Day 246 (Back in Wisconsin at last!) 08/08/2010
Daily Stats Start: 6:50 AM EST - J.W. Wells State Park, MI Break: 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM EST - Menomonie, MI (Waterfront Festival) Finish 6:30 PM EST - Marinette, WI (Seagull Bar) Time: 7:10 hours Daily dist: 24 miles Total dist: 5000+ Companions: None Weather: Mostly sunny turned cloudy, SW wind 5-10mph 80’s Notes: Entered Wisconsin at 5:50 PM EST (4:50 local time) My father served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Along with a few stories about marching through the jungle with the marines as a corpsman, I remember my dad talking about how, after weeks out at sea, you could smell cities long before you could see them. While I’ve never exactly been out to sea, I do know exactly what he means by being able to smell cities. On this trip I’ve only been away from civilization at most a couple days. But in that time my nose quickly became so accustomed to fresh air that when I did near a town I could almost always pick up the faint smell of civilization. Unless there is some sort of industry producing a smell that overshadows it, they all smell much the same… like cooking meat mixed with car exhaust… think Mc Donalds on a busy street on a muggy day.  I bring this rather unusual topic up because today, beyond the normal smell of town, my nose led me to something I haven’t had in years. Something so rare outside of Wisconsin that when you mention it’s existence to outsiders they look at you like you have two heads. That something is… deep fried cheesecurds. Overnight a storm passed slowly through the area producing so much lightning my tent was light up like a disco for three hours. In that entire time a heavy rain poured down but thankfully I stayed dry. -I do love my tent.- Waiting for the lightning to finally subside, I ended up getting a later start than I was hoping to. Fortunately, the wind never got up so I was spared another all day slog and ultimately the weather was wonderful and I had a great time heading the twenty miles into the Menomonie/Marinette area. With finally entering my home state of Wisconsin on my mind, I was all set to bypass Menomonie altogether and just hop across the river into Wisconsin. However, as I paddled along the Menomonie waterfront (about a quarter mile off shore) I could see Jolly Jumpers and several white tents set up along the road above. My curiosity was already peaked but right then (even though it was downwind of me) my nose detected the unmistakable scent of hot grease and molten cheese… Cheesecurds! The border crossing could wait, I had to see what those tents were about and track down the source of that smell.  It turns out that I managed to arrive in town on the final day of the four day Menomonie Waterfront Festival, and just in time for the parade. After the parade I did find the cheese curd stand as well as the hot dog stand, the cheeseburger stand, the corn on the cob stand, and of course (that carnival favorite) the elephant ear stand. It suffices to say I didn’t have to cook dinner in camp tonight. Instead I used the spare time to listen to my arteries clogging up.  While I was eating my way through the festival, rain clouds were building in the west. So, to avoid having to set up camp in the rain, I hustled back to my boat and headed south where one mile further and at 5:50 EST (4:50 local time - it’s time to change my watch) I crossed the Menomonie river into the town of Marinette and my home state of Wisconsin. From there it was just one mile further to the beautiful sand spit where I set up camp for the night.  Looking back at the Michigan Side of the rver from Wisconsin. It feels good to be back! CommentsLuke Stachovak 08/08/2010 8:55:27 pm Welcome home to Wisconsin! pa 08/08/2010 9:05:47 pm Hi Jake, Deborah Wolter 08/08/2010 9:32:34 pm Only you can get away with eating deep-fried cheesecurds! Well deserved after 5000 miles. teresa b 08/08/2010 9:35:04 pm Welcome back to Wisconsin Jake! Glad you got some cheese curds! See you soon! Portage Dug 08/08/2010 9:37:41 pm Jake nice to be paddling the same day, in the same state, as you once again. Jen & Matt Skinner 08/08/2010 10:08:32 pm Welcome back to WI! We'll be watching for you in Oshkosh on the Fox! :) dave lindo 08/08/2010 10:15:21 pm Jake, I found that part for your trolling motor you asked me to locate. I cannot believe that thing broke on you this close to the end of your 5000+ mile trip. Just kidding! Congrats on being back in the home state. 08/08/2010 11:33:29 pm Congratulations on your arrival to Wisconsin. We were returning from Green Bay and was crossing the river back into Michigan somewhere around 8pm ET. I checked your location before leaving Green Bay and knew you were in the area of the border but, didn't know where you were staying. Woulda stopped and said hi. It's hopefully all "downstream" from now on. What an amazing feat you're about to finish. It was a great pleasure meeting you and part of your family. I wish you the best in your future endeavours. Hopefully our paths will cross again someday. Pat Wheeler 08/09/2010 1:01:20 pm Jake, I know that you know what you are doing but would you just keep an old lady from worrying? I can't find water that goes from Green Bay to Portage. I don't want you to have to pull your boat over that much land. Please tell me how you are going to get there. 08/09/2010 1:47:32 pm Jake, check out the web site, a couple of adventruers biking across the country. They are looking for a new kayak adventure, told them about you. Ed 08/09/2010 10:38:34 pm Welcome back to the great state of Cheese Heads or more commonly known as Wisconsin. Luke Stachovak 08/10/2010 5:17:04 pm Pat, Leave a Reply | Best of the Blog
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