About
My name is Terry Holloway and together with my wife, Donna, we have owned and operated Pine Ridge Resort on Girl Lake for the past 15 years. Donna and I were both teachers at one time and we have held other positions before coming to the resort.
Most of my time is spent on resort activities. I am the grounds keeper, boat manager, carpenter, plumber and just about whatever else needs to be done person. I love it here at the resort. It’s the best “office” a person could possibly have. How many places can you walk around in pine trees watching eagles and ospreys fly over while listening to loons calling and make a living at the same time?
The off season is very quiet, of course. That is when I do a lot of the resort managment that needs to be done. Communicating with our guests and keeping track of reservations is the focus of my time during the winter monts.
For relaxation, I like to get into my wood shop. I have done a lot of the wood work here at the resort. I also like to get out and explore the woods around us. There are thousands of acres of forest land close to the resort and I spend many hours hiking around or snowshoeing. Lots of critters to see. In 2005, I was close to two timbers wolves and have seen many deer on my walks.
Donna works as a paraprofessional in the Longville Elementary School. It is a position that she really enjoys and puts a lot of time into. Two days a week, she is also the lead teacher in an after school tutoring program that has over one-half the students in the school enrolled.
During the summers, Donna works at a clothing store in town. She loves to garden and has several beautiful flower gardens around the resort. Besides all that, she is involved in the Longville Women of Today, a service organization that meets often to raise money for the local community. In her free time, she reads.
Donna and I have two grown kids. Evan is a chemist currently working in Washington State. He almost has more boats than the resort does and loves kayaking and canoeing. Give him a forest or mountain and you may not see him for days, especially if there is some water to float on.
Leah works at the Audobon Center of the Northwoods here in Minnesota. She is in charge of training incoming interns, caring for her owl, Cleo, and teaching classes to the different school groups that use the Center. She is also an outdoor person and loves to hike and camp.
We bought Pine Ridge Resort in 1992. At that time, it was called Sarajac Resort and has been in operation since the 1940’s. I have met several of the children or relatives of past owners and learned some of the history of the resort. I love the location. That is what first attracted me to this resort. It is on the end of a dead end road on a point on the south side of Girl Lake. The town of Longville sits on the north shore of the lake and our guests can boat into town faster than they can drive.
The resort is built on a ridge, creating a multi-layered look. Some of the cabins are located right at lake level while others sit on the side of the ridge giving tremendous views of the lake. The grounds are covered with pine, birch, maple and other hardwoods. We actually gather maple sap and make our own syrup in the spring. We are located in northern Minnesota on the southern edge of the Chippewa National Forest.