What about the beach? "It's a great sand beach," Campbell said. "And we have a beautiful lodge where we serve root beer floats. It's the heart of the resort -- the lodge and the beach area."

Visit www.campbellslodge.com for more information, or call 1-866-659-2862.

LAKE OF THE WOODS
The Northwest Angle is the northernmost point in the contiguous United States. This section of our country is bordered by the best fishing waters in Minnesota. Since the commercial nets left Lake of the Woods in the 1980s, the walleye, pike, perch and muskie fishing in this region has gained a reputation as being second to none.

Getting here adds a completely new meaning to "road trip." To drive to the Northwest Angle, you have to leave the United States and cut across a portion of Canada, but the slight nuisance of clearing customs is worth it. This part of Lake of the Woods provides a picturesque setting. You will be surrounded by islands, and the structure-laden waters are loaded with fish that seem ready and willing to bite under just about any conditions.

A trip to "The Angle" is all about fishing. One day you'll find yourself straining the deep structure with live-bait rigs for walleyes, and the next day you could feel like attacking the shallow rockpiles with spinnerbaits and crankbaits for smallmouth bass. It pays to take along a stout rod with some big topwater lures to cast to the cabbage beds and shallow rubble bars for big pike and muskies. The Northwest Angle is one of those places where once you go there for a week of fishing, you'll make it a point to get there again and again.

For more information on the resorts on the Northwest Angle, visit www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com, or call 1-800-382-3474.

BWCAW
You often hear people say they would love to take a trip into the Boundary Waters, but they just don't have the gear, or they fear getting lost. Some people are even afraid they could be eaten by a bear. Bill Slaughter, a lifelong resident of Ely and owner of Northwoods Guiding Service, said there is a better chance they will be eaten by Sasquatch, the abominable snowman, than a bear.

"You see bears once in awhile, and moose, too," Slaughter said, "but if you set up camp right and take a few simple precautions, the bears will leave you alone."

Slaughter has been guiding groups into the BWCAW for years, and he laughs when he claims, "I've never lost anyone yet." He also admits he has had clients from families with small children to elderly couples who have lived in Minnesota all their lives and never been into the BWCAW.

"You can gauge your trip by how difficult you want to make it," he said. "I've had groups that want to work hard and see a lot, so they're going to paddle a lot and make a few portages every day. Some groups just want to have a low-impact trip, so we might make one or two portages, set up a base camp and explore near there."

Slaughter's operation does it all. The equipment and food are provided, and fishing guides will be along on the trip. You can do as much or as little as you choose. Where this really comes in handy is that the guides know where the best fishing, hiking and camping spots are.

"We get a lot of first-timers," Slaughter said. "They want to have a guide to show them the ropes and then they figure they'll be able to do a trip on their own. Not surprisingly, many of them come back to us again. They figure the cost for equipment is easily offset by just hiring the guides who provide it all."