Cabin fever begins to set in

In the dead of winter, time seems to stand still, even at our age. Work is fine, but with the daylight hours being short and with the frigid temps, cabin fever begins to set in. The hunting TV shows are all reruns. We have projects to get done, but we are outdoors people.

My wife, hunting partner, sidekick and mother of my children is and has been instrumental in keeping my sanity. We really do compliment each other. What one doesn’t think of, the other does. I surprised her at the Mt. Hope show with a new .223 Savage Trophy Hunter (left-handed) and wished her Happy Valentine’s Day. She loved it and the surprise.

Marriage is a compromise. Last week in Columbus, visiting our children, she asked if we could stop at JoAnn Fabrics for “just a couple minutes” to look at a “couple things.” I countered with affirmation, providing we got to stop at Cabela’s for a “look.” See, this marriage thing isn’t that hard.

We are driving home from our elk hunt in Wyoming, and I had a special surprise for Taryn. I planned our days to only allow about 7-8 hours of driving. As we are heading eastward on I-90, I took a detour south to a small town on the Mississippi River: McGregor, Iowa. What makes this town special is the charm of an old river boat town that dates back to the mid-1800s.

McGregor, in its prime, was a major ferry crossing between Iowa and Wisconsin. What brought my attention to this place was an ad for lodging at the restored Backwoods Saloon. It was only a block from the river. As we pulled up to the saloon, I informed her we had room two upstairs booked for the night. We were not disappointed.

Truly a step back in time, the room was as it was in the 1800s (it did have electricity), and the saloon had the old stage and bar. Sitting down for supper, we were served enough fish and hash browns to feed four people. After, we walked down the old streets, trying to imagine what it would have been like back then. We spent the remainder of the evening sitting outside our room on the balcony watching the world go by.

As one who enjoys history, this completely enthralled me, not only to visualize what was, but also the realization these people, these buildings, this place didn’t just appear for our visit. It was here before we got here and will continue after we’re gone. That night God revealed to me just a glimpse of time and how a minute is to a day, and a day is to a year, and a year is to eternity.

The following morning, we had breakfast at a local cafe with the locals and then crossed the Mississippi to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, stopping at Cabela’s there (imagine that). The wind was really picking up that morning, and we actually helped the Cabela’s manager chase down some of the display blinds outside. Then on to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (a suburb of Madison), also stopping at Cabela’s.

Even though the Cabela’s stops seem kind of an obsession, they actually serve a purpose, being usually about two hours apart for bathroom breaks, leg stretching and food. At the Sun Prairie stop, we had to wait out heavy whiteout snow conditions. From there we headed northeast to Richfield, Wisconsin and then southward to Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Following the interstate around Chicago (I ain’t crazy enough to drive through it), we hit I-80 eastward again, stopping at Hammond, Indiana.

Now you can say you know someone who has been to five different Cabela’s in one day (24 in all).

We finished the day stopping at a hotel in Plymouth, Indiana.

What I said earlier about God’s revelation of time and space showed me we have a lot of work to do to show those who do not know him that he does exist and cares for us daily. To acknowledge him is the first step in one day reuniting with him.

God bless.