U.S. travel

2013 Cold Camping Trip

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment

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This year marked our fourth annual Birthgiving cold camping trip at Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin (celebrating Thomas’s birthday as well as Thanksgiving). After a few years of mild weather in the 50’s, our luck finally ran out and we had our coldest trip yet. Daytime highs were in the low 20’s, and overnight on Saturday we reached an all-time camping low of 1 degree. On Sunday morning as we packed up, the car’s thermostat registered at 8 degrees. This year’s group could definitely be considered the Polar Bear Club of camping.

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As you can imagine, less drinking was done this year than on past trips (though the weather was a little less brutal on Friday night, enabling us to put a good dent in the apple cinnamon moonshine). After setting down a beer for just a few minutes, it would be slushy with ice crystals by the time you took your next sip. We were at our usual walk-up site atop a hill overlooking the lake, and by midday on Saturday the frigid wind (averaging 30 mph for most of the day) convinced us to move to a site with more tree coverage. One by one, we carried our tents down the path over to the new site. Kurt even carried the fire for us.

 

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While most people thought we were crazy for going through with the trip (and they were probably right), all 8 of us made it through and still had a pretty good. As long as the fire was roaring, we stayed nice and warm (though coats and pants were melted in the process). The Thanksgiving-themed meal on Saturday night was delicious as always. At night, we piled up our sleeping pads, sleeping bags, extra blankets, and layers, and slept pretty soundly. The trip remains one of my favorites, though I wouldn’t mind slightly warmer weather next year. After those few days, a day in the 30’s feels like a sauna in comparison.

 

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Labor Day Kayak/Canoe Trip 2013

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment
tents

sandbar camping

This year marked the fifth Labor Day Kayak/Canoe Trip that we’ve taken (I’ve been on the last 4, since the first outing was guys only). As usual, it was a relaxing, beautiful weekend on the Wisconsin River. We started near Arena at Trader’s Bar & Grill campgrounds, and paddled about 42 miles over 4 days to Boscabel. We lucked out with sunny skies, warm to hot weather, and no rain.

cow island

cow island

Some of the highlights this year included the very-up-close spotting of a hawk eating a fish on a sandbar, a vortex of wind and river water that created a mini-tornado, a sandbar full of cows, and our annual fried chicken and beer run. With temperatures in the high 90’s, we did plenty of swimming.

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Portland and Hood River, OR: June 27-July 1, 2013

/ Kim Nelson / 1 Comment

Kurt and I recently returned from a 4-day trip to Portland, Oregon. Neither of us had been there before, and we were surprised to find that our visit coincided with an unusual heat wave in the Pacific Northwest (the average temperature for all 4 days was 90 degrees). I had been looking forward to some temperate weather but Kurt deals with the heat much better than I do, and we of course had a great trip regardless.

crossing the Burnside Bridge over the Willamette River

crossing the Burnside Bridge over the Willamette River

We arrived on Thursday and checked in at the Jupiter Hotel, a centrally located boutique hotel near the river. The hotel had chalkboard doors so I created a new mural for us every morning. After checking in, we crossed the river into downtown Portland and went to DeSchutes Brewery for food and drinks. It just so happened to be their 25th anniversary so we tried their special anniversary flight.

Once the drinking began, it did not stop. We drunk-shopped at Powell’s City of Books, visited the Tugboat Tavern, and sampled a Voodoo Donut as we stumbled our way back to the hotel. Our last stop was Burnside Brewery, where my favorite beer was the Rhubarbarian.

On Friday, we woke up ready for a good breakfast. I wasn’t up for walking very far in the heat before getting any food in my belly, so we went to the Doug Fir Lounge at our hotel. We spent the rest of the day walking around shopping, stopping at Rogue for some drinks, and grabbing tacos for dinner. Our last stop of the evening was Green Dragon, a bar noted for its 62 taps and extensive list of craft beers.

For Saturday, we rented a car to head out to Hood River after an insanely delicious breakfast at Pine State Biscuits (buttermilk friend chicken with cheese, bacon, and egg on biscuits with gravy, hashbrowns, and a spicy bloody mary). There were many scenic stops along the way, including a visit to the Vista Station overlooking Columbia River Gorge.

Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River Gorge

We went on some hiking trails near Lauterall Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the gigantic Multnomah Falls.  The hike was very memorable and special for reasons I won’t get into here, but it was the highlight of the trip and a day I will never forget.

