Flat and No Trees Has It’s Privileges

I’ve been spending the week working in northern Wisconsin and although it’s nice country, flat with no trees has it’s privileges. I’ve stood in the middle of a grass slough somewhere west of nowhere in Renville County, North Dakota and made a cell phone call with perfect clarity. I’ve driven countless miles in the same area deer hunting and had a dozen radio stations or more to listen to and I’ve always taken for granted that that’s the way it is everywhere.

Not here, not in northern Wisconsin. My daily drive takes me from Hayward to Cable, about a 17 mile drive through the forest and while Hayward does have some cell reception, it rapidly decreases the further you get from town. On my drive back the other night I spun through the channels on the radio and found one FM station that came in with regularity and the song playing was a Wilson-Phillips song. So there was my dilemma – Wilson Phillips or flip to AM and choose between a station from Iowa talking about Big 10 volleyball or a station doing 1924 replays of the Clicqout Club Eskimoes.

For those of you not down with the Clicqout Club Eskimoes, click here to find out more about them than you want to know.

I’ve reached another milestone in my life this week as well. To this point I’ve seen the worlds largest Holstien cow, largest Sandhill Crain, Walleye, concrete whale and fishing lure. Add to that list, The Worlds Largest Muskellunge!!! Located near the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, it’s a 143 foot fiberglass tribute to the Musky. Rumor has it that around Christmas time here, Santa makes an appearance out of the mouth of the fish, which can either be very exciting or very disturbing to a young child I suppose.

Also, if there was any doubt that I was in Wisconsin (normally the Old Style Beer signs and cheese factories are a clue) I was helping out a lady in the plant dept. with some software issues and heard more than one CSR on trouble calls end their conversations with customers with “You watchin the Packer game tonight?”

Yep, I am definitely back in Wisconsin.