Happy Holidays!

We had a very White Christmas this year at the Red Bridge Inn! And, we wish everyone a Happy New Year. May 2009 bring us many blessings.

We have at least two feet of snow and are hoping that snowmobilers will find that our rates are reasonable and want to visit! The trails are groomed and ready! We are right on the trails; and the atmosphere and hospitality at the Inn can't be beat! Not only are we a great place for snowmobilers, but the area is excellent for cross-country skiers! There are several trails and Soaring Eagle is 9 miles up the road from us; terrific trails that are maintained for cross-country. Make the weekend even more special and try our spa package - a great way to relax after a day of skiing or snowmobiling!

Hope to see you soon!

I'm as bad as my son!

I realized that it has been quite some time since I wrote last in the blog. Which puts me right in the category with my son who has been awful blogging about his experiences in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa! He has gotten better, so it is my turn to "step up to the plate!"

We had a wonderful summer; the season seemed short, but it was great none-the-less! We met so many wonderful people that were guest at the Inn and we look forward to having you stay with us again in the future.

We look toward fall...yes, the leaves have already started to turn and the next two weeks will be peak!! So if you have any intentions of viewing the fall colors, now is the time to make your reservation! This weekend is the Headwaters 100 bike tour and race. Always a wonderful event, especially when the weather cooperates - as we are hoping for a beautiful weekend!

We would like to think that the sun is always shining when you stay at the Red Bridge Inn! Blessings to you!

WOW! July was wonderfully busy - I didn't even realize that the month has gone by we are now in August! The 4th of July fireworks were spectacular, we've met many new friends that have stayed with us, and we believe that we are truly blessed and have found our niche. Our little town has been putting on the play "Into the Woods" with the Northern Light Opera Company here in Park Rapids. There are so many talented people in this area and it has been so much fun being a part of the "pit crew." I have been able to find outlets that allow me to utilize my flute playing talents. We are looking forward to hosting a group of Peace Corps vlounteers that will be having their reunion here at the Inn in just a couple of weeks - we are looking forward to meeting this amazing group of young adults! We only wish that all of this group could be together, including the organizer that extended his stay and is still in Mali, Africa finishing his third year of PC (we miss you Eric but are extremely proud of you!) Blessings to all!

God Bless America!

With the 4th of July this weekend, all of us at the Red Bridge Inn wish everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July! Park Rapids has a huge parade in the afternoon, the PBR is in town all weekend and the evening is topped off with a huge fireworks display. The Inn has been booked for over 9 months (and we could have filled the Inn 3 times more)! We must be THE happening place for the 4th! We think we are one of the best place to view the fireworks - right from our deck!! We serve up a picnic, including pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potato salad, chips and pickles to all of guests! There's a game of ladder golf going on during the early evening, you can paddle boat, kayak or canoe the river before it gets too busy with boaters waiting for the fireworks. We even stoke up the campfire after the fireworks. The Park Rapids Community Band provides music in the park right before the fireworks, which I'm a part of; it's a lot of fun! So for next year - make your reservations early!!! God bless our guest, our friends and family and God Bless America!

Off to the Races!

The Red Bridge Run! Canoe Race was held this past weekend at the Red Bridge Inn. There were 13 citizens racing (including a boy scout troup) and 12 professional teams participating. It's amazing to watch 25 canoes paddle out the course and fight to the finish!

We are told that this is a great race course with a bit of everything: shallow & deep waters, obstacles (this was a logging river), currents, a short portage, bridges to go under and great views! The results will be posted on our website with pictures from this year's race - check us out!

Congratulations to all our participants and a special thanks to the Hubbard First Response team, who kept our racers safe!

Extreme's

They say that variety is the spice of life. Well, in that case we're very "spicey" up here in Park Rapids. On Friday, June 5th tornados ripped through our area (most of the damage was east of town), yesterday June 11th we had snow (yes, I'm not joking - snow) mixed with rain and today it's about 70 degrees and sunny! There is plenty of variety! So, for those of you that are into "extreme's" we have that to offer at the Red Bridge Inn! I thought that the docks were going to have to come out yesterday - LOL. Summer will get here eventually and when it does, you won't want to miss one minute of it. Book your getaway now!

Memorial Weekend and beyond

Memorial weekend, the "unofficial" kick-off of a Minnesota summer! The Inn was hopping the whole weekend. Our guests included familiar faces, new faces, and a couple visiting from Hamburg, Germany! As our motto states, "there are no strangers at the Red Bridge Inn, only friends we haven't met yet." We met many new friends! Many of our guests enjoy going to Itasca State Park, just a short drive from the Inn. Itasca is the beginning of the mighty Mississippi River. If you've never taken in the beauty of Itasca, we highly suggest you make the journey. I just played a concert there yesterday with the Park Rapids Area Community Band as part of Itasca's "Minnesota Sesquicentennial Celebration." There are several sights and activities in this beautiful part of the state. We invite you to partake in all the fun!

Inside the Inn!

Here is the YouTube video to give you an insider view of the Red Bridge Inn. A friend of mine put this together. Enjoy your tour!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MseSl04T3xk

Always something new!

Tonight I received a phone call from my friends Joel and Mary asking me if I wanted to join them for dinner...ah, yeah...pass up a fun evening, not me!
So we decided to try someplace none of us had been...we went to the Buck Stop - a local bar a bit out of town - for a burger. We weren't disappointed...the burger was tasty, the onion rings were how they should be (real onion slices) and the drinks weren't watered down! And it was a very clean bar!! We will be going back. After dinner we decided to do a bit of photography, oops, no cameras in the car even though Joel and Mary are professional photographers (isn't that how it goes?) so we drove back to the studio and back out to take some wonderful wildlife photos...the first were the trumpeter swans that were nesting in a swampy area very close to the highway - it was great to see them up so close. Next we traveled to see a "nookery" where egrets (?) have made their nests! It was so fascinating watching the birds take-off and land in their nests! Hopefully Joel and Mary will put some of these photos on their website...check it out! http://www.mnppa.com/siteBuilder_site.cfm?siteID=102&pageID=781 You will even see a photo they took of my grandson fishing - he's in the bib overalls sitting on the dock!

Anniversaries

Last night we had guests return for their 29th anniversary! They stayed with us last year also! We love it when couples return for their anniversaries and special occassions! We have had many couples return for ten, twenty and other special year anniversaries! If you haven't gotten away recently, may we suggest a trip to our Inn and make your special occassion more memorable! Allow enough time to add a massage to your stay from our massage therapists from Safe Harbor Healing Center www.safeharborhealingcenter.com We ask that you take time for you!

Red Bridge Run! Canoe Race

It's time to start planning for your summer fun - and if you love the water and a bit of compitition, we have the race for you. The Red Bridge Run! is a canoe race for professional canoeists and citizen canoe enthusiasts! The race is approimately 10 miles for the pros and 5 miles for the citizens up and down the river. It's a beautiful, scenic race; similar to the Twin Cities Marathon for the canoeist! Visit our website for more information and register for the race at www.midwestevents.com. We look forward to having you race with us!

A Day of Beauty

Welcome to the first entry for the Red Bridge Inn! Spring has finally sprung here in northern Minnesota. After several late season snow storms (that dumped over 42" of snow in two weeks) we finally had a day with temp's reaching 71 degrees - it was glorious! With Mother's day fast approaching our Bed & Breakfast would make a lovely getaway for Mom - why not get her a gift certificate? Please visit us at redbridgeinn.com for more information on our beautiful B&B!