March 10, 2008 - It's been a long, cold, lonely winter but it looks like the spring thaw will finally arrive this week. In the past few days flocks of sandhill cranes have been streaming in, a few bluebirds are to be seen in the otherwise drab prairies and meadows and the snow is retreating.
And yes, we're now open for spring. We have lots of dates available, though I have to say things are still pretty wet, gloomy and chilly. Not for long though. My suggestion...reserve a weekend between April 15 and June 15, its one of the best seasons to get outside, enjoy the sun, the springtime, and beat the bugs and humidity.
Live the fantasy of our hand-hewn log cabin - tucked into the edge of 80 acres of native oak woodland - a unique celebration of tradition and modernity, with clerestory skylights, solid cherry staircase, wide plank ship-lap oak floored loft, great room with floor to ceiling trapezoidal windows, full kitchen, large bath and wrap around deck in back.
From inside the cabin you can enjoy nature in comfort through the soaring trapezoidal great room windows - deer, wild turkeys and barred owls often travel through -- in recent summers a pair of Cooper's hawks have built their nest and raised their brood within sight of the cabin. More adventurous guests are invited to trek a bit farther afield (non-motorized only) and enjoy our backcountry - a 580 acre mosaic of black oak sand woodlands, marshy bottomlands, creeks, fields and sand prairies.
Canoe the beautiful Tippecanoe through nearby Tippecanoe River State Park, shop Toto Bargain Village, bicycle mellow backroads, hike our extensive trail system, golf at adjacent Chesapeake Run Golf Course, enjoy Bass Lake, Lake Maxinkuckee - Kerstings Motorcycle Museum - Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum - have a cookout, a bonfire, or just enjoy the peace and quiet of unspoiled countryside.
Hard to believe, but we're less than two hours from Chicago, near North Judson Indiana. For directions, contact us.
The cabin at Lena Park has many unusual handcrafted features. The photo at left shows the loft's hardwood floor under construction. Made of red oak harvested on-site, the long wide planks were band saw-milled, hand sanded and then hand-routed into shiplaps. The prepared planks were then square nailed to the pine rafters. Aside from the use of a few power tools it's a process ages old. And yes, it's a little creaky in places.
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PO Box 16 North Judson, Indiana, USA 46366
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