BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN

WE ARRIVED BACK ON “THE MOUNTAIN” THIS MORNING. OUR TRAVEL WEATHER WAS OK. THE FIRST COUPLE HOURS OUT OF SPOONER WERE IN A DARK AND POURING RAIN.

WE TOOK INTERSTATE 90 WEST AND TRAVELLED ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA SO THAT WE COULD MAKE SOME STOPS AND TAKE CARE OF SOME BUSINESS. THEN WE HEADED SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 25. A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER WE CLEARED THE MOUNTAIN PASS AT RATON, THEY SENT THE SNOW PLOWS OUT. AT ABQ WE HEADED WEST ON INTERSTATE 40 AND ONE OF THOSE DESERT STORMS CAME UP WHERE THE WIND BLOWS DUST AND RAIN DROPS TOGETHER. THE SEMI TRUCKS WERE SWERVING IN THE WIND, AND EVEN THE PICK-UP WAS TUFF TO HANG ON TO, SO WE GAVE UP AND PULLED OFF ABOUT 50 MILES WEST OF ABQ AT THE SKY CITY INDIAN CASINO AND RENTED A ROOM.

THE NEXT MORNING WE DID OUR LAST 225 MILES AND ARRIVED HOME ON “THE MOUNTAIN” AT 9:30 AM. IT TOOK THE REST OF THE DAY TO UNWIND AND UNPACK.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

THE BLOG WILL RETURN TO IT’S REGULAR FORMAT OF BLOGGING NOT IN REAL TIME. WE HAVE A FEW WISCONSIN AND TRAVEL STORIES TO TELL, AND WE WILL TRY TO BLOG OFTEN SO YOU’LL KNOW WHAT WE’RE UP TO WITH OUR “SUMMER OFF” EXPERIMENT.

BAR JENGA

WHEN WE GOT TO NEIL’S HE HAD A STACK OF 2X4’S WAITING IN HIS GARAGE TO MAKE OUR OWN BAR JENGA SET. IT WAS TO BE THE PROJECT OF THE DAY.

WITH A SKILL SAW, BELT SANDER, AND NO KNOWLEDGE OF POWER TOOLS WE WERE OFF TO A SHAKEY START…..

 

 

EVENTUALLY WE DEVELOPED A SYSTEM, AND CREATED 54 (ALMOST) IDENTICAL 2X4 PIECES.

THEN IT WAS TIME FOR PRODUCT TESTING. WHERE DO YOU TEST A NEW SET OF BAR JENGA? A BAR OF COURSE!

 

……….. COOKS OUT ON THE GRILL FOR THE SUNDAY MORNING CROWD.

ON THE MENU THIS MORNING WAS RIBEYE AND TENDERLOIN STEAKS.

NEIL, THANKS FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY !!!

JUST ANOTHER DAY ON CABLE LAKE

JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY ON CABLE LAKE !!!

 

SOME NEW RESIDENTS JOINED THE LAKE COMMUNITY THIS WEEK.

 

WE TOOK THE BIG RED PICK-UP IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, AND THEN SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY ON THE LAKE RIDING THE PONTOON, AND OUT RIDING THE SCOOTERS. MARY TOOK OFF ABOUT NOON WITH THE CADILLAC TO SPEND THE WEEK-END IN LA CROSSE.

A COLLECTION OF PICTURES FROM EARLIER IN THE WEEK THAT WERE ON UNCLE HANS’ SMART PHONE.

THIS WAS A PAINTING IN THE LADIES ROOM AT ONE OF OUR SCOOTER TRIP STOPS.

AND SOME PICTURES OF OUR SCOOTER ADVENTURE FROM LA CROSSE TO SPOONER.

THE WEATHER FORCAST FOR TOMORROW IS “SUNNY & 80” AND HANS AND I ARE OFF TO GREEN BAY TO DRINK A FEW BEERS WITH NEIL. SORRY NO PICTURES OR BLOG, “WHAT HAPPENS IN GREEN BAY STAYS IN GREEN BAY”, WHEN THE WOMEN ARE MISSING….

(MARY, I’LL LEAVE MY BAIL MONEY IN THE GREEN BACK PACK.)

Hiking the Bluff

Last Saturday I went hiking at Granddad Bluff in La Crosse with my granddaughters Marissa and Alisha.

Love their smiling faces!!

A beautiful bluff view.

Ali had picture duty for this one of Marissa and me.

 

And the camera goes back to Marissa.

We did three different trails and some of them were quite challenging!!

 

Hiking with Marissa and Alisha was a great time.  I am so thankful that we were able to hang out together in such a beautiful place!

