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April Update

  It's been awhile since I've posted.  Justin's situation is hard to write about, but I know there are people who want to know what's going on with Justin, my son.  In truth, he is getting sicker and weaker.  For awhile,he made great progress, talking, eating, and getting back into his power wheelchair.   Then he started getting weaker.  His left lung became covered with secretions, and he needed surgery to scrape things out. Then a CT scan revealed more new spine fractures (total of 7).  After that, he just hasn't been able to get over the hump.  This week, Justin decided to discontinue the weaning from the ventilator.  He is on full breath support and can no longer use the voice valve to talk without dangerous oxygen drops.  Pain medication has been significantly increased to help him deal with the pain. It's a tough thing for a 23-year-old to confront one's mortality.  We will continue this journey with Justin to the end to the best of our abilities.  We
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The Ice Age Trail: Slack Road to the Merrimac Ferry




Winter has returned to Wisconsin, but conditions were pretty good for late February.  There was enough soft melting snow on the trail to keep things from getting too slippery or muddy.  This trail segment is a few miles north of Lodi on Slack Road about 1/2 mile from the intersection of Slack and Hwy V.

The footpath has several ascents and descents following switchbacks that eventually lead to wonderful views of Lake Wisconsin, which is the part of the Wisconsin River between the dam in Portage and the dam in Prairie du Sac.




The current has partially broken up the lake.  The quiet bays are still full of ice today, despite the 70 degree weather last week.



Straight across the lake in the middle of the above photo, you can see Devil’s Head ski runs coming down the Baraboo Hills.

The trail comes off the bluffs back and forth along more switchbacks until reaching Hwy 113 below.  Here, the path runs between the road and the railroad tracks until emerging at the Merrimac Ferry boarding area and parking lot



The Merrimac Ferry is free for cars, bikers, and pedestrians. It’s a popular and scenic way to get to the Devil’s Lake State Park area, which is on the other side from me.  This rendition of the Ferry is called Colsac III, and has not started the 2017 season. If the weather continues the warming trend, the ferry will begin operating soon.



This trail is in and out without any loop.  The round trip is about 3 to 4 miles (guesstimate). On the way back, I stopped at my favorite bench for one last view.



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Location: Wisconsin Wisconsin, USA

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