Blue Skies in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

On this trip we have survived the sultry days of summer with humidity that the local weatherman described as "air you can wear." We have survived days of smoke in the red and purple ranges that were "unhealthy for humans." So maybe we deserve high temperatures in the 70s with blue skies?!? Well that's what we got for our stay in northern Wisconsin in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

We found this spot by drawing a line between Door County (our last stop) and the Apostle Islands National Lake Shore (our next stop), and dropping a pin half-way between the two. This would be our "back to nature" stop after spending time in touristy and urban areas.

We filled up with water at the Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce Office. This little town has a few businesses, but they don't have a garbage system.  We found this "trash truck" parked on Main Street. Locals pay per bag for garbage deposited into the truck.

With a full tank of water, we headed out to our national forest no-hook-up campground at Laurel Lake. There were only 12 camp sites in this remote location, and we were the only camper there on our first night. Some sites were reservable and some were first-come-first-served. Our campsite backed up to Laurel Lake. Because we don't have any electricity for these three days, we were excited to see blue skies and cool weather in the forecast.

It's nice to be using our solar panels again. So Mark climbed on top of the trailer to clean off the panels so they could work their best. Using solar meant we wouldn't be using our air-conditioner or microwave during this stay. We were blessed that the brutally hot summer temperatures in the southern part of the country didn't follow us to northern Wisconsin. We enjoyed temperatures in the 70's for highs and 40's for lows. That's the kind of July weather we were looking for!

We really didn't have a good plan for what we would do during these two days. But a stop at the Chamber office helped us decide. Our first stop was the Three Eagle bike and hike trail. We noticed that the first three miles rode along the highway. So we opted to start at the second parking lot and headed north through the woods from there.

The cinder surface was fine for our skinny-tire fold-up bikes. But soon we came to a long boardwalk section that was even better.

We crossed over the cranberry boardwalk, where the cranberry plants were just starting to bloom. They will put on berries that will ripen in the fall. Who knew that Wisconsin was the leading producer of cranberries in the world?

The trail was relatively flat, and shaded by tall pines. We enjoyed the blue sky peeking out through the trees.

In this part of Wisconsin, we found we were never far from a river or a lake. We crossed this bridge made especially for the Three Eagle Trail.

The trail got its name--Three Eagle Trail--from the fact that it connects the town of Three Lakes to the town of Eagle River. We could have ridden to Eagle River in 12.7 miles, but the only problem was that we would have had to ride that 12.7 miles back to our pickup. We weren't crazy about the 1.5-mile section that was on a newly-tarred county road. We were spoiled by the shady cool forest, and we decided to turn around on that road and head back to the woods.

In all, we got a 12-mile bike ride that was a great way to start off our stay. The person at the chamber office also mentioned that we should go see the Burnt Rollways Boat Hoist. What could that be? 

We found out that Oneida County has over 1,100 lakes. That's not 11 lakes--that's 11 HUNDRED lakes--in one COUNTY--not the whole state! Many of them are so close together that they form chains. Boaters can actually cruise from one lake to another without having to reload their boat on a trailer and moving it. There is a 28-lake chain with 106 miles of shoreline named after the nearest town, Three Lakes, Wisconsin. It's a bit confusing that a chain of 28 lakes is named the Three Lakes Chain of Lakes. That is the largest chain of fresh water lakes in the world.

You might think that would be plenty of lakes and plenty of miles to zoom those boats around. But just on the other side of the dam is another chain of lakes. The Eagle River Chain consists of nine lakes with 68 miles of shoreline. In 1911 a hoist system was built to connect the two chains. It can hoist boats over the road on top of the dam that separates the two chains of water.

It was updated to an electric motor system in the 1950's, and it has been hoisting boats from one chain of lakes to the other for well over 100 years. Only minutes after we arrived, our first customer came from the Eagle River side of the dam. 

The water level is lower on that side, so the boat has to be lifted up. 

