Spring is arriving in a big way here in Lutsen, Minnesota. That's right. I arrived on Sunday to temperatures in the mid 40s in Duluth, along Lake Superior's lower west shore.

As our plane was flying over this Great Lake, I noticed that the shoreline was frozen over on both east and west sides. Thinking that it was surely going to be another cold day, I was prepared for the worse. Upon departing from the terminal to join some colleagues of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA), to attend our annual conference in Lutsen, the temperature was about 39 degrees. What a treat.

Our two and one half hour drive up the Lakeside was very scenic, however, we noticed many deer standing along side Highway 61. Some not-so-lucky ones never made it across the road, as they lay on snow banks making a hearty feast for ravins.

Our driver, Ken said that last season hunters could harvest up to seven deer in some zones. "Wow," I thought out loud, "I wish we could load some of these white tails and send them up to Maine!"

We took a little time to stop for lunch at, what else, an Irish Pub that just happened to be along the way. After a hearty bite, we continued on to Lutsen, arriving well before sunset.

On Monday, we began our pre-trip with an overnight snowmobile trek with guide, Mike Prom, owner of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters to Gunflint Lodge, located several miles in the northern wilderness. From our shoreline, we could see the Canadian border just across the lake.

We came up close and personal with many 'local' deer hanging out for a hand-out, literally, a hand out of dried corn that they nibbled right out of the palm of our hands. The upper west side of this area of Minnesota has many gorges, streams, ponds and hundreds of lakes, along with challenging trails we saw along the way.

Today, the temperature has dropped like a rock with a good north wind blowing, as a Canadian front has moved down cooling the spring like temperatures of mid to high 40s we had over the past two days. Last week it was in the sub-zero range.

Ski and ride safely. Use your head and don't forget to wear a helmet.