Edgewater Inn & Cottages Eagle River

Years ago Mom said that she would like to take her 3 daughters to Chile to visit Gloria, who had lived with the Fergusons in 1970/71. Two weeks ago we decided that now is the time to make this journey. Dec. 2 we will fly from Milwaukee to Atlanta, GA to Lima Peru. We will visit Machu Picchu. Then we will fly to Santiago Chile.

... won.

Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were wet and cold most of the time but the fall colours are beautiful. After a couple weeks of luxury in the pop-up, I am now heading back to Toronto to get the van fixed (or perhaps written off if I’m lucky).

Tidbits:

- Bumper sticker: Recession 101 - Self-worth beats net-worth.
- US motels are more reasonably priced than Canadian equivalents.

... needed for the trek to the Great White North; Marmot, my new down mummy bag, plus a new skirt and travel cover to help keep water out of Erik's cockpit. Overall, the weather, except for fairly strong winds, has been pretty good with only one day a complete washout (i.e., a reading day). Still need to pickup more dried food before the next stop... Heading toward the ...

... challenge, of course, is applying these improvements on future expeditions. Picked up in Duluth from a poster, I have also included the Indian Ten Commandments which definitely struck a tone of truth to my view of life... Keep on camping (biking/trucking?) and I will see you all soon... Regards TomB LESSONS LEARNED - When hiking, dog stuff is heavy -- get them their own backpack for food, bedding and leash :) -- too late smart on this one and Bogie loves it. - All ...

... Beaver dams to visit Beaver, Dunn, Morton and Sanborn lakes and trekked along many of the local hiking trails. Bogie gets a good long hike before breakfast most mornings but has not learned to carry his own pack yet. The Presque Isle River, which starts near Morton Lake, actually meanders slowly into Lake Superior... Had a couple of evenings with violent storms -- great light-shows with hail but many trees, especially Aspens, bit the dust. I'm currently ...

Candlelight ski - flickering candles in the cold, Ice chambers, pour out the water after rim freezes, Candles inside make an icy glow, just what we need, To match the icy feel of the tour thru the woods. A mile of candles, a mile of set track, a string of us, Absorbing the surroundings, with its flickering shadows. Magical trees taking shape in the gloom, Setting a mood that glorified the evening. Then a day with sled dogs ...

... Worrying us about frostbite, no feeling in our toes, Changing plans: outdoors, No! Indoors - too tame! Its 40 below wind chill; let's have that talk: Skulls, Skins, Skeletons: but not just talk, Look at it: Did the scat contain moose or deer hair? Were wing feather edges fuzzy enough for a silent hawk? After lunch: up to 5 below air temp, 20 below wind chill! Let's get out there, folks: the sun is out, snow sparkling. How many layers do we ...

... years! Flex your ankles, bend your knees, keep the poles back, I probably heard that before, but now maybe I will heed. A wilderness evidently is different if it has a capital W, No motors, no privies, not even blazes on any trail, Virgin trees, never an ax, never a saw, It does have one feature - not a sound beyond the wind. Skiied in the Nicolet Forest, the Anvil trail Just a few miles from Eagle River, but away from the sleds. Gentle hills, try not to ...

... about 2 miles uphill from that point. Because we had over-packed from the start, there wasn't a square inch of extra space in the car, so I apologized for not being able to help and drove on. About a minute after I pulled away, I got an idea - I turned the car around and told Bob he was going to have to get out - we could take the girls one at a time up to the office - about a 10 minute round-trip drive - and be done within a half-hour. When they heard this news the girls ...

... Orleans, which I hope to reach by Mardi Gras, I will venture into the Gulf of Mexico. Staying close to shore as I row past Tampa, Long Boat Key, and Key West I will visit various family and friends along the way. Once past Key West I'm in the home stretch. I will row by night to avoid detection by our Coast Guard and should arrive at the port of Havana just prior to Semana Santa, [Easter]. That's when the adventure truly begins. So come along with me the best is yet to be. El Cazador