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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...
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Mauthe Lake Recreational Area


This weekend, Julia and I did something different:  we went camping with my adult daughter and her two friends.  Mauthe Lake is located about an hour north of Milwaukee and has 135 mostly wooded sites.  It’s part of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Northern Unit. There are electric sites at Mauthe Lake, but our campsite was without any hookups.

We arrived early Friday afternoon in time to set up the Brew Hut and hike a few miles of the Ice Age Trail.  That trail runs through most of the state forest and cuts across this property near the entrance station.  Although rain was predicted for the entire weekend, the weather held off until the end, making for fantastic hiking conditions.




Allie and friends showed up in time for a supper of bratwurst, chips, IPA’s and homemade wine.  Setting up Grandpa Gene’s tent was a learning experience for all.  Allie also learned how to use Gene’s old campstove.


By ten o’clock, the old geezer (me) was ready to turn in.  As I heard the young women and Julia talk and laugh, I was reminded of my own early adult camping experiences and the foolish but fun times we had.

Julia and I rose early Saturday morning and hiked around Mauthe Lake.  The trail was wet.  In the beginning, we balanced on logs and jumped across stones to keep our feet dry.  By about halfway, the trail was so deep with water that it was pointless, so we just sloshed through, ankle deep.  By the time we arrived back at the campsite, the girls were hungry.

I fixed bacon, eggs, and toast for five on the two burner Coleman stove.  Then we went for a  3.5 mile loop hike around Parnell Tower.  Afterwards, we celebrated with two flights at SoLu Estate Wine and Meadery.  My favorite was the ginger root mead, but we took home a bottle of Highland’s Blend, a delightful red wine, reminding me of a spicy California Zinfandel.




After an early dinner of tacos, tortilla chips and guac, Allie and Company headed back home to Milwaukee. Julia and I sat by the fire, sipping red wine until after dark.

On Sunday morning, we drove out to the Long Lake campground to check it out. Most of the sites were located in scrub and without much shade.  We hiked some more on both the Zillmer Trail and the Butler Lake loop.  By noon, it was time to hit the taco truck in Campbellsport.  By the time that we hitched up and hit the road, the long-predicted rain started to fall.  All agreed that it was a great start to a Wisconsin summer.


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