Weekend fun (and anxiety!) in Minocqua

On Friday the pack piled into the bread box car with ski box on top for a weekend of skiing, fun, and relaxation. First up was a great little ski outside of Wakefield, at Milje's Ski Trails.

We took the long way 'round.

Next we loaded back up and headed down Highway 51 to Minocqua, WI. Sandy signed herself up for the inaugural Wolf Tracks Rendezvous ski marathon this past fall when she was talking smart about skiing. Arly was wise enough to pass! Anyway, it was a good excuse for all of us to get out of town and see our good friend Bob.

Me 'n Bob. Where's Buddy??

It was so fun to see Coach  Bob again! Except now he has a pet puma who he calls "Buddy". Some Buddy! He was hissing and growling at me all weekend. I couldn't get a  moment of relaxation!  He was a REAL  tough cookie for a little black kitten without any claws.












Saturday morning we all headed over to Minocqua Winter Park ski area to drop Sandy off at the race.

Heading to the start line.

Apparently, skiing 26 miles on a hilly course without proper training was not Sandy's idea of a fine day out so she bagged it after 15 K so we all had lunch, stretched out a bit, and went for a nice little ski at McNaughton.

38 degrees is way too warm for a trail dog!

After our excursion, we headed back to the Panther Lair and Bob treated the pack to his fine grilling techniques with the most tasty steaks and baked potatoes ever. They even had shortcakes with hand-picked wild berries! I can't believe I didn't get any....

Ooh...this one has lots of power.

So today we packed back up to head home. On the way, Arly spotted a potential new towing machine for use on the ski trails: