per·fect
adjective
/’pərfikt/
1. having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
The drive from southern Minnesota to southern Wisconsin on Thursday certainly had all the desirable elements, qualities, and characteristics one would hope for during the month of October. A blue sky filled with puffy clouds, tree branches bursting with colorful leaves, patches full of pumpkins you cannot find in the South, bright red stone-bottomed barns…ahhh. Perfect!
We stopped for lunch in La Crosse (goodness, what a pretty town!) and we pulled into Elkhorn just before suppertime.
The air was crisp at Camp Wandawega, and sun-dried leaves crunched underfoot as we made our way across the yard to cabin #1.
Wrapped in dark green-painted wood, “our” humble abode sat atop a steep ridge overlooking Lake Wandwega…
…and you better believe I did my very best to soak up every second of that view. 🙂
Just following doctor‘s orders, of course. 😉
We came and went as we pleased (like the leaves) for three glorious and gusty days.
We kept our “stuff” in the bunk room on one side of the cabin…
…and curled up early each night under soft sheets and thick, wool blankets.
A vintage mini-fridge kept our milk and OJ cold, and a small, electric heater (shaped like a cast iron stove) kept us extra toasty over night.
The decor? Simple, colorful, and fun! A small collection of old, camp-inspired goodies, and fishing lures on finishing nails. Perfect.
There wasn’t running water in our cabin, so we used the kitchen and bathrooms on the top floor of the old hotel next door. I forgot to take a photo of it with my “big camera”, but here’s one I snapped with my iPHone:
I caught up on some computer work in one of the rooms over there one day, and spent the other two wandering around camp, taking pictures and reading. Kevin was writing lyrics, and bounced back and forth between the old hotel’s lounge and the treehouse each day. When we got hungry, we rode into town and looked for places with fun names. 🙂 I had the best gnocchi and pesto I’ve ever eaten at Holi Cannoli on Highway 12 right around the corner from camp. Seriously. Think: bite-size, melt-in-your-mouth, ricotta pasta dumplings smothered in a basil, garlic, parmesan, pine nut puree. #delectable
We also tried Someplace Else in downtown Elkhorn.
I ordered their specialty: chicken pot pie. A creamy chicken stew loaded with peas, potatoes, and carrots- baked inside a rich and flaky crust. Mmmmmm! It was comfort in an 8″ pie tin, y’all. 🙂
I have lots more photos to share, and memories I want to write about, but it’s getting late, and my husbear is looking mighty lonely over there in that king-size (hotel) bed we’re crashing on tonight.
We’re staying just outside Detroit for the next few days while Kevin is recording, but I’ll pick up here again soon with another Wandawega post.
Until then, take good care and happy new week!
XO,
PS- Our friends, David and Tereasa (the owners), were out of town while we were at camp, so it was awfully sweet of them to let us crash & create there for a few days on our way through. (Thanks again, guys! XO) This was one of my favorite (Instagram) moments:
…and that sunset was pretty awesome, too. 😉
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The views at Wandawega are heavenly ! What a lovely place to relax and recharge.
I have loved following all things Camp W! It gets more beautiful with every blog post I see!
You’ve taken one of my favorite drives! I have family in Northern Iowa, so I make the drive from SE Wi to N Iowa often. Fall is the best-especially will all the colorful bluffs along the Mississippi River! Glad you enjoyed your time in Wisconsin. I will have to try one of those places to eat the next time I’m in Elkhorn.
Andrea
It truly does look like perfection! Glad you guys scored some downtime there.
Fall here in the upper Midwest can’t be beat! But you get tired pretty quick of what is to follow . . . MONTHS of cold, wet, dark snowy days! But nothing is as beautiful as our Wisconsin falls.
Breathtakingly beautiful…thank you for sharing these pics with us!
What lovely photos of our beautiful area, thank you for sharing. Should you ever have the opportunity to visit again, you may want to time it with the Elkhorn Antique Market. It is huge and wonderful and reasonable and happens 4 times a year. Here is their link. http://www.nlpromotionsllc.com. If you would like to see some of our FB pics here is a link https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.623195711130109.1073741852.118735631576122&type=1
Thanks for sharing, we will have to look for this camp the next time we drive that way!
