For the first time ever, we're renting a cabin in the woods and staying for a week up north, near Minocqua. Today, I checked out the local site, minocqua.org, to get some info on what to do in the area.

You can see from the screen capture above that the only option on the page, really, is to go back. This does not bode well.

Actually, I'm eager to try my hand at relaxing. It's not something I've ever been very good at. I love to read but even then I usually like to cram it in when I can and it feels more like a quest than a mellow pastime.

I usually return from my vacations in need of serious rest for sore feet -- from endless wandering around cities -- and sleep. A typical vacation usually involves visits to art museums, cafes, restaurants, bookstores, gothic churches and the like. So, the prospect of a week in the woods seems daunting, but I'm keeping a positive attitude, ready to discover a new life of vacation leisure.

I had hoped that the UP and Hurley were close so that I could explore the mining history and the story of the northern Italians that arrived there to work a century ago. But it turns out that on the small roads up there, trips to Iron Mountain and Hurley are longer than I thought they'd be.

Folks tell me that Minocqua's downtown is sorta like the Dells, with taffy shops and bars. So, I decided to have a look at the town's tourism site.

If they can't recommend anything but going "back," presumably to whence I came, that can't be good news.

Luckily, I'll have my family with me, so regardless of whether or not the woods and lake can amuse me and keep me happy, I know they can.

But, seriously, if you've got some good suggestions, let me know, as I want to make the most of the trip (see? I just can't stop!). In the meantime, I've ordered the visitor's guide to the area.