SKI CAMP

Just completed is the 20^th Annual Great Phelps Ski Invitational. Hosted by Glenn Hojem and I, seven guys participated in this year’s winter adventure from 1-4 March 2013.

Attendees, above, included from left to right, Paul Montague, me, Gary Greene, Glenn, Mark Hanson, Bob Anderson, and Jerry Collins.

We got started with a 6.7-mile ski on Friday at the Three Eagle trail. Saturday featured a country breakfast at our cabin, then off to Afterglow Lake Resort where owner Pete Moline grooms the finest trails in North America. We skied various distances and a couple of the guys enjoyed the woods via snowshoe. I skied 6.7 miles here.

We went back to the cabin for lunch and Gary, Mark, Jerry and I went to the trail outside of Land O’ Lakes. This was a late-afternoon ski and the sun, low in the sky, was pretty neat. Here’s an image as we skied into the sun, heading into the Sylvania Wilderness.

On Sunday we went and walked around Klondike Days then headed to Sayner and a rip-roaring 4.7-mile skate-ski on Razorback Ridges. This is a challenging course and we all handled it well. The snow and grooming was superb and we were proud to take on such a course. A few years ago this trail would have intimidated us.

On the way back to Madison Monday, Gary and I stopped by the Nine Mile County Forest near Wausau and skied 3.7 miles here. We were exploring new ground on this trail. Nine Mile is a great course and we want to ski this one again. Here I am at the sign indicating 2K to go.

In terms of my own mileage, I skied more than 25 miles on this trip. For the season I am just over 181 miles and may have a shot at 200. It all depends on how much snow we get and how long it lasts. Think snow!

November, December 2012 and January 2013 at the Cabin

Our November 10-11 visit was a good one for wreath making, rock collecting and walks on a quiet country road. Mary and I took a wreath-making class last year in Eagle River. So, we made two, one for the cabin and one for the house in Madison.

These rocks were the last collected in 2012 and they are still in the trailer. I’ll unload them and place them in the rock wall in the spring.

In December, we went to the cabin around the 8^th and stayed for 3-4 days. We hung the paintings that Mary and Dano completed. They look great on the green wall in the great room.

I hauled some brush down to the beach and had a big fire. It was a good time of year for this, with a light covering of snow on the ground the fire had little chance of getting out of control.

There was evidence here and there of beaver activity, as seen in this photo. These were maple trees of about 2” diameter. I’ve wrapped most trees in chicken wire to protect them, but it is hard to wrap them all.

I got a good start on completing the finish work in the stairwell as seen here. The big thing was cutting a section out of a joist to allow more head room when going up or down the stairs.

Mary and I went to the cabin for New Years which is our tradition. There was not a lot of snow yet, but we did get out for snowshoeing on our property. We also cross-country skied at Anvil Lake State Forest. That lady in the blue coat shows up in a lot of my pictures.

We had a great visit in late January, staying at the cabin from 25^th-28^th. We did a lot of cross-country skiing with Connie and Gary Greene. Gary and I covered more than 20 miles in 4 days of skiing. The picture here shows a skate skier’s dream….the fresh corduroy of a newly-groomed skating deck. As of the end of January I have skied just under 90 miles, so I think my wobbly right knee is fine.

The following pictures were taken the morning of 28 January following 4” of snow throughout the night. The images include the deck looking toward the lake, the woodshed, and the driveway as it approaches the cabin.

Late September 2012 Trip

Even though the daytime highs were only in the 40s, and showers were around periodically, it was a nice quiet time at the lake. We went up Thursday late and left for Madison on Monday the 24th.

Lots of fall colors. At the time we were here the colors were not at their peak, but close. This picture looks like it could be on a Christmas card. The second picture below is just a nice fall-colors shot of the big hill on the driveway.

I got out and rescued six trees along the shoulder of Board Bridge Road: three red pines, three white pines and one white spruce. I planted them along the driveway heading up to the shed.

Mary and I collected rocks for the rock wall I’ve been building the last two years. We drive forest back roads looking for rocks along the road that are turned up from periodic road grader grooming of the road.

The rock wall in-progress and pictured is along the circle driveway that we built in 2010. Building a rock wall is a neat thing and I find some joy and simple pleasures in the task. I got started building rock walls with my parents at our home in rural Belvidere. As a kid I don’t imagine I found it a joy or simple pleasure. But now I do.

It’s a somewhat simple task. Big rocks go on the bottom, smaller ones at the top. You nest them together carefully, aligning their various angles, cuts and shapes. At 64, I can still safely lift a rock about the size of two basketballs. Found a rock this past trip that was about 3 basketballs and I could not lift it. Mary said it’s a boulder not a rock. I think I can get it if I go out with my trailer that tilts; that way I can roll the rock up on the trailer and don’t have to lift it.

The rocks you see grouped at the top of the wall are the 50 or so we collected, and I’ll get them placed in the wall next time at the cabin.

On Sunday, at dusk I quietly walked the nature trail. Sat down for a while on the Leopold bench on the north trail. While sitting and listening, a coyote suddenly started to howl from a close distance. I pegged it as being on Black Bear Lane about 50 yards from where I was sitting. So, I started making a bunch of human-like noises and headed back to the cabin.

