Destination “Up North” Lac Du
Flambeau
For us
summer has always meant at least one week of vacation “Up North” in northern
Wisconsin, often referred to as God’s country. We think of “Up North” as any town north of Wausau,
Wisconsin. This week we are camping for six days in Vilas County on the Lac Du
Flambeau reservation at their campground on Flambeau Lake. It’s about 1,200
acres with musky, northern, bass, walleyes and panfish. Our drive up here did bring back memories of
over 40 years of making this journey “Up North” for vacations with more great
memories than I could ever put into words. So glad we have pictures to help us
remember those wonderful experiences. We are camping about 10 miles from my
wife’s parent’s cottage that was sold about five years ago. We haven’t been “Up
North” since. I didn’t realize how much I much I missed being up here until we
drove through Wausau. I have also heard that any place north of Wausau is
thought of as being “North of the Tension Zone”.
No set plans
for this week. We will probably visit many of the towns that are within 15 to
20 miles of our campground just to see how they have changed. It may be hard to
decide which ones to visit in the next couple of days. We are right on the
border of Vilas and Oneida counties and may visit Eagle River, Minocqua, Manitowish
Waters, Boulder Junction or St. Jermain. It’s summer “Up North” and there is
something going on almost every day. We could attend art shows, quilt shows,
gem shows, food fests, museums and an endless number of tourist attractions. I
might even fish from shore in a couple of different places. Oh yes. I forgot to
mention that that “Lake Of The Torches” casino is less than a mile from our
campground. Hope we win enough to pay for our next adventure. We do whatever
the “Spirit” moves us to do in the morning when we get up. Some days we just
enjoy relaxing in the campground reading a good book or playing a board game. I might even get inspired to write.
Setting up
camp next to our new neighbors went perfect, including setting up the new
screen tent that we got the day before we left on this journey. It’s a Gander
Mountain 12’ X 12’ Vista Dome Screen tent that went up in 10 minutes and is so
much nicer than the heavy canvas one we had 35 years ago. We did put it up in
the backyard the day we got it so we wouldn’t look like it was our first day
camping when we got to the camp ground. We met our nearest neighbors as we were
setting up and they have a Jayco trailer also so we had something in common to
start the conversation. They are both Native Americans from Green Bay, WI.
where we once lived.
Friday
morning and we woke up early to very bright sunshine reflecting off the lake
and right through our shades. I’m sitting at our dinette table, having my first
cup of coffee, with a perfect view of Flambeau Lake as I write this. Life is
good!
We played
tourist in Minocqua this morning and Lauralyn ended up with new moccasins and a
book and I got washers for a leaky water connection. Had lunch, an ice cream
cone, isn’t it nice being our age, at one of the drive-ins that we had gone to
during our many years of coming up here.
We got back to the campground about 3 pm and just enjoyed the peace and
quiet and that wonderful sound of loons on the lake. Can’t explain it, but it’s
just so relaxing up here looking at the lake, reading the Lakeland Times and
looking forward to another great day tomorrow. They made a study and for some
reason people are more relaxed when looking at a lake, stream or ocean. I would
have to agree with that one.
Saturday we
woke up to gray and cloudy with the promise by weather people that it would not
rain and they were right. We drove about 40 miles to Eagle River to attend an
art show. It only took about an hour to see everything and Lauralyn did find a
perfect opal ring. We ate lunch at Soda Pops, a malt shop type restaurant that
Lauralyn remembers eating at for the first time when she was probably 10 years
old. They have about 75 different kinds of soda and old fashioned phosphate
sodas with almost any flavor that you could think of. I had a meatball sandwich
that was made with cranberries, sour kraut and brown sugar and was great but
really different. I chose a Dog & Suds rood beer because I worked at a Dog
& Suds during high school and my first year of college. Tasted just as good as it did in 1964. We
played tourist in Eagle River also enjoying all that the shops had to offer. A
sandwich sign in front of a jewelry store said “Thank You Vets” so of course we
had to go in. A man, about our age, was selling Navajo jewelry and Lauralyn picked
out a bracelet with two kinds of turquoise, lapis lazuli and oyster shell set
in a very pretty silver setting. I found a small fold up Coleman table that we
can use to put our small gas grill on or our two burner propane stove when we
choose to cook outside.
We took time
today to check out a different campground in Eagle River as long as we were
there, but the sites were too open (no trees), too close to each other or near
storage buildings. Then we stopped at Arbor Vita, the town right next to Woodruff
to check out another campground and this one turned out to be even worse than
the one we had just been to. Way too crowded for us and they just didn’t seem
very friendly. Checked these two off our list of possible campgrounds and once
again realized you can’t believe everything the campground listing says it is
and of course the brochures picture only their best sites. This is why we try
to check places out before we make reservations. We will check out three more campgrounds next
week and hope we have better luck, although we do like the one that we are in
right now. Red sky at night, sailors delight. Well we saw beautiful red sunset
tonight so we should see a very nice day tomorrow. We plan on going into Lac Du
Flambeau tomorrow. It’s about three blocks long, but has some shops and a
Native American museum. We will then make a donation to the Lake Of The Torches
casino and hope we win enough to pay for this week’s adventure or maybe even
two or three more. I’ll let you know tomorrow how we did.