Oh…. I really, really want to go there! 🙂 It just looks like the perfect vacation for rest and rejuvenation. Love your pictures. – Dori –
That place looks like pure perfection!!!! What a wonderful spot to rest, relax, and recharge!!
I went to college in LaCrosse and agree that it is one of the most beautiful spots in Wisconsin. I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip through the state I call home. I love the fact that I live in Wisconsin and have enjoyed some of my best vacations in Alabama–while you live in Alabama and enjoy “vacationing” in Wisconsin! Just another reason I feel a connection to you and your writing. Prayers to you today, Layla!
The Hudsons Bay blanket caught my eye immediately because I just finished hooking a pillow in those colours. I’d attach a picture but I don’t see a way to do it.
I also went to school in La Crosse and would move back in a heartbeat! It’s a gem. Originally from WI, living in MN these pics make me feel at home.
So glad you had some r&r time! Beautiful pictures!
Camp W is one of the most glorious and magical places on earth! So glad that you’re spending “the best part of fall” here in the midwest. It has been beautiful, and just the right amount of “relaxing”. Enjoy, friends! xo
The foliage is so beautiful!
I physically exhaled while reading this.
My daughter has been after me for a weekend at Camp W for two summers now and it just hasn’t happened yet. What’s really bad is we only live 30 minutes from there! So Glad you enjoyed your time in the Midwest!
Trish
Your pictures are absolutely beautiful! That camp looks amazing.
I love your pictures and if I wasn’t recuperating from back surgery I would be seriously thinking about packing and getting ready to go. I used to camp (primitive) but I was about 15 to 20 years ago. Now I’m into cabins, air mattresses don’t work well on my aging body anymore. That took only 5 years to decline. Getting older is good wisdom wise but it can take it’s toll on your body. Anyway, I hope to continue seeing your travels, maybe I will improve and be out there again. God bless and take care during your adventures!
What a lovely mini getaway! Looks very peaceful–I’ve always wanted to visit one of their treehouses. Hope you had a wonderful time!
Oh my goodness! I’ve been following your pics on IG, but I didn’t realize the camp was in Elkhorn, WI! My husband and I were married in Elkhorn! What a lovely place this camp is!
{waving} from the ann arbor area. welcome to michigan!
Lovely! I was hoping you’d visit there again, as I remember you posting about it before. Wish I lived closer. I’d visit too!
we loved having you two stop by! so happy that you enjoyed your visit. we look forward to hosting you again sometime! – Tereasa & David
Your blog won’t let me Pinterest these amazing photos 🙁 I hope that changes soon, because I want to add them to my “places I wanna see in person” board. I seriously want to pull a copycat of this adventure in my near future.
I’ve loved this spot since your post with your Mom here – “things I’d tell my 17-yr-old self”. I go back and re-read that amazing post sometimes just because it is sooooo lovely.
I hope whatever your health concerns are, you are healing, laughing, and loving yourself through it. Love and laughter are two VERY powerful healing energies. Envision yourself healed. Find every possible thing to feel joy, love, and gratitude towards. Thank your body for continuously healing. Forgive it for not being perfect. Tell your body that you love it. And laugh…until you cry and your tummy hurts. 🙂
(A book by Louise Hay is always a good thing too) Much positive vibes to you & Kevin.
Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!
Maryjane
from Manitoba, Canada
Hmmm…that’s strange, Maryjane. I just “Pinterested” them yesterday! Do you have the little “Pin It” button in your menu bar at the top of your computer monitor? That’s how I always do it. I’ll check with my blog tech about adding the little “pin it” buttons to the pics too!
Thank you for the encouraging words of advice, too! I absolutely loved reading them. 🙂 Getting my tummy to hurt in *that* way sounds /perfikt/! 😀
Thought you should know I had to close out a travel channel pop up ad twice to finish reading your post. So weird because I never had an issue before!