ANOTHER PEACEFUL DAY ON CABLE LAKE

WE LAID BACK TODAY AND CAUGHT UP ON OUR PEDOMETER STEPS BY WORKING ON MOVING HANS’ WOODPILE.

LATER IN THE DAY JAKE HAD CAR TROUBLE COMING OUT OF THE TWIN CITIES SO WE DROVE OVER TO GRANTSBURG TO MEET HIM HALFWAY AND MAKE SURE HE GOT HOME. AUNT KAREN HELPED HIM ON THE FIRST HALF OF HIS TRIP SO I GOT A PICTURE.

WE HAD A SHORT VISIT, AS SHE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO HAVE A BEER WITH US, BUT IT WAS GOOD TO SEE YA, AUNT KAREN !!!

BOATS – DOCKS - CHARLIE

TODAY’S CABLE LAKE PROJECT WAS TO RESET THE DOCK. SEEMS LIKE AN EASY ENOUGH ASSIGNMENT, UNTIL YOU REMEMBER THE ICE JUST WENT OUT A FEW WEEKS AGO AND THE WATER IS VERY COLD!

JAKE TO THE RESCUE, “I’LL DROP OFF MY INSULATED WADERS FOR YOU”.

THANKS JAKE !!!

EVEN CHARLIE THOUGHT THESE PANTS MADE ME LOOK FAT.

OF COURSE IT’S A TWO MAN JOB, ONE TO LIFT THE DOCK, AND ONE TO REBUILD THE BLOCKS UNDER THE CORNER.

THE GOOD PART IS DESPITE THE VERY COLD WATER, THERE WAS NO WIND, SUNNY, AND 76 DEGREES. A PERFECT DAY TO LAUNCH BOTH BOATS.

AND GO FOR A BOAT RIDE.

THANKS JAKE

JAKE OFFERED TO COME OVER AND FRY UP THE LAST PACKAGE OF FISH FILLETS FROM HIS FREEZER.

A GREAT IDEA ON A RAINY MONDAY EVENING. HE ALSO BROUGHT THE HAMBURGER AND POTATOES FOR GRILLING.  FRYING FISH INSIDE THE GARAGE, AND GRILLING OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN KEPT JAKE A BUSY BOY.

AFTER SEEING THE RUBARB PIES ON THE BLOG LAST WEEK IN LA CROSSE, JAKE AND HANS PUT IN THEIR ORDER WITH MARY.

MUSHROOMS AND CATS

MARY FINALLY SCORES MORREL MUSHROOMS. AFTER BEING SHUTOUT FOR A FEW YEARS THEY WERE AS GOOD AS AN ORGASAM!!!

GOD, I LOVE THOSE SPRING DELIGHTS !!!

ANOTHER CHORE OF THE DAY WAS TO HAVE UNCLE NEIL SHOOT THE CATS. MARY AND NEIL PREPARED THE SHOTS AND TWO UNHAPPY CATS WERE VACCINATED.

BTW: THE CATS HAVE SETTLED INTO THE GUEST HOUSE AND ARE VERY HAPPY TO BE OUT OF THE BACK OF THE PICK-UP WHERE THEY LIVED LAST WEEK.

THANKS TO UNCLE NEIL FOR THE VET WORK.

THREE DAY SCOOTER TRIP

FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS I’D BEEN PLANNING A THREE DAY SCOOTER TRIP FROM LA CROSSE, WI TO SPOONER, WI. I HAD MY ROUTE ALL MARKED OUT ON THE COUNTRY BACK ROADS. MARY THOUGHT IT WAS A STUPID IDEA AND WAS DISCOURAGING ME.

IN AN E-MAIL TO MY BROTHERS TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT MY ITINERARY FOR THE WISCONSIN ADVENTURE I CONFESSED MY THREE DAY PLAN AND RIDE. NEIL IMMEDIATELY E-MAILED BACK AND SAID HE HAD A SCOOTER, COULD HE COME?

AND SO A PLAN WAS BORN……

DAY #1

I LEFT LA CROSSE ON FRIDAY MORNING IN 51 DEGREE WEATHER, AND RAIN SHOWERS THREATENING. I HAD SPRINKLES ON MY FACEMASK BEFORE I GOT OUT OF HOLMEN. MY DESTINATION WAS DURAND, WI 102 MILES AWAY, WHERE I WAS TO MEET UP WITH NEIL FROM GREEN BAY, WI. IT WAS ONE COLD RIDE!!!

102 MILES, FOUR AND A HALF HOURS, INCLUDING A HALF HOUR RAIN DELAY, AND I COMPLETED MY LONGEST SCOOTER RIDE TO DATE.

THE FIRST THING I DID AFTER CHECKING INTO THE HOTEL WAS TO STAND IN THE HOT SHOWER A HALF AN HOUR TO WARM UP.

