God, in his infinite wisdom, made snow glistening WHITE. Think about what winter would be like if snow were BROWN or BLACK or PURPLE! There's plenty of white to brighten your dark winter days in northern Wisconsin. Here's proof:
The stark contrast between naked trees and open water against fresh snow makes quite a statement.
Usually it's hard to find open water in the winter, but 1998 was mild, and we got to see this beautiful sight.
1999 was also mild, giving us a chance to see this serene scene
We stay in a cozy one-room at the "Twin Waters" Resort on Big St. Germain Lake
We love to Cross Country Ski, and the Minocqua/Sayner area has hundreds of miles of trails.
One of our favorite places is "Milje's" just south of Wakefield Michigan. His trails are scenic, yet not too hilly for us flat-landers from Illinois.
Milje's also has this cute little warming hut with a roaring fire, a place to sit, and cookies and a warm drink to enjoy...
Another favorite trail is the Anvil trail east of Eagle River. Chickadees wait by for warming hut for resting skiers to bring them treats (sunflower seeds)...
The red-breasted nuthatches also share in the treats. Dozens of birds wait in the trees for skiers to visit...
We also enjoy watching world-class sled-dog races at Eagle River.
At "Klondike days", we also watch dogs compete in a weight pull. The winners in the biggest weight class pulled over 2000 pounds.
One of the biggest attractions of Klondike Days is the Native American Cultural and Dance displays run by the Lac du Flambeau reservation. Here's a dancer doing the "Men's traditional" dance.
The Women's Fancy shawl dance features ladies moving with beautiful hand-made shawls.
The Women's Traditional dance is very slow with the women shuffling along in a two-step pattern.
The Hoop Dance celebrates the importance of the CIRCLE in Indian folk-lore. All live moves in a circle, and this dance is both exciting and impressive to watch.
The Women's Jingle dance is based on a story about a woman who was healed by a medicine man. Her dress contains 365 jingles (one for each day of the year), which were originally made from shells. Today, they use metal/tin jingles that make a fascinating sound as the dancer moves with the music.
The Men's Prayer dance is a combination dance and religious ritual. The imagery of smoke as prayers carries through in Judeao/Christian culture also.
The Women's contemporary shawl dance is a new variation of an old dance, set to new music with a traditional beat in the background.
The Grass Dance originated with the Indians on the Great Plains. This dancer was responsible for trampling the tall prairie grass so others could proceed through it. This was done before warrior attacks, and before pow-wows were held.
The Warrior dance was done before going into battle. Contrary to what most of us were taught in school, most tribes abhored needless violence and would go to great efforts to avoid killing their enemies. In this dance, the warrior acts out his attack in hopes of convincing the enemy to back down.
The National Lutheran Choir performed in Minocqua in 1999, and we got to attend the concert.
This quaint covered bridge is on a forest road about 20 miles west of Minocqua. Fortunately, the river was frozen enough that I could walk out to take this picture.
Even from "road side", this is a beautiful site - unspoiled by the graffitti you often see on such structures.
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