Spring Fuel & Fun

It's baaaack! The Fuel & Fun promo from Explorers' Edge is just the thing to get us thinking Spring! Book your Spring getaway now and get $100 in free gas and goodies!

Just book your Spring getaway by April 19 for a 2-night stay between April 20 and June 23 and you can be 1 of 500 travelers to receive a $50 gas card and $50 worth of vouchers to use-as-cash at participating restaurants, shops and attractions!

It gets even better, because you ALSO save $20 off your two-night stay with our Fern Glen Inn Spring Discount (save $10/night off the regular rate when you stay two nights or more between April 1 and June 23). And, yes, you can combine it with your Fuel & Fun freebies!

Jim and I love Fuel & Fun because it lets us give a great gift to our guests -- who doesn't like to get free gas and spending vouchers? -- but also because it lets us showcase the understated beauty of the fresh season. Whether you're looking for a quiet retreat to recharge your batteries or a few days of hiking and exploring, we hope to see you here this Spring!

Quantities are limited -- first come, first served -- so act quickly to avoid disappointment.

When do you stay?

Any two consecutive nights between April 20 and June 23, 2014

When do you book?

Make your reservation and register for your vouchers (we'll tell you how) by April 19, 2014

What do you get?

$50 gas card plus $50 in spending vouchers to use at participating shops, eateries and attractions during your stay. Of course, you also get two comfortable nights and two delicious breakfasts at Fern Glen Inn.

What's the catch?

There is none! You don't have to "buy one" to "get one" nor spend a minimum amount of money. Consider the free gas and vouchers as an invitation to come explore this beautiful region, courtesy of Explorers' Edge.

The Fuel & Fun Spring Getaway at Fern Glen Inn

Your getaway includes:

• 2 nights accommodation for two people in one room
• fresh and delicious breakfast each morning
• $50 gas card
• $50 in Experience Vouchers to use-as-cash at participating attractions, restaurants and shops during your stay
• $10/night discount off the standard or holiday rate

Fuel & Fun Spring Getaway Price: starting from $216**

**Most dates are $216/package; the Victoria Day long weekend rate is $236/package.
Lower rates available for solo travelers. 13% HST is extra.

Call, email or book online. Visit Fuel & Fun at Fern Glen Inn for details.

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* Quantities are limited. Only the first 500 "Qualified Bookings" within the entire Explorers' Edge region will receive the Gas Cards and Experience Vouchers. To be a "Qualified Booking", you must:
• book by April 19, 2014
• register your confirmation number directly at Explorers' Edge
• stay between April 20 and June 23, 2014
• stay for 2 consecutive nights or longer
Experience Vouchers may only be used between April 20 and June 23, 2014.

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Happy.... Spring?

Spring has sprung, the grass is.... still under a thick blanket of snow!

The calendar may say a new season is here, but until mother nature gets the memo, we'll make the most of the weather we do have. And for now, that's decidedly winter!

The nice thing about spring snow is it can be wonderful for snowshoeing. The warm/cold cycle from day to night gives the snow base structure and strength to support snowshoes (instead of sinking up to our knees in fluffy powder). Plus the longer days and stronger sun make for some lovely mild temperatures.

Jim and I took advantage of a perfect winter-in-spring afternoon and went for a great off-trail snowshoe hike in the woods. The quality of the photos is not great since I just brought the ipod, but they still capture the depth and firmness of the snow.

Stories in Snow

Deer tracks across the back meadow.

One of the many things I love about snow is the way it records—if briefly—the stories that play out in the natural world around us. Stories of intrigue and adventure, of exploration and romance, of wanderers and residents. Every creature who sets foot, paw, hoof, talon, wing or tail on the ground leaves a mark in the snow, but it's up to us to decipher the tale behind the tracks.

Pair of squirrel tracks.

A snowshoe hike in our woods reveals all sorts of activity from numerous mammals and birds. The dense softwood section of the property is like Grand Central Station for rabbits and snowshoe hares with their tracks crisscrossing back and forth and down the trails.

Squirrels, chipmunks and mice tend to stay on the top of the snow, while the long-legged fox leaves deep, narrow depressions. Bird tracks are unmistakeable for their fine features. Grouse leave a track like a string of crosses, whereas turkey tracks are large and spaced apart. 

Wing swooshes in the snow are rarer to see but they look so elegant. Every now and then we see a mammal track end abruptly at a wing swoosh and we know the story behind it ended sadly for the mammal, but with a life-sustaining meal for the bird.

Turkey feet and wings.

The snow also tells us when we're sharing our property with larger animals. Deer and moose tracks are easy to spot in woods and meadows. Not only can we see the tracks from their wanderings, but we also see the depressions in the snow where they've laid down to sleep. This year we found two moose "nests" with many sleep depressions in the same area, plus piles of moose droppings (those aren't chocolate covered almonds!) and numerous sets of tracks radiating outward. It's so rare to see the actual animals that I take heart in seeing the evidence that they are here and sharing our space.

So next time you're out snowshoeing, don't just look up at the sky and trees or down at your feet. Keep your eyes open to the signs of activity that came before you. Read the stories written in snow—and maybe even write your own!

Moose tracks heading off in the woods.

Small mammal tracks heading... everywhere?

Story of survival: mammal trail ends in wing swoosh.

See more about Reading the Forest here.