It actually goes up and then will be rolled over the road that we just drove our pickup on to get here.

While out of the water, the boat is inspected for invasive plants and animals. 

Then the hoist moves the boat back down until it is floating in the Three Lakes chain. How much would you expect such a monumental move to cost? We were surprised that a one-way hoist was only $15, and if you're planning to return today you can get both hoists for a total of $20.

We sat and watched the next pontoon boat being hoisted over the dam in the opposite direction. The passengers walked across the road, reloaded onto their lowered boat and were on their way to a whole new chain of lakes.

While we watched this new-to-us process, we pondered whether we wanted to kayak a few miles up the Three Lakes chain or the Eagle River chain. We also watched a lazy flock of geese napping this afternoon.

The local advice was to go south on the Three Lake chain one mile to Nine-Mile Creek. (Wow, that's a lot of numbers in that description!) So we aired up the kayak and heading south.

The narrow channel has been dredged deep enough to allow even the biggest boats to safely navigate slowly to the first sizable lake in the Three Lakes Chain. Have we mentioned how much we are loving the blue skies and cool temperatures here?

While the chains were very popular with motor boats, we were looking for a calmer place to paddle. So we soon took a left and entered Nine-mile creek. This actually wasn't part of the chain, which meant we wouldn't have to dodge the motor boats as we kayaked.

At times it was so shallow that we were dragging our kayak on the rocks. But the quiet water meant that we could stop and smell the lily pad flowers.

We didn't use any special camera effects or coloring on the photo below. Doesn't it look like a painting?

The lotus plants were also blooming their butter-colored flowers.

Unlike the motor boats that were speeding on to conquer every lake, paddlers go slow enough to see the intricacies of the inside of the lotus bloom. We have wandered into more of God's wonders!

The most fun was spotting a river otter playing in the water up ahead. By the time Denisa got the camera out, the otter had made it to the cover of the tall grass at the edge of the river. If you know where to look, you can see his brown fur among the grass.

The only other wildlife we found on our paddle was a turtle, napping on a log that had fallen into the creek.

We thought we were seeing black butterflies along the creek. Then we got a closer look and found that they were unusually-colored florescent turquoise dragonflies. 

Those motor boats speeding down a chain of lakes didn't see details like that!

We only made it 0.8 miles down the Nine Mile Creek before we hit a shallow spot and had to turn around. We love the serenity of a glassy creek that mirrors the clouds above it. We had wandered into more of God's wonders on this blue sky day!

We weren't finished kayaking, so we headed down the chain towards Long Lake. We didn't have to worry about shallow water or rocks because this was where the big boats go. We paddled just until we got to the opening of Long Lake. After a view of this bigger lake with its waves and traffic, we turned around and headed back towards the hoist and our put-in spot. 

But instead of packing up the kayak, we tied it to the top of the pickup. With 1,100 lakes in this county, we're certainly not finished kayaking yet! Our camp site is on Laurel Lake (one of the chain lakes) and we had a lovely boat dock in our campground.

We unloaded the kayak and were on the water in minutes for an evening paddle around Laurel Lake.

We were really in search of the loons we heard calling last night. Loons are one of our favorite birds, and Denisa really wanted to get a picture of a loon this trip.

We kayaked beside our camping spot, and we could see the white back end of our little trailer through the pine trees.

We liked the quiet end of Laurel Lake where the water lilies cover the surface of the water and we were protected from the breeze.

But we left our little peaceful cove and headed towards the larger section of Laurel Lake. That took us into the turbulent water caused by the traffic from the motor boats zipping up and down the chain of lakes. It was a little like being on a freeway, dodging the cross traffic. Also this section of the lake was ringed with private residences, each with a floating dock and all the menagerie of lake life. We weren't expecting any more wildlife sightings, but we were glad to see a big bird fly across the horizon.

