Last week, I blogged (on my phone, ewww!) about the first part of our trip. We biked and hiked and ate good food!

Now, Part 2! šŸ™‚

On Wednesday, we decided to spend some time on the water with the people from Trek and Trail. They specialize in tours of the Ice Caves in the Apostle Islands, the main draw for this part of Wisconsin. We went with a half-day tour, which got us good views of the caves. The day started pleasantly, but soon, it started to cloud over and threatened rain. The tours go, rain or shine, and will only be cancelled if the lake is not safe or if there is lightning. The lake was surprisingly calm. We kayaked as a family on Lake Michigan many years ago, and got pulled into a “let’s go see this island, you can make it,” kind of trip that was mentally and physically exhausting. There was a lot of wind and the lake was white-capped, and when you are trying to paddle with a 14-year-old grump, it was a trying experience. This time, I got my wife, who like to paddle a lot, but who also can just chill too. We were fine in our kayak, but our group, no so much. We had five members of our group of 12 who were very much like Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory. They showed up late. They didn’t have their wetsuits. They forgot their keys. They forgot their paddles. They were a trying group to say the least.

However, our guides, Mae and Abby, were true pros. They encouraged our 5 musketeers to get themselves ready, then went through their stuff on safety, correct paddling techniques, and what we could expect while on the water.

And we were off! The rain started, but it was a light rain that kept up the entire time, and it added to the feel of the Ice Caves. They are, in one word, amazing. To be that close to something so old, created by the lake, was truly breathtaking. As we maneuvered around the coastline, Mae and Abby stopped to talk with each of us about where we were from and what we were doing up here. They both were native Wisconsin women, having grown up in the area. They had both guided in previous years, so all was well!

On the way back, things got goofy. Our 5 musketeers had some kayak problems, and Mae quickly helped out (their rudder jammed). Another of their group made the comment, “I need some help! My paddle got stuck!”. My wife and I looked at each other and asked, “Where did it get stuck?” with grins on our faces. Mae was close to us and had to hide her face to keep from laughing. That was the kind of group we had, which made it so much fun.

We ended up in bed early that night because three hours on the water, even with two people in the kayaks, is tiring stuff. I highly recommend the Trail and Trek group. They were amazing and they offer all sorts of different adventures onto the Apostle Islands, both by kayak and by regular boat!

Thursday was our last day in Wisconsin, so we decided that we’d catch our dinner! Ha! First, the lake was angry. There was a strong wing, the water was whitecapped, and it was cold! We started in one spot, and after an hour, went and got coffee to warm up. We tried a second place and my wife got a couple of bites, but no fish. I’d read that there was good trout fishing in the area, so we headed inland to a close by river. The mosquitoes about carried us away! I was so glad my wife had the repellent in her bag! Again, zero luck on catching any fish. I had one on the line, and as it jumped, it escaped, which was a bummer. I’m pretty sure that same fish then took a running start, jumped out of the water, and flipped me the bird on its way past me! That’s the way our day went! Supper was pizza, made in the frying pan, and after a cold, windy day, it was delicious. We ended up catching a pretty good country rock singer to close the night out.

Friday, we headed out back towards home. It was bittersweet because I really enjoyed this getaway. Florida was nice, but I could never imagine living there. The heat, the threat of hurricanes, and the Trump support are not things that would draw me to a place. Great place to visit, not a great place for us to move. Wisconsin, while it has it’s red moments, is more purple. The closeness of nature, the lake itself, and just the different feel make it a place where I could see it as a possible “new home” when that time comes.

However, for now, our home is in Iowa (sigh), so that’s where we pointed the truck towards. Before we made it home, we had one more stop. My wife found The Cheese Curd Festival in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, so we made it a stop. This place boasts that they’ll sell 6,000 pounds of cheese curds over the weekend of their festival. Their two new flavors were hot honey and cinnamon sugar. I wasn’t too excited about the sugar ones, the hot honey got my attention. So, we bought two serving, one of the sugar and one of the honey.

OMG.

They were amazing! And we ate them all. And got tummy aches. So, what does one do when they have a tummy ache? Find more food, of course! We ended up with some deep-fried apple pie and cinnamon ice cream. So delicious and it helped our tummies to feel better! šŸ™‚

We ended up home about 10:00 PM Friday night, unpacked and crawled into our own beds.

All in all, it was a pretty successful trip. We dealt with heat, cold, rain, wind, and a huge flock of mosquitoes that were huge. We ate good food, drank good beer, and just enjoyed our time away. I’ll file this place away again as another place to revisit if have the time.

And if you are looking for an outdoor vacation spot in northern Wisconsin, the Bayfield, Washburn, Ashland area is a must visit.