813. Canoe Bay

Where: Chetek, Wisconsin
When: May 5-7, 2018
With: Dave

When Dave and I are on vacation, one of our favorite topics of discussion is the next vacation we want to go on. So not surprising, while celebrating our anniversary in Amsterdam last year, we had a long discussion on where we'd like to spend our anniversary this year. What IS surprising is where we chose, while strolling the canals of Amsterdam: the great state of...Wisconsin.

Now for the naysayers out there, hear me out. There is a lot of land to cover here in the Midwest, and frankly, if we ever leave Michigan, I don't know how often I'll be returning. And since opportunistic travel is my favorite, and it's a state I've never been to before, this all sounded incredibly appealing. Add in that there's something in the book to do, and I am SOLD.

The place we were headed to is a small resort called Canoe Bay about a two hours northeast of Minneapolis. We flew in on a Friday night, rented a car, stayed in the city for one night, and then headed out the next morning. The drive was easy, but the area was pretty rustic once we left the Twin Cities area. As we crossed the state border into Wisconsin, there was nothing around us but farmland and trees. In fact, the hotel encourages guests to print directions ahead of their drive as cell service is usually lost a few miles before reaching the hotel.

We pulled into the property and headed down a long wooded road to a stone-edged cabin for check-in. It had a 70s-rustic-chic looks to it, with lots of clean wooden lines coupled with haphazard stone detailing.

We checked in and were escorted via golfcart to our cabin. Each cabin on the property has different perqs, so we opted for one with a great lake view. The room was absolutely stunning. The large, comfy bed and simple breakfast nook looked out of giant windows down to the lake below. A small patio sat beside the room with two Adirondack chairs. 

The property itself has 23 cabins, plus reception, a dining room and a lodge, so there aren't a lot of buildings. However, the 300-acre property has about four miles of trails and three lakes, allowing for some great hiking and views. In the winter, there is snowshoeing, and in the summer, swimming and canoeing on the lake.  We were there in an odd transition period though, as hiking was about all we could do (in fact, the lake only had thawed out two weeks earlier). 

The Lodge contained a large collection of movies, books and games. So at night, we'd pick an old movie and a puzzle, get into our robes, and drink some wine while puzzling and watching some classic black-and-whites. It was simple and wonderful. And since there was no wi-fi, we really did have to rely on those old DVDs - no streaming movies here!

A view of some of the cabins. It was also a weird time to be here for the foliage, as the leaves had yet to come in, so it looked like a winter's day, but it was actually in the high 60s. 

A little turtle spotting. 

The property had Adirondack chairs hidden all over the place with quiet views of the lake. 

This one, on a tiny island in the lake only reachable by bridge, was our favorite. We were sure to save a glass of wine to be enjoyed right here. 

On our one full day, we made a point to hike all the trails, marked with numbers at each cross roads to follow easily. While it would have been nice to have some foliage, we also decided that the bugs would be intense if it was any warmer out. 

 

The trails hiked us past a few hidden lakes and lots of trees. With the lack of leaves, we also saw a ton of birds, including a very persistent woodpecker. 

One swampy marsh looked a lot like the one on the planet Dagobah in Empire Strikes Back where Yoda lives. Dave tried to see if there was an X-wing hidden inside, but apparently, the force is not strong with this one. 

After our hike, we returned to our room where lunch was delivered. It is cleverly packed up to be taken anywhere you'd like on the property, and it contained a lot of delicious Wisconsin cheese. Breakfast was also delivered to our room each morning in this really great wooden crate packed with hot drinks and lots of fresh baked pastries.

On our last day, with no room to lounge in, we took one last sit at the lake before heading out. 

But not ones to just head to the airport, we made one last stop on the way back to Minneapolis in Chippewa Falls, WI, home of the Leinenkugel factory and the best summer drink of all times, the summer shandy. 

We took the tour and ended our trip enjoying a sampling of shandies on the patio. It was a great end to our weekend, celebration of our anniversary, and kick-off to summer. 

So regardless of any flak I may get for choosing to visit Wisconsin for an anniversary, I stand by the fact that this state was super fun and beautiful.