Part 2 Anniversary Trip

After seeing Pictured Rocks, we hitched up the following morning and headed towards northern WI, crossing the border at Iron Mountain, a very cute little town which we didn’t take time to explore. We were headed for a remote lake near there appropriately named Lost Lake. 

Pulling in to the Forest Service campground with its large rustic sites, we were a little dismayed to see them so far from the shore. The lake was visible, but the trail was way too long to easily transport the boat. After finding a suitable and level site (since many weren’t) we drove to look at the boat launch when we discovered that no motors at all (even electric) were allowed on the small lake. After some discussion we decided this lake would not be for us and we’d move on in the morning, headed towards one that sounded good that allowed motors and promised a mini boat dock at each premium site. That evening was extremely quiet, and Marc got some stunning photos of the lake in evening light, even though fishing and boating were a bust.

Yet another day dawned with perfect weather as we headed across northern WI to the western side of Wausau and Spearhead Point Forest Service Campground north of Medford on the Mondeaux Flowage. A flowage in Wisconsin indicates a dammed river. It was a little hard to find as there was no sign at all on the little road which turned into the recreation area, so we bypassed it the first time. We passed a well-kept farm with its marvelous barn and then soon saw the sign into the campground. We arrived here on a Sunday and many of the reservable sites had signs on them for late the following week, so this must be a popular destination even in Fall. The camp host led us to an open site, non-reservable, which proved to be perfect for our stay. We paid for four nights but ended up staying only three as our cats were telling us they had enough of our gallivanting and wanted to go home.

Once we were parked we found we were on a slough of sorts as the lake formed a horseshoe around the peninsula campground, hence the name Spearhead. However, all the premium sites, which ran an additional $3/day, sported small mini boat docks—a first for a national forest service campground! All the campgrounds on forest service land however had taken my senior pass, so for so much luxury as our own private dock it was just $9/night!

We spent quiet days boating and fishing (nearly skunked), exploring the waterways and soaking in the absolute tranquility. It is a lake which we’ve noted for future use; other fisherman told us its fished heavily so earlier in the season is far better, but we loved the way it widens and narrows into several water bodies over the length of probably five miles before it eventually becomes just the slow mowing flow of water within weeds and cattails at its far end. At this end are a few shore hugging cabins and homes but other than spotting about two or three boats and a couple of kayakers while we were there, it was private and exquisitely enjoyable alone time. Bald eagles even soared above us. Ah, there’s nothing quite like boating to enjoy the day!

We’re finding our inflatable is a good take along boat if one is an RVer and can’t tow a regular boat, but it is somewhat constricted in space for two people to fish at once. The comfy seats I purchased proved too large to really be useful for both of us, so we will be using those in our other aluminum boat eventually. 

My ultimate dream is for us to buy a used pontoon boat and I have hopes maybe somehow Marc can make that into some sort of houseboat where we could then spend a night or two out on the water. Until really diving in to northern WI as we did some on this trip, I had no idea of the amount of water bodies available to the public in this state. The lakes aren’t overly large for the most part, but at this time of the year they were nearly vacant of others using them. We literally could have hundreds if not thousands of choices of recreation just mere hours from home. I have seen pontoon boats with full canvas but the furniture they use on them makes them impractical as a comfortable camper, so we’d rather start with a good pair of pontoons, the deck and motor and design our own. Whether this becomes a hard-sided home-built “hut” or we just throw up a tent on the deck is all to be seen, ha!

Next up will be my expose on Fayette, a most wonderful ghost town!