A Fall Update

The last few weeks have been busy with matters mostly unrelated to this blog.  Julia’s mom, who was a frequent commenter to this blog, succumbed after an uncomfortable and lengthy battle with congestive heart disease and related kidney issues.  Her ashes were placed in the ground on Monday.  Berla was a generous, optimistic woman who almost always had a smile on her face and encouraged others to smile by showing her  love and support.

In early August, I purchased the 100 watt solar panel kit from Harbor Freight for the Brew Hut.  It worked okay, but I wasn’t satisfied with the build quality of the panels or the solar controller. It was also quite bulky.  After trying it out for awhile, I returned the kit and purchased the Renogy 100 watt solar suitcase kit. 

So far, so good.  It is