It is good to be back in Wisconsin! Our trip from Jellicoe
to Dairyland, Wisconsin was just how we like it, uneventful. Barb drove the big
rig while I trailed behind in the Jeep with the 4 wheeler and the canoe.
Before we left we spent a few days with our former neighbor
Brian and his friend Mark. They came up for a long weekend for some fishing.
Having never been here before they did not know what to expect. Although the
weather did not fully cooperate it was not horrible either. The first day they
were there we went to Onaman, it was windy and cold but the fishing was good.
We caught dozens of walleyes with the largest being 26”. The average size for
the day was over 20” but we did manage to come home with a limit of fish
between 17-18”. The next day was not only windy and cold but also raining.
After taking some bear hunters out I met them at Northwind where we again did
real well. Barb and I fished until we could not feel our fingers any longer but
Mark and Brian stuck it out a little longer. On the way back we got a flat
tire, luckily a fellow bear hunter came by within 10 minutes and gave us a ride
back to camp where we got the equipment to change the tire. After getting it
back to camp, I put a plug in it and it was good to go.
Monday Barb and I spent the day packing up the trailer while
Brian and Mark went back to Onaman. It is amazing how long it takes to pack up
stuff after being parked for 4 months. Luckily, the rain held off and things
were able to dry off before we packed them up. Brian and Mark came back with
tails of monster walleyes again the biggest being a pair of 26’s.
Our first stop in Wisconsin was just outside of Dairyland
where some good friends have some hunting property. Our goal for the next couple of
days was to just relax, talk to no one and sleep as long as we wanted. For 4
months we had been getting up every day at 6am and were looking forward to no
time tables or commitments. Well…… that did not work out so well. We did relax
and went for walks, what did not work out so well was the sleeping in. We are
were so conditioned at waking up at 6am that it was impossible to sleep in,
only now that we were out of the eastern time zone and now in the central time
zone it was actually 5am! On top of that I kept dreaming that all the bear
hunters from Canada had come down and set up camp around us! I am sure it will
take some time to get adjusted to no schedules or time commitments.
We were able to have dinner and a “bump” with our gracious
hosts, Mike and Mary Jo. The dinner was awesome and conversation was great. The
“bump” is a tradition that has been in their family for years where you have a
shot to toast family, friends or other special occasions. This is definitely
something Barb and I are going to have to incorporate into our travels!
From Dairyland we traveled to my brothers place in Taylor’s
Falls where we stayed for the week. We visited with friends and family almost
every night. We had not been out to eat at all since May and now, since we have
been back, we must have gone out a dozen times! We satisfied all our cravings;
pizza, burgers, steaks, corn on the cob, ribs, pasta….all those things we
missed over the past few months. It was great to get out and have a variety of
foods. One thing we did not have was fish……I think we will take a little break
from them for a bit! We also took care of some doctor/dental appointments,
cleaned the rig both inside and out, replaced the water pump and Barb went into
work for a day to make some much needed cash!
Daisy is already in her perch and ready for the road |
Barb, Jillian and Scout |
While we were there Barb was also able to see several of her
friends she has not seen in quite a long time as well as catch up with Greg and
Gloria’s daughters, Ronda and Rachel, who were also there competing. Both the
girls ran well that weekend and Barb was able to see Ronda’s new grey Appaloosa!
Leaving Fergus, we headed to Fargo where we spent the night
at the farm of two more friends of ours (it is good to have friends!) We had
not seen Dan and Bonnie in about 10 years but they are the kind of friends that
you feel like you just saw last week. We went to dinner that night and
breakfast the next morning catching up and having a good time. I was also able
to get a “dirt skirt” installed on the truck thanks to a metal worker friend of
Dan’s. The next leg of our trip involved over 20 miles of gravel roads and I
did not want to do it without some protection for the front of the trailer.
It has been a whirlwind of a week, we are truly blessed with
great friends and family. We will not see most of them until next spring when
we come through again and they will be missed!
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