 

NEXT THING WAS A WALK-ABOUT IN DURAND, WI TO CHECK OUT THE BARS. DURAND SITS ON THE EDGE OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER AND IN THE SPRING THE EDGE COMES UP INTO TOWN A BLOCK.

I HAD A COUPLE OF HOURS TO WAIT FOR NEIL’S ARRIVAL FROM GREEN BAY. NOT 102 MILES AWAY, BUT 250 MILES AWAY. AS I WAS SITTING ON MY COMFORTABLE BAR STOOL SOME GUY KINDA BRUSHED UP AGAINST ME AND SAT DOWN ON THE NEXT STOOL. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE TO SEE UNCLE HANS!!!

NEIL’S ARRIVAL ALSO HAD A SURPRISE AS HE ARRIVED ON A BRAND NEW YAMAHA CHERRY RED MOTORCYCLE.

DAY #2

FROM DURAND, WI TO TURTLE LAKE, WI. 76 MILES, AND 7 HOURS OF TRAVEL TIME? YUP, THOSE NUMBERS ARE CORRECT IF YOU ADD IN THE 7 TAVERN STOPS…… THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE TEMPERATURE TODAY IS 61, NOT 51.

I ENJOYED THE COUNTY BACKROADS WHERE I COULD SCOOT ALONG AT 45 MPH AND NOT BOTHER ANYONE, AND THE BROTHERS ENJOYED THE COUNTY BACKROADS WHERE THEY COULD ZIP ALONG AT 145 MPH AND NOT BOTHER ANYONE.

ONCE WE ARRIVED IN TURTLE LAKE, WI WE MET UP WITH A COUPLE OF HOT CHICKS:

THAT’S “GRANDMA JACK” AND AUNT KATHY…..

DAY #3

IT WAS LIKE A PARADE, ONE RED SCOOTER, ONE SILVER YAMAHA, ONE NEW RED YAMAHA, THE BIG RED PICK-UP, AND NEIL’S RED SURBURBAN & TRAILER. TURTLE LAKE TO SPOONER, 74 MILES AND I LOST COUNT OF THE TAVERN STOPS. THE GOOD NEWS, NOT 51 DEGREES, NOT 61 DEGREES, BUT A SUNNY AND 71 DEGREES FOR TODAY. THE LAST ONE WAS IN SPOONER AND WE FOUND THESE SMILING FACES.

ALL I ALL IT WAS A GREAT ADVENTUE. 252 MILES ON THE SCOOTER OVER THE THREE DAY TRIP AND I LOVED IT. MY THANKS TO THE BROTHERS, A COUPLE OF REAL BIKERS, FOR SLOWING DOWN TO SCOOTER SPEEDS AND TAKING ME FOR A GREAT RIDE.

A Mishmash of a Day

Today started out with Rex and me having lunch with my son Chad (on the left) and my daughter Heather (on the right).  After lunch Heather and I had to go on an urban hike to walk it off!!  We did better than Rex though….he went and took a nap!

 

This afternoon it was off to watch Mackenzie play ball.  Here she is at bat.

Instead of pitching today, Mackenzie played short stop.  She had a couple of really good plays and it was fun watching her.  It was also cold!!  Sunny and 80 has yet to reach the Midwest.  And wouldn’t you know it the game was tied 11-11 after the usual 6 innings they played.  Unfortunately they lost 12-11, but it was a good game to watch.

Remember Ali and RJ, here they are in the gas operated go cart.  Believe me Ali is a speed demon daredevil!!

With all the activities it is no wonder we are in bed exhausted by 8PM!!

Cold Water Plunge!

Apparently, there is a cold water plunge challenge going around.  If I understand it correctly, a person is challenged to plunge into cold water and they have 24 hours to do it.  Then it has to be posted on Facebook.  If you don’t do it you have to donate a set amount to Breast Cancer research.

My granddaughter Mackenzie and her friend Lexi were challenged so to the river we went!

Yup…..this is the river and it is cold!

We sort of got distracted by this boy pulling in a small mouth bass!!  Nice fish!

Here they are looking the situation over…..I think they are thinking “Do we REALLY want to do this”?

Marissa and her friend Aniya making their way out to the platform (without getting wet) to video the plunge.  Gotta have video for Facebook!!

With Marissa in position, Mack and Lexi are ready to jump!!

And they are out of the freezing cold water!!

Still smiling!!

Back on dry land!!  You girls are great!!  I am truly grateful I didn’t miss this!