We just got back from camping at one of our favorite parks in Wisconsin, Devil's Lake. During the last ice age, glaciers helped carve out the terrain and left behind a 360-acre lake surrounded by 500' tall bluffs. It's a great place for hiking that we discovered about five years ago and have visited nearly every year since.
Tarp City was erected upon arrival on Sunday and it helped provide cover from the storms that poured rain down on us during our short 3-day excursion. After our campsite was complete and dinner concluded that first night, our car decided to lock its doors with the keys still inside. Instead of having a meltdown and using a rock to get inside, I decided to drink ice-cold beverages and stay cool. That night, marauding raccoons in search of anything edible woke one of the dogs of our party and sleep was cut short for the rest of the night. This is nothing new for me since I suffer from insomnia. With nothing better to do, I called a locksmith at 6:30 a.m. and we had the car opened up by 7:40, just mere moments before my kid gnawed off her own hand for sustenance because she was so hungry and her cereal was locked inside the car.
Next, we hiked two miles up the East Bluff to the Devil's Doorway under threatening skies. Our kid then raced back down the bluff in record time to get to the beach (I've never ever seen her so determined doing anything, except when playing video games). By noon the sun burned off the clouds and it turned into a picture-perfect afternoon. We spent about five hours on the beach. My wife even rented a paddle board. I found that I couldn't keep my balance on the paddle board due to the nerve damage in my right foot which makes me feel like I'm always standing on a pillow. I had to sit down while I paddled about the lake which helped me keep a low profile. I covertly paddled out to a makeshift inflatable Waterworld shanty town in the middle of the lake to investigate. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary as I circled the rafts and floating crocodile that were tied together with clothesline, other than large clouds of smoke that filled the air every few minutes which reminded me of Steamboat Willie, as well as lots of giggling coming from the occupants.
Not only did I not use my AFO (ankle-foot orthosis), which I haven't used in over a year, but this trip marked the first time that I didn't bring my cane or use a stick to keep my footing while hiking rough terrain since my accident. That's a big plus. Nor did I bring my iPod remote control for the DRG stimulator to increase or decrease the electricity flowing through me. I also didn't take any of the hydrocodone that I brought, although I should've used them to pay the locksmith. One problem I had was at the beach trying to walk barefoot, which is still painful, but that's O.K. because I was able to wear my aqua socks. They go great with all my tourist-looking U.S.A. gear I like to wear when we leave home. I bet I get confused as a MAGA doofus. I may be a bastard, but I'm not that guy. I have quite a bit of tightness in my calf and ankle now, but it was all worth it for another successful adventure for this FIB.
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