Mon, 7/26/10

Wagon Trail Resort, Ellison Bay, WI: Another great morning. So, we donned our bathing suits, packed a lunch and put some drinks in the cooler, grabbed our chairs and headed over to the pretty little Liberty Grove Town Park and the pristine beach there. This area is on the “quiet side” of the peninsula and is not very crowded. We picked out a picnic table off by itself and set up our chairs and unloaded all our stuff. There was very little wind and hardly anyone in the water so I headed to the water with Mike close behind. Took a while to get acclimated to the cool water temps, but it felt wonderful. The water is crystal clear and it’s sandy all the way to where it drops off. I swam out quite a ways and it was only up to my neck. Wished I’d had my snorkel and mask. Swam around for a while and then we reluctantly got out of the water. Had some lunch and then relaxed and enjoyed the sun. Glad we went in when we did because the wind picked up and the waves picked up. Was much better swimming when we were in. When we go back we’re taking our snorkels and masks. When we got back to our park we got talking to our neighbors—a couple of women from Texas who are also here for the summer. They’re both 20-year Army veterans—nurses who served in both Vietnam and Korea. That means they must be in their upper 70s or low 80s. Bet they’ve seen some stuff. Mike made tortilla soup for dinner. Low 80s today.

Beach at Liberty Grove Town Park

Sun, 7/25/10

Wagon Trail Resort, Ellison Bay, WI: A beautiful, pristine morning. We sat around outside in the morning reading and enjoying the sun and the warmth. Called the Sister Bay marina and got a reservation on one of their boat cruises. Called at 12:00 and they had a 1:00 cruise, so I made reservations for that and then scrambled to change clothes, eat something, and get there on time. We just made it and off we went. The boat was a 43 ft. cabin cruiser and the captain was an older woman. She was assisted by one mate who handled the lines and answered questions. We cruised out to the Sister Islands and then down to Ellison Bay and hugged the shoreline on the way back. Saw lots of caves in this rugged lake shore and also the largest house in Wisconsin—40,000 sq. ft. You can only see the chimneys from the water—it’s surrounded by deep woods. The only way to really see it is by air. The woman that owns the place is very reclusive and likes her privacy. Came back to the marina and checked into a sail we could go on. We’ll do that another day. Walked around Sister Bay for a while. Stopped at a little café and I had a root beer float and Mike had a soda. Back home and relaxed outside for a while and had a couple of cocktails. After a light dinner we watched a movie. Mid-80s today.

Someone built an office on their property that cantilevers out over the lake