Betsy Spiker Holcomb Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales – Page 22

Mountaineer Log Homes Deep Creek Lake Maryland

Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor

Mountaineer Log Homes Deep Creek Lake Maryland

As a Real Estate professional and Buyer’s agent, it’s my job to represent all my clients’ interest to make sure they get the best deal possible when buying a home. It is also important to show them everything available within their criteria in and around the lake regardless of what Real Estate Broker is marketing the property. That being said, some folks who come up here to find their dream second home don’t find every piece of the puzzle no matter how many homes I show them. I often here, “Can you put this house on that home site?”, or I only wish the kitchen that we liked from the last home was in this home instead”. It’s understandable that we all have strict criteria for a home when spending a large amount of money and when all efforts to find that perfect home are exhausted…I suggest the obvious next step….Build your own home!!!

I recently had a large family that clocked 4 visits to the lake looking for a home and almost pulled the trigger on a few offers but really they were only 95% satisfied with their choices. There were a few desirable locations that the family felt like it was “it”, with one up-and-coming development in particular that stood above the rest. At that point I suggested they consider building with a reputable company. Considering their main concern was building a log home, it was easy leading them to the front door of Deep Creek Lake’s premier log home company, Mountaineer Log & Siding Company. After laying down their ideas on what would be the perfect log home for their family, it did not take long to understand that they were heading in a logical direction.

Don’t be intimidated by the construction process, which can go from 6-9 months depending on the size of the home. Most people want to find the perfect home, make a deal, and move right in, which I can totally understand. If you don’t find that special home and have a little time to wait, consider building from the ground up as it can really be a rewarding process with the right builder. Don’t think you can only build a little cabin the woods. These designs range from cabins to castles!

My clients come up every couple of weeks to check on progress as well as to look ahead at design decisions that have to be made to make the house their home. Where to put beds, couches, and tables? How will the electrical outlets be affected? Where do you want the light switches? How many? How about the location of the wall mounted flat-screen TV’s? What kind of flooring – maple, oak, hickory? Don’t be intimidated! Enjoy it! Don’t forget this is your dream home.

Guess what? My clients are having the best experience building a home that they will enjoy with their grandchildren for decades. Do yourself a favor, whether you Buy or Build in Deep Creek Lake, do it sooner than later and begin building memories that will last a lifetime.

Snow Tubing at Deep Creek Lake

No other Deep Creek Lake activity screams family fun like Snow Tubing at Wisp Resort. Take a little time away from skiing or snowboarding and head down to Wisp Outdoors Adventure Park and get the family signed up for a fun afternoon of snow tubing. This takes very little effort, other than bringing your enthusiasm with you, and a smile on your face. Just grab a tube (the firmer, the faster) and head up the magic carpet to the top of the park. Stop and look around at the top because you get an amazing view of McHenry Cove from that vantage point. Don’t be intimidated in any way shape or form. Plant your bottom in a tube and get ready to slide and spin your way up and down the dump-dee-dumps to the bottom. Try it on your belly on your next run if you want to mix up the excitement. Don’t put it off another minute on your next visit to Deep Creek Lake. Watch the kids’ smiles, on both young and adult, at the end of every run and see how they scurry with excitement to their next turn down the mountain.

Snowmobiling Deep Creek Lake At Night

Jim Morrison once sang; “Let’s swim to the moon, let’s climb through the tide, penetrate the evening that the city sleeps to hide.” Penetrate sleepy Deep Creek Lake evenings by snowmobile and be catapulted into enchanted nightscapes dominated by moonlight, feather-like snowflakes, and a carpet base of snow powder on top of an icy blue lake. Look through kinda spiritual glasses of Deep Creek Lake…from the center of the lake be captivated by surreal mountain silhouettes framing up mystical cloud formations highlighting a brilliant moon. I had the experience of shredding a drive belt on Saturday night to open my eyes to the brilliant silence that the night brings to the lake. My wife Betsy took off on a 30-minute trip to get me a replacement belt and as the roar of her sled faded into the darkness I was left in a tranquil state of peace and quiet, something I’ve never experienced in the winters on the lake. I instantly forgot that the Steelers/Ravens were starting the first quarter of a playoff brawl until cheers from rental houses across the lake echoed by me in a calm cool breeze and then in an instant subsided again to calm. The glow of the purple gray skies slowly eased to darkness giving me a gorgeous hazy wintertime sunset and the awakening low buzz of my wife’s sled chugging toward me breaking the still half-hour trance. I never get tired of discovering the many, many different facets of the lake that I discover through my searches or by fate. Come experience it for yourself on your next visit to Deep Creek Lake.

