We have continued to take the opportunity to engage in some activity or short trip on a weekly basis. Sometimes we go by ourselves and sometimes the workers from China go with us.
Things we’ve done
We went to the Riverside and Great Northern Railroad to visit the grounds and ride the 1/4 scale train pulled by a live steam engine. The entrance to the R&GN property is about a mile from the KOA. The seven-mile roundtrip trip was interesting in cars that seat eight people.
The 4-4-2 steam locomotive at R&GN in Wisconsin Dells
Coco and Byron road together on the outbound portion of the excursion.
Later that afternoon we had a late lunch. We at the River’s Edge which sits on the banks of the Wisconsin River in the Lower Dells area. At that point the river is wider than the Upper Dells and not as deep.
Martha and Sunny walked along the beech. Sunny was
excited to put her feet in the river; a first for her.
The Wisconsin Opry typically features two sisters and their
parents playing and singing a combination of Country & Western
music as well as some Gospel tunes.
We visited Devil’s Lake State Park south of Baraboo to go for a hike. What we thought would be a stress-free trek up to Balanced Rock turned out to be more of a challenge than we anticipated. The problem wasn’t getting to the peak of the climb, the issue was coming down through the boulder field. The large, natural lake is interesting in that there’s a beach at the north and south ends of the lake with a bolder field on either side. The boulder field rises around 250 above the lake surface.
The view of the north beech of Devil’s Lake from atop the
boulder field on the east side of the lake.
One Tuesday we took “the girls” for a horseback ride north of The Dells near Mauston at The Woodside Ranch and Resort. The trail ride was through the forest on the property so what could have been a day in the sun turned out to be a day in the shade. There was a threat of rain but we only received a sprinkle. Coco and Sunny had a good time. It was their first horseback riding experience.
Woodside Ranch states it is where the West begins. The dude ranch
has a conference center and restaurant on the property in addition
to the cabins and stables; not expected in Wisconsin.
We also did a Wisconsin Dells “must do” by going to a performance of the Paul Bunyan Northwoods Lumberjack Show. We say “must do” because Wisconsin Dells was near the center of the lumbering industry since it sits on the Wisconsin River where a dam was built. And, as a matter of fact, lumberjack sports are still popular today just like rodeo sports. Just because it’s regional doesn’t mean it isn’t popular.
The Lumberjack Show features events such as the standing block chop, axe throwing, pole climbing, two-man log sawing, log rolling, and others by championship lumberjacks that have appeared on ESPN’s Stihl Timbersports Series and Great Outdoor Games.
Guys in the Lumberjack Show actually engage in competition
pitting representing the red team and the blue team. The teams
are composed of two men who are in great physical condition.
Last year we visited with former GMC motorhome owners at their home in Mequon, Wisconsin. Since we are less than 130 miles from them, we decided to visit again this summer. The difference this time was taking Sunny and Coco with us. They both enjoyed the ride in the motorhome (we took it so our dogs could also go along and to exercise the coach). We all enjoyed the ride on the Milwaukee River on Marlys and Jim’s pontoon boat. While on the cruise we stopped at a Farmer’s Market. We also took Sunny and Coco to Cedarburg to see the historic settlement and the covered bridge.
Of course, Marlys had prepared a wonderful dinner for us. Our Chinese guests enjoyed the American cuisine featuring grilled chicken (which Jim did to perfection), corn on-the-cob, sliced tomatoes, potato salad, deviled eggs (explain that one to a foreigner), baked beans, and seasonal fruit. Since they ate everything the put on their plates (and had more), it was easy to tell they’d eat it again if given the opportunity.
Just before leaving Mequon after visiting with Marlys
and Jim Garman, friends who formerly lived near
Smiths Grove, Kentucky.
In addition to the short trips and activities, we also hosted a rally of the Diesel RV Club at the nearby Country Road RV and Motor Home Park in Lake Delton. Byron serves as an officer of the club which is affiliated with FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association).
While here our television habits have changed as well as our sleeping habits. Since we work from 1 pm to 10 pm we don’t watch prime time programming. We turn on the 10 o’clock news when we get home. We generally watch WISC in Madison over the cable feed from the kampground. At 10:30 we flip over to the local MeTV affiliate which is only available over-the-air to watch Perry Mason, the reruns from the late 1950s. To keep the dogs settled during the day the TV is tuned to TNT or CNN, which we get via the park’s cable.
We’re heading into our last month of work kamping here at Wisconsin Dells KOA. The trips and opportunities of eating in some very nice restaurants have certainly added to our experience and lightened the work opportunity.
