Brad Thornberg Photos
GARRISON, MINN. – Shortly before the spring warm-up in the Midwest, pilots had the opportunity to land on Minnesota’s second-largest inland lake, Mille Lacs Lake, Saturday, March 7, 2015, thanks to the owners of Twin Pines Resort in Garrison, Minnesota. The resort plows a two-mile stretch of snow on Mille Lacs each year, taxiways and a large aircraft parking area, so aircraft on wheels and skis can land, and pilots can partake in a meal and a little camaraderie.
Mille Lacs Lake is located approximately 100 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Mille Lacs is French for “one thousand lakes.” In the Ojibwe language, the lake is called Misi-zaaga’igan, meaning “grand lake.”
Mille Lacs Lake consists of 132,516 acres of water and two islands, which comprise Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, the smallest wildlife refuge in the United States (http://millelacs.com).