Category Archives: Travel

What We Like About Wisconsin

Hiking, Ice Age Trail, Travel, , , ,

As we say farewell to Wisconsin, here are some of the things we liked, in no particular order:

    Nice People
    Lots of lakes
    Miles of tranquil trails
    Sharp cheddar cheese
    Folks who give us rides
    Cows
    Farmers who let their cows graze outdoors
    Fields of corn
    Culvers frozen custard
    Welcoming church folk
    Wall Dog murals
    Folks who give us water
    The Circus World Museum
    Brats with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes
    Trail Angels
    Walking along Lake Michigan
    Curious Townfolk
    Cool summer weather
    98% DEET
    Volunteers who maintain the trails
    Litter-free roadways
    Devil’s Lake Park

    Thanks Wisconsin! We had a great time!

Back in Portage

Hiking, Travel, ,

8/12 – just a quick note to let you know that it was 56 degrees here this morning, with a wind-chill factor! We left the hotel for our morning walk, turned around and went back for our long pants and fleece jackets. Brrr!

Even so, it was a lovely day for exploring the Leeve Trail. The clouds were phenomenal!image

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8/13 – saw the news of flash floods on Long Island, New Jersey and along the coast. Hope everyone is safe and dry…

Boiling corn meditation

Backpacking, Hiking, Travel,

beinghere2014's avatarBeinghere

We have arrived in Westfield, WI, the end of our Ice Age Trail hike. After walking by so many corn fields, we celebrate by eating some. Next, we will return by bus to Portage, and then take a train to St. Paul, MN, and will fly to Lisbon, Portugal and then start walking toward the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

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A Day in Westfield

Hiking, Ice Age Trail, Travel,

8/9 – so now we have gone as far north as we can go on the Ice Age Trail, approximately 500 miles. The Trail goes on for another 500 miles, of course, but Westfield is the last place that we can catch a bus back to Portage, to catch a train to Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport, where we can then fly to Frankfurt and on to Lisbon, Portugal for the next leg of our adventure. So here we stop.

When we purchased our plane tickets a month ago, we really didn’t know how far we’d get, or what we could expect for ground transportation. We now have a week before we fly, and we will spend it reprovisioning, shipping our mosquito suits and tent back home, buying a new phone from T-Mobile with a better deal for overseas use, and swimming in the pool at our hotel.

So what did we do on our last hiking day? We walked around town, of course! They are not kidding about the Pioneer theme here:image

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Of course we found a lovely trail through town:image

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Jim and I talked about our summer in Wisconsin. I regretted that we didn’t get far enough north to see any beavers. Luckily, there was a sign in town that solved that issue:image
We also realized that we’d gone all summer without eating corn on the cob, although we saw plenty of corn growing around us. That was easily remedied too, as Jim boiled several ears in our coffee pot, and we sat out on a picnic table devouring them with salt and butter purloined from the continental breakfast at the hotel. Jim may post an exciting video on this subject.

So, regrets have we none. Time to catch a bus!

Portage to Oxford to Westfield

Backpacking, Hiking, Ice Age Trail, Travel, , , ,

8/7 – we left Portage to hike to our next stop north. Our plan was to do a full day’s road walk, spend one night on the ground, and then continue our road walk on to Westfield. At this point of the Ice Age Trail, there is no ‘trail’, only road walk.

It was another beautiful, sunny day. We distracted ourselves by playing Cloud Animals as we walked – what does this one look like to you?image

By late afternoon, we were starting to look for a stealth camping place, when a friendly couple working out in their yard called us over to chat. We explained about the Ice Age Trail, and how we were planning on sleeping on the ground that night, as we were too far from Westfield. They asked why didn’t we stay at the motel in Oxford just down the road? Our map didn’t show a motel anywhere close by, but Jean looked up the number for us and gave us directions. Thanks again, Nice People of Wisconsin!image

I know Jim was looking forward to putting up our little tent one more time, but I was very happy to rest on comfy pillows after a hot shower. Our days in Wisconsin are drawing to a close, and Westfield will be our last stop.

Next morning we walked into Westfield, a tiny town with a Pioneer motif.image

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Here’s a sign you don’t see on Main Street every day – I just know this will be a classy place!image

A Day in Baraboo

Travel, ,

7/31 – Baraboo is the hometown of the Ringling Brothers, and was the winter home for the circus for many years. Now it is the home of the Circus World Museum, which is a great way to spend a day in Baraboo. From classic posters:image

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to ornate parade wagons:image

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to silly photo ops:image

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…it’s still the Greatest Show on Earth!image

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Did you know? The U.S. Army studied the circus to learn how to transport men and gear efficiently prior to World War I. True!

Okee to Devil’s Lake to Baraboo

Backpacking, Hiking, Ice Age Trail, Travel, , , ,

7/28 – we got an early start this morning, knowing we would have to walk three miles back to the Merrimac Ferry. We don’t usually have much luck getting rides early in the morning when folks are on their way to work. As we left the motel, Jim stuck out a thumb, and the first car that came by pulled over! It was a Native American nurse on her way to work at the Ho-Chunk Nation community center, where she runs a health clinic and cares for the elders. We learned so much about this tribe and her love of her job and her people on the short ride to the ferry. A beautiful soul!

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We walked in to Devil’s Lake State Park on the Ice Age Trail, through a wild-flower filled meadow, with the hills looming before us. In an hour, we were in the woods, taking switchbacks that kept going UP.

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This is the highest elevation we will see on our Wisconsin trip. As we looked down over the rocks, I was filled with peace, which was quickly shattered when Jim showed me that the trail down to the lake was a quarter mile of rugged rock steps (with no bannister!) that we would have to scrabble down. Although I don’t like climbing UP, I am terrified of falling DOWN. With a 25 pound pack on my back to upset my center of gravity, this was a horrible hour for me. I was too scared to stop and take a picture, so you’ll have to imagine it, but, needless to say, I lived to tell the tale! Here’s the bottom, which doesn’t look scary at all:image

So now we are at the lake, looking at kids swimming and boarding and boating in really cold water. We ate our picnic lunch, and watched a group of priests, all dressed alike, play frisbee.image

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Now we have to climb the hills on the other side of the lake to get to Baraboo. This is a steeper climb than this morning, and every ten feet or so, there’re is a number painted on the trail. We have a long time to climb and ponder what these number might mean, until we reach the summit and all is revealed: here is an emergency call box that can be used to summon help if someone has a heart attack or falls off the cliff, and the numbers are locators for the EMTs. There’s even a stretcher:image
Don’t fall off the cliff, Jim!
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We descended without further incident, and started our walk into Baraboo. I know you will not be surprised to learn that Derek was happy to stop and give us a ride to our motel. Nice People Rule!image