It pains me to declare this bit of Badger State blasphemy, but I've got to admit it: I don't think the Packers are going to make it to the Super Bowl. I'm throwing in my green and gold towel and cashing my Bart Starr commemorative chips.
Like most Cheeseheads, I'd sacrifice non-essential appendages for Brett Favre, but I am growing weary of NFL pundits endlessly surveying the majesty of Number Four. Favre, who turned 77-years-old this October., seems to be having difficulty recalling the finer points of the game, such as remembering which team to pass to.
Fortunately, Green Bay's failures won't ruin our winter. I've found several activities everyone can enjoy long after the snow has settled on Lambeau. First, I'll chase my football woes away at the:
Apostle Island Sled Dog Race??- Bayfield, Wis.??
That's right, you don't need to fly to Alaska to see some high quality mushin'. From Feb. 3-5, 2006, racing enthusiasts from across the country will make their way to Wisconsin for the competition.
'There isn't a more serene place to race than the Apostle Islands; we've got gentle, rolling hills and Lake Superior,' said Heath T. Hickok, marketing manager for the Bayfield chamber of commerce.
After learning some races were considered 'sprints', I'd planned to challenge for this year's $5,000 purse with a team comprised of greyhounds, beagles and squirrels. Unfortunately, Mr. Hickok informed me that 'sprints', in the dog-sledding world, actually last 88 miles. It looks like I'll be spending more time at the:
Ice Castle??- Eagle River, Wis.
Coordinated (quite fittingly) by local firefighters, annual construction of this colossal frozen palace takes place between Christmas and New Year's Day and requires over 700 labor hours and 3,000 one-foot-thick blocks of ice. Colored lights illuminate the edifice like a giant, glowing popsicle.
I can only presume area residents build this fortress to appease some sort of tyrannical Ice King, a frosty despot who terrorizes Eagle River and the rest of the Northwoods. However, volunteer Jack Thomas, according to an excerpt from 'History of an Ice Castle,' offered an alternative explanation for the structure's beginnings.
'There probably weren't a lot of things to do back then,' Thomas reasoned.
No holiday celebration is complete without taking the:
Polar Bear Plunge at Rusty's Backwater Saloon ' Stevens Point, Wis.
Scott 'Rusty' Fischer's rural pub is the site for the New Year's Day dive, where hundreds descend half-naked into a rectangular cut in the ice. Some sponsored jumpers raise funds for charity groups, including United Cerebral Palsy and Wisconsin Special Olympics. While my friend Aaron Huser once leapt for a cause, he felt most 'ushered in the New Year' at Rusty's in order to alleviate their hangovers.
'When I first got there, it was an ocean of Bloody Marys; some people took off all their clothes, down to their unmentionables,' Huser claimed, acknowledging that many unfamiliar with the tradition 'most likely think we're crazy.'
In all honesty, I'm still worried this entertainment can't fill the void left by an unfulfilled championship. Maybe Titletown will never return to its former glory. Maybe Favre will'gasp'retire.
Well, at least the Vikings are still terrible.