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls

After we finished up hiking, we drove into the town of Hood River to visit Double Mountain Brewery, then took the scenic way back to Portland with amazing views of Mt. Hood. We stopped for dinner in Government Camp, a gateway to many ski resort towns. Back in Portland, we ended the night at Cascade Brewing Barrel House and tried their sour beers which are my new favorite thing ever.

Our Sunday breakfast was at Genie’s Cafe where I had a jalapeno bloody mary to go with my meal. Then we checked out the Saturday Portland Market (which is also open on Sundays) before driving about 15 outside of town to Edgefield Winery & Distillery. We had a nice time strolling the grounds, visiting the assorted pubs, ice houses, and tucked-away bars on the property. I would love to return there someday and spend a night or two at their resort so we could fully partake in everything there was to offer. After leaving Edgefield, we had our best dinner of the trip at Apizza Scholl’s before passing out in the hotel, blissfully worn out from several days’ worth of beer and delicious food.

enjoying a beverage at Edgefield's

enjoying a beverage at Edgefield’s

All good things must come to an end, so Monday morning we packed up our things, drew one last chalkboard mural, and had one last bloody mary at breakfast before flying back home to Chicago.

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN: May 3-7, 2013

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment

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We recently drove down to the Gatlinburg area in Tennessee for a long weekend getaway with our travel buddies from Houston, Bob and Amy. Bob had found a great deal on a cabin at Elk Springs Resort. I have road tripped to Memphis and Nashville before, but had never been as far east as the Smoky Mountains until this trip. Our original plans included white water rafting and lots of hiking, but the weather decided not to cooperate. Despite the rain and fog, we still had a great time exploring the area.

Kurt and I arrived Friday afternoon and had a late lunch at Smoky Mountain Brewery before heading back to the cabin to enjoy its amenities, which included a hot tub on the porch, theater room, and sauna. Bob and Amy arrived later that evening and we had some drinks and caught up for awhile. On Saturday, we woke up to cloudy skies with drizzling rain. We headed into downtown Gatlinburg for Bloody Marys, shopping, whiskey samples, and moonshine tasting.

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On Sunday, the weather was worse, with heavier rain and fog. We scratched our plans to go hiking and instead took a scenic drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Back at the cabin, the guys made an excellent dinner of shrimp tacos, followed by homemade ice cream for dessert. We also took advantage of our theater room and watched Zero Dark Thirty.

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Monday was our last full day, and our plans to go white water rafting were officially cancelled–although the rain had stopped and the sun was shining, the water levels were too high for any commercial activity on the Upper or Lower Pigeon River. When life gives you lemons, go to Dollywood.

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Our day at the amusement park was perfect–sunny skies and no wait for any ride. After we got our fill of roller coasters, corn dogs, and the amazing photo above, we went back to the cabin to cook one last dinner together and pack our bags.

It was an excellent trip. Even though the weather forced us to scramble up new plans, we had a lot of fun and got in some great relaxing.

Labor Day Kayak/Canoe Trip

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment

Thursday, Aug. 30-Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

For the third year in a year (fourth for some of my traveling companions), I spent an extended Labor Day weekend floating down the Wisconsin River. It is one of the most relaxing yet most rustic trips we do each year.

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We start on Thursday night. After work, we drive 3.5 hours to Arena, WI and camp out at Traders Bar & Grill Campgrounds, the same place we do our huge annual caboozing trip. The next morning, we pack up all our gear into kayaks and launch into the river. Depending on the weather and river flow, we travel anywhere from 10 to 20 miles until late afternoon, when we start scouting out a good island to spend the night. Then we set up camp, filter some drinking water, build a fire, enjoy some boxed wine, and look at the stars.

Kurt and I usually rent our own single kayaks for this trip, but this year we got a canoe so we could bring our new puppy, River. Her name is partly owed to our many trips in Wisconsin and our love of camping (also, we’re Firefly nerds) so we were excited to bring her along. The trip was definitely paradise for dogs. She loved chasing butterflies and running leash-free on our private sandbars.

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Every year, we end up passing the launch at Port Andrew on Sunday, and we stop there to hit up a gas station/convenience store to get fried chicken and beer. There is nothing better than floating down the Wisconsin River, belly full of delicious chicken with an ice-cold beer in your hand. I dream of it during bitter Chicago winters.Kurt and I came off the river a day early this year since I was scheduled for knee surgery on Wednesday the 5th. We were picked up at Boscobel so we did roughly 45 miles total. It was the perfect way to get outdoors and enjoy the last dog days of summer before heading into knee surgery and recuperation.

Until next year….