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Up NorthNotes and News My sis, Billy Goeke and her husband, Dale up North Thoughts and reflections of life in Wisconsin's Great Northwoods (From Billy's point of view, of course.) If you'd like a taste of life up here, rent my sister's cabins. Up North April 11, 2008 We headed to the cabin on Thursday afternoon as we were anxious to see the new carpet in Cabin 1 and put things back together before our weekend guests arrived. It has been rainy and cold (approximately 35 degrees) in Northern Illinois for the past few days and from the looks of things, Wisconsin has had the same weather. The temperatures continued to drop the further North we drove. As usual, the climate changed at about Wausau and the rain turned to snow. We woke up on Friday morning and found that the snowplows had been out. There was a four-inch accumulation of snow. I have to admit; in all the years we have been coming up North I don’t remember snow in April. Friday morning, we went down to Cabin 1 to see the new carpet in the basement. It was excellent! We purchased the carpet at “The Carpet Guy" in Hazelhurst and his workers did an excellent job of installation. AND THERE WAS NO MESS LEFT BEHIND! I really liked that. We moved the furniture back in and I made the beds. We were expecting our weekend guests to be arriving sometime after noon on Friday. We had to go out for a few contractor supplies and we made our rounds to Minocqua Rental and Hardware, Northern Merchandise (a discount/variety store), Wal-Mart, and Ace Hardware. I feel it is very important to shop local here up North. The businesses here can not make a go of it if we don’t respect them by spending our money in their stores! On the way home, we had to stop at Fritz’s Bar on Highway 47 [Woodruff]. We were so lucky to hit Fritz’s happy hour from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with $.50 tap beer!! Only in Wisconsin do you have a happy hour in the middle of the day! Fritz is an older gentleman with the Wisconsin gift for pleasant conversation complete with small talk about the weather, about how thick the ice on the lakes still are, about golfing. I was surprised to find all the seats at the bar filled that time of day, but this is truly a local and popular hang out. Cheap beer doesn’t hurt either. My husband was so pleased to walk out of there spending just a few dollars (and that included the tip!). We then went back home and worked some more on Cabin 2. Today Dale finished the bathroom in the basement. I stained the chairs for our new log kitchen set. All in all, it was another productive day, although we never work too hard. At about 4:30 we put on a clean pair of jeans and headed over to Lake Tomahawk. From our cabin(s) you go back to Highway 51 and turn left (South). You then turn left (West) on Highway D. It is a beautiful drive as you go past Little and Big Carr Lakes. At Highway 47 you go left (North). This time we stopped at a bar called Big Cat’s Gaslight. The current owners have had it since last fall and have been working on updating and remodeling the inside in . . . you guessed it--knotty pine! They have a large eating area and they have a Friday night fish fry. I tried to talk the bartender into an even trade of their Leinenkugel pool light (you know the one – it looks like an red, upside-down canoe) for our “vintage" Old Style pool light. She was very nice but sternly replied….."Ah . . . NO!" It began to snow once again and the pictures below
are of our drive back home from up North.
Until the next time we visit..."THINK SPRING!" Up North March 22, 2008 Hello everyone. It is suppose to be spring, but up North here in the Northwoods the snow lasts much longer. Temperatures continue to dip below 0 degrees at night and the daytime highs top out at 35 degrees. The roads are dry, the lakes a bit slushy, and the trails are getting a bit icy and bare during the day. HOWEVER, there is still much good snowmobile riding up North here as one gets in the woods away from town. My sister asked me to write a few words about my experiences up North. When you are allowed to write about the place you love, the words just seem to flow. I'll be adding to this page as time goes on, keeping you updated on the latest developments at our cabins and the nearby areas. Today we worked on the inside of the cabins. Actually, I should say my husband worked . . . I shopped! In Cabin 1, we finished putting ceiling lights in the basement. Boy did that take much swearing as my husband HATES electrical work. We usually have Jeff Stearns along to help us, but Jeff stayed home with his family this weekend to celebrate Easter. Boy was Jeff mad when we called home and told him how much snow there was up here! He missed out.  We
hung our "Leinenkugel’s" paddle with
canoes. This was delightfully ceremonious.
You true Up North lovers of the Northwoods know the sign I’m talking
about (left) and can probably appreciate the significance of this
occasion. One of the great things about being at the cabin is finding
ways to pass the time and forgetting about the stress of everyday life.
This ceremony was truly labor of love and indicative of the lifestyle
around here. Ha ha!
In Cabin 2, my husband is putting an additional bathroom in the basement. He has installed a shower and is now working on the toilet. The walls and door are…you guessed it…knotty pine. The floor is durable faux wood. When completed, there will be two bathrooms for people to enjoy at Cabin 2. Just one more amenity to make our visitors happy! All the building progress was great, but what I am most happy about is that I took my husband to a sale today and we purchased a log kitchen table and chairs for Cabin 2. We also purchased a log full-size bed and two log twin beds for the loft. Once we get mattresses for these beds, Cabin 2 will be able to accommodate up to 8 guests comfortably. We purchased a large area rug with a fishing theme for the kitchen. After these improvements, Cabin 2 is really starting to feel like home. Why do I love the Northwoods? Well for one, our Up North phone does not ring and we don’t have email access here (that does not seem to bother Dale as he has never learned how to use the computer and does not require it for his job). I always make it a point to take a long walk every day. We always make a batch of soup in the crock pot to simmer and eat as we get hungry throughout the day. This weekend it was cheesy broccoli soup (I know you Wisconsin natives love that one). You can get the best dry mixes up town for only a couple of bucks and they keep really well in the cabin’s cupboard that way. Other favorites include chili, vegetable, and chicken noodle. On Saturday, we worked some more (I should say Dale worked and I did some cleaning at both cabins) and then we went riding snowmobiles. We headed out to the Rainbow Flowage, a new trail and area we found this winter while riding. The people at the Rainbow Shores Resort are super. It is a resort/trailer park and restaurant/bar that sits right on the flowage access. They have shirts that say “Mess with me and you mess with the whole trailer park,” which are quite humorous. They have the best chicken dinner and their prices are extremely reasonable.  Along the
trail to Rainbow Flowage there is a
clearing with electrical poles where an eagle lives. It’s so
neat to drive just a short way and see such incredible wildlife.
If you look up, you will see the eagle’s massive nest exposed at the top of one of utility poles. I always look for my friend the eagle every time I go in that direction. The first time I saw him I was riding my sled and he swooped down right in front of me.  Have you ever seen an eagle up close? They are HUGE. Anyway, typically you don’t see it during the day. Perhaps the sound of our motors sends him away or perhaps it hunts its prey during the day and returns to its nest in the late afternoon. I tried to take a few pictures along the trail so my cabin friends can see what the weather is like in late March.  Well
all in all it was a good productive weekend. You may feel sorry for my
husband who puts in a lot of time up north, but don’t feel too bad; he
loves it. The economy has softened and so he is slow right now, anyway.
This is probably the first year since he and his partner started their
business (C&D
Construction) that they have had no work in the winter. By the way, below is what we saw outside our window this weekend. This guy was in our own yard.  If you come to visit, you can see this, too. The deer drop by on a daily basis and sometimes you can get a glimpse of a fox, badger or even a black bear. Spotting a bear close-up is rare because they are shy, but they're here! So until next time we come up north and I can report. Drive safe, be happy, and live healthy. Meanwhile, maybe you can come up for a visit, too! Your friends, The Geoke’s: Dale, Billy, Drew, and Chad From the Northwoods of Wisconsin
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