Up North :: Day 04

After the best night of sleep we’ve had in years, we woke up ready for another perfect day. It ended up being the only day of our long weekend without rain, which felt like such a gift. Honestly, I loved the cooler temperatures too. We had no big plans, so we spent the day hiking, biking to pick up firewood, and simply enjoying being there. I finished a book, Brian took a nap and tried his hand at fishing, then headed out for another bike ride while I hiked the trail next to our site along the lake. I still can’t get over how unbelievably green and lush everything was. Usually raccoons are the campground troublemakers, but here we were surrounded by tiny chipmunks and little red squirrels instead. It honestly felt like a fairytale. Such an incredibly relaxing, perfect day.

The next morning, it was time to head home. We thought about driving into Minocqua, but instead decided to take the scenic route through the forest. It’s wild just how massive it actually is. We had hoped to stop for a hike or find one last adventure along the way, but ended up driving straight through. The dogs were pretty happy to see us, so it all worked out. All I know is I need to get back to this area again. 

Up North :: Day 03

It was another day for celebration -- Father's Day! We needed to be out of the cabin pretty early, so headed into Iron River for breakfast at Main Street Cafe. Perfect diner food. Plus, right outside was a car show that spanned several blocks. We wandered the car show and stopped in antique stores before parting ways. Brian had picked up a flier with local waterfalls, so we decided to hike to Chicagon Falls. It was a good pitstop before making our way to Eagle River, WI. We walked around before stopping at the grocery store for some supplies. From there, we made our way to Franklin Lake Campground, our home for the next couple of nights. It may be one of my favorite places we've ever stayed. We were the only van I saw, and a couple sites had tents on them. Otherwise, most of the sites were occupied by RVs. Our site, and many of them, are right on the water. It was spacious, flat, and had gorgeous views. The only downside to the campground is that it doesn't have showers, and most of the bathrooms are pit toilets. Luckily, we were near one of the few real bathrooms, which I appreciated. The facilities were rustic yet clean. I was really impressed. Brian and I rode our bikes around the campground, and dined on cheese and crackers that night. It was perfect. 

Up North :: Day 02

The day was filled with on and off rain again, but also lots of Up North adventures. And Penny's birthday! So fun getting to celebrate with her. We made breakfast at home, then went to Seven Embers Coffee where we met up with Amy & Graham. The purpose for our trip was for a celebration of life for her mother, Carol, who passed away earlier this year. We were able to go to the cemetery with Amy & Graham & Sophie where Amy said a beautiful eulogy for her mother. Afterwards, we went to Infield to toast Carol with her favorite cocktail, a whiskey highball. When we walked in, imagine how surprised we were to see some friends from Milwaukee who were on their annual motorcycle trip -- one that Brian used to go on every year. So fun bumping into them. 

We had dinner reservations that night, but decided we'd rather cook at home, so we stopped at a grocery store on the way back and were pleasantly surprised to find gorgeous tomahawk steaks! Such a treat for a birthday celebration. We came back to the house, kayaked a bit, Brian fished, and we built a beautiful fire in the massive fire pit before cooking a most incredible birthday dinner. Amy, Graham and Sophie stopped by to celebrate Penny a bit, then the boys sat by the fire while the girls watched Dirty Dancing. The perfect end to a special day. 

Up North :: Day 01

Last Friday, we drove to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan -- lovingly referred to as the UP. It's a gorgeous area. We met up with Mel & Leif, and Penny & Chris at the house we rented for a few days. It was filled with taxidermy and loungers. It even had a Christmas tree -- and was extremely comfortable for the group of us. To get to the house, we traveled down a remote dirt road that was off the beaten path from any GPS mapping for a couple of miles (thank goodness for good written directions from the host) before we came upon the cabin. It was on a huge plot of land, and overlooked one of the lakes on the Fortune chain of lakes. We had kayaks, canoes and even a row boat available for use. Too bad it rained most of the weekend, but we were still able to enjoy most of it. The first night we stayed in and had brats and sipped Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream Liqueur from measuring cups while watching the World Cup and just enjoying each other's company. Mel had flown in from New York City that morning (talk about going from one world to the next), and Brian had gotten in late the night before from a work trip in Nashville. Needless to say, we were all exhausted. But also happy to be there. It really is a special place.