Vacation Bonus

Bonus Vacation

It’s well past dinnertime as we’re driving home from Washington Island. We want to break up the long drive by staying at a mom-and-pop motel halfway between the island and home, but so far we’re striking out.

Town after small town, there’s either no mom-and-pop or only one that appears unfit for even a one-nighter. Our bellies grumble as I point out bars that might serve food, a Chinese restaurant on a corner that appears to be closed, and a few horrid fast-food joints.

At last, in Berlin, I notice a full parking lot and an inviting-looking awning. I assume it’s a good restaurant because of all the cars. Dane is skeptical, as usual, but I convince him we need to eat, and his aching stomach convinces him to pull in.

It’s a restaurant and bar called Jeff’s on the Square, and the waitress, Jeff’s wife, proudly tells us they’re celebrating their 10th year. She says all their food is home-cooked by her husband, and tonight's special is beef or chicken stir fry.

We love finding gems like this.

Soon she brings us two huge plates loaded with veggies and chicken. We can barely eat it all, but then she suggests dessert: her homemade apple pie, a hit with the locals.

On Google we find a place to stay in Oxford: the Crossroads Motel, 45 minutes away via dark country roads. It’s wonderful. There are tables with brilliant yellow mum plants in front of all the windows, and each door is painted a different color. Our room is clean and the king-sized bed takes up most of it. We hop in bed and fall asleep just minutes before midnight.

Imagine our surprise in the morning when a map search shows us that we’re only 90 minutes from home! Now we have extra time to play around.

Lying in bed making plans, we jinx each other by saying, “Maggie Mae’s.”

Maggie was a real Nashville treasure, known for her yodeling style, who grew up in Oxford. We never made it to Maggie Mae’s Cafe when she was alive. It was always on our list, but whenever we were in Oxford, Maggie was in Nashville. As we settle into the booth, we imagine how exciting it would have been to see her perform there, as she often did when home in Oxford.

Now that we’re so close to home, and knowing our critter sitter is at my house until noon, we have time to hike a few miles. I decide on the Witches Gulch and Chapel Gorge Trails.

We’re cruising down Highway 23, the sun is bright, and we’re ready for a good hike when... “Stop!” Harvest Market bent and dent is always worth a visit, and today the parking lot is full. Grabbing a cart, we start up one aisle and down the next. I take every 40-cent can of Fancy Feast for my youngest kitty, Leo, while Dane grabs the non-paté kind for his elderly cat Spiky.

Bananas are 15 cents a pound, so I tell the clerk I’ll take them all. She reserves one bunch for a woman who comes in for bananas every week.

Next I grab the two bags of Iams dog food that are left. Dane, carefully scanning the shelves, is thrilled with his finds; Better Oats Organic Bare oatmeal and Folgers coffee are a couple of his favorites.

Not many bent and dent stores have a coffee shop and bistro. The fall special is tempting—pumpkin spice something or other—but I need both hands free for the shopping spree!

After loading up the car with our savings, we make it to the Chapel Gorge Trail in mere minutes. The wide trail is covered with pine needles and offers a lovely view of the Wisconsin River.

Next, we hop in the car and type “Witches Gulch” into the map app. I call out the directions and Dane does the driving. We keep ending up at a locked gate, so we wind down another nearby road but still can’t find the trailhead. We start over and the map again brings us to the locked gate.

After doing this three times, I see a lady and ask her where Witches Gulch is. She tells us it’s only accessible on the Wisconsin Dells Boat Tour. I’m disappointed, but Dane is relieved that we can now head home, and the lady is annoyed because, she says, at least 30 cars a day pull up to her place and ask the same question.

As we finally turn onto my road, we’re excited to see the dogs, who we know missed us. We feel lucky to have had an extra, unplanned bit of vacation.