Wisconsin, Days 6-7...Driving Through the Countryside

Day 6

Tuesday, 8/17/2021

     With the rental condo only a short walk from the marina, there was no excuse not to go out for sunrise...

    I've stayed in plenty of motels, and done the Air B&B thing a few times.  This was the first time renting a condo.  There was a note with a phone number of the cleaning service.  Text them with the room number before you leave.  

     Today was all about some of the unique things between Bayfield, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota for the flight home.  First stop, Mason.  

     Ed Sander owned some farmland just off Hwy 63.  When he heard President Kennedy talk about getting outside and enjoying the natural wonders of America, he felt inspired.  So, he set aside a corner of his land and built a campground.  He enjoyed meeting the people who came to visit.  He named it Sanders Ranch Park.

    Over the years he expanded the site, adding other attractions.  He kept it going until 2015 when he said he just couldn't keep it up anymore.  He died two years ago and the site has been all but abandoned every since, though someone's still cutting the grass...

   There's a parking area by the run down building that must have been the campground offices.  Next to it is this little sign pointing to a trail...

    And a Viking guarding the entrance to the forest...

   Cross the bridge...

    And you're in the old village attraction...

    Something you don't see every day... a tree growing out of a log.

       Nest stop, the town of Lake Nebagamon..

     That's where you'll find the home of a James Frank Kotera, though everyone calls him JFK.  In an open air shelter by his home sits one of the four balls of twine vying for the title of World's Biggest.  You can read about them here:

     Back in 1975, JFK awoke and felt something pressing down on his back.  He says he heard the voice of God telling him it was time to sober up and get his life in order.  He says God suggested the ball of twine.  So, JFK sobered up, got his act together and started winding.  

    

        There were no trespassing signs out and a truck in the driveway, so I took my shot and drove on, heading towards Hwy 53 south.

    By the time I rolled into the town of Barron, I was thinking lunch.  

     I found myself in a place named Kate's Bar.  This was a bit different than the place I stopped into in Babcock.  On the TV over the bar was playing one of those shows where the hosts goof on videos of people doing dumb things.  

    Taped to the wall behind the bar...

    I ordered a Chicken Philly.  I've seen these served in various different ways.  This was a first.  It was a round bun with a whole chicken breast and some mushrooms and cheese.  Good sandwich though.  

    And when was the last time you saw one of these atrocities?

    I left Barron and drove south along Hwy 25 to my next stop, a small nature preserve in Menomonie they call the Devil's Punchbowl.  

    Except that it was only a short detour, I drove south on Hwy 25, then cut west on Hwy 72 to the town of Elmwood.

     The town seems pretty quiet these days.  Things were a bit different in the '70s.  There were numerous reports of UFO's touching down on the outskirts of town.  The first was by the Police Chief George Wheeler in 1975.  He described a fiery red object the size of a football field. 

     A year later, he was investigating a report of a fire on the top of a hill.  When he arrived on scene, he saw a flaming orange object, two hundred fifty feet across and two stories high.  His radio cut out as he was reporting in.  He was found barely conscious.

    Residents living near the scene also reported the bright light, as well as a loss of television reception.   

    These, along with numerous other accounts are the reason Elmwood calls itself the UFO Capital of Wisconsin.  But, they're not the only ones.  Bellville and Dundee also claim the title.  In Dundee, there's a guy who claims to have an actual alien body.  It's small and in a jar.  In Belleville, there are claims of numerous bright objects flying low and slow.  

    On the last weekend in July, 1978, the town held its first UFO Days and have been doing it every year since.  You can read more about UFO Days here:

 

        From here it was a straight shot west to St. Paul, Minnesota.  It was still a little early to call it a day, so I stopped into the Bald Man Brewing Company.  

    With names like Dark Side of the Moon Porter, Misty Mountain Hop IPA and Young American Pale Ale, I knew I had picked the right spot.

     My home for the night was the Hyatt Place by the airport.  The last thing I wanted was a long drive in the morning, especially so early in the morning.

Day 7

Wednesday August 18, 2021

      Nothing like the phone alarm going off at 3A.  Yeah, I would have preferred to sleep in, but with the super early flight, I was back at my house at noon.  And that includes the run to the grocery store.  

David 

8/24/2021

PS: While this trip was simply me not being scheduled and making the most of it, I do have actual PTO in October.  The question is, did I get it all.   One week is still listed as "if possible."  