Feeling Like Fall - September 14-17, 2012

Mary and I took an extended-weekend trip to the cabin. Enjoyed great balmy weather Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some trees have begun to show their fall colors and one morning it was down to 36 degrees.

We enjoyed an 8-mile bike ride on the trail west of the Forest Lake Country Store outside Land O' Lakes. Not much in terms of all colors over there yet.

I enjoyed my 10th and 11th sailing excursions of the year. Check out this 29-second video of my sail on Sunday the 16th. I had a pretty brisk wind out of the west. I now believe that shooting video while sailing is as risky as texting while driving.....although I won't do the later. The last time I shot video while sailing, Linds was with me and we tipped in high wind.

We rescued 15 red pine trees from under the power lines on Black Bear Lane. I put four in the ground up north and brought 11 home to plant in the back of our lot in Madison.

ANNUAL SUMMER ESCAPE, 7-12 AUGUST 2012

ANNUAL SUMMER ESCAPE

We headed to the cabin on Tuesday, August 7^th with Linds for our annual retreat. We had a couple of days of rain mid-week and were not able to get outside for our usual activities. During the week, Linds prepared some tasty dishes including a shrimp appetizer and a chicken/green olive/artichoke/tomato dish that was terrific. We always complete a project with Linds and this year it was an upholstered headboard that turned out very nice.

Linds and I got out on Wednesday the 8^th between showers for a special duty. We went into the Nicolet National Forest to rescue two little white pines we found growing by the roadside. This is a practice that gives the trees a chance, as they are certain to be snow plowed, cut off, or run over before too long. After 30 minutes of driving narrow logging roads we found two white pines 2-3’ tall growing within a couple feet of the road. Linds dug them up carefully and brought them back and planted them in memory of two little angels, Catherine and Hattie. Linds took charge of the digging, planting, and watering. I took care of the photography. We will continue to water and look after these trees because they were planted with special purpose. White pines grow well. In just a few years these will be stunning and we will all remember with pride our rescue and the reasons why.

After the periodic rain on Wednesday and Thursday, we made the most of Friday. Golfing in the morning at Big Sand, and kayaking in the afternoon with Connie and Gary Greene on the Deerskin River.

If that wasn’t enough, after kayaking we went to an early dinner at Eagle Waters and stopped at the new brewery in Eagle River, Tribute Brewing. Had a great time sampling some guest beers and talking with the owner, Bill Summers.

A highlight of the summer was a visit with Nathaniel (Puddy) Greene and girlfriend Shainah Reid. They came up Friday evening and we could not have had a better reunion at the lake. We went on a bike ride on the new trail going west from Land O’ Lakes at the Forest Lake Country Store. This was a ride led by Dick Leinenkugel of the Leinenkugel Brewing Company. Here’s a picture of our group of 7 with Dick after the ride. Pics here also of Linds, Puddy and Shainah.

Puddy had not been here for several years and he has a storehouse of wonderful memories from coming to Manuel Lake throughout his childhood when our families vacationed together. He quickly “went native”, eagerly jumping in the lake for a swim. He and Shainah went sailing, her first time. From the shore, I heard plenty of “Oh my God” as the boat tipped in the wind. We walked the nature trail and Puddy climbed the white pines that the four kids used to spend hours climbing. He even remembered many of the branches – their bends, breaks and formations. On this walk, I learned that one of these trees was the General Store and the other was the Rain Fort Tree. On Saturday night we had a campfire on the beach and roasted marshmallows, using original “pot passers” that Puddy’s dad Gary had made some years earlier. I had left these pot passers in the shed, just where Gary left them.

Mary and I hiked into Blackjack Springs Wilderness with Linds and made sure we visited the memory box with the guest book.

Puddy and Shainah, and Connie and Gary all left about Noon on Sunday. Mary, Linds and I were not far behind.

HAWKEYES IN BADGERLAND, 22-26 JULY 2012

My cousins from Ankeny, Iowa visited for five days at the cabin. It was a 500-mile trek for Cyndy, Jeff and Greg. Cyndy and Greg visited last in 2010 but Jeff had not been in the northwoods since he visited with my Dad in 1994. When Jeff was here last, I took a picture of he and my Dad on the pier. So, this picture represents Jeff's return.

We had a great time, as these pictures attest. We drove into Michigan’s UP on our way to Black River Harbor on Lake Superior. Along the way, we visited a couple of waterfalls. There is a suspension bridge over the Black River upon which we tested its capabilities.

Greg brought his Flip Uno game and we played many games on the dining table downstairs. What a hoot! We golfed at Big Sand Lake Golf Course outside of Phelps. Cyndi and Greg enjoyed kayaking on the lake, and Greg still possessed the fine kayaking skills that he learned at the cabin two years ago.

The cousins left on Thursday, but not before posing with the bear by the front door. Mary and I stayed another day to clean up and do laundry, leaving Friday. With our extra time, we hiked into Whispering Lake in the Blackjack Springs Wilderness. We found this neat looking fire ring that someone created out of little rocks. I showed Mary the memory box and she signed the guest book.