Had a
leisurely Sunday morning which began with Sausage, bacon and blueberry pancakes
and a great view of the lake from our dinette window. Had my third and fourth
cups of coffee in the screen tent. What a view of this lake. We looked at our
calendars and decided to come back for a week in September. We were hoping to
visit Waswagoning Indian Village today, but found out they are only open
Tuesday through Saturday so we will have to do that the next time we are up
here.
We did go
into down town Lac Du Flambeau, about three blocks long, and were very
surprised at the improvements that have been made in the last five years. They
now have sidewalks and curbs that allow you safely walk to the casino about a
mile away. Downtown now has a small six store mall that was closed on Sunday.
We stopped in their grocery store to get a WI State Journal and a couple of
things we forgot for dinner and then I spent the rest of the morning reading
the paper and Lauralyn continued to work on a knitting project. Can’t get much
more relaxed than that. After lunch I went out on the pier that was built for
the handicapped but anyone can fish on it. It’s only a half mile from our
campsite and extends about a third of the way out into the channel between the
lake we are on and Lake Pokegamma where the casino is located. You could
actually take your boat from our campground to the casino if you wanted to. Only
caught one small bluegill but the wind was blowing right into where I was
fishing. I’ll probably try again on another day. After another great meal on
the gas grill we went to the casino and made a donation.
Woke up to a
cloudy hot muggy Monday and decided to road trip, in the air conditioned SUV to
check out two more campgrounds but only one would due in a pinch. We are really
spoiled with the one we are in which has larger sites. One that we looked at
the trailers were so close the pull outs from one were only a foot from their
neighbor. Very few children here because they don’t have all the extras that
children need today to keep them busy. Very quiet and very peaceful. Riding in
the car was so nice and cool that after lunch we decided to visit Mercer, “The
Loon Capitol of the World”. They had a quilt shop with a big sale sign so we
had to stop. Lor ordered a pattern for a small quilted sign
for the trailer just before we left on this trip and found the perfect material
to make it with on sale. Another store down the street had a tuned wind chimes
that we thought would be perfect in the screen tent and it is.
We kept
hearing weather reports of heavy winds, one inch hale and thunder storms so we
decided to take down our screen tent and put the awning up before we had dinner.
After dinner we once again donated to the Native Americans in Lac Du Flambeau. Yes,
I do know that people very seldom win at casinos, but it comes out of our “entertainment
fund”.
Can’t
believe it’s Tuesday already and we have to go home tomorrow. The rain was
predicted to be here after midnight, but didn’t arrive until 5:15 am and only
lasted an hour or so. We did have very strong winds today though so I’m glad
everything was put away early. We road tripped to Bolder Junction because we
used to camp at Big Lake there many years ago and they were having street sales
and a strawberry ice cream social. They also had a flea market and I found
connectors that clamp onto the screen tent material on the sides and corners
that you can put a stake through to hold down the bottom flaps on the inside.
You almost have to have a screen tent to know what I’m talking about. They were
having a raffle of a restored 1947 wood canoe which was just beautiful. Then we
realized it was as old as us, two 1947 babies. I asked them if they could
restore me, but only back to 20 or so.
Lor also
realized she has been coming up here for over 60 years. Checked one more
campground near Bolder Junction, Camp Holiday on Rudolf Lake, which will be our
2nd choice when we want to come this direction for R&R. If you
don’t know what R&R is ask a Vet.
I was emptying
the tanks one more time this afternoon when I got stung again by a ground
hornet. They came back and sprayed one more time and felt very bad about it.
This is just part of camping and Mother Nature. I did get everything packed so
we can be out of here by noon check out time. We treated ourselves to a very
nice dinner at the Polecat and Lace restaurant in Minocqua. Best steaks and
dinner out that I’ve had in a long time. Gets four stars from me.
I usually
hate the thought of leaving, but not this time. We will be home for four days
and then we are off to Chippewa Falls, WI. for a week. We will play tourist,
check out more campgrounds, I’ll get a chance to fish and we will tour the Leinenkugel’s
Brewery. Leinies Honey Weiss. One of my favorites. We’ll also be returning to
this campground for a week starting on September 17th.
Until next
time when you find us on the road again.
Added note: We often stop at Veteran's monuments. The monument is in Mercer the Loon capitol of the world. Biggest loon in the world too. Hope you enjoy the pictures.