Jeff & Britta met in 1979 while guiding 18 day canoe trips on the North Channel of Lake Huron. After a 3 year long-distance love affair we decided to get married in 1983 and settled in beautiful Wabos Valley just north of Searchmont / Ontario. That year we began to produce hand split cedar shakes in the small garage by the road and thus formed "Achigan CedarShake Enterprises".

After spending one magical winter in a small trappers cabin we decided to add on to our homestead in the spring of 1984. We survived that winter by warming up in the wood fired finnish sauna each evening.

In 1987 we started "Sky Bear Bed & Breakfast" with 2 guest rooms in our home. Our daughter Myrica Gale was born in 1988. The following year we added a separate room addition to our house. Our son Forrest came along in 1992.

In 1999 we had the opportunity to purchase 80 acres just half a km from our homestead. We decided to build a square log house that year. We moved in on December 22, 1999 with winds still whistling through the cracks of the logs... Our old homestead, together with the cozy original finnish homestead next door, became "Sky Bear Chalets".

Sadly, in 2002, our quaint Searchmont School closed its doors forever. To spare Myrica and Forrest 3 hours per day on the school bus, we made the decision to purchase a grand old house on Lansdowne Avenue in Sault Ste Marie and commute from there to look after the Wabos Lodge and the wood business. After many amazing years of of hard work and meeting wonderful guests , we finally sold the Sky Bear Chalets in 2009. Britta continues to run "Lansdowne House Bed & Breakfast" in Sault Ste Marie.

Both children are now finished with high school and we are now making the difficult decision to sell our beautiful Lansdowne House in Sault Ste Marie and to move back to our log house in Wabos. Unfortunately that means we have to leave behind our friendly neighbourhood on Lansdowne Avenue in Sault Ste Marie.

We hope to find a new owner soon, who cherishes the history of the Lansdowne House as as much as we do. The house is an absolute gem.

We continue our passion for nature, environmental issues, various building projects and playing music with friends. See you at Lansdowne House while we're still there, or take a drive to Wabos for a visit!

Cheers, Jeff & Britta

Read more about Sky Bear in: 'Love of Land Leads to Successful Eco-Tourism Lodge'
by Anita Daher in the Northern Business Journal