Tag Archives: Corn

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!

Boiling corn meditation

Backpacking, Hiking, Travel,

Beinghere

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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Cross Plains to Lodi

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

Guess what! Someone from Russia is reading this blog! Greetings and welcome, whoever you are!

7/25 – we set out from our B and B after a hearty breakfast for a full day’s walk and a night on the ground. We walked several hours of trail, followed by lots of country road with no traffic. We knew there were no official places to get water today, so we filled our canteens to the brim in the morning, and figured we could filter some water from Indian Lake, which looked lovely…image …until we saw the sign:image

Yikes! Between blistering wildflowers and toxic algae, we’d better be careful! We ended up asking for water from a house along the road, and a Nice Person obliged, so all is well.

Our path took us through more fields of ripening corn. Look at this pic, where the crop on the right has bloomed with tassels, while the rows on the left are a few weeks behind. Corn sells here at the Piggly Wiggly for ten ears for a dollar. What is the midsummer price where you are?

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Another benefit from today’s walk were loads of ripe blackberries in the woods, free for the sweet picking. We had our fill!

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Happy to report that the Lodi Marsh section was mosquito-free, even at dusk. Jim found us a pretty level camping spot not far from the trail. We noted the sign that said the area was a combined hiking and hunting area, but didn’t register alarm until we heard gunshots in the field near our tent. Yikes! We then noticed that others hiking through were all wearing bright orange vests. Luckily, I was wearing my orange shirt, so we were as protected as we could be…

In the morning, we continued up into the hills for some beautiful views:

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20140727-113625-41785551.jpg then back down, crossing into Columbia County.

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The town of Lodi was quiet and friendly, with several parks and a stream running beside the Main Street.

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Lodi’s sign says it is home to Susie the Duck – since 1948, a family of ducks has nested in the park right off Main Street every year, so the town sells cracked corn to encourage them to stay, and holds an annual Rubber Duck race in honor of the original Susie. What a nice story!

Now it’s time for Jim to plan the next leg of our journey, to another fun place to pronounce: Baraboo, and Devil’s Lake!