Eagle River Inn

Good news.  Yes, we had a few hiccups today, but most of us are currently sitting in the lobby of the Eagle River Inn enjoy some of the local beverages.  The remainder of the group should be arriving soon.  We got upgrades on the vehicles, which will come in handy transporting gear and players.  And Mac and Co. scored some "authentic" cheese curds at the store.  Now, just to review, we did, on our last day here last year, get to sample some "cheese curds" at a local restaurant.  At the time, I questioned how authentic they were, since they seemed to just be breaded and deep fried mozarella blobs.  They weren't too bad, but I was left wondering if these were the real deal, or just some sort of commercial send-up of a classic local favorite.  Well, the curds they picked up at the store were not breaded or fried, they were not uniform in size or shape, and seemed to be closer to what I imagine a cheese curd would be.  So how do they taste?  Well, the taste is not bad, but the texture is, I think, an acquired taste.  I think it could best be described as "squeaky".  Mac likened it to eating an eraser.  Okay, disappointing, but at least I can scratch "tried cheese curds" off the list and feel good about it.

So that brings us back to our current activity:  sitting in the lobby, drinking beer, and waiting for the "Chicago Five" to arrive.  The boys did well picking up a good sampling of local brews.  I'm working on a "Fat Squirrel" by New Glarus, the same bottler that makes the famed "Spotted Cow" from the 2009 trip.  It's a smooth, very drinkable beer that has subtle undertones of coffee that finishes clean.  Okay, so much for my beer reviews.  We'll be headed to the hotel restaurant for all-you-can-eat broasted (yes, I meant to write "broasted") chicken.  That is, as soon as the the stragglers arrive.