We watched long enough to confirm that it was a bald eagle. We were lucky enough to see him land in one of the big trees on the far edge of the lake.

Based on the yellow color of his beak, and the pure white feathers on his head, this was a mature adult bald eagle.

Of course we paddled over to get a better look. That adult bald eagle posed nicely for us with the blue sky background in that tall pine.

We paddled for 3.3 miles on the evening's loon hunt, jutting into every quiet cove and around the curves. We went all the way into the next lake in the chain--Medicine Lake. But we didn't see even one loon.

By this time the sun was getting low in the sky. Who knew we were going on a sunset kayak trip? The boat traffic stopped and the wind calmed. Suddenly that big ole chain of lakes became a giant mirror.

Our arms were tired by the time we paddled back into the quiet section of the lake by our national forest campground. We were just a few feet from our dock when we looked to our right and saw an unusual sight.

It was a family of sand hill cranes hanging out on the other side of the tall grass that lined the lake. We didn't take any pictures of the sand hill cranes at the Crain Foundation we toured this week. So it was interesting that we got to take crane pictures in the wild--while sitting in our kayak.

The younger crane still had his golden brown baby feathers.

These were large birds, with the adults standing around five feet tall with a seven foot wing span. Seeing them so close made us feel rather small sitting in our kayak. A pair of cranes usually parents only one chick per year, and this baby must be strong enough to fly all the way across the United States this fall. Our nearness didn't seem to bother them, but they did decide to relocate further away from our kayak. As they walked into the opening, we got our best view of the chick.

That was certainly surprising to see such a big bird so close. They were as surprised to see us as we were to see them. At the Crane Foundation headquarters, we learned that parent cranes are very protective of their little ones. They have been known to attack intruders into their nursery area. We felt a little vulnerable to attack if the parents viewed us as a predator. Being attacked by a bird her same height while sitting in an inflatable boat is the makings of Denisa's worst nightmare.

We'll end this blog at the same place we started it--at the little dock at our forest service campground in the middle of the woods. We didn't have big plans for the day, but we were busy from early morning until well after sunset. We have so enjoyed the blue skies and the cool temperatures of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest this July day!

Guess who we saw in Green Bay and Lambeau Field?!?

We left Wisconsin's Door County this morning, totally unaware of who we would see today. But before we left Door County, we got to experience a little more butterfly magic. We had another new butterfly! But the most exciting thing this morning was watching a caterpillar become chrysalis. Last night we saw that a large caterpillar had assumed the "J" position and was hanging upside down from a leaf. 

This morning we got to see the amazing process as it wriggled out of its striped skin and became a lumpy chrysalis. We have wandered into more of God's wonders here at this special Boondockers Welcome stay! It was hard to leave!

While we had enjoyed electrical hookups and water at this stop, we had to stop by the local KOA and pay to dump our tanks. Then we were on the road towards the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. That's when we got a phone call from our son, Blake. He and his wife were also on the road towards Green Bay. We were planning to tour Lambeau Field. They were planning to tour Lambeau Field. We were planning to eat lunch in Green Bay. They were planning to eat lunch in Green Bay. Why don't we meet and do those things together? So we had a totally unplanned meet-up with our loved ones over 800 miles from home!

We were a little ahead of them on the road, so we had time to find a parking place for the pickup and trailer. Then we did a little exploring around the famous Lambeau Field.

One of the statues out front was the namesake of the Super Bowl trophy--Vincent Lombardi. He led the Green Bay Packers to five world championships in seven years. Two of those were the first two Superbowls ever played.

We also found the statue of Curly Lambeau. He was the founder of the Green Bay Packers in 1919, and was a player, coach, and general manager during his career here. He was playing on the team that won this team's first world championship.

Also out front is an interactive statue that invites visitors to do the "Lambeau Leap" into the welcoming crowd of Packers fans.

