2011- September 4 Home to Hancock, WI

We left home this morning at 7:30 and headed north to hook up with Jim & Jan Fleming in Hancock, WI and the Hancock Village Campground. Jim found this place for us a couple of months ago. Being Labor Day weekend, all the campgrounds we could find were either full or required a reservation for at least all three days of the weekend. When Jim called the number listed in the Good Sam Camping Guide, Jerry, the Village Clerk answered. Jim explained that were would be passing thru and would like to have a place to sleep for only one night. Jerry said that they don't take reservations, but he would call the campground host and see what could be done. A few minutes later, Jerry called Jim back and said that the host would find a spot for us when we arrived.

Somewhere south of Madison, we saw Jim & Jan, with their kayaks on the roof of the truck, up ahead of us on I-39. After letting them know we were behind them, we caravaned the rest of the way to Hancock.

There was some kind of an event going on in Hancock, so we had to go around the town (4 blocks) to continue to the campground. When we arrived at the Village Campground, the first task was to locate the host. After a few questions, we were told that the host's name is John and that's his camper down there.

We never knew the name of the next guy we talked to, but he wasn't giving up any more info than necessary.

"Is the host here?"
"No."
"Is he around the campground?"
"He's in town at the picnic."
"Any idea when he'll be back?"
"He'll be back in a while."

So we explained the whole deal about Jerry, the Village Clerk, calling the host and setting us up with a spot for the night. Suddenly, the guy got real friendly. I think he thought, at first, that we were "revenuers" or something. So then, it was, "I'm John's son-in-law from Green Bay. I'll call the ol' geazer for ya. (leaves and comes back with a cell phone to his ear) Hello, John? You remember talking to Jerry ... something about a couple of guys needing a site for just tonight? (pause) Well, they're here! (pause) OK (hangs up). He'll be here in a few minutes."


So in about ten minutes a big pickup truck showed up and a bunch of people (kids and adults) piled out, none of whom looked like a "John." Then, finally, the driver's door opened up and "John" was among us! He, like the first guy, seemed real cautious at first, but soon, Jim's and my infectious personalities broke down the barriers. We not only got prime camp spots on the shore of Fish Lake, but when I spotted a huge pile of firewood near John's camper, and asked if we could buy some, John said, "Oh, just take what you need."

Soon, several people were watching (from afar) while we set up camp. The only one to actually dare to enter our campsite was Kevin, John's son (see picture below). After taking a tour of the Aliners and answering some questions about the lake and the surrounding area, Kevin offered to take us for a guided boat tour around Fish Lake. We graciously accepted and were later treated to the tour (see pictures below).


It rained a little that evening, but not enough to spoil our campfire. We ended up meeting some great people and having a great time. We will definitely put Hancock Village Campground in the Favorites on the GPS in case we need a place to stay for a night, or two, in the future. We want to be on the road by about 7:30 in the morning, so we sacked out about 10:00. See you in the morning!