Green Bay and Baraboo

Heather and I realized we don’t know a damn thing about geography, or about estimating how long it will take to get places. That being said, we discovered that it was 11 hours from Toronto to Green Bay. With traffic in Chicago and Milwaukee, that 11 hour drive became a 15 hour drive. The good news is, we both now know we can handle the 15 hour flight from Denver to Tokyo!

We were welcomed into Green Bay by my friend Liz, and were surprised to see my other old friend Sara had come up from Milwaukee! We enjoyed a nice dinner and reminisced.

The next day we made the much shorter three hour drive into Baraboo to visit Heather’s grandmother and to stay with her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Brad. We spent a wonderful three days hiking, kayaking, biking, and swimming at Devil’s Lake and Mirror Lake.

Devil’s Lake had some cool trails that lead up the bluffs and provided a beautiful view of the lake. There are some interesting rock formations, including one called Devil’s Doorway, and another called Balance Rock. Here’s some pictures:

Looking good in Devil's Doorway!

Uncle Brad: climbing machine

Mirror Lake was also a blast because Heather’s cousin Katy knew of a place along our kayak journey where you could beach the kayaks, swim across the river, and hike up and jump off a 40 foot cliff.

I really enjoy hanging out with Heather’s family. Her grandmother is still rocking at 83. She taught English for over 30 years (a woman after my own heart), is not afraid to speak her mind, and was decent enough to kick our ass at Scrabble.

Grandma Kay

Brad and Sarah were fantastic hosts. Nothing against the rest of Heather’s awesome family, but Uncle Brad is awesome because he is the only member of the family that is as much of a sports geek as I am. We can talk about his Packers or my Broncos without malice or scorn (something that wouldn’t be so easy if I was a Bears fan like my Dad). He also loves to bike, another subject I have no problem talking about.

Thanks to all our Wisconsin friends and relatives for helping us begin winding down our journey, and wishing us well in our travels overseas. Keep checking the blog you guys! We love you!