rediscovering midwest America

  We are smiling big after finishing golf today not because we did so great but because we were winding up playing two days of exceptional golf here at the Island casino resort. We played yesterday at a course called Sweetgrass which is basically on the grounds of the casino. It was an open links design and surely the best maintained course we've ever been on. Played with 2 ex-cops (their terminology) from outside Milwaukee. So fun and one of them was surely the worst golfer I've ever seen -- and with the best attitude and sense of humor imaginable. The other was much more serious and talked about golf all the time -- also hard of hearing so we mostly listened. Below was our introduction to the course:              We're told he hangs out somewhere here every day. When he bites it's painful but not lethal! Today we played at an even more challenging and exciting course, Sage Run, also part of the reservation but about 15 minutes away. There are two more courses which we

  on Lake Superior shore It was a bit sad today as we said goodbye (for now) to Lake Superior as it has been with us for days and clearly defines this whole north shore of the Upper Peninsula  It's hard for us not to think of it as an ocean because of the size and and activity.  As the locals here say: "This is Superior; no salt, no sharks." We drove all the way to the tip today at Copper Harbor through "Sherwood Forest" where all to be seen were dense trees on both sides of the highway. Anyone who loves trees would love to be in this area. We actually reached the beginning of US Highway 41, extending from Copper Harbor to Miami, a trip of 1990 miles. Then we came back down along the shoreline with the lake right next to the highway in many places. There were roadside parks everywhere and we stopped often. Then headed east across the heartland of the Upper Peninsula.  at the tip of Michigan  We were struck by how the scenery was so much like what we experienced

We truly are on an upper arm of the Michigan Upper Peninsula in a small town just north of Houghton.  Actually it was a hand surgeon Marie saw in Steamboat who said Houghton was worth seeing and he was right.  However, getting here was not our most exciting drive. From here we are heading north once again for just a bit to reach Copper Harbor on the tip of this peninsula. Then we begin to head south for a while. We arrived here about 5 minutes before a downpour which had been following us all day. People all over this area have been complaining about the lack of rain, so many were happy even if it wasn't great for us. The weather today has been so strange -- warm then cool and always very humid. Most indoor places have the air cranked to very low temps; we think because of the humidity and not temperature. We've been putting on and taking off layers all day. Luckily we were very prepared as we had our postponed Apostle Islands tour this morning. And we are so happy it happened

 Here we are warm and cozy in our motel room tonight in Washburn WI, near Bayfield WI. We are on the shore of Lake Superior and this was the scene at our motel as we arrived mid-afternoon: Then the winds began; then the temps dropped. The scene now is that we are sitting by the heater having a glass of wine and happy to be indoors. Our cruise of the Apostle Islands is scheduled for late afternoon tomorrow.  We just received a message that tonight's cruise has been cancelled and there is a chance tomorrow's will be also.  We will see. We definitely have the feeling that this may happen very often in this part of the world! Tonight certainly has that "batten down the hatches" feel tonight. We might as well be on the North Sea! We began the day still in Cable. One last view of the lake at the resort and we headed lo the golf course for just a couple more hours. The hills were all still there and it was as challenging and fun esterday. These are some pictures of our favor

  Golf really was an up and down game for us today!  And I don't mean just the score -- I really mean the course.  We have seen hilly courses before but we maybe never saw one like this one. The hills may have been enough, but then the fairways were narrow and sloped into and away from the hills. We lost more than a few golf balls today -- know Marie lost more than one sleeve; Vic "a few" more than that! Many of those ;lost were Christmas gifts which said "if lost return to Vic or Marie Arnold". So we may be hearing from some Wisconsin golfers in the future. The trees were huge and water and marshland were plentiful  But the course was spectacular and people working so nice.  Temperature was in the 70's and sun was shining. We truly had a fun time today. Going to try it again tomorrow before we head north once again. Wisconsin wildlife: wild turkeys We congratulated ourselves and decided to celebrate with a cold beer. Believe it or not, in norther Wisconsin

We are deep in the northwoods and lake country of northern Wisconsin today, at Lakewoods Resort on Namakagon Lake outside Cable Wisconsin. Getting here was a trip of contrasts, leaving Minneapolis this morning and travelling through many different countrysides in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We spent a wonderful 2-1/2 days with Mary & Jim Arnold in Edina, just west of Minneapolis. Jim is Vic's cousin and he and Mary have been an important part of our life since we first moved to Minneapolis in 1970. We certainly don't have the opportunity to be with them as much these days, but see them whenever we can. We spent most of our time sitting around the kitchen table or on the porch, just talking and enjoying one another and being together. But we were able to get to (Mary & Jim's daughter) Barb & John Moksnes' for Sunday afternoon. Barb & John's three sons were also there with girlfriends whom we've known from the Steamboat Arnold reunions. It was so spec

We are back in Steamboat! Needed to be here to finish up some dental work.  So seemed a perfect beginning to our trip -- see Leslie plus good friends, have massages, see the chiropractor, update nails, play a bit of golf and, most importantly, watch that mountain!  So all that makes up our agenda for this week. We're back in #307, our new alternate home in Steamboat thanks to our Texas kids; weather is mid-80's, feels wonderful to be outdoors, wildfire smoke is still hanging around & obscuring views of the Flat Tops. We'll be here until Friday morning when we'll head east to Minneapolis. Getting here was a long but fun & interesting trip. Took three whole days rather than two and we traveled 1500 miles rather than 1100.  But we did experience some new and unknown places.  Headed west through Texas to El Paso, a trip so long it requires Interstate travel. And IH-10 through TX is one of the few interstates we've driven which is in good shape and has minimal tr

This trip is to rediscover midwest America which was our original home. It is also to rediscover our lives now that so much has changed for us this past year. 25+ years ago we fulfilled one of our dreams  by buying a place in the Rocky Mountains when we bought a condo at The Ranch in Steamboat Springs Colorado.  At that time we could never have envisioned how Steamboat would come to shape, maybe even define, our lives; but that is what happened for 25 years. At first we thought we would just use the condo as an escape in the summer. We both had flexible work schedules in the summer and it would be perfect to escape the Austin heat.  Then our kids began to come with us; later the grandkids all came and we all loved to be there more and more. Then we decided to try skiing again; it was so different in the mountains than it had been in Wisconsin & Minnesota! We were totally hooked summer & winter.  Then we discovered the joys of being in Steamboat during off-seasons in the fall an