Back from vacation

I've returned from another pleasant vacation in the Wisconsin Northwoods!

My wife's family lives in Minnesota, and for Minnesotans, the only proper summer getaway vacation is on a lake in the Minnesota or Wisconsin Northwoods. This was the fourth year that we made the trek to the Northwoods. The first three years we stayed on Round Lake, which is due east of Hayward, Wisconsin.

For those of you who don't know, Hayward can make two awesome claims:

1. Hayward is home to the Lumberjack World Championships
2. Hayward is the Musky Capital of the World, and houses the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in a large musky in the center of town

In terms of Northwoods awesomeness, you can't top Hayward. But I digress.

In this case, the fish really is bigger than the boat.

The first three years we stayed on Round Lake (which by the way is home to the original Famous Dave's BBQ joint; Dave Anderson is probably one of the most successful Native Americans ever and has played a key role in the economic development of Hayward and the Ojibwe reservation Lac Courte Oreilles, which is also just east of Hayward ... that makes THREE awesome claims for Hayward, which makes it pound-for-pound the awesomest rural northern town on earth). 

The A stands for awesomest.

This year the family decided to try a different lake and chose Lac Courte Oreilles, which is on, ironically, the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation. I think we were all bored with Round Lake; afterall, we've explored every inch of it via jetski and pontoon in our three years there, even if we did underestimate how sweet it is to walk 3 minutes to get to one of the best BBQ joints in America. The lake itself was better than Round Lake, however. LCO sits on the reservation, so it's less developed than Round Lake, which means less motorboat traffic. Round Lake gets busy -- especially on the weekends. LCO also has more acreage than Round Lake, so even with a week to spend on it we still have some territory we did not explore.

I got in a little jetski action this year; not as much as in previous years, but still got in some quality seat time. I also got to try my hand at kayaks for the first time ... I'm looking for one on Craig's List now.

We've got a standard routine in Hayward. We stay Saturday to Saturday, so the process is Sunday brunch at Famous Dave's; hit the lake on that Sunday; go into town to shop at the downtown shops on Monday or Tuesday; play golf on Wednesday; more water sports on Thursday and Friday; mix in a little putt-putt action at the course across from the Lumberjack World Championships stadium; and hit the LCO casino on Highway B for our annual tribal donation. This trip deviated slightly from the routine because heavy winds hit the area on Saturday and Sunday. Since the average temperature for the area ranges from the high 70s to low 80s, high winds make the air too cool for water sports and too much hassle for downtown ... we got a little stir crazy in the cabin (and when I say cabin, I mean a 3-story, 5-bedroom, 3-bath lake home). We still got in our mandatory rituals, but the days lost to the wind made the trip seem short.

I played a Pete Dye designed golf course called Big Fish while I was up there. Big Fish got the best of me: I shot a 124 and was sore for two days because we walked all 18 and the elevation change on the back 9 was exhausting. Play it if you're up there; it's supposedly one of the top 100 public courses in the nation. It was worth it.

Hayward gets Duluth, Minnesota television. I'm sure you can venture a guess as to what the lead sports story was every night on the 10pm newscast ... yep, Brett Favre.

There is much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth in Wisconsin right now. Brett Favre is a national hero to cheese heads, and the soap opera that surrounds Brett Favre's pending return is driving them crazy.

I think it's great theater, personally. And I'm glad that Brett Favre wants to come back. If he wants to play, and he still has the ability, he should play.

But I also don't blame the Packers for its stance. Eventually the Packers need to move on with Aaron Rodger's development. The Pack won't be able to prepare for the long term future otherwise.

Ultimately I want to see Brett Favre suit up for another team ... and I've got two teams in mind: Minnesota and Chicago.

Here's to hoping that Favre stays in the North.

The Bears and Vikings both need a quarterback like Brett Favre. Think about it: both teams have a great defense and no QB worth a damn. A QB like Favre can make each offense good enough to contend for the postseason. It makes perfect sense for both squads.

The Packers would never move Favre to them. I get that. But think of the theater involved ... Favre playing for a hated rival in the NFC North, and Favre making that hated rival an instant playoff contender and thus challenging Green Bay's path to return to the NFC Championship Game.

It's must see TV ... is it not? I'd watch for sure. Favre seems to play his best when the emotions are high ... a chance to get back against Green Bay would surely bring out his best.

By the time I get back to Hayward next July, Brett Favre could be public enemy number one!