Today started out with great weather and just kept getting better. Clear blue sky, light breeze, high temperature in the low 80s. What a day for a hike along the Barrier Beach Trail! Much of it was a boardwalk, leading us in the opposite direction along the beach from the hike we took yesterday.
You'll see some pictures below of the inlet and inland lagoon. Jim, Mike and Rita kayaked across the bay and into that lagoon sometime while we were hiking the trail. There were a few hangers on scattered along the beach, but it was mostly deserted. The sand is very fine, the water super clear, and the lake bottom covered with sand and pebbles worn smooth by the waves.
We hiked all the way around to the end of the beach, reading the informative placards about what we were seeing along the way. Our only choice to get back to camp was to retrace our steps, We got back about 2:00 and ate lunch. Mike and Rita were almost packed up for their trip home and they left at about 3:00.
Jim and I took his truck to another park on the island where we purchase firewood at much more reasonable prices than those charged by the state park. After unloading the wood, the four of us went to town (La Point) where the girls shopped for T-shirts and Jim and I went to the Beach Club. Jan and Marsha caught up to us there and, not wanting them to drink alone, Jim and I had another while the girls enjoyed a cold beer.
Back to camp, dinner at seven, campfire, and bed. It doesn't get any better than this!
P.S. If you wonder about the "exploding dinner" picture below - Marsha was opening a package of some king of dry mix for dinner and it seems that the atmospheric pressure inside the bag was great than that on the outside. The picture shows the result.
What a beautiful Tuesday is was. Warm and sunny with a high of 75 degrees. Last night's low was 46. We got up and did our normal morning putzing around before leaving camp at 11:00 to do some exploring. Armed with the map we got when we registered to camp, we headed out.
We
finally found our way to the Bay View Trail and decided to follow it
around the perimeter of a small section of the island. After we walked
just a short distance, we met up with Jim, Jan and Mike who were taking
their kayaks down to the beach in preparation for a day's paddling.
After helping them carry one of the kayaks down the long stairway to
the beach, we headed out to continue our hike.
There's
not much to tell, other than it was a beautiful day. We got back to
camp at 2:00, ready for lunch. After eating, we went to town and checked
out the two grocery stores - more like convenience stores - where
Marsha bought a couple of tomatoes for 900 dollars.! (LOL) Then we
went to the Beach Club to use their Wi-Fi, so we figured we may as well
have a beer while we were there. The beer cost more than the tomatoes!
Back
at camp, we relaxed a bit, then got together with the kayakers to swap
the stories of the day. We took out Cobb Grill down to Jim &
Jan's site where we cooked our Flat Iron Steaks and their brats. Mike
& Rita brought chili to go with the brats. Marsha and I had
steak, baked potatoes (done in the Crock Pot) and corn while the
kayakers shared the chili and brats.
After
dinner, we all went back to our respective sites to do our dishes, then
it was back to Jim & Jan's for the evening gathering around
the fire. Our beds were calling to us by 10:30, so it was time to sleep
so we could have another adventure tomorrow.
See you then!
This morning, we awoke to a light fog on the surface of Fish Lake. Our view from the Hancock Village Campground was serene. After a quick breakfast and an exciting drive up the hill (on wet grass) from our lake shore campsite, we hit the road at 7:39am.
The
drive to Bayfield, where we boarded the ferry, we scenic, but otherwise
uneventful. We pulled up to the guard shack at about 1:45 and the very
lightly loaded ferry was about to leave. The attendant took Jim's $74
and told me to follow him and pay on board so the ferry could leave.
Talk about timing! We drove on-board, the gates were up, and we were
off!
After
the 15 minute ride to Madeline Island, we disembarked and drove the 6.5
miles to Big Bay State Park, where we registered and purchased an
annual Wisconsin Park Pass for out-of-staters for $35. Well, it's
better than paying the 10 bucks per night for five nights! Like my ol'
man always says, "If you want to dance, you gotta pay the fiddler."
We
found our campsites and got set up. About an hour later, Jim's old
college buddy, Mike, and his wife, Rita, arrived and occupied the site
between Jim and us. The six of us shared Jim's grill and had dinner
together before visiting around the campfire (no free wood this time)
for a while and tuning in.
Jim,
Mike and their wives are kayakers, so that's their plan for tomorrow.
Marsha and I will put on our hiking shoes and do some exploring.
Stay tuned for more.
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!