    If I get the whole thing, I was thinking of heading up to New England.  It's been a while since I visited some friends.  It all comes down to whether I get that extra week or not.  It seems silly to try and cram everything into a shorter vacation.  We shall see.

     

      

Wisconsin, Day 5... A Day on the Lake

Day 5

Monday, 8/15/2021

   Sunrise over the marina adjacent to the condo...

   There was one thing on tap for the day.  Along the northern coast of Wisconsin, erosion has slowly eaten away at the sandstone cliffs along Lake Superior.  That process has created a ragged coastline, including sea caves and natural bridges.  You can get close in a tour boat.  You can get up close and personal in a kayak.

   So, I signed up for a full day’s tour through Trek & Trail.  At 9A, our senior guide Caroline introduced herself and gave a brief synopsis of the day’s tour.  We then climbed into a van for the twenty minute drive to Brady Beach.  Masks were mandatory on the shuttle bus because out shove off point is a National Park beach.  

   Upon arrival, Caroline and other guide Cagney unloaded the boats and gave us the usual tutorial about kayaks and how to handle them.  Caroline also suggested something I had never heard before. When you dip one side of the paddle into the water, instead of pulling back with that arm, push forward with the arm up in the air.  It puts more of your body into the movement and won’t wear down your arms nearly as fast. It did take a while to get used to, but it did work.  I started writing out these notes from the day around 7:30P.  My back was stiff from sitting all day.  My forearms were turning red from the sun. But, my arms and shoulders felt fine.

   To get to the beach, all the gear needed to be hauled down a flight of stairs.  Four people hauling a kayak down forty stairs is easy. It’s a bit different hauling them back up at the end of the day. But, I digress.

   Once on the beach, we got the safety discussion for what to do if the kayak capsizes.  Joy! It’s pretty easy.  Everyone has a life vest.  There’s also a waterproof(ish) skirt that goes around your waste and covers the hole you sit in, to keep the water out.  

   I took it as a good sign both guides were carrying cell phones.  I left mine back in the car.  Instead, I carried an old Canon Powershot in my shirt pocket.  My theory being, I’d rather it get wet than my new phone. 

   We pushed off into a slightly choppy Lake Superior.  Our guides warned us it would get a little worse as we approached the caves, and we would probably be expecting a headwind on the return leg. 

     I’ve done two kayak trips like this.  On both, the water was calm. So, this was a bit different.  The kayak was rolling with the waves and occasionally the front would catch a little air and come slapping down.  

   In our group, we had two people in single person boats, Caroline and a woman with a lot of kayak experience. We also had a family in a three person boat.  There were also three two person kayaks.  Since I was by myself, Cagney took the back seat in my boat.  

   When we arrived at our first sea cave, Caroline went first, followed by the other boats. Cagney and I went last. 

    Further up, there was a natural bridge.  One by one we went through.  Our third was a bit different. Once you paddle in, it’s a hard left to the exit, or you hit the rocks.   All fun, but difficult to whip the camera out for pictures.

    Three and a half miles later, we spotted a beach up ahead.  That was our turning around point. We beached the kayaks and had lunch supplied by the tour company. Some folks swam on the break. I was content to just walk about a bit and stretch.

  When the tine came to head back, we took fewer stops, but still paddled through a low cave that seemed more pushing off the rocks than paddling,  The water in this cave was an incredible emerald green.

   We pulled a little away from shore and our guides pointed out a cell tower off in the distance.  We were to aim towards that.  The beach where we started was in that general direction.   The good news, the wind had died down and the water a lot less choppy.  

   Hauling the kayaks back up the stairs was a lot different than taking them down.  Add the additional factor of people just hanging out on the stairs, some of them oblivious to the fact they were just in the way.  By the time we got back to the shop, it was 4P.

   After tipping the guides and heading back to the condo for some dry clothes, it was off to find some dinner.  I wasn’t thinking pizza again. But, both guides raved about a place called the Manypenny Bistro. The pizza lived up to the hype and my waitress Becky couldn't have been nicer.

      Seen around Bayfield...

When I first saw these poles, I had no idea what they were for.                                    

    I was surprised to see them holding up a boat.

   As the day waned, I walked out to the marina by the condo for sunset. To the east, a clear half moon.   

  To the west...