We rented a cabin in the Oaken Bucket Resort on Thunder Lake in Rhinelander. While it was actually in town, the resort was on a peninsula and felt a lot remoter than it was. We were about five miles from my nephew’s house and about 12 miles from my parents’ old house.
I picked the cabin because it had a screened porch where my wife could sit and read while I was birding and exploring. But it was too cold all week, so the porch went unused. She didn’t mind. There was a comfortable chair and a nice picture window in the front room.
The cabin also had two bedrooms. The kitchen was part of the front room. It wasn’t big, but it was clean, comfortable, and beautifully located.
On Monday, our nephew and his wife took us exploring. We hiked a trail along the Wisconsin River south of Tomahawk, where the river has the biggest drop along its entire length. There wasn’t a lot of water this day, so the rapids weren’t as dramatic as they often are.
We also hiked a trail that hopped from island to island in Lake Mohawksin, a flowage on the Wisconsin River.
On Tuesday, I went birding at Rainbow Flowage, one of my old haunts. The water was way down. I saw some cool birds, but none of the northern Wisconsin specialties I was hoping for, like Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, etc. That evening, we went to the White Stag, my favorite restaurant on the planet. It’s under new ownership, and while the place looks and feels exactly the same, I didn’t think the steak was quite as good.
On Wednesday, we went antiquing with my nephew’s wife. We also drove past my parents’ old house. The people who bought it from my mom let it run down some, but now it’s owned by someone connected with Fort Wilderness and he’s fixing it up again. It looks very much like it did when Mom sold it.
On Thursday, my nephew and I drove back roads near Eagle River, hoping to see a Spruce Grouse, a would-be lifer. We concentrated on areas where one had been seen lately, but we had no luck. A Ruffed Grouse ran across the road in front of the car, giving us a momentary thrill.
On Friday, it rained all day. We went into town and visited the family bookstore and also the Hodag Store.
All of that left many leftover hours. I birded around the resort and along an abandoned railroad track. I discovered snowmobile trails that wound all through the woods on the peninsula, and it very much felt like I was out in the wild even though I knew there was a Menard’s and a Honda dealership just beyond the trees. Here are some scenes from around the cabin, in no particular order.
My wife kept saying that, if we could rent the cabin for $1,000 a month for July and August, we could come up and escape the heat of Arkansas. The only problem is that we paid $1,071 for six nights, so I don’t think we’ll be able to swing the deal.