Back to civilization...
Beth and I returned from Wisconsin yesterday about 4:30pm. Our flight was delayed about three hours due to bad weather in Dallas (that's where we made a connection). We were bummed because the vet cloese at 5:00 and we weren't going to make it to pick up the cats before they closed... had to get them this morning. We were so missing them!
The trip was a lot of fun--very relaxing. There isn't much to do when your out in the woods except sit back, relax and enjoy being surrounded by mother nature's finest. It is simply beautiful there with thick, lush greenery and thousands of lakes. Beth's grandparents live one of them, Lipsie Lake, located about 15 miles west of the small town of Spooner in Northern Wisconsin (it's about a two hour drive from Minneapolis). The weather was much cooler than when we were there last year, but no uncomfortable. I did quite well in jeans, a t-shirt and light wind-breaker. The mosquitoes, however, were out in droves and we all joked they were getting ready to pick us up and carry us off. The heat in Vegas is good for one thing... we don't have mosquitoes here.
The highlights of the trip:
* This year we had a special event to celebrate and that was Beth's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. We went to a really nice people where around 200 people gathered to celebrate. It was a great party and fun to visit with so many people that have know them nearly their entire lives.
* Al Cappone's Hideout. During prohibition, Al Cappone created a hideout in Northern Wisconsin on Cranberry Lake where he flew bottlegged whiskey in from Canada. The planes landed on the lake and the whiskey was transfered to trucks and sent to Chicago. He also built a jail cell there where he was knonw to put enemies when he brought them out to the middle of know where for questioning. It is said the lake there has 30 feet of soot and mud at the bottom of it and its never been searched for bodies. I am sure there are at least a couple, if not many, many more.
* Forte Folle Avoine: This was a French trading post set up on the Yellow River to exchange goods with the native Ojibwa Indians for beaver firs. The site is original and a forte and camp were set up to demonstrate how it would have looked. The site feature living history as actors explained the history while playing the part. That was really cool.
* Friday night fish fry: I was introduced to this tradition last year. It seems everyone there goes out to dinner at one of the many local bar and grills for the Friday Night Fish Fry. The food is always fantastic and plentiful and for a good price.
* Rhubard anything... Beth's grandpa Wayne picked a bucket full of rhubarb from his garden and Grandma (Doris) turned it into fantastic rhubarb custard pie. It was delicious. Supplementing that was four rhubarb coffee cakes we managed to consume over the 11 days we were there from the Spooner Bakery. The bakery there is fantastic. Doris also made rhubard sauce which we poured over pancakes for breakfast. That was awesome! I have got to get these recipes from Doris... when I do, I'll be sure to pass them on if I'm allowed to (I'm sure I will be).
* Rest and relaxtion: There was tons of that. I spent many hours sitting in the living room and gazing out the windows looking over the lake. It was too cold to spend a lot of time outside, but we managed several walks up the road and back and got to enjoy that fantastic, clean country air. I saw countless deer, a fox and a bear while there. We played Scrabble every night and one night, while playing, we heard the garbage can fall over outside. We turned the lights off and peered out the window into the darkness, and sure enough, there was a bear rummaging through the trash. That was awesome. At one point he stood up on his hind legs to sniff the air and he stood somwhere between 5 and six feet tall. I got a glimpes of one last year while in the car, but this year I got to sit and watch him for about five minutes before a noise scared him off. That was really cool. I learned how to play Chicken Foot (dominoes) and played several rounds of that, too. It was so nice to sit around, visit and take in nature. It was exactly what a vacation should be.
Beth and I returned from Wisconsin yesterday about 4:30pm. Our flight was delayed about three hours due to bad weather in Dallas (that's where we made a connection). We were bummed because the vet cloese at 5:00 and we weren't going to make it to pick up the cats before they closed... had to get them this morning. We were so missing them!
The trip was a lot of fun--very relaxing. There isn't much to do when your out in the woods except sit back, relax and enjoy being surrounded by mother nature's finest. It is simply beautiful there with thick, lush greenery and thousands of lakes. Beth's grandparents live one of them, Lipsie Lake, located about 15 miles west of the small town of Spooner in Northern Wisconsin (it's about a two hour drive from Minneapolis). The weather was much cooler than when we were there last year, but no uncomfortable. I did quite well in jeans, a t-shirt and light wind-breaker. The mosquitoes, however, were out in droves and we all joked they were getting ready to pick us up and carry us off. The heat in Vegas is good for one thing... we don't have mosquitoes here.
The highlights of the trip:
* This year we had a special event to celebrate and that was Beth's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. We went to a really nice people where around 200 people gathered to celebrate. It was a great party and fun to visit with so many people that have know them nearly their entire lives.
* Al Cappone's Hideout. During prohibition, Al Cappone created a hideout in Northern Wisconsin on Cranberry Lake where he flew bottlegged whiskey in from Canada. The planes landed on the lake and the whiskey was transfered to trucks and sent to Chicago. He also built a jail cell there where he was knonw to put enemies when he brought them out to the middle of know where for questioning. It is said the lake there has 30 feet of soot and mud at the bottom of it and its never been searched for bodies. I am sure there are at least a couple, if not many, many more.
* Forte Folle Avoine: This was a French trading post set up on the Yellow River to exchange goods with the native Ojibwa Indians for beaver firs. The site is original and a forte and camp were set up to demonstrate how it would have looked. The site feature living history as actors explained the history while playing the part. That was really cool.
* Friday night fish fry: I was introduced to this tradition last year. It seems everyone there goes out to dinner at one of the many local bar and grills for the Friday Night Fish Fry. The food is always fantastic and plentiful and for a good price.
* Rhubard anything... Beth's grandpa Wayne picked a bucket full of rhubarb from his garden and Grandma (Doris) turned it into fantastic rhubarb custard pie. It was delicious. Supplementing that was four rhubarb coffee cakes we managed to consume over the 11 days we were there from the Spooner Bakery. The bakery there is fantastic. Doris also made rhubard sauce which we poured over pancakes for breakfast. That was awesome! I have got to get these recipes from Doris... when I do, I'll be sure to pass them on if I'm allowed to (I'm sure I will be).
* Rest and relaxtion: There was tons of that. I spent many hours sitting in the living room and gazing out the windows looking over the lake. It was too cold to spend a lot of time outside, but we managed several walks up the road and back and got to enjoy that fantastic, clean country air. I saw countless deer, a fox and a bear while there. We played Scrabble every night and one night, while playing, we heard the garbage can fall over outside. We turned the lights off and peered out the window into the darkness, and sure enough, there was a bear rummaging through the trash. That was awesome. At one point he stood up on his hind legs to sniff the air and he stood somwhere between 5 and six feet tall. I got a glimpes of one last year while in the car, but this year I got to sit and watch him for about five minutes before a noise scared him off. That was really cool. I learned how to play Chicken Foot (dominoes) and played several rounds of that, too. It was so nice to sit around, visit and take in nature. It was exactly what a vacation should be.
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