Goin' To The Lake Recap: Lake Mille Lacs (Day 1)
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Once again, we're hitting the road and Goin' to the Lake on WCCO. This week takes our most beloved odd couple of the season -- Chris Shaffer and Mike Max -- up to Lake Mille Lacs for Garrison Days!
Mille Lacs is Minnesota's second largest lake at more than 132 acres. It's 20 miles long and 18 miles wide.
In fact, you'll actually find more lakeshore in the area than in Minneapolis and St. Paul combined.
For years fishing has been the big draw around the lake. With restrictions on walleye, most folks are now going after bass, perch, crappies, northerns and trophey muskies.
Besides fishing, Lake Mille Lacs is also great for water sports, kayaking and swimming.
And there are four other towns beside Garrison.
Goin' To The Lake: Chris & Mike Arrive At Lake Mille Lacs
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Lake Mille Lacs isn't the only lake you'll find in the Garrison area. In fact, there are a lot of smaller lakes and plenty of family resorts that make the perfect summer getaway.
Camp Holiday, on the shores of Turtle Lake, is run by a mom and a pop -- Therese and Paul Erickson.
Camp Holiday has been a part of their family for more than 30 years. Therese grew up here and now so have her two sons.
You'll find a place to stay for every size family, from a small studio to a seven bedroom house, and if camping is more your style they've got that too. It's all within feet of a beautiful lake view.
In all you'll find 12 rental cabins and 40 campsites there at Camp Holiday.
Goin' To The Lake: Camp Holiday
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Chris and Mike grabbed a bite to eat at Happy's Drive In in Onamia.
It's been open in Onamia since 1990 and is famous for its burgers, chicken, chili, ice cream and, of course, the special sauce.
It's open year-round from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Goin' To The Lake: Happy's Drive-In
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If you're looking for some culture during your visit to the Garrison area, you have to stop by the Mille Lacs Indian Museum.
Lake Mille Lacs area is home to the Mille Band of Ojibwe, and the museum helps preserve the Ojibwe way of life and tells their story.
The biggest draw at the museum is the Four Seasons Room, which takes you back in time about 200 years. You can see how people would gather sap for maple syrup in the fall, fish and gather bark in the summer and ice fish and fur trap in the winter.
There is also Native American Art on display and even some games for the kids. But the hope is you'll walk away with a new appreciation for the Ojibwe culture.
Goin' To The Lake: Mille Lacs Indian Museum
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Lake Mille Lacs is known as a walleye lake, but recent regulations on how many and what sizes you can keep are hurting the fishing tourism.
Well-known fishing guide Tony Roach said there's another fish in Mille Lacs that could be just as big as the walleye. You can easily catch bass that are between three and four pounds, and some can even get as big as seven or eight pounds.
Roach said the best time to catch bass is from early June to mid-July, and then again in the fall.
Chris and Mike spent the evening on a charter fishing boat on Lake Mille Lacs in Garrison.
The charter trips, operated by Twin Pines Resort, are great for work groups, family vacations and even bachelorette or bachelor parties.
Goin' To The Lake: Chris & Max Fish Mille Lacs
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On Friday, Chris and Mike will be hitting up Twin Pines Resort and the Y Club, so keep your eyes peeled.
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Of course, as has been the case all season, you can't kick off a great road trip without first setting up a playlist. Chris stocked this week's roster with some of his favorite power duets of all time. Reunited? It feels so good.
Since Mike is doing double duty this week in Goin' to the Lake, the web team all pitched in to help him fill out his half of the playlist. I think you'll agree, this is exactly the kind of music Mike loves to listen to on a long car ride.
Listen to the full playlist below!
Goin' To The Lake: Chris & Maxie's Road Trip Playlist
[spotify id="spotify:user:ephender:playlist:2ysDj2tlH7KjZzbL3pO2cy"/]
