R&R Weekend

M and I went to northern Wisconsin for relaxation the long weekend of March 22-24.  I bought a Travelzoo voucher for a 2 night stay in Cable, Wisconsin that also came with a $50 food credit to the restaurant attached to the lodge.  I bought this as a gift to Michael for Valentine's Day and while we could have used it anytime until June, we felt the need to get away soon, regardless of what the weather was like.  Turns out the weather was probably better a month ago when we went versus now or anytime in between then. 

We left on Friday morning and got up to Hayward in about 2 hours.  We stopped there and I thought I would see the huge fish like I remember seeing the only time I ever was there as a kid.  We didn't see it though and we didn't go searching for it.  Instead, we stopped at the grocery store in town to pick up some snacks and something to drink.  Here are the chips we found that we couldn't pass up.

All of the chips weren't very good but the Chicken & Waffles were horrible.  

We drove up the 16 miles or so to Cable, Wisconsin (population 836 according to the 2000 census) where our destination would be.  We stopped at the visitor center to pick up some brochures for the area.  There really isn't much to do around there unless you are doing some winter outdoor activity.  We figured as much as we just wanted to relax and get away.  We were about an hour early from checking into the lodge but we decided to stop anyway and see if they could get us in.  With the Travelzoo voucher,  you don't get to pick what room you want.  We saw a specific room we wanted online and we were hoping by getting there early we'd be able to choose it.  We drove the additional 7 miles or so east, entering into the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest until hitting our destination. Once arrived, they weren't ready for us yet and said maybe another hour.  The place didn't have anyone there except for the woman we talked to but we were able to pick out the room we wanted. 

I checked my Facebook messages and had a message from my cousin's wife Tonia who said if possible, try not to miss going to the Angry Minnow, which is back in Hayward.  With at least an hour to kill, we drove back to Hayward to go there.

Tonia, thank you for suggestion!  We loved this place.  It's a brewpub that serves food.  The beer and food were perfect.  M bought some beer to bring back and share in MN.  

Black bean dip and pita chips for me

Burger and cheese curds for Michael

After the Angry Minnow, we went back to check in officially.  We had a joke that it's always cloudy in Cable because we would drive away a bit and it would be sunny.  

Here was our room.  It was called the Namakagon and it looked just like the picture online.  While checking in, we also got the $50 food credit to the restaurant that was attached and down the stairs.  They asked us if we were interested in using it that night or the next night.  They said that it was slow and just wanted to prepare for us depending on when we used it.  We would later find out that it was just us and another couple who was staying there for the weekend.  There are only 7 rooms anyways and having only 2 rooms occupied makes for a very quiet place to be, especially when the owner and all staff leave at the end of the night.  It truly was just the four occupants there through the night.  

We didn't leave for the rest of the night.  Since we ate around the 3 pm hour, we decided we would still eat at the Rookery Pub Fine Dining just out the door and down the stairs from our room later in the evening.  Besides the other couple staying there, we were the only ones there.  The restaurant was cozy with lots of art on the wall for purchase.

We had our $50 credit which allowed for the majority of our meal to be paid for.  The menu wasn't huge but there were a lot of interesting items to choose from.  We took advantage of that.  I couldn't decide on a single entree so I ordered a salad and three small plates.  Sounds like a lot and it was but I was so curious to try everything.

Here's what M ordered:

Wisconsin Cheese Fondue-Specialty blend of Wisconsin cheeses with fresh herbs and crusty rosemary olive oil bread

Fettucini Alfredo-House made herb style Alfredo with fettucini, grilled chicken & grated parmesan

 Here's what I ordered:

Spinach Citrus-Fresh baby spinach, pieces of orange and grapefruit and candied pecans with a citrus vinaigrette

Seared Scallops-Jumbo sea scallops, fennel and marinated grapes with a lemon tarragon vinaigrette

Thai Barbeque Tostadas-Coffee rubbed barbeque pulled pork, tomatillo salsa and sharp cheddar cheese with a sweet Thai chili sauce on a crispy tostada shell

Baked Crab Cakes-Zesty baked crab perfectly seasoned with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, secret herbs & a pinch of cayenne pepper, topped with orange dill aioli

The food was fantastic.  With great food at the Angry Minnow and great food at Rookery, it was shaping up to be a foodie weekend and the trend would continue. 

After dinner, we went back to our room, listened to music, lit candles, cracked a bottle of homemade wine from a co-worker of M's and watched the NCAA basketball tournament like any romantic couple would do. We also brought the telescope with us.  We brought it outside and set it up to see the almost full moon and we saw Jupiter too.  Being outside in the middle of the nowhere, where's it's quiet and it's completely dark and away from any city lights we're so used to was awesome.  This sounds so weird but it was so quiet that my ears started to hurt from the silence.  I don't know if I have ever experienced such silence before.  

