Wandering in Wisconsin – Lake Neshonoc Pt. 2

Leaving the RV park in Nelson, WI we crossed the Mississippi River into Minnesota for a short drive back to Lake Neshonoc, which we had left just a week before.

We were returning to Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort for a few reasons. One is that it is a comfortable, well maintained RV park with friendly staff and full hookups. Second, we can stay there for up to two weeks at no cost, thanks to our Thousand Trails membership. Finally, we had once again convinced family to drive out to Wisconsin and meet us at the park.

My parents, my Aunt Vangie and Uncle Mike, and my cousin Christine and her boyfriend Clint all made it to the area, and we were delighted to see them.

We also had a nice view out our back window on this visit.

We were happy to be able to give everyone tours of our rig and share a bit of what our new nomadic lifestyle is like. It was also just great to be able to spend time and share some meals with family we don’t get to see often enough.

Izzy making faces at Christine through the window.

Clint brought his boat so Izzy and I got to check out the lake with him and Christine.

Lake Neshonoc only goes down to 11 feet at the deepest, but there are some fish in there somewhere. Unfortunately, they weren’t biting that day.

It rained a tiny bit, but not enough to spoil the fun.

Izzy loved being out on the boat and was especially excited when Clint gave her a chance to sit behind the wheel.

Helmsman Izzy being supervised by Captain Clint.

We spent one afternoon on a hike, visiting one of the same trails we tried out a few weeks ago. After Izzy got tired of riding her bike, my mom decided to give it a shot. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her ride a bike!

Izzy got some help flying her kite, and also got to spend some time with her Lolo and Lola at the playground.

The toad at the playground didn’t want to play.

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. Back to just the three of us, we found time for one last Wisconsin adventure: a canoe trip down the LaCrosse River.

Everyone’s happy at the start of the voyage!

Charlotte and I are not new to canoeing. We went on a multi-day canoe camping trip on the Crow Wing River in Minnesota, but that was around 15 years ago, so it took a little bit to knock the rust off. The river was fairly slow, but had quite a few fallen trees to constantly navigate around. We ended up getting snagged on an submerged log toward the end of the trip and were stuck. I was afraid I might have to jump into the river and attempt to push us out, but I was able to grab a small, but sturdy branch and pull us off the log. Other than that little hiccup, Charlotte and I enjoyed the trip. The river was quiet and peaceful, but without much wildlife other than a bald eagle we spotted soaring high above us.