RVing With a Purpose

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

We came to Antigo, WI for a new adventure.  Sunday evening we met with 29 other individuals for the opening meeting of our A Year To Volunteer (Y2V) two week project.  All but two couples were newbies along with us.  Y2V is a relatively new organization founded by Phil and Shar Roos as a means to provide volunteer opportunities for people.  To date, their primary work has been with state parks and a few other non-profits, helping with maintenance, repairs and the like.  Phil and Shar have a passion for our underserved and underfunded state parks.  Most of us RVers love our state parks and realize how much help they need.  Y2V is incorporated as a non-profit and have filed for their 501(c)(3) status and are just waiting for the IRS to do their part of the paperwork.  Phil and Shar began with a vision of volunteering 365 days and in all 50 states as a way of being productive as they began their retirement.  They invited a few people to join them in their first volunteer effort and things have grown from there.   We all had fun visiting and beginning to get to know each other Sunday night.  Monday morning we began to get to know the staff at REGI, Raptor Education Group, Inc, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to caring for injured and orphaned native bird species and public education on wildlife issues.  Our team will be working on landscaping, building a passerine enclosure for native song birds that are being cared for at the facility and hopefully rehabilitated for release back into the wild, building a new storage shed, rehabilitating three gazebos used for various birds, painting some signs, pressure washing as needed and of course anything else that comes up that needs work.  Phil and Shar have been a joy to get to know and hopefully we will know them even better over the next 2 weeks.  As is usual, Monday was a day for familiarization and organization, learning our way around the raptor center.  We did start working on the landscaping. 

Tuesday morning was our turn to take the tour of the facility with educators and some real visitors of the facility.  Everyone will get to take the tour over the next few days.  We got to visit with some of the birds up close and learn more about the different species that are being cared for by the dedicated staff.  While we were waiting for our tour someone brought in a very tiny bird in need of care.  We were told that the baby bird would need to be fed some protein every 15 minutes over the next several days if it is to survive.  The staff will rotate caring for the bird all night tonight. We finished the day preparing to rough in some wiring for the new passerine enclosure.

Friday, August 6, 2021

We have been going, going, going since leaving Alabama.  Most of the travel days were not really long days but we had to meet and interact with people each day after or before getting settled in for the night.  Then when we arrived at the Apostle Islands Tuesday morning, we parked and immediately began hiking and seeing and doing everything we could.  We had only 2 ½ days to get it all in so by yesterday morning we were both pretty tired.  We did not head out early but had a quiet breakfast at home and then decided on a short hike and some exploring by truck.  More great scenery.  We had a great time at the Apostle Islands, saw some beautiful sites. We did not get to do the sea kayaking because the seas were too high.  A good reason to return sometime.  Another good reason is the great food and pastries from Coco’s Bakery and relaxing by the beautiful Lake Superior – largest, deepest and coldest great lake.

This morning we left our campsite about 9:50 and traveled to Antigo, WI.  We were set up in the Antigo City campground before 3:00.  We will spend the weekend on laundry and groceries, etc.  Monday we will begin a new adventure.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

This morning we were again up early to drive back over to Bayfield to catch an early ferry to Madeline Island.  We did not take Fred or the truck to the island although we could – for enough money.    We took the bikes. $47.00 for a round trip for the two of us and two bikes.  Madeline Island is one of the 22 Apostle Islands but is not part of the National Lakeshore and the only inhabited island. You can take a boat to some of the other islands for camping or light house viewing (during non-Covid times).   Madeline is the largest of the Apostle Islands at about fourteen miles long and three miles wide.  There is a town park and state park on the island and a few restaurants, shops etc. and some beautiful homes.  Vehicles are allowed on the island but didn’t seem necessary for us today.  We rode about fourteen miles exploring. We explored the state park, and La Pointe, the little town where the ferry docks and had lunch at one of the restaurants – really good whitefish from Lake Superior.  After returning to the Bayfield ferry dock and loading the bikes back in the truck, the first stop was, of course, for ice cream.  Very good pecan praline ice cream.  We then did some more exploring of the area and hiked one of the trails here at the campground that goes to the Washburn marina.  The nice trail right along the lake shore was a good way to end another great day of seeing more of this beautiful country.

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Sunday morning we were back on the road continuing our trek north.  We noticed a little cooler temperatures when we stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs and eat some breakfast.  We extended our stop long enough to watch the live stream of our church service. It was a good service, as usual, so if you want to check it out, click here.  As we headed on north we exited Kentucky and began our travels across Illinois, the state of corn and soy bean fields.  Prior to retiring when we thought of Illinois it was thoughts of Chicago, and great lakes.  Now, after working several projects in Illinois, it’s thoughts of miles and miles of beautiful, huge, farms.  We stopped mid-afternoon at a Harvest Host site in Atlanta, IL, a large family farm that also makes candy, teas, and grows spices and other small batch items.  We really liked the sea salt caramel candy.  After another restful night, we drove on to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, to another Harvest Host farm.  This time it was an orchard. It’s a fifth generation family business.  They have about 3,000 apple trees along with other fruits such as blue berries and raspberries, and honeybees.  We of course left with more delicious treats.  Love visiting Harvest Hosts, making new friends and enjoying new foods.

This morning we got an early start to our destination near the Apostle Islands.  We are at a first come first serve campground on the shore of Lake Superior and were told we should arrive early if we hoped to get a site.  We have a beautiful site and were so blessed to get this spot.  We were told that the premium site we got was vacated about ten minutes before we arrived, and was one of the two sites that were available today.  We will enjoy this beautiful setting the next 3 days as we explore the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and surrounding area.  We feel so blessed to be here.  The temperatures are cooler, (we needed a jacket this morning), the scenery incredible, with some great hiking this afternoon.  Looking forward to the rest of our time here.