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A few days ago we drove to town (50 miles) because of Leos medical
appointment. It had snowed for several days before the trip; next, wed had
really cold weather (-35, -25, etc.) move in. Snowplows had not had enough
time to clear the roads before the deep freeze occurred, so traffic had packed
highways with a layer of ice. At this time of year most of the road through
the Hoback Canyon is in shadow, so there was no help from the sun to
promote any thaw. But we had studded tires, and drove slowly. There was
very little traffic, and we got to town and back safely.

So why are we starting this Holiday Letter with a traffic report? Because
Rose began remembering a story of one winter back in Illinois during the 20s
or 30s.. It was said that people were able to ice skate on Sheridan Road
from Zion to Waukegan and back. Does anyone reading this letter remember
hearing of such weather? Youd have to be in your 90s to have actually done
the skating. Well, if wed wanted to, we could have skated most of the way
to Jackson this past week.
By the time we drove home we noticed a new scattering on sand on our
roads surface, but we still drove cautiously. At one point, we had to stop on
the highway and wait for a Rocky Mountain big horn ewe and her lamb that
were stubbornly refusing to move aside as they were licking something
(salt?) off the roads surface. More wild sheep were just barely off the
pavement.
As we headed up our county road on our way home and looked to our left,
we saw a large number of our local elk milling around in a snowy pasture
next to the nearly frozen river. We had to stop for several elk ahead of us
that were heading down to join the others. We looked to our right toward the
high country and saw more elk lining every hilltop. Rose did more
remembering -- of those old Western movies when the cavalry was bottled
up on the floor of the canyon watching Indians on horseback silhouetted all
along the high horizon. So its both migration and remembering seasons.
Who remembers the little starter ice skates with two parallel blades we
used at first? Even wearing those, Rose spent more time sitting on the ice
than gliding over its surface. Of course, we hardly felt any pain from falling
down because we were wearing so many layers of winter clothing that we
looked like little misshapen balls of plaid wool. Leo remembers being shown
a pair of Swedish long-bladed ice skates that his father claimed to have used
as a youth on near-shore areas of the Baltic Sea. We wonder where those
skates are now.
And who remembers the sledding hill on the west side of Sheridan Road
at about 31st Street? Each winter wed wait and wait until there was enough
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snow to cover the hill. By the end of the day it would be worn down to bare
dirt. Rose always wondered if my sled would go too far and end up on the
opposite side of Sheridan Road.
Leo remembers skiing with Karl Holzman and other friends on several
different hillsides of the ravine that ran more or less south from Elmwood
School. Sometimes they poured buckets-full of water down a slope so it
would ice-up. They used their mothers metal household tubs, trays etc.
along with various improvised and toy skis with rudimentary bindings.
They were trying to copy some of the antics they saw in sports shorts at the
movies. Later, Leo used a pair (of what we would now call antique) wooden
skis that an older brother had acquired. Apparently there werent many
killer trees on those slopes because all of the amateurs were able to walk
home at days end.
Sooooo, back to the present, and briefly.
In October of 2015, Rose was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgery in St
Johns Hospital in Jackson in mid-November removed the tumor plus 14
lymph nodes, half of which showed evidence of malignant cells. The next
step was to be radiation treatment, but an infection developed, so there was
a second surgery in mid-December, followed by 6 weeks in the rehab/nursing
home attached to the hospital. For seven weeks in April/May Rose drove to
Idaho Falls on Mondays and back to our home on Fridays so she could receive
radiation treatments. This past October, Rose had a CT and mammogram
that did not show any malignancy. Well take their word for that, proceed
with life as usual, and return in a year for the annual CT and mammogram.
In June, Leo had his remaining teeth extracted. He should have had
dentures by now, but the healing has gone slowly. Mealtime offerings here
have been smooth in texture and boring. Can you imagine running meat
from a prime rib roast or a piece of apple pie through a food processor? He
will be getting his dentures in Idaho Falls, and with the winter weather, we
probably wont make that trip until next spring. Hurry spring!! Twice this fall
Leo has undergone the cardioversion procedure where, while sedated, he
experienced a single electric shock to slow down a pulse rate that was not
normal for him. Currently his pulse is holding at normal.
In March of this year, Roses brother-in-law, Marv Bachler died. In July
Roses sister, Carol Bachler died. A former sister-in-law, Rita Shaw died this
past year. Also a dear friend, Gerri McMinn Simon, from high school days,
died. Thus my penchant for rememberings
In August, a wildfire started not far away in our neighboring national
forest. After a few days it jumped the highway and winds pushed it on
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towards a rocky, mountainous area where it was doomed to run out of fuel.
(Thats a very brief version of the event!) Fortunately there was no damage
to any private property, but we did experience some very smoky air.
For more than a decade Leo has had a disabled Alice Chalmers D-9
crawler parked next to our barn. This past fall Alice was finally restored to
operation. She should be able to open up our driveway as soon as this
current spell of snowfall stops.
Finally, we have planned an eclipse for anybody that might visit us here
next August. Where will you be??? In the meantime, have a wonderful
holiday season and a healthy 2017.
