FOUNTAIN LAKE & FLIGHT

     Peering into Fountain lake from shore, I catch a wave of giddiness. Beautifully clear water! Had to fight against getting over anxious as I hurried to gear up so I could slip below the surface.
 
    We're in Portage County, continuing our quest to find Wisconsin's clearest lakes -to spearfish a dinner & explore.
  Checked out Bear lake & Spring lake -water too murky.  Locals at Bear lake sent us down the road abit to Fountain lake.

   There were a few fishermen around the only spot to access the lake. An audience makes my movements feel even more awkward. Wetsuit, weight belt, mask & snorkel handicap movements enough, add the fins & my clumsiness can look ridiculous. But below the surface that all changes. A couple of easy kicks with my water wings (fins) & I'm soaring effortlessly, neither sinking or rising -"neutrally buoyant",  weightless...flying.
   I found this flight sensation enhanced at Fountain lake because of the unusual amount of seaweed capped ridges & valleys that emphasized weightless soaring over a precipice followed by gliding down into a valley. 

   Part of the appeal of swimming below the surface in any clear water is that it taps into the longing we humans have to experience weightlessness...to fly!
 
   "From birth man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free." Jacques Crousteau

You need a few things to best experience underwater "flight":

•  VERY CLEAR WATER.  Need to be able to see at least 10ft. The clearest inland lakes in Wisconsin have up to 35 ft of clear water visibility. I've heard of spots in Lake Michigan that can have 100+ ft of clear water! -rivals many tropical waters.
•  GET BELOW THE SURFACE. Meaning the snorkeler has to breathhold or "freedive" down a bit. Real flight experience occurs when you're not limited to the surface view & can maneuver with the underwater landscape.
• CONSIDER A WETSUIT.  Opens up a level of comfort that is supremely important for getting into the flight zone. Hard to enjoy the experience when you're freezing & can't wait to get out of the water. Also, some of the clearest water is in May, June & early July, when the water is too chilly for just a swimsuit. 

• CHOOSE TO BREATH-HOLD & snorkel over SCUBA. You need the extra freedom of movement & the greater bodily involvement in your environment that is part of the limitations of no tank diving. (I cover this in greater depth in my SCUBA vs Freediving blog): wisconsinclearlakes.scuba-vs-freediving
• IMAGINATION.  Have a relaxed, exploring state of mind. This is helped by the somewhat altered state that the underwater world automatically induces. Let your mind soar across species lines -"Be the Bird."

  FOUNTAIN LAKE is a small 16 acre lake (as a visual reference, picture one acre as about the size of a football field, lake Waubesa is 2000 acres, Lake Geneva is  5,400 acres). These smaller lakes that don't have high speed boat traffic are the best for diving.
    If my bearings were true, most of the seaweed capped peaks that I spoke of were on the southwest & west side of Fountain lake.

   Because my mode of lake adventuring hinges on clear water, I've learned the value of having nearby backup lakes when the hoped for clear water of a particular lake lets me down -another strong point for the Fountain lake area; it has several clear lakes within 15 miles of each other. Other favorites in this area are Bear, Emily, Sunset lake, all in Portage County & aqua colored beauty -Marl lake, near Hartman Creek State Park in waupaca county.

    Motels can be found within 30 min of all these lakes in the town of Plover to the west & Waupaca to the east. Camping at Hartman Creek State Park would be a great option -we've never camped there, just toured it. Beautiful state park!

    FOR THE FISHERMEN: I saw none of my usual target fish -crappie, but I did see more & bigger perch than any other lake I've been to. Also a decent amount of largemouth bass & bluegill.

  FOR THE PADDLER - This would be a fun lake to paddle. Being small, it lacks much shoreline to explore -you've circled around the lake before you know it -yet big enough & undeveloped enough to feel removed from civilization. With polarized glasses, gazing below the surface opens up another dimension of scenery.
 
