Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
Betsy Spiker 301-616-5022
North Camp Development, Wisp Resort, Deep Creek Lake. Let me let you in on a little secret here in Deep Creek Lake. On the Northwestern side of Wisp Mountain there is an up and coming community that is destined to become a favorite among second homeowners here at the lake. Wisp Resort’s newer community, North Camp, has tremendous personality that day-time visitors and winter sports enthusiasts cannot fully appreciate unless you visit at dusk, when most are home cooking dinner with their families. You cannot believe the sunsets on this virtually undeveloped side of Wisp Resort. It is only a few minutes from my front door and I routinely put dinner on hold to buzz over to relax and absorb some tranquil sunsets.
Most people interested in mountain real estate visit during the day and have no comprehension of fiery calm sunsets that consistently grace Garrett County. Homes and homesites look 50+ miles across a maze of mountain ranges and spectacular views extending deep into West Virginia. Don’t forget that you are only a few strides from the new Wisp Resort ski slope expansions with great ski in/out opportunities right off the ski lift seconds from primetime runs. Take a little time next visit and give Betsy Spiker Holcomb a call; let her team show you around an amazing mountain that we are proud to call our home.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite RealtorWilly Wisp,Wisp Resort Ski Lessons
Willy Wisp,Wisp Resort Ski Lessons. I know we have a lot of young families that are choosing Deep Creek Lake as their second home get away. Young families need a special place they can count on to help instill confidence and love for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. The Willy Wisp program at Wisp Resort will provide your youngsters with professionally trained instructors teaching groups from 3-7 years old to 8-14 years old. Believe me, you will be amazed how quickly the young ones latch on and learn these sports. Even if your children are grown you should still drop by and become a spectator of some heartwarming moments.
My mother-in-law, wife and I brought down our niece who is a hair past 2 years old for her first attempt at skiing. It didn’t take long at all before she was cruising down the slope by herself! What a wonderful experience to be involved in. Check out the rates so you can be prepared on your next visit to DCL to start your child on a lifelong love for winter sports.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite RealtorDeep Creek Lake Bear Safety Facts
Deep Creek Lake Bear Safety Facts
Although we are experiencing another wonderful snow-filled winter in Deep Creek Lake, it will not be long before spring is here and our friend the ‘Black Bear’ is coming out of hibernation! I thought it would be a good idea to talk about some bear safety and do’s and don’ts from what I have read, and from personal experience living here on Wisp Mountain.
Hiking or Camping: First of all, most attacks are mother bears defending their cubs. I know that baby bear cubs are very cute, but if you see a cub you need to distance yourself calmly and immediately because the mother cub is always close by. Mother bears are very defensive of their cubs so be respectful of their family; do not underestimate the mother’s fury. The old saying, “you attract what you fear”, comes to play when dealing with any wild animal. Remain calm! Slowly back away from a bear confrontation until the bear ignores you. At your campsite, bang pots and pans & yell and clap loudly to try to keep the bear moving away from you. Wave your hands as high as possible to appear larger. Never turn your back on a bear and never run. Running attracts any animal to pursue you. Always cook and store your food at least 100 feet from your camp. Store your food in Tupperware and keep it in a tree 30 feet off the ground and 15 feet from the tree trunk. Remember, bears are very agile tree climbers. My husband and I witnessed a mother and cub grazing through our front yard a few summers back and the playful cub climbed every other 60 foot tree in seconds. The mother occasionally will do the same. It’s hard to comprehend the lightning speed that the bears possess.
Vacationers at Deep Creek Lake- The Department of Natural Resources were called in to help us a few summers back to deal with a bear problem in our neighborhood. Reason being….food in trash cans. People have to understand the importance of keeping trash cans away in their garages or securing them tightly in outside containers. Bears can be huge scavengers if there is a steady food source. Too many mornings going to work or driving around the lake I see trash heaped up improperly outside and you can bet you will find trash littered from dozens of homes all the way up and down the roads of DCL when this happens. First of all, it becomes a huge littering problem for the lake but more importantly it could put your family and children in harms way. Also, some locals think it’s nice to set out food so they can witness the bears eating it. It’s never a good idea to feed the bears; they will become reliant on humans to supply their food source and it quickly becomes habit-forming, creating bear problems within our neighborhood. Lets all be respectful of the bear’s natural habitat and the safety of local and out-of-state residents. Deep Creek Lake is a very special place where we are lucky to interact with a massive amount of wildlife so let’s take a few precautions to respect and enjoy the bears presence in our lives.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite RealtorMountaineer Log Homes Deep Creek Lake Maryland
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!
Mountaineer Log Homes Deep Creek Lake Maryland
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.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite RealtorSnow 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.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
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.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite RealtorIce 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!
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite RealtorDeep 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.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
The Autumn Glory Festival
Deep Creek Lake 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 2nd and 3rd 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.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
Deep Creek Lake Art and Wine Festival
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.