The Poker Run Deep Creek Lake

Saturday was a big day for the NFL playoffs and for the Garrett County Snowdrifters Club who sponsored the Poker Run this year on Deep Creek Lake. This is a snowmobile event where local and out-of-state riders map out a route covering the whole lake stopping at designated stops to pick up a “card”. After a good 6 hours of riding, everyone meets at a final destination to see who has the best poker hand. The fun started at the Honi Honi for registration and the event began! Riders screamed across the county going from JG’S to Pawn Run to Black Bear to the Honi Honi, to Boardwalk, and all the way back to Pawn Run to find out who the lucky winner was. It was an exciting ride and a heck of a lot of fun seeing new faces and meeting good people. It didn’t matter what brand sled you were on or how old it was, it was all about enjoying the beautiful scenery of Garrett County and enjoying a wonderfully planned event.

Ice Fishing Deep Creek Lake

Ice Fishing Deep Creek Lake

Now that we have come into the meat of winter and the ice has frozen to 8+ inches, the diehard ice fishing junkies are out in full swing reeling in the spoils of their efforts. It takes a special person to get up early in the morning (with sometimes negative temperatures) and go drill ten or so holes in the ice to prepare for some excellent fishing. Being from Virginia, I do not have a lot of experience on the ice…until today, when I went to check out some locals who had just set up their tip-ups over their fishing holes. As I gingerly stepped on the ice it felt firm under my feet, which gave me the courage to walk out to the fishermen. While talking to one of the gentleman, I heard a thunderous crack under my feet that shot like a laser beam toward the shoreline and sent a chill up my spine. I was sure I was going through the ice! The fisherman kinda chuckled a bit and reassured me that it was absolutely safe on the ice considering its current thickness. It’s so quiet on the lake you can hear the ice shifting, snapping and popping almost like it has a life of its own. In no time, the flags on the tip-ups are popping in the air signaling that there’s a fish-on. Yellow perch are the catch of the day, although walleye and some trout can be caught as well. On your next visit to Deep Creek Lake take some time to walk out on the ice and check in with some of the locals who are on their frozen paradise. Maybe you’ll be inspired to become a ice fishing junkie yourself!

Deep Creek Lake-Wisp Resorts 55th Birthday Party

Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Resorts 55th Birthday Party

Wisp Resort has reached another epic milestone this weekend as they celebrated their 55th Birthday as the go-to ski resort on the East Coast. What better way to celebrate than bringing in Food Network’s most popular cake artists, Charm City Cakes. Duff Goldman led the charge straight off the snowboard slope to christen and cut the cake with his crew. It was standing room only on Sunday in the Wisp Lodge to get a glimpse of the cake re-creation of the Wisp Mountain and the Ski & Golf Resort. The snow has been steadily pounding us here at Deep Creek Lake and skiing conditions are improving with every new inch we receive. Wisp has had their snowmaking efforts rolling around the clock for the last couple weeks to ensure that we had a full parking lot of skiers to celebrate their wonderful milestone Birthday party.

Deep Creek Lake Wisp Resort Winter Sports

Deep Creek Lake Wisp Resort Winter Sports. Okay folks; get your minds centered at the task at hand. Feel the cold winter, accept the cold winter, love the cold winter! After you get in the winter spirit, turn your focus toward Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Resort and get ready for the winter sports to begin. We have had steady flow of snowfall for the last week and conditions are improving at Wisp Resort. Wisp has had the snowmaking canons firing around the clock for the last couple of weeks to ensure that they have a solid base of snow to get the season started. As I look out my window from Long and Foster across the lake, my vision of the ski slopes is impaired because of the amount of snow we are getting at the moment. It is forecasted to keep coming down for the next few days, and then on and off for the next 10 days. Load up the car and the family, set your GPS for Wisp Resort and spend the next couple of weeks of the holiday season enjoying impressive powder. See you on the slopes.

