Just uttering the words "spring break", people are often inclined to think of white sand beaches, margaritas, tropical music and a week away from everyday stressors. Aaron really isn't suited for that type of lifestyle nor am I the kind who could spend an entire week just bumming along beaches (although a day or two of total uninhibited relaxation would be welcomed at this juncture in my life). No. That's just too simple for the two of us...not to mention it would require a bit more planning than Aaron and I are suited to.
For this spring break/mini-vacation, Aaron and I opted to head to our usual go-to destination, the cabin up north. Its easy, simple, no-planning-required demeanor is an easy option for the two of us when we want to get away but don't want to put the effort (and not to mention monetary commitment) into a longer, more extravagant retreat.
Departing late Saturday afternoon, we knew that there would be a bit of snow along the drive; however, we didn't quite anticipate that it would involve a steady stream of snow that appeared to have been torpedoing at the car--and that patch of black ice that I hit was certainly not factored into the plans for the drive. Thankfully in that moment of panic that one feels when the car starts to go out of control, I was able to find an inner peace that helped keep the car on the road. With essentially zero visibility in that mid-April drive, I surrendered the steering wheel over to Aaron.
We decided on just doing some day trips during this four and a half day vacation, but our Sunday of watching our new dog, Guster, play with his parents' other three dogs, helping move furniture and taking a walk isn't much to note.
On Monday, we departed to see some waterfalls in the vicinity. I have been inspired to see the waterfalls in Wisconsin after a discussion I had several years back with a woman I knew who loved to visit the waterfalls of Wisconsin. Our first stop was to Potato River Falls. I'll admit that for some reason, the name seems a little off-putting, as if I would almost expect to see murky water with the occasional potato launching over the edge of the fall. Yet, I knew from seeing pictures that this would not be the case. Given the lack of adequate signage, the dirt road the lead the way to the fall and the vintage outhouse, we weren't quite sure if the community put much stock in the waterfall, either. Getting out of the car, stretching our legs and taking Guster on his obligatory potty walk, we could hear the falls in full force.
Getting down the falls was a steep hike down wooden steps. The first landing was an observation deck, which didn't offer much a view of the falls, so we continued on all the way down to where we were able to see a full, up close view of the falls. While we were able to get down to the falls, we had planned more on being able to do hiking around them, but there weren't really any trails to follow so we trekked back up the stairs to our car so we could grab some lunch.
After lunch, we were ready to leave for our second destination when we saw another trail. Hiking this second trail, we came across a second set of stairs that led us down to an up close vista of the Potato River Falls, which were thunderously roaring. We took advantage of the smooth rocks, the sunshine and the view for a while before deciding that we still had another park to visit.
Copper Falls State Park is located in Mellen, Wisconsin, which is about thirty miles from Park Falls. Our drive from Potato River Falls to Copper Falls involved a winding, hilly route in which we passed maybe ten houses and one car on that thirty minute drive. Middle of Nowhere, Wisconsin is certainly breathtaking, but lonely.
After purchasing our 2011 park pass, we drove to find the namesake of this park. Once we arrived, one teeny, tiny problem stood in our way of seeing Copper Falls--a "No Dogs Allowed" sign. Worse off, it didn't even say "No Dogs Allowed", there was just a red picture of a pointer dog's silhouette encased by a circle and a line going through it. As if to say, "Dogs Aren't Only Allowed, We Simply Do Not Accept them in these Parts so Take THAT." Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but it did seem quite sad that we drove all that way to see Copper Falls and found that we couldn't even take a dog-friendly trail to see them.
Navigating back toward the park entrance, we found a trail to see Red Granite Falls, which clearly indicated that dogs were allowed on leash. No pictorial inference had to be made. Nope, just a clearly stated, simple sign granting us permission to take Guster on his much anticipated hike.
Meandering our way down a murky trail, we slid, sank and trudged a mile and a half before even hearing the roars of the waterfall. Although smaller than Potato River Falls, Red Granite Falls offered a unique beauty as we saw various levels of cascades that led into the eventual larger, rushing red-tinted falls. With patches of snow and ice still evident, it was a nice winter-to-spring transition as we lapped up the sun's warmth on the edge of the falls.
Heading back to the parking lot, we took a trip over to the lake abutting the parking lot. The tranquility of the scenery was quickly diminished by Guster, who was taking his first trip into a lake, diving right in and swimming around. Aaron and I had been pondering if he would like swimming or not--turns out we didn't even have to try to get him into the water!
After dropping Guster back off to the cabin, we headed out for some fantastic Kobe Sushi in downtown Minocqua. Well fed and back at the cabin, Aaron made the discovery of the night--a lousy tick lurking along the bathroom floor. After several tick checks, we headed to bed with the worst case of phantom tick, the feeling where you have a tick crawling all over your body. An amazing day, ended by a night of mystery phantom tick.
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