Cruising the Wisconsin River…

Continuing with our visit to the Stevens Point/Plover Wisconsin area… Laurie and 2 of her sisters, Karole and Bonnie plus yours truly drove up together for the family gathering and related adventures.

Note: I have no idea what caused the white lines under 2 of the photos and I couldn't figure out how to get rid of them either!

Our next family adventure took us to the home of Cousin Rex and his better half, Jill.  The home is right on the Wisconsin River.  In addition to our foursome, Cousin Carla (our trip planner), and her husband Dale were part of the entourage…

In this photo, Laurie is sharing a photo with Karole, Rex and Bonnie.  Modern technology…thousands of photos at your fingertips…if you can find the ones you want in the available mass!

This shows part of Rex’s bar in the living area.  He built it himself with help from Carla’s husband Dale.

This handsome fella is Rex and Jill’s landlord!  They are allowed to live in the house with him as long as they feed him and pay lots of attention to his needs…

We asked Rex to pose with this imposing trophy!  Rex recently retired from the stock car racing business...but he’d won many races over the years.  Several other Wisconsin family members also raced cars and sponsored them too.

This is a view along the Wisconsin River taken from the riverbank.  The river is a tributary of the Mississippi River.  Measuring 430 miles in length, its Wisconsin’s longest river.

Carla and Jill relaxing and chatting it up in the bow of the boat…

Time to pick up another passenger!  After cruising for a short time, we stopped to pick up Cousin Royce at his cabin along the river.

Cousin Carla and her husband Dale…just chilling!

This is another view along the river.  In the mid-1800s, loggers started using the Wisconsin River to raft logs downstream to sawmills.  By the 1880s, logging companies were damming the river to ensure a high enough water level to float their logs downstream.  Many dams were also constructed for flood control and hydroelectricity.  Today the Wisconsin River is impounded in 26 different locations.  The various reservoirs are very popular for boating and fishing…

This is Rusty’s Backwater Saloon.  Despite the collection of rusted vehicles and other artifacts that resemble a junkyard, this establishment is a local favorite!  It definitely qualifies as a ‘joint’.  It has been known to stay open during floods, power outages, etc. and it’s been around for many years!

Rusty’s is located at the ‘end of the road’ but it can be accessed via the river…which was how we arrived.  The dock and path up the hill from it are a bit minimal and somewhat questionable for ‘older’ adults. 

The interior of Rusty’s Saloon is a complete picture of a backwoods, end of the road, Wisconsin riverside saloon.  Loved the ceiling!

This was our group photo from Rusty’s… From the left, Royce, Laurie, Bonnie, Karole, Rex, Jill, Carla and Dale.

Rusty himself showed up at the saloon shortly after we arrived.  As might be expected, he is a revered local character…although I think that Laurie caught him off guard with her photo! 

This is one reason that Rusty’s Backwater Saloon is so well known!  The Bloody Mary’s are famous with Rusty’s making every list for the best in Wisconsin as well as some notoriety outside the state.  They have a little extra kick with a slice of banana pepper, a jalapeno and a pickle.  In this case, for an extra dollar, it came with a foot long beef stick!

Rusty’s Backwater Saloon is located at 1715 West River Drive in Stevens Point Wisconsin.  Phone: 715-341-2490.  Rusty’s is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rustys.backwater/.

Here’s Captain Rex at the helm… We were moving along the Biron Flowage on the Wisconsin River.  This wide and navigable stretch of river stretches from Dam #18 at Biron (just outside the city of Wisconsin Rapids) up river to the Upper Paper Dam, aka. #17, Whiting, just outside Stevens Point.

…Royce and yours truly just relaxing on the river!  Between Rex and Royce, they seemed to know who everyone was as they passed us in their boats.

Laurie’s sister Karole was really enjoying the ride on the river…

Then it was time for dinner… So Rex and his first mate Jill docked the boat at the chosen restaurant for the evening.  Then it was just across the street for our meal.

This is the Anchor Bay Bar and Grill.  It opened in 2007 and it welcomes diners who come by car, motorcycle, boat or snowmobile!  The outdoor dining area was popular but, wusses that we are, we opted for inside seating to avoid the Wisconsin mosquitos and black flies.

…another rustic wood bar, always a welcoming sight.  There are pool tables and other games in the back area of Anchor Bay.

Another establishment and another photo before dinner!  Laurie’s Cousin Rick had recently passed on after a heart attack.  We were very happy that his wife Marie joined us for dinner!  From the left: Laurie, Marie, Karole, Bonnie, Rex, Jill, Dale, Carla and Royce.

This was someone’s Jumbo Deep Fried Shrimp Dinner!  This platter of goodness is a daily special that is offered Tuesday – Thursday. ($17.99)

Laurie and I ordered daily specials as well.  We were happy to be at Anchor Bay on a Wednesday!  Rarely seen on menus, this was Laurie’s Fried Perch Dinner.  Yum! ($13.99)

Even better, I went for an item that I’d never seen on a restaurant menu!  This was my Fried Bluegill Dinner. ($14.99) It was excellent…but as anyone knows who’s had fried bluegill (pan fish or brim), more is better.  I could have easily consumed 2 or 3 times this many filets!

Anchor Bay Bar and Grill is located at 3460 North Biron Drive in Wisconsin Rapids.  Phone: 715-423-0010.  Website: http://anchorbaybarandgrill.com. 

That’s about it for our Wisconsin River adventure!  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave