Recent content by ShiftlessDriftless

Twice on flatwater, both times not paying attention. The last one we hit a submerged log while floating downriver sideways and talking. The gunnel dipped and my partner and I jumped out. We were up to our necks and the dog was still sitting in the canoe, looking at us like we were idiots. My...

Wisconsin is a land of the neighborhood bars and roadside taverns, and most serve a decent burger. Finding the really great ones is part of the adventure (if you see an air bake oven, run!). I get culture shock in places where you can drive for miles and miles without seeing a bar. In La...

If you were on I-90 you passed close to this spot. The nonstop drone of the interstate is the only drawback to this stretch of backwater.

Taking advantage of high water to explore the Upper Mississippi Fish And Wildlife Refuge a few weeks ago.

I came across this when looking for trip reports on the Chippewa River. Seemed like something this crowd would be interested in. Fascinating peek into a brief time when the Ojibwa, old French traders, and lumber interests all shared the river, and not without conflict. Runs 20 pages, if you can...

I never knew there so many other backwoods bocce players! One we like is "that game with a Frisbee and cups". I see there is a wiki article that calls it "Fricket" (Frisbee-cricket). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fricket Another one we found ourselves playing on our last trip was "Where's...

Thanks for the report. I want to get up there some time. I'll try to remember to avoid Ermine 1.

My friend and I took his tandem kayak out at the peak of spring thaw a few years ago, and I would not go out in those conditions again. The Black River (of Wisconsin) was way over flood stage but we decided we should run the lower section of it into Lake Onalaska. The floodplain was a three-mile...

Congrats! Very nice photo essay. You really had to work for those lakes.

Here's a view from the south end of Lake Onalaska last night, before portaging down into the backwaters behind me.

It was a perfect evening for a cruise on the backwaters near French Island, Wisconsin last night.

Thanks for the trip report. Great pictures. TFF has been on my list a while.

This seems like a good place to make my first post… The first canoe of my own was anything but a virgin. She’s a 1983 Wenonah Jensen 17 and was once part of my father-in-law’s rental fleet. F-I-L sold his canoes off over time until only two remained. Those two canoes sat outside next to...

I've been checking out the trip reports and tips here for a while and thought I should join. I'm an experienced paddler, but far from expert, so I'm happy to continue to read and learn. I do most of my tripping on the Upper Mississippi River's backwaters and tributaries and am doing my first...