Boating and Breakfast Bear and Wading in the Plover River

 

Now that I'm back home, I can post photos of our adventures. I will blog about yesterday, with photos, and then I'll go back and add photos from Saturday and Sunday in the upcoming days.

Yesterday we went to Dixie's Coffee for breakfast again, and then we came home and took out the rowboat at the resort on Rest Lake, only we paddled instead of rowing it. Apparently we didn't work too hard at it, because my FitBit didn't even give me credit for active minutes. We went around the island, just like we had three years ago. Here are some photos.

Then we hit the road and stopped in Minocqua to hike on the Bearskin Trail.

We stopped in Wausau for lunch at a place called the Breakfast Bear. Their logo is a bear that is French toast, with an egg for his snout.

Look, it's Mr. Fat's twin brother!

Travalon had Hawaiian French toast and I had a savory Dutch baby with ham, gruyere, mushrooms, and lots of leeks, and we both had Italian hot chocolate, which rivals the Parisian hot chocolate at the late, lamented Chocolaterian. Thus fortified, we drove to Iverson Park in Stevens Point to wade in the river. I had somehow not packed my swimsuit, so we couldn't swim, but it was very cold (spring-fed), so wading was good enough. I don't think I would have wanted to plunge all the way in!

We decided not to get on the freeway but went to Portage to go by Lake Wisconsin. We stopped in Paquette Park there, where there are three bridges and a fountain and some art.

We took Highway V along Lake Wisconsin, enjoying the views, and got home before eight. At one point we passed over the freeway and saw how backed up it was, so our decision was a wise one.

Today I worked from home and still had the loaner computer, so everything was a fight. Its track pad is very sensitive, so it sometimes deleted things I didn't want deleted or replaced text I didn't want to replace, and then it wouldn't open things when I asked it to. The good news is that my new computer is all set up in my office, so tomorrow I get to try it for the first time. Also for the first time, I will be paying for parking. There is a new park-and-ride set up here on the North Side with a shuttle to campus every quarter hour during peak times, and then every half an hour during slow times, and it drops off right near my building. This means Travalon won't have to drive me to work, and I won't have to take the bus at ridiculous times and be crowded out by students. I thought I'd have to pick up my parking pass tomorrow and then take it for the first time Thursday, but today they sent an email saying there was a week "holiday" for people to park if they hadn't picked up their passes yet. I am picturing this being way more relaxed than the bus, but tomorrow I'll find out for sure.

Famous Hat