We woke on Saturday morning with plans for exploring for the day.  We were very excited to head to a diner in the middle of nowhere.  Delta, Wisconsin is the site of Delta Diner and I'm not sure much more exists there.  We had a beautiful drive around windy roads that would be perfect for a motorcycle.  I think the diner was 45 minutes away but with beautiful scenery, it didn't seem like it at all.

We had heard of Delta Diner through one of M's friend years ago.  What's so special about this diner?  It's hard to describe this place.  Just know it probably has the best food, service and cleanliness of any type of diner you may know of.  You have this ultimate sense that they truly care about you as a customer.  It seems so rare these days.  They don't have a paper menu, only a board so when you are a Delta Diner Virgin, as they called us, they take the time to explain the entire menu to you.  It sounds like it would be annoying but it's not.  There's not that much to choose from.  M ordered a breakfast sandwich with a Norwegian pancake on the side.  She asked if he wanted the jalapeno one or the plain one.  While he likes jalapenos, he was reluctant to have it in a pancake so he ordered the plain one.  The server then brings out a jalapeno one for him to try, for free.  It's served with powdered sugar on top and a wedge of lemon.  You can eat it plain, with lemon or with syrup.  We tried it all three ways.  The best was plain to us.  It was so nice for her to do. I had hashbrowns with eggs, peppers and onions. Our experience was so pleasant that we left an almost 50% tip.  

I never see biodegradable containers in the Twin Cities!

Just leaving the diner, we saw over 25 deer in a 10-20 minute period.  I don't care how many deer I've seen in my life.  I will NEVER get tired on seeing them or looking for them.

We headed towards Ashland next.  We had no real plans but wanted to go see the south shore of Lake Superior.  Both of us had never seen it from that perspective and only the north shore from Minnesota.  Well, it wasn't that interesting.  I thought we'd be able to see more but with the time of year, everything was still frozen and snowy and gray.  I'm sure the area is just gorgeous in the summer and we hope to experience that as well some day.  

We stopped at South Shore Brewery for a beer.

There's wasn't too much to do, other than drive around the town.  They have lots of murals.

After Ashland, we headed north to Washburn.  My cousin Mike lives there and we stopped to visit with him for the afternoon. We hung out and talked and sipped on beer. We had good conversations about my dad and his dad.  Unfortunately, his wife Tonia wasn't there but it turns out we just missed her after we left.  They've lived up there for almost three years as homesteaders and this was our first chance to see their place. Sorry we missed you Tonia!  Mike, it was fun to see you! THANK YOU for the wonderful goodies you gave us!  They are definitely being used in our household.

We headed about 12 miles north to Bayfield to just go and see the place.  This is where you can take the ferry to the Apostle Islands.  With it being the off-season, there wasn't much to look at and it appeared that many shops were closed due for the season. They do have an ice "highway" that you can take across Lake Superior to the islands.  Drive at your own risk!

We made our long way back to Cable in the early evening.  We were surprised to see close to 10 cars in the parking area for the restaurant.  I was glad to see they were getting business because they really are great.  We hung out for a little bit before going into "town" and getting a bite to eat.  We ate at the Rivers Eatery in the Ideal Market building.  It was a cute place. I started with a salad and the spread on the bread was wonderful.  I still don't know what it was but it was delicious. Possibly something with honey.  I wanted to try something a little different so I went with The Najmadi pizza, which is has a Thai sauce, roasted red peppers, carrots, peas and feta.  It was just ok for me.  M stayed a little more safe in his eating choices as he normally does.  

We got back to our nature lodge and it was dark and no one around except for some restaurant patrons just leaving otherwise it was back to us and the other couple for the evening.  We did the same thing as the night before; music, candles, drinks, basketball and it was perfect.   

We're a single couple with no kids so we have time to ourselves any time we want it but there's nothing like getting away for a couple of days, relaxing from the rest of the world and enjoying yourself.  We had a great time.

We ended up seeing 34 deer on our trip, two turkeys and a fox.  The fox was trotting right down the street!  Success.  And yes, I still count how many deer I see and probably always will.  

Lastly, I just wanted to mention that prior to this weekend in Cable, I had only dreamed of my dad on two occasions.  He was sick in one of them and in the other, I couldn't see him very well because he was far away and in the shadows.  I dreamed of my dad both nights in Cable.  Both times he was healthy.  Both nights the dream had a different scenario but it was the same message.  A message for my mom, which I gave her.  I feel as though I was visited by my dad while in Cable.  Even he wanted to experience the beauty and nature of the area.