GETTING TO FOUNTAIN LAKE
  Located 100 miles/1 hr 45 min north of Madison. Get right to the lake by putting Fountain lake, Belmont Wisconsin into the GPS

  This amazing video gives a good window into the underwater world of "flight"

LAKESIDE COFFEE

                           

 HOT COFFEE!
    These two words strike a perky, comfy feel for many people. Say "HOT CAMPFIRE COFFEE" & it rings even better. Say "HOT LAKESIDE CAMPFIRE COFFEE" and...to many words ruin the vibe. But that's what we're after -Hot lakeside campfire type coffee.
    I especially love a steaming hot cup of coffee after spearfishing in a cold, clear Wisconsin lake. I get out of the water tired, hungry & usually getting a bit chilled. I peel off the wetsuit & get into warm, dry clothes. If we want a great lakeside fish fry, then I've got work to do -fish to get ready (I fillet 'em, Cheryl cooks 'em). Need strength,

need...Coffee!

  
   COFFEE is all about busting up the magic coffee bean to release its stimulating properties, then getting those properties past the palate in a tasty way, & into the blood stream for the perk. Here's some ways of doing that:

• Use Your Portable Grinder -your teeth. Chew a handful of beans. This is the hardest core minimalist instant coffee. I don't like the concentrated taste.  Each bean has about 6 mg of caffeine. 15 beans gives about same amount of caffeine as one brewed cup of coffee. Practical, but of course misses the full enjoyable process of brewing.
• Cowboy Coffee. Boil water. Throw in
  ground coffee -no filter- let the grounds
  
  settle to the bottom & drink. Pick out grounds stuck in teeth with toothpick, -not the wife's favorite.😝
• Instant. Scoop a spoonful into hot water. The easiest method of all & I think tastes totally fine. Lacking just abit in rich taste & the brewing process satisfaction. 
• Drone delivered latte. This is on the other end of the what I'm after & scores a 10 on the "coffee snobbery" scale. Make your phone call & set up delivery. Cool for bragging rights, but lacks the satisfaction of my own effort.

  From here on there's an endless variety of filtering methods -all getting at the same thing -making coffee bean soup minus the grounds.
   The French Press is a more unique method -using a plunger/syringe type mechanism to separate grounds from water.  It's suppose to give a richer taste & retain more of the healthy oils & antioxidant properties in coffee. (Curiosity has got the best of me; I'm gonna break off finishing this post untill I've tried the French Press....⏱ Ok, I've tried it. I do love the simplicity of it. Might use it for lakeside coffee - not sure).

  HERE'S HOW WE DO IT:
   I prefer a perculator. I like the ambience added by the action & sound of the perculation, followed by the smell of coffee wafting through the air. I usually fire up the Coleman stove. (making it not officially "campfire" coffee 🤔). Fill our little perculator with water. Add a heaping teaspoon of coffee per cup. Set it to boil. Watch the clear bubble on top 'till the perculating water is dark brown -about 10 minutes.

   We've tried many flavors & types of coffee, but for the most part I'm more suprised by the similarity than differences amongst coffees. Maybe my taste buds are not as refined as others. The only coffee that really contorts my face is coffee that is to weak or way to strong -most other coffee flavors & roasts are fine.

    If we were to pick a favorite flavored coffee it'd probably be the Gevalia brand in the Mild Chocolate Mocha flavor, Creme Brulee coffee & blueberry flavored Door county coffee.
 
  Some people add cinnamon or chocolate to the grounds for added flavor, alil salt or crushed egg shells to reduce bitterness, butter instead of cream, amongst other coffee connoisseur tips.

    We've also found cost is no predictor of what coffee we like (we prefer Great Value -about the cheapest- over most other name brands, & instant over Starbucks).
    In blind taste tests cheaper coffees scored higher than the expensive "sophisticated" brands. Remove the name status & packaging attraction -i.e. "snobbery" factor,  & your true taste preference is free to decide.

 
   Here's a link to a favorite site to check out other coffee brewing methods. https://gearjunkie.https://gearjunkie.com/coffee-brew-in-outdoors-camping