Blake and Jamie arrived, and we went inside the atrium that holds a replica of the Lombardi trophy. It was too big to fit easily into one picture, but we left these three blurry tourists in the picture just to show how big it was.

Before our tour started, we had just enough time to check out the Packers store, and take a picture with an assortment of cheese head hats.

We bought tickets for the 1:00 Champions tour. Our entertaining tour guide first reminded us that this is the home turf of the team that has won more world champions than any other. The Green Bay Packers claim 13 world championships ranging from 1929-2010.

It was so much fun to share this view of Lambeau Field with two of our favorite people!

Green Bay hosts the only team in the NFL that is publicly owned. Our tour guide was one of those proud owners. It's also a place where people put their babies on the waiting list for season tickets, hoping that a seat will come available by the time that baby becomes an adult. This was a magical place with fans known for their loyalty.

Our tour took us high up in the stadium. We got to walk beside the giant G that is their most visible trademark. This G is lit at night, and is the tallest thing in this small city. Locals can find their way home by following the glowing "G" in the sky.

While most of the die-hard fans must suffer the extreme cold of Wisconsin winters to attend a home game, a few can watch the games in warmth behind glass panels. This was the sweet suite view of Lambeau Field.

Our champion tour included some time enjoying the momentary luxury of the Champion Suite. Game tickets here include an unlimited buffet. We were just glad to have a chair to sit down for a while during this hour and a half tour.

No tour is allowed inside the Green Bay Packers locker room. A picture was posted in the hall, but that's as close as we would get to seeing it. Our tour guide pointed out the giant "G" carpet in the center. That's where the team will gather in a circle before every game. There they will pray not for victory, but for safety for all the players. That special carpet travels to all the away games for the same prayer.

One of the highlights of any Lambeau tour is making the trip down the cement tunnel to the field. We didn't have the smoke, spinning lights, or the loud music that the players enjoy on game day. But we were led down the tunnel by our very enthusiastic tour guide.

As we broke into the sunlight, we got our first ground floor view of the famous field.

This is not astroturf. This is REAL grass, and they are very protective of keeping it pristine. Signs warn visitors not to even think about walking onto that grass. So how does an open stadium in a part of the country known for its cold temperatures keep a real grass field growing in the winter?

There are 43 miles of plastic tubing underneath the ground that carries warm water and antifreeze to keep the grass green and growing even during a Wisconsin winter. During the long days of summer, this grass is mowed every other day. In the shorter days of winter, giant grow light are rolled out to mimic the sunshine necessary to keep grass green. The grounds crew will be mowing this green grass on the field this winter while another crew will be shoveling snow in the stands at the same time.

Now that she knew more about this pampered grass, Denisa bent down to take a close-up. Another member on our tour bent down to touch it, and was chastised by our guide. They are serious about protecting every blade of that grass!

Have we mentioned how fun we thought it was to share this time with our son and daughter-in-law? We left the field to climb through the coveted seats in this always-sold-out stadium. They still have those uncomfortably cold aluminum benches, and each ticket only gets 18-inches of space. If you requested a season pass today, there would be 157,000 people ahead of you on the waiting list--all glad for the honor of squishing into that little uncomfortable seat to watch a miserably cold football game.

We like to eat like the locals. When we asked the girl at the visitor center for lunch recommendation, she didn't hesitate to steer us towards the Booyah Shed. It's a tiny local place just a mile from the stadium. Booyah is a meat and vegetable stew that is the Green Bay signature meal. We had the Booyah/Sandwich special and a generous slice of carrot cake before we split ways with Blake and Jamie. They were spending a couple days with her relatives before we will meet up with them again on the shores of Lake Superior.

We started our 2.5-hour drive north on some bumpy two-lane roads into Northern Wisconsin's Nicolet National Forest. It was 68 degrees as we headed north and we're so glad to be where it is cool this July! We were even more glad to get to spend time with Blake and Jamie this day. We would have never guessed who we would get to see in Green Bay!