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Surf-n-Turf, Denzer, WI (2026)

10/12/2026

Devil's Lake South Bluff!

We knew Devil's Lake would be packed to the gills this past Saturday given 80 degree October temperatures so I banked on beating the crowds by hitting the South Bluff and what an awesome hike it turned out to be!

We crossed the Merrimac Ferry about 3pm and by the time we rolled in to Devil's Lake South Shore every lots was packed to capacity. I banked on parking Roc Holliday (our Overlanding Rig) in the overflow parking area since that was the ideal basecamp to ascent the south bluff and see what I believe are called "Castle Rocks".

While every other lot was full since it was late afternoon the overflow lot had some space. We headed south through a tall-grass field, crossed the train tracks and began our 500+ foot ascent. 75% of our ascent was through class 3 boulders. Very challenging. Blood may have been drawn. ;) But we were rewarded with a really cool cave just prior to reaching the top of the South Bluff.

The views from the south bluff are amazing. No trials, no people. It was great to be at Wisconsin's busiest State Park and not see a soul... EXCEPT for one group of cool adventurous kids we stumbled upon who had made an awesome weekend camp on the South Bluff summit near a rocky opening. (rule benders after my own heart!)

Wow did they find a great spot with a million-dollar view.

We were a little crunched for time and definitely didn't want to get caught up on the South Bluff after dark given the treacherous bouldering we would have to do on our decent so we wished them well and headed back east and down.

We passed the spot we came up and found another descent a few hundred yards further east that was just as steep but was about 50% class 2 and 50% class 3.

Reaching the bottom we ran into the other half of the camping crew we had run in to early and had a nice chat.

We got back to Roc Holliday about 6pm where a tasty post-hike cocktail was waiting for us.

We then headed around the south shore and over to Sauk Prairie where we found an extraordinary secluded place to grill steaks and have a few more drinks.

EPIC DAY - The South Bluff isn't easy but its SO worth the challenge!

09/20/2026

COOL CAVES!!! We adhere to the philosophy "Never let the weather win". So a rainy Saturday seemed like the perfect time to trade sunshine for headlamps in the dry confines (sometimes a little too confining) of the Cherney Maribel Caves.

About an 1hr 40min from New Berlin, we arrived at 3:30pm and were surprised to find, in spite of the off-and-on rain of a dreary fall day there were a number of cars in the parking lot. I suspect this gem is very busy on days with good weather.

When I saw many of the people milling around their cars had headlamps and dirt all over their clothes I knew we were in for a good time!

This Manitowoc County Park has 11 different caves. Some are locked with steel gates but others are 'self-explore' and we did just that.

Kim has a higher tolerance for tight spaces than I do, so she followed Samson far deeper into the caves than I dared go. Some caves go in quite a distance with branches off in different directions. Make sure to bring a headlamp/necklight. You will need it!

The largest cave is the "New Hope Cave" which is locked behind a steel gate and is only accessible on the 3rd Sunday of every month when the park staff give guided tours of the monstrous cave. (the largest on the property) with several chambers, the largest of which has 10 foot ceilings and 30 feet of width.

After caving for a bit (and Kim banging her head on a low hanging rock) we walked along the West Twin River for some additional great views in spite of the rain.

Well worth the drive! If we could do it again I'd bring knee pads for crawling into the caves to save some skin.

DON'T FORGET YOUR HEADLAMP/NECKLIGHT!

09/09/2026

After leaving our desert boondock in New Mexico our maiden voyage in the new GXV HILT continued in Colorado!

We made it to Durango, CO and grabbed take-out at a great local BBQ joint. Found a quiet gravel parking area/kayak launch along the Animas river and had lunch with mountains towering around us out of the windows of the HILT and the mountain river rippling past.

The drive out of Durango becomes extremely mountainous and exciting... sometimes thrilling as we headed up through the San Juan Mountain range of the Colorado Rockies.

Our next stop was Silverton Colorado where we grabbed some ice at a local general store and had a tasty adult beverage before heading into the famous and treacherous "Million Dollar Highway" between Silverton and Ouray.

This route, recommended by a friend, is described as the most scenic road in the US! It was all of that and more.

This route runs through the Uncompahgre Gorge and up to Red Mountain Pass at over 11,000ft. Its a narrow 2 lane road cut into cliffs with steep grades, tight switchbacks, sheer drop-offs and little or no guard rail.

The views are outstanding and as always... pictures truly don't do them justice. The magnitude and danger of being there in person is so much bigger than a phone camera can capture. Worthy of an I-Max movie!

