Jim has a thing about bees…
A Day in Westfield
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:
Of course we found a lovely trail through town:
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:
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
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?
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!
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.
Here’s a sign you don’t see on Main Street every day – I just know this will be a classy place!
Train/cornfield meditation
We watched a very long, very slow train in the afternoon…
A Day in Portage
8/6 – Today we learned about Portage history. Did you know that Winnebago translates as People Of the Stinking Water? Portage once had a military presence – Fort Winnebago – that was once staffed by a young Jefferson Davis. The main work of the fort was to remove the Ho Chunk Indians from their lands and ship them further west. Unfortunately, the Ho Chunk kept coming back, so the fort was decommissioned and then it burned down. Here ends the lesson.
The only building that remains of the fort (now a gas station) is the Surgeons Quarters, so we took the short tour.
Then we walked along a very pretty trail along the Portage Canal.
The canal, though stagnant, was a lovely shade of green.
Did you know that Juliette Lowe, founder of the Girl Scouts, came from Portage? Now you know!
Baraboo to Portage
8/3 – it’s a 25 mile walk out of Baraboo, just cornfields and asphalt as far as the eye can see. No shade. This Burma-Shave style sign was the most interesting thing we saw all morning (you may have the pleasure of Googling Aldo Leopold and John Muir if you don’t know who they are!) 
By mid afternoon, we reached the Wisconsin River, and walked parallel to it for the rest of the day. There is a high levee between the river and the road, and our guidebook says that this can be a very wet walk, but not today, so the mosquitoes were mercifully absent. We found a place to stealth camp by 5pm that was out of sight, as the whole area was posted as No Camping, Public Hunting and Dog Training Area.
Got up Sunday morning and walked into Portage, the third oldest settlement in Wisconsin. Portage is French for “to carry”, and here is why. Back in the day, you could put a boat in the St. Lawrence Seaway, steer through the Great Lakes and down the Fox River. Then you would have to take the boat out and carry it for a mile and a half until you reach the Wisconsin River, which flowed into the Mississippi and eventually got you down to the Gulf of Mexico. This bottleneck made the town of Portage an important town until the railroads came through and made shipping goods by water more or less obsolete.
We were too late for mass at the Catholic church, but the Episcopal service was just winding down, and we were invited in for coffee and cake. This small parish hasn’t had a priest in so many years they can’t remember, but are happy to gather weekly for morning prayer, and hire a supply priest once a month for Communion. These nice people insisted that we take home all their leftover pastry, perhaps confusing hiking with homelessness…
We’re at a groovy hotel with a stand-up comedian at the front desk (really!). This should be fun!
Circus Elephants
Circus Dogs
Devil’s Lake, WI
Another look at Devil’s Lake, courtesy of Jim.
A Day in Baraboo
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:
to ornate parade wagons:
to silly photo ops:
…it’s still the Greatest Show on Earth!
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!
Taking Our Time 