There was no better place on a cold March day than the sugar bush outside of Shell Lake Wisconsin. We huddled together with others hoping to learn the secrets of the sweet syrup that my mom used to call “liquid gold”, we could never waste a drop. The trees nearby were hung with buckets and sap was flowing after cold nights and warm days.  We had headed north for spring break and Wisconsin greeted us with a bit of snow coming sideways so all the people arriving were all white on one side.  But that warm, sweet, steamy smell was worth the long walk through a muddy field. Kevin was intrigued by someone’s 4 wheel utility vehicle and off they went across the fields. They returned in time for ice cream covered with hot syrup right from the tap.

Our next adventure was to find Gull Lake which is north of Trego. We were looking for a cabin designed by Marcelo Valdes. It was on a secluded road overlooking the lake, empty, quiet and too early for all the summer fun that lies ahead.

The melting ground created a slippery, muddy walk and the morning fog took hours to disappear as we made our way to breakfast at Shannon’s Trailside in Birchwood.  We doubled the size of the morning crowd and enjoyed the yummy red potatoes and eggs.

But the reason we drove this far was to plan for our cabin in the woods. We have stomped through these woods with mosquitoes thick, and this time the leaves were gone and the view was so different. We followed along paths made by deer, climbed over mossy green logs and came to our spot. We will look north and face the bay and have a glacial ravine at our backs. Every view reminds us why we want to be here. The dream is coming closer. See you soon Long Lake