that Kayla is my younger sister, and we are very blessed to have her living right down the road. She is a huge help, and definitely gets the award for being the veteran around here.


Fun fact about Kayla – She can stand on her head for 4 minutes and 27 seconds! Can anyone say, headache? And, she’s a great photographer!

 

 

 

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Park Rapids Area Biking

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Many of you simply enjoy relaxing on the lake during your vacation, but we also know there are quite a few that like to be active! Listed below are a couple places that you may want to check out, for both on and off-road biking.

Itasca State Park (aprox. 15 min by car) – If you don’t have bikes of your own, Itasca Sports is a bike shop located in the park and rents all types of bikes, along with Burly’s if you have kids too young to ride. They recently re-paved a new 6 mile bike trail that is beautiful, but a little hilly. There is an additional 10 miles of trail that shares a one way road with vehicles, and takes you on a loop around the park. This is a very unique route with a lot of beautiful scenery.

Heartland Trail (aprox. 20 min by car) – On the contrary to Itasca, this trail is very flat and straight. This was an abandoned railroad and goes from Park Rapids up to Cass Lake, which is approximately 50 miles. Not quite as scenic as Itasca, but a very nice paved trail and goes through several small towns along the way. It’s a perfect trail to stop and have lunch in Dorset or Nevis. There is also a bike shop that rents bikes in Park Rapids if you would rather not bring your own.

Maplelag Resort (aprox 40 min by car) This is a well-known cross country ski and mountain biking resort that has almost 40 miles of trail. Many of the cross country ski trails are opened up for mountain biking use during the summer, but there are also several single track mountain bike trails. The area is fairly hilly, and provides a challenge for those looking for more of a technical ride.

Minimum Maintenance roads/snowmobile trails – (within biking distance of the resort) – Although these aren’t official biking trails, there are quite a few small roads/trails that take you through some beautiful country right around the resort. Many are snowmobile trails in the winter, or old logging roads not being used anymore. They aren’t technical or very difficult to navigate but are fun to explore and very convenient for a quick trip right from the cabin. We have cruiser bikes that are available for our guests to use free of charge if you would like to take a spin and check out the area!

Itasca Biking - Pine Trees

Itasca Biking
Anyone recognize these two hotshots? This is going back quite a few years, but this is Nate and Michaela (my brother and sister) biking at Itasca State Park! This isn’t considered black mail is it?
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