Seek the Unique                               January 2014


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Greetings!

Our goal with this January e-newsletter is to get you to warm up to the idea of a winter getaway to a Wisconsin B&B. There, we said it, winter in Wisconsin. With snow and frosty air and frozen lakes and rivers. Which means cross country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, snowmobiling, ice skating and then bonfires, saunas, hot cocoa, wine, plump comforters and made-from-scratch breakfast. 
 
 
Photo: View overlooking the Wisconsin River Valley
from Wawanissee Point -  Inn at Wawanissee Point, Baraboo.

Winter Sports Enthusiasts Will Love These Winter
 
 
 
Photos: Justin Trails B&B Resort, Sparta (left); McCormick House, Hayward (center); Pine Grove Park B&B Guest House, Reedsburg (right).
 
Sure, it's the upper Midwest and all, but we still think you'll be blown away by the myriad awesome choices for B&Bs that deliver a great winter adventure. Let's begin in Hayward, home of America's largest cross-country ski marathon, the American Birkebeiner, and with some of the finest trails in the country. McCormick House has a full a la carte breakfast menu to help you get your energy levels up in the morning and wine to help you warm up in the evening. Not exactly six degrees of separation, but the Cobblestone B&B in Birchwood is the childhood home of Birkie founder Tony Wise; interestingly, it's a favorite B&B for snowmobilers, given you can access the Tuscobia State Trail from the property.  There are seven miles of cross country ski trails groomed for skating and striding on the grounds of Justin Trails B&B Resort in Sparta, to say nothing of the four miles of snowshoe trails (30 pairs of snowshoes, rental is just $5, plus free guided hikes), and skijoring with your dog.  The innkeepers at Phipps Inn B&B in Hudson offer this insider tip for cross country skiers: Don't miss the trail to the waterfalls at Willow River State Park. Pine Grove Park B&B Guest House in Reedsburg and Inn at Wawanissee Point in Baraboo both put you in perfect proximity to cross country skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking at Devil's Lake State Park and Mirror Lake State Park (with candlelight treks at Mirror Lake too), plus downhill skiing at Christmas Mountain, Cascade Mountain and Devil's Head Resort - whew!
Snowmobiling Sensations Snowmobile
Photo: Canyon Road Inn, Turtle Lake

 

 

 

Ride your sled right up to the inn when you stay at Canyon Road Inn in Turtle Lake. You'll never see the same sights twice with nearly 700 miles of snowmobile trails in the two counties bordering this B&B.

A Little Ice Fishing with Your B&B Fishing
Photo: Inn on Hillwind, Plymouth.
 
 
The innkeeper at Apple Tree Lane B&B in Waupaca made mention of ice fishing on the chain of 22 spring-fed lakes in the area right before she had to dash for a quick cross country ski around the 7.5 acres that surround the inn. Inn on Hillwind in Plymouth is a great base camp for those who want to ice fish on Little Elkhart Lake or Wood Lake, while Brayton B&B in Oshkosh is a warm landing spot for those who favor ice fishing on Lake Winnebago (sturgeon speaking, anyone?) and Lake Butte De Morts.  
Dog Sledding Dog

The Pinehurst Inn in Bayfield offers a dog sledding package in partnership with Wolfsong Adventures. Ask the owners about a hike out to the ice caves on the Apostle Island National Lakeshore while you're there. And you must make time to enjoy the on-site sauna.
Photos: Pinehurst Inn, Bayfield.

Sledding and Ice Skating sledding
 

If you're thinking about staying at the Eagle Harbor Inn in Door County, just know they provide sleds for guests to use on Hill 17 in Peninsula State Park and the innkeepers also highly recommend the skating rink in nearby Sister Bay. 
Along with downhill skiing at nearby Alpine Valley, you might want to try the sledding on the hill right on the grounds of the Eagle Centre House in Eagle. 

Photo: Eagle Centre House B&B, Eagle.
Snowshoeing to Get to the Chickens chickens
Photo: Innkeeper Jean Schneider of

 

 

  

 

 

 

At Token Creek Eco-Inn in Madison, the innkeepers snow shoe to the chicken coop when the snow gets deep. They offer free snowshoe rental to guests so they can explore the grounds of the inn and the 150-acre headwater springs to the Madison Chain of Lakes. They also endorsed the lit cross country ski trails at night at Token Creek County Park.

 


Most Fireplaces Fireplaces
Photo: Honeybee Inn B&B, Horicon.

After a day of cross country skiing on the
trails of Horicon Marsh, you'll have plenty of choices  for warming up at Honeybee Inn B&B in Horicon. The inn has eight fireplaces - two electric, one gas, and five wood burning. Coming in a close second is Canyon Road Inn in Turtle Lake, with six fireplaces, one in each suite, perfect for defrosting after a day of snowmobiling or ice fishing out the back door. And there's also Grapevine Log Cabins in Sparta with cute stoves in each cabin.

Oatmeal is a Classic in Winter Oatmeal
Sure, oatmeal is great all on its own on a cold winter's morn, but when you combine it with wild rice, apples and cranberries it's a winner, literally, as in this Wisconsin B&B Association Cook-Off grand prize winning recipe from Bowman's Oak Hill B&B in Wisconsin Dells.
Photo: Bowman's Oak Hill B&B, Wisconsin Dells

Wild Rice Cran-Apple Breakfast Bake

 

1 � c. cooked Wild Rice

� c. raw oatmeal

2 large red apples

� c. dried Cranberries

� c. raisins

� T. cinnamon

� c. chopped nuts (you can use either walnuts, pecans or a mixture of the two)

2 c. milk

� c. brown sugar

� tsp salt

2 T of butter

 

In large bowl mix: rice, oatmeal, thinly sliced apples (not peeled), cranberries, raisins, cinnamon and nuts. Next, heat milk, brown sugar, salt and butter in microwave oven until hot.Mix into rice and fruit mixture. Put into buttered 2 quart casserole. Cover and bake at 350�F for 30 minutes.

 

Garnish with a dollop of low fat vanilla yogurt and drizzle of pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup. For my meat lovers I add a side of sausage with whole grain English muffin.

 

This recipe makes 4 generous servings or 8 side dishes to be served with an egg dish and sausage.

  

 Click here to view a printer-friendly .pdf version of this recipe. 



 
Thanks for reading the January issue of "Seek the Unique"!  
You're Unique. Stay that way.

Kris Ullmer
WBBA Administrator
Phone: 715-539-9222
Email:
[email protected]