2011 Hogsback Cross Attack

The 2011 Hogsback Cross Attack is in the books. For those of you whom don’t know what a Hogsback Cross Attack is, don’t feel bad.  The Hogsback Cross Attack is a bicycle race that is held in Tomahawk’s Bradley Park. It is a timed event that runs through the woods on trails and over manmade obstacles. After the time limit is up the competitors have to complete one more lap, then the winner is announced by the combination of whom is in the lead at the end and how and how many laps they have completed.

The Hogsback race is the brainstorm of Tomahawk resident Justin Lund. Lund was challenged by the city to come up with an idea to help Tomahawk find a way to raise funds to improve the Bradley Park Trail system. Some of the other benefits that the race brings is a better awareness of the beautiful natural areas that are in and around the city of  Tomahawk where people can go to enjoy  themselves and the number of interesting events in Tomahawk that you can both participate in and enjoy as a specator. Justin also credits Liz Millender from the Tomahawk Mainstreet Inc. and by Tamra and Diane from theTomahawk Chamber of Commerce who helped get the word out, provide resources and helped with some organization of the event.

If you wish to see just what a Hogsback Cross Attack is I have posted a short highlight video. I will also be posting another video shortly that will consist of some more footage and interviews with both Justin Lund and several competitors. Next years race has already been scheduled for 9/29/12 so mark your calendars and attend the race.

Dairy Queen's last days

Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Chips, no Coke, Pepsi. While not the Olympia Restaurant from the Saturday Night Live Skit, the Tomahawk Dairy Queen, Huey’s Drive In and whatever other names the business has had during its existence, it has left an indelible impression in my mind. It is with a tear in my eye today that I sat across the street watching as the building breathed its last breath.

Since the late 70s this building/business has been serving up ice cream, fast food and memories to generations of people from Tomahawk. I can remember being one of a line of cars leaving the high school parking lot during fourth hour study hall as we used our senior privileges to take a two hour lunch and be the first to get their Special of The Day at the old  Huey’s Drive In. I believe that on occasion there may have been some of us who even broke the speed limit getting there. I also remember when I asked one of my best friends to throw me the ketchup, and he did.

Passing into the Night

Progress happens around us everyday and from the rumors I have heard, new gererations of tourists and Tomahawk youth will have their chance to get a tasty treat and make some memories of their own at a new Dairy Queen Grill & Chill?

It is great to see this small town slice of Americana live on, but it is with a tear in my eye that I bid the old lady next to the river a fond adu.

Just in case you haven’t had time to get out and enjoy the fabulous fall colors we have had here in Tomahawk, I have posted a short video that will give you a taste of why this is the best time of the year in Tomahawk and the Northwoods.

Wisconsin River

Tomahawk, Harrison, and the surrounding areas have four distinctive seasons. Winter is cold and clear but it has it’s moments. Looking out over a field of freshly fallen snow has such a pristine look. So soft and  quiet, life just seems to be standing still.  Spring is when April showers bring May flowers and the awakening of life anew can be seen spreading across the land. Summer is the busiest time of the year as plants and animals grow into adulthood, boys and girls hit the beach running and sitting around a campfire telling tall tales becomes the norm.

But Fall is the Best Time of the Year! The feeling of a warm sun shining down on a flannel shirt warms the soul. The air is crisp & fresh and the green, yellow and red leaves paint a portrait of living art. Tomahawk in the fall is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Willow Flowage

Nothing beats hoping in the car on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with no particular place to go, football on the radio and the fall colors in windshield. Take a trip down Highway 107 along the mighty Wisconsin River or drive out County Trunk D in the Harrison Hills. Wherever you go the scenic canvas will be spread out in front of you. For a real treat take County Trunk A to Highway 17, through Rhinelander to County K onward to Y and up to the Willow Flowage. You’ve heard the saying “Back door friends are the best”? Well, during the fall, back country roads standout above the rest. If you’re tired of driving, put on an extra sweater and take the boat  out one last time. Seeing the  colors from Nokomis, Mohawksin or any one of our many lakes is a sight that is worth the extra effort.

Bradley Park

If your from down South, head up North. If you live here, take an afternoon to see the fall colors, because fall in Tomahawk Wisconsin is The Best Time of the Year!

Veteran's Memorial

The Tomahawk area has many  parks and recreational areas. In my last blog we told you about Bradley Park the oldest park in town. In this entry we are going to take a look at one of the new and improved parks in the city.

Veterans Memorial Park recently got a big face lift when the new fourth street bridge was built this past year. Located on the Wisconsin River in t he heart of Tomahawk, Memorial Park served as a base camp of sorts for materials and the headquarters for the construction crew while they built the new fourth street bridge. With all the extra traffic, storage of equipment and materials, the west end of the park needed to be refurbished when the construction was winding down. As part of the bridge construction, a tunnel was built under fourth street so people could now avoid walking across the street and connect to a nature trail that runs along the river from the park to the Tomahawk Libary. The old World War II tank had to be moved during the construction. When it was moved back in place a very nice memorial stone and flag pole display was built to honor the veterans who served our country to preserve our way of life.

New Music Pavilion

While construction was going on at the west end of the park, the east end of the park was also seeing great improvement. With the help of donations from many Tomahawk residents and businesses a new pavilion was built. The design and construction was done by Tomahawk Log Homes. On June 29th the Tomahawk Music on the River committee dedicated the new pavilion where locals and tourists can gather to enjoy free musical concerts on Wednesday.

Fishing Pier

Veteran’ s Memorial Park also has a nice pier if you want to fish or maybe grab an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen and just sit quietly and watch the river roll by. With the Kwahamot water ski show every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night, the park also provides a great view of the action without having to fight a crowd.

Whether you’re up here on vacation or just need to get out of the house, Veteran’s Memorial Park is a great place to enjoy life in this Northern town.

Walking Trail Bridge

Bradley Park is roughly 105 acres of what the Tomahawk Area was like when it was first settled. The Bradley Company bought the land in 1910 for less than one hundred dollars an acre. Can you imagine what that land would go for now? With an abundance of Wisconsin River Frontage, towering White Pines and  walking trails it is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

The park opened in the early 1920′s. Over the years Bradley Park has been used for Fourth of July celebrations, band concerts, family reunions and camping. An enclosed  28′ x 49′  field stone picnic shelter was constructed in the middle of the park about a half mile south of the entrance during the 1930′s.

Stone Picnic Building

The shelter  has 8 large picnic tables for seating and serving, two fireplaces with firewood stored inside the building and has been updated throughout the years to include electricity.

Just a short walk to the south of the main shelter you will find a bathroom building, two nice sized parking lots and another open air shelter with picnic tables. These buildings are always open to all park users  whether the main shelter is rented or not.

Bradley Park is just one of many such areas in and around Tomahawk where you can stand on the shore and wet a line, take a quiet walk down one of the nature trails or grab the picnic basket and enjoy lunch in the great outdoors.

If you would like information about renting out the main shelter,  you can call the Tomahawk City Hall at 715-453-4040.

Whether you are thinking about moving into the area, vacationing here or you used to live here, there isn’t much video out there on the world wide web of the Tomahawk area. Some of these videos you will find on this blog in the near future, will include talking and getting to know several of the many interesting people whom live here. Next I will show and tell  you of  places to go in and around the area that you can enjoy with your family and last but certainly not least, I will bring you some glimpses of the many area wide events that happen here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin thus giving you a visual reference to see with your own eyes what Tomahawk and the  surrounding area have to offer. Taste of Tomahawk 1

Now all you have to do is sit back, relax and click on the highlighted text and we will show you  a bit of what the town looks like and how some of our residents enjoy themselves throughout the summer.

Wisconsin River below Whirlpool Rapids

One of my favorite places to fish for Small Mouth Bass is the Wisconsin River where miles of tree lined shores and eagles soaring through the skies remind me just how lucky I am to live in the Tomahawk area. This is a day trip that combines both great fishing and fun on the water.

You’ll start your adventure near the Camp Ten Ski Hill just off of county trunk A between Rhinelander and Tomahawk and you will finish off the day when you get to the bridge over county trunk A that signals the beginning of Lake Alice. This float down the Wisconsin River is a little over 12 miles and will take you about 4 to 5 hours if you paddle steady.

The first hour and a half will go by relatively quickly as the current moves along at a faster pace as you near a rapids called Whirlpool. How do you know when you are coming up on the Whirlpool? Don’t worry, you will hear  it before you see it! Whirlpool in the spring time is not for the light hearted or inexperienced  as it drops about four feet between a couple of big boulders, but in the last part of July and mid August after the spring run off is over the water level naturally drops making it quite a bit easier to handle. Leading up to Whirlpool you will find a class II boulder garden rapids which rounds a corner and sets you up for Whirlpool’s drop, make a note here to stay to the right or west side of the river as this will be the best line through.  After you are through Whirlpool the Wisconsin River goes around two islands with the larger Menard’s on your left and a smaller one to the right with a channel going both around and between the islands. Here you will encounter another class II rock garden type rapids which is quite a bit easier than the previous stretch. This is a great place to pull up on one of the islands or rock formations and take a breather, or grab bite to eat and a swim.

Wisconsin River near Menard Island

Now after all that excitement this is where the great fishing part takes over. Below Menard Island the Wisconsin River becomes wider and much slower with large boulders both above and below the surface making the last 7 miles of river a Small Mouth Bass Heaven. Bring your Ultra light gear along with a variety of Rapals, surface plugs and smaller spinner baits as there is nothing like a good fight on Ultra light gear with a feisty Bass.  As you start floating by the big boulders simply cast out just past them and pull your baits through the deep quiet pools that form behind the rocks, this is where the fish are hiding and resting, waiting for their next meal.  What kind of action can you expect?  Last summer I caught 27 Small Mouth Bass ranging anywhere from 12 to 19 inches with the biggest weighing in at just over four pounds. I also landed several nice Walleye which made for a great supper.

So if you’re up for a bit of exercise, excitement and great fishing, a float down the Wisconsin River is a summer Must Do! Remember to practice catch and release and keep only what you are going to have for supper..

Looking for Lunkers

Fishing Report for August, 2011

When fishing in the Tomahawk area the anglers will find lakes, rivers and streams of all shapes and sizes, so whether you are looking for a stringer full of pan fish for that Friday night fish fry or your searching for that trophy mount to put on your wall, you’re sure to find enough great fishing to satisfy any type of angler’s desire.

The weather this week has been running a bit cooler than usual which seems to have slowed fishing down a bit, but not too worry there is plenty of summer left and plenty of fish to catch.

Lets start with the pan fish. The bigger Bluegills have moved into about 10ft of water making use of a slip bobber set up with night crawlers very productive. Please take note the smaller Bluegills still seem to be hanging near the shoreline weed beds making great targets for the bigger game fish.

Crappies are hovering just below the big Bluegills in about 12-14ft of water. Slip bobber sets are working well with crappie minnows or fatheads; we’ve seen some real nice slabs being hauled in. It wouldn’t take many of them for a nice fish dinner.

Remember what I just told you about the small Bluegills? We have been seeing Northern Pike cruising the edges of the weed beds hunting in about 5ft of water. Try using a floating Rapala twitching it like a wounded minnow; they also have been hitting on small suckers on a bobber set.

 Walleyes also seem to be in close to the weed beds hunting around dusk and early evening. We’ve been catching them in about 4-5ft of water off the edge of the weed beds using leeches and crawlers on a jig setup.

The Mighty Musky fishing has been slow lately, but seems to be picking up ever so slightly with the fish hitting on big bladed spinner baits and the ever reliable bucktails running at a depth of about 4-5ft in about 8-9ft of water.

Always practice catch and release when you don’t intend on a good meal or mounting a trophy to the wall. That 38 incher will be 40 plus next year! So good luck and safe boating. Check in again next week for a fresh update.

There were ballerinas on the water and highflying boys sailing through the air last weekend at Kwahamot Bay as Tomahawk played host to the 2011 Division 2 Show Ski National Championships. An estimated 5,000 spectators showed up to cheer on their favorite water skiers with over a dozen teams competing with Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin all being represented.

The stands were full most of the day and early evening with a couple of brief rain delays slowing things up on Saturday afternoon but with a little luck and rescheduling all the events were competed. In the team competition the winners were as follows. The Hartwick Huskys of Delhi, Iowa, won the overall team championship, along with top awards for Towboat Driving and High Individual Club Act with a total of 1,298.4 points. The Chetek Hydroflites “Chetek, Wis.” finished second with 1,272.06 points and the Badwater Ski-Ters “Florence, Wis.” rounded out the top three with 1,261.2 points. Other team scores in order of finish were: Silver Lake “Fenton, Mich.”, 1,247.73; Shermalot “Rome, Wisc.”, 1,211.13; Lauderdale Aqua Skiers “Elkhorn, Wis.”, 1,198.3; Ski Sprites “Eau Claire, Wis.”, 1,196.51; Rochester Ski Club “Rochester, Minn.”, 1,181.87; Lake City Skiers “Warsaw, Ind.”, 1,138.53; Waupaca Chain Skiers, “Waupaca” 1,1111.58; Plum Ski-ters “Sayner, Wis.”, 1,079.83; Chain Skimmers “Conover”, Wis., 999.47; Kwahamot Show Ski Team “Tomahawk”, 929.38, the Kwahamot Water Ski Team’s (Ryan Koth, Scott Koth and Greg Hilgendorf) won team jumping, scoring 48.00 points; and Min-Aqua Bats (Minocqua), rounded out the fourteen teams with 787.52  points.

The Division 2 Show Ski National Championships also has an individual competition element with events in adagio doubles, swivel, multi-jumping and free style jumping. Here are the some of the top finishers. Jillian Langer “Crivitz” swivel, with 13.67 points; Sarah Parbs “Reeseville” and Andrew Weinheimer “Horicon” doubles champions with 11.87 points, and The host Kwahamots’s Ryan Koth took the freestyle jump competition.

After the event was over there were smiling faces on the skiers, fans and the town Tomahawk. It should be noted that the Kwahamots have applied to host the Division 2 Show Ski Nationals again in 2013. See ya then.