Sincerely, with optimism/resignation,
WISCONSIN RIVER
The Wisconsin River could offer two-day or three-day trips on different sections. The river
rises in the far north of the state, and flows southward to join the Mississippi River near Prairie
du Chien. Along its length, the Wisconsin River flows through several dams and the Wisconsin
Dells (which was one of the sections that Prairie Club canoed and kayaked). Some smaller
towns that we remember as being near put-ins and take-outs are Mazomanie, Muscoda and
Boscobel located near the lower end of the river and roughly west of Madison.
The river was fairly wide and was shallow in unexpected spots, but could change to deep
suddenly a few feet away. The depths could change over time. There were no rapids or riffles in
the stretches we canoed, but there was a substantial current so paddling was easy unless there
was a headwind. On one trip, while on an exceptionally wide stretch of river, we experienced a
thunderstorm with lots of lightning. There was no good, close place to pull ashore, and we felt
very vulnerable out on the water. The storm passed quickly, but we should have had a better plan
perhaps by beach our boat before the storm hit and waiting it out patiently.
On another trip, while battling a strong headwind, we lost sight if our fellow Prairie Club
paddlers who had left the lunch stop before we did. The water we were pushing through seemed
like thick chocolate pudding, and we became anxious because a very young Carl was with us,
and we werent sure wed recognize the take-out location. We imagined the group would all be
gone, leaving us without a way to get back to our car. Then we saw the trip leader paddling back
upstream to find us and help us end the trip in safety. Prairie Club members were good people.
There were some permanent, wooded islands in the river, and sometimes a few canoes would
go around on the left, while others went to the right. There were frequent lovely, clean and
empty sand beaches for lunch stops and over-night camping. Once we stopped at a beach that
had covered nests of turtle eggs. Our niece, Susie, uncovered one, we took photos and covered
the eggs back up. Back in the 60s and 70s we rarely encountered other boaters or any
fishermen. The river seemed secluded from buildings and had few bridges.
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From our first Wisconsin River trip onward we tried to always keep in mind that there were
dams upstream that might release water that could raise the water level not drastically, but
enough to cause a beached canoe to drift away downstream as happened to us once. We had to
borrow another canoe, paddle fast and fight our way back upstream with both canoes.
Sometimes rising water levels even required a quick evacuation of the camp site.
Assuming the weather was warm enough, many Prairie Club canoeists enjoyed swimming
(dipping) in the shallow water adjacent to a lunch ar campsite beach. One time, Leo decided to
swim across to a nearby island for exercise (as if the days paddling hadnt been enough!). On
the swim back, he found himself in a current that prevented him from returning to the campsite.
He struggled and finally let the current take him downstream till he could touch bottom. He
ended up walking back up-river to join our group. The river is not to be underestimated. A
moments carelessness could have fatal consequences.
By the time Carl was three years old we had discovered garage and yard sales. We realized that
25 cents per item of used child-sized clothing meant that we could throw all of Carls sand/mud-
infused clothes into the garbage barrel at take-out sites and not have a lot of laundry to do after
getting home.
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SUGAR CREEK, INDIANA

This sweet waterway winds from east to west in central Indiana and eventually enters
the Wabash River. Two well-loved state parks are located on its banks Shades and Turkey Run
both of which are not far from Indianapolis. Its far enough south of Chicago to have a longer
canoeing season and a slightly different mix of natural vegetation. This creek was where Leo
practiced his first close-up nature photography, learning from Prairie Club canoeist John Kohout.
We often met the Swanson and Stewart families also Prairie Club members and sometimes
shared an end-of-weekend-float-meal at the Stewarts home in Crown Point, Indiana.
We may have floated Sugar Creek more often than any other stream. The water level was
best in spring especially on Mothers Day, if you didnt mind crowds. It was a great water
adventure for beginners, but advanced canoeists loved it too. It was such an easy float that we
didnt always wait for Prairie Club to set a date but went on our own with family. Wildflowers
and red bud and dogwood were much admired. Summer low water often required some walking
and pulling the canoe downstream, but the lower the water, the more fossils and geodes could be
found on gravel bars. The water was usually clear, allowing a good view of the shallow bottom.
Of course, we didnt drink from the stream, and did need to have plenty of pure water ready in
the canoe as the sun and occasional paddling made us thirsty.
The creek is in a valley, and in some places we floated past sedimentary bluffs cloaked in
columbines. A special visual treat was the old covered bridges we paddled under. We ate lunch
on the banks of the creek, but always camped at night in the state park.
Something to watch for: We got used to the smaller, shallower streams in tight little valleys
such as Sugar Creek being safe and pretty. But we gradually began noticing little clusters of
dried leaves and twigs and small branches lodged up in tall shrubs and small trees, and we
realized that sometimes really high floodwaters must sweep through, usually arriving quickly
and leaving quickly.
Roses sister, Carol, with family, often accompanied us on these trips, and Roses mother,
Lutie, and Aunt Lula came along on one trip to Sugar Creek. Leos niece, Cindy Benson, came
along one time, too.
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During our last trips down to Sugar Creek we noticed more and more local establishments
offering canoe rentals on roads near the parks. If one takes friends who might not own a canoe,
or if one needs information on stream conditions, difficulty levels or known hazards or locations
of put-ins or take-outs that dont impinge upon private property, get in touch with one of these
places. If the parks are getting too crowded, rental outfits might be able to recommend other,
similar but lesser-known streams nearby.