After we finished the Million Dollar Highway you descend down into the most awesome little town of Ouray which felt like an old western/Colorado version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. 2 story restaurants and bars all with massive outdoor seating and balcony terraces lined main street with diners and revelers enjoying the holiday weekend surrounded by towering mountains in this box canyon. The street was packed with motorcycles and pedestrians with the smell of mesquite wood wafting down the valley.

Truly an experience we will never forget! Put this on your bucket list!

09/08/2026

A new adventure begins! We flew into Phoenix on Thursday to take delivery of our 2027 Storyteller GXV HILT on Friday.

We immediately embarked on a 3 day adventure taking the scenic route back to Wisconsin!

First day we headed out of Phoenix over the McDowell Mountains, Tonto National Forest, and Mazatlan Mountains before having dinner in Payson, AZ.

We left Payson as sunset drifted over the amazing canyons of the Mogollon Rim with views of the White Mountains as twilight arrived with the Stigreaves National Forest.

We headed north through Holbrook where we joined I-40 through the Petrified National Forest before leaving the interstate to head north eventually finding a spot to boondock near 2am in the desert on some BLM land near White Rock in Northwest New Mexico on the Navajo Indian Reservation.

Sunrise Saturday gave us astounding views of the desert.

I stepped outside of the HILT and a herd of wild horses were galloping past just north of our location. Sounded just like thunder as they passed.

We departed about 11am headed for Colorado!

08/23/2026

Mirror Lake is a great little paddle.. drinks and appetizers at Ishnala is a fun midpoint refuel stop too!

07/19/2026

Where Eagles fly...

07/12/2026

Bar-hopping... I mean sandbar hopping on the Wisconsin River!

We gave our new Fastcat 12 a break in cruise on the Wisconsin River on Saturday.

We wanted something packable we can take in our new Global Expedition Vehicle (should take delivery of in a week or two... stay tuned for future post).

We also want to be able to explore new and shallow bodies of water we've never been able to access before.

Samson isn't chill enough yet for the Kayaks, but this Sea Eagle is exceptionally stable and he can walk all around at his puppy-pleasure. Paired with the NT600 we have an easy 10 to 20 miles of range doing 5-7 mph in whisper quiet serenity. The boat will easily do 10 mph at full power, but we wanted to chill and enjoy the views.

We started at the end of 60th Street where it meets the Wisconsin River about halfway between the Wisconsin Dells and Castle Rock Lake Dam.

It was the first time inflating and rigging up the boat and motor. Took us about an hour. Im confident I can get that down under 1/2 hour in the future.

Looking forward to many more water adventures especially since we can even take this boat on lakes like Devils Lake which don't allow gas motors.

07/05/2026

Point Creek is the newest addition to the Manitowoc County Park System and its a gem!

We originally intended to hike another lakeside park but it was very busy being Independence Day so we found this new conservation area with only a couple cars in the small parking area.

A mulched path took us straight the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan for a ridiculously steep descent down to the water's edge. Its so steep someone put a well anchored safety rope to assist in getting up and down and it is truly needed. You probably can't get back up without the rope assist.

Once we descended to the beach it is a gorgeous private section of Lake Michigan. We walked about a mile north (staying on the wet part of the beach as you would be on private property once you get over the 'high water' mark). Samson had a blast running down the waves breaking over the sandy shore (with a few boulders here and there).

We then headed south and instead of ascending where we came down we walked the beach to Point Creek where it spills into Lake Michigan. There an easy sloping path takes you back atop the bluff and offers great views from a half-dozen scenic overlooks as we made our way back to join the same path that took us back to the parking lot.

Hike was 2.1 miles and took about 1hr 40 minutes with lots of pictures stops and play-time for Samson.

Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. Its just north of Cleveland, WI. We finished the day with a short drive south to Sheboygan (with a pass-through Whistling Straits).

We felt like we stole a day from mother nature since it was overcast and rainy in Milwaukee most of the day. That said Sheboygan is a magnificent clean and interesting city and a far better place to spend Independence Day anyway.

06/30/2026

Not all adventures go as planned... but they are still adventures!!

We have tried to acclimate Samson to kayaking/canoeing with a few 10 minute paddles on small lakes and ponds.

Saturday we planned to do his first 'real' paddle from the Two Rivers boat launch where the Lemonweir river meets the Wisconsin River, down to the 60th Street beach/canoeing launch.

Unfortunately Samson wasn't having it. Jumped out right away and the current swiftly carried him around the corner to the sand bar. We hung out there for a short while, trying to get him to chill. But not meant to be.

Headed back to the put-in spot and pulled out.

Maybe next time!

06/06/2026

Looking good Milwaukee!

Surf-n-Turf

10/12/2026

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