Northern Wisconsin: Land of Adventure!

After working 40 hours in three days and applying enough spit and duct tape to hold the servers, programs, and databases together until our return, we made it up late Wednesday. Many would call it a restful vacation, but it was really over a week of exhausting adventure.

By late July, the Summer is in full bloom all around Forest County with splashes of color (gold seen here) on a canvas of bright green.

Speaking of Green and Gold, We were lucky enough to score tickets to a bonus preseason game at Lambeau. The feeling was electric as this was the first game for the Packers since their win in Super Bowl XXXI.

It was great to see Bill "The Sheboygan Flash" Schroeder make his first Lambeau Leap.

It wasn't so great seeing Edgar Bennett rupture his Achilles tendon about 5 seconds after this picture.

After the win, we were back on the lake with a few of us gripping a tow rope while flying over the water.

There was some question whether the screams that came from a local four and a half year old were of happiness or displeasure.

Turns out she was not happy.

After the run, she continued to orally express her unhappiness to the ruggedly handsome boat driver while her sister peeked.

After the skiing, a canoe was trucked to Lake Wabikon and the Wabikon/Riley channel was explored.

Still later, we planned on hiking off road to the fabled body of water called Lake Dawson with our navigational aids being only a map, compass, and a small toad.

We found it!

The small lake just North of Wabikon is surprisingly deep (over 40 feet!)

Many breakfasts were taken on the dock. The air may have been a little cool and the hash may have been from a can (Hormel!), but the milk was cold and the view was spectacular.

Any northwoods adventure would not be complete without a trip or two to Rhinelander. One our our favorite Rhinelander attractions aside from the nightly Hodag Hunt, is Hodag Park's "Swing of Peril". The "Swing of Peril " is a circular firing squad of steel with the suspended having the choice of swinging outward (boring) or swinging toward the middle (Adventure!) and trying to kick their fellow swingers.

It turned out there was also a ski show/snacks.

It was pretty good and very close to the audience.

Before going back to the servers and civilization, the morning meal was moved from the dock to the breakfast buffet at Copper Country.

It was crowded. It's always crowded.

The hash did not seem to be from a can either. We all waddled out about 3 plates later.

Is there such a thing as too much adventure? Maybe. We are so tired and sore we can hardly stand it. The long drive back and then a week or so of sitting at a desk and solving problems will allow us to heal up so we can do it all over again before the Summer ends.

-Nemo promises not to swing reluctant 4 year olds outside the wake again.

Northern Wisconsin: Land of Adventure!

July 23rd through August 3rd, 1997