Deep Creek Lake The Autumn Glory Festival

The Autumn Glory Festival

Beautiful autumn is here at Deep Creek Lake. We are enjoying cooler, sweatshirt weather at the moment as the leaves are slowly starting to show a bit of color as of late. Did you know that the Annual Autumn Glory Festival in next door Oakland, Maryland was voted #1 by travel.msn.com? What a great time to make an excuse to take a long weekend off from work and head out on a road trip to be with us here at Deep Creek Lake. You may miss the annual kick off reception dance/dinner on Wednesday night, but get here for the fireman’s parade on Thursday night. You will be elbow to elbow with folks of all ages lining the streets of Oakland watching this very popular local event.

Did I mention the Oom-Pah band?? The Oakland fire hall becomes the center of Octoberfest with German style foods and the old school sounds of the Oom-Pah band. Do not miss this event!! Be sure to bring the kids so you can get out on the dance floor and get into a delightful time-warp to the old world.

Friday you can watch the Maryland State Banjo and Fiddle Championship. If I’m not mistaken they will also have a Mandolin pick off as well. You will be amazingly entertained by the talent of the pickers who show up to get their bluegrass groove on.

Saturday the locals line up on beautiful 2^ndand 3^rd Street to watch the festival’s Grand Feature Parade. Front yards will be packed with locals in kind of a tailgating atmosphere getting ready for the parade to begin. Then the doors are opened to marching bands, clowns, mini motor cycles and go-carts, floats…you name it, it all comes together to make one heck of a fun afternoon.

The Autumn Glory Car, Truck & Tractor show finishes the weekend up on Sunday with polished classic beauties.

Take a few vacation days from work, call in with the sniffles, or just play hooky and bee-line yourself to see us this weekend at Deep Creek Lake and have a fun filled weekend before winter gets it’s claws in you.

Deep Creek Lake Art and Wine Festival

I feel fall in the air here at Deep Creek Lake. Summertime lake activities are grinding down, there is a hint of color on a few trees, and I am gearing my mind toward all the wonderful things that fall has to offer. First on the list is the Deep Creek Lake Art and Wine Festival,which kicks of the start of the fall season.

This year’s annual event will be held September 10-12 and I am proud to work for a company who helps support and sponsors this popular festival. Year after year, Long & Foster supports and volunteers in many events here at the lake to help needy causes, to stimulate great events/activities and to lead the way in community participation. The Art and Wine Festival is a benefit for the American Red Cross and they have a delicious lineup of all your favorite types of wines.

The events include handcrafted art works by local and regional artisans. Aside from the wine tasting, this is my favorite part of the festival. I have great respect for artists, painters, woodworkers, quilt makers, photographers, jewelry makers, and many other interesting things for sale. Last year I purchased some amazing framed flower portraits for my home and some hand lathed salt and pepper shakers made with a dozen or so local/exotic woods. Check out their website and a thorough calendar of events and activities.

Deep Creek Lake WVU Fans

September 4, 2010 and we get out first cool fall-like morning,

waking up to 50 degree temperatures and the start of college football season. There are a lot of West Virginia University fans here at Deep Creek Lake and I’m pretty confident that I’m at the top of the list of passionate football fans.

I started going to the WVU games when I was 4 years old and haven’t missed a season in 27 seasons. My sweet grandmother would stitch me really cute Mountaineer cheerleading outfits and I would chant as loud as I could cheering on my team.

I have many exciting football-based memories with my friends and family. We traditionally show up 3-4 hours before the game and get our tailgating groove on with a huge clan of WVU fans. Morgantown is a hardcore football town that shows immense pride in their beloved team.

As I pack up the car this morning with my tailgating gear my stomach already stirs with excitement in anticipation of hearing the Mountaineer Marching Band blasting out Mylan Puskar stadium, and the Mountain man mascot firing a shot out of his period rifle leading the team on the field! LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!

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