Rhinelander, WI (our transition travel spot)
Given that our plan is to head east, we have our sights set on Michigan - more specifically, the UP. We also plan not to drive more than 200 miles in any given day, so thankfully,my cousin Eric lives in Rhinelander, WI - provided for a good stop for a few days. Figure the first few legs are going to feel novel in many ways, so it was nice to be able to land there for a few days (even though we’ve done a couple of inaugural trips to get the kinks worked out).
Arrived on Tuesday evening and promptly set up our 38 foot RV in the front yard! They’ve got a great spot - right across the baseball fields sits Boom Lake. We were treated to some amazing sunsets each night - here’s our first official setup:
We’re quite familiar with Rhinelander as Tom’s brother and wife also lived here for many years, and it was where we celebrated their wedding. However, we got to a few new spots, thanks to Eric and Kristi:
CT’s Deli in downtown Rhinelander (the place was hopping for lunch on a Wednesday)
Holmboe Conifer Forest, where Kristi, Laurie and the kids went exploring - beautiful Hemlock forest and we found the coolest looking red mushrooms
Tom and Eric went fishing on the Wisconsin River - Eric is the founder of On the Fly Fishing, and offers fly fishing float trips, and all sorts of guide services for aspiring fish anglers
The World’s Largest Hodag Statue! We’ll be working to get photos with all the kitschy statues across the country because, why not?
CC, Chloe, Owen and Marlin at the “Real” Hodag statue
Kristi and Eric also took us out in their pontoon for a ride on Boom Lake. We even got over to Estabrook Island to explore a bit. This small plot of land offers a nice stopping off point to hike around and if you’re up for it, camp for the night. The land was donated by The Estabrook family and has become a public area for anyone to enjoy. There’s a great little campsite you can paddle right up to. We also found a homemade rope swing, but it looked a little suspect…
A fave part of the trip included meals cooked by Eric. As I mentioned in our first post, he’s an excellent chef! Some of the cuisine we were treated to included:
Crab rangoon stuffed and bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers (um, nightly….)
Fish ‘n chips: Fresh caught Florida grouper (flown in by a friend), deep-fried to perfection
Some of the best ceviche we’ve had, and grilled salmon tacos (sorry Eric - I’m not doing it justice here as I need a few more culinary details!)
To wrap it up, on the final night in town, we learned (through the power of social) that good friends of ours were a mere 4 miles away! Tom and Bridget Posta (Laurie’s high school and college friends) were staying at a cabin near friends of theirs, and we met up for hellos and hugs. That was super fun.
People we met along the way: Kristi, Eric, CC and Chloe, The Posta’s
Hiccups and hang-ups: one shoe that became a dog chewable, and problems with the RV door lock getting jammed by foreign objects (Tom deftly fixed)
Grateful for: Fishing with Eric (Tom), walking around town with the girls (Owen), and amazing food and the hospitality of the Thoreson’s (Laurie)
Duration in Rhinelander: July 6 - 9, 2021
Next stop: Munising, MI