Grouse Hollow Journal for May 19, 2016 by Greg Koelker

Grouse Hollow Journal for May 19, 2016 by Greg Koelker

Last Thursday, Ellen and I road tripped over to the other side of the state to Manitowoc.  I went to attend the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Convention.  My better-half came along to help me keep the shiny side up on the trip and relax a little.  We stayed along Lake Michigan at the Baymont Suites.  The hotel is comfortable and the people were friendly.  Right outside we could see the famous car ferry, The Badger, still moored but belching coal smoke.  It was pleasant enough to walk along the lakefront through a marina and then out on the breakwater.  We joined dozens of other like minded folks enjoying the fresh lake air, canada geese with goslings, seagulls, crested cormorants, and sandpipers and the view of a very calm Lake Michigan.  It was breezy but there were no whitecaps far out.  We walked all the way out to the Manitowoc Lighthouse.  We were passed by a boys cross country team that jogged out to the breakwater, up and around the lighthouse building, and then back.  There is a fenced in dog exercise yard where some people and their dogs were having fun.  We got some nice pictures and exercise.  Anyway, on the way back, I asked the twenty-something coach of a middle school track team that was practicing nearby if she could suggest a good sports bar.  She immediately said we should try the Fat Seagull.  The bartender at the hotel lounge concurred and when we asked for directions, she said it is within easy walking distance.  Hmmm, I think my wife was conspiring with these strangers to make me work for my supper.  Anyway, it was worth the walk.

The club was only three blocks from the hotel.  We had to cross a drawbridge over the Manitowoc River and there it was.  Inside, there were three tvs going with sports on and a small crowd of Thursday night revelers.  A couple of musicians were setting up.  We bellied up to the bar and the bartender, Cheryl greeted us like regulars.  We ordered cheeseburgers and fries and adult beverages.  Chris the other friendly bartender said he used to live in Richland Center and work at S&S Cycle in quality control.  Ellen told him that I do quality control sometimes too.  He perked up to that and then she explained how it is when she is baking cookies.  Anyway, we visited with them quite a bit.  Our food came quickly, hot and quite good; however, I have to say that The Thirsty Turtle doesn’t have anything to worry about when it comes to quality control, uh competition with the Fat Seagull’s burgers.  Bartender Cheryl had a basket of oriental wraps for her supper and when I asked what they were, she pulled one of each kind out and gave us a sample saying she’d never eat them all anyway.  Wow!  One was a more traditional egg roll and it was good, but the other was a reuben roll, stuffed with you know, corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, and served with a hot mustard.  When we go again, that’s what I am ordering.  Anyway, we listened to the music for a bit.  People were coming in as it was theater night, they said.  The local theater was presenting Shrek-The Musical.  On the walk back, we passed the Maritime Museum.  The USS Cobia, a WWII era submarine of the same class of submarine as was built by Manitowoc shipbuilders but that was actually built in Connecticut, is moored out back and we could walk right past it.  The USS Cobia is credited with sinking thirteen Japanese vessels for a total of 20,000 tons of enemy shipping.  In July 1944, Cobia  sank two vessels, including a troop transport carrying a Japanese tank battalion of twenty-eight tanks. U.S. Marines considered this sinking critical to their success in capturing Iwo six months later.  In February 1945 she engaged two armed Japanese sea trucks in a running gun duel. Cobia sank both of them, but not without the loss of Ralph Clark Huston Jr, a 20 mm gun loader and Cobia's only casualty of the war.  There were plaques with the names of the crews and a history for each of the 28 submarines built in Manitowoc during WWII.  Some sad stuff too as four Manitowoc built subs were sunk taking down all 80 plus crew while on duty in the Pacific.

On Friday morning we had breakfast looking out over a serene green blue lake Michigan.  The Badger was gone. Later Ellen got to see it return to port.  It was coming right at the shore when it dropped anchor and pivoted on the chain into its dock.  She visited the Maritime Museum and really enjoyed the tour of the Cobia. It was extremely interesting and gives a person a whole new respect for what life was like in a WWII submarine.   She had more fun than I did I think. More on the convention next time.

On Sunday morning back at the ranch, Ellen was pouring coffee in the kitchen when she called me to come look.  There was a doe and two yearlings in our driveway.  I suspect they were the three deer that screwed up my turkey hunt last week.  I shot them - with my Nikon that is. The light was perfect. On Sunday afternoon, I talked with Gordie Hierlmeier while he was driving home from the Minnesota fishing opener on Leech Lake.  He said it was 16 degrees with 40 mph winds and snow on Saturday, but they caught lots of walleyes using jigs and minnows.  Ellen said her mom used to call these last few cold days in May “the ice days” and they should finally harold in some summer weather.  

Until next time, get out - Gregg and Jake Sikora both killed nice 23-pound tom turkeys this last week. Freshman Jake got his first one on his own.  Mountain Man Ben and his buddy Drew Rouse will be here to turkey hunt this week and try out their new Turkey Reel call on Wisconsin birds.  The birds are still gobbling, so we are crossing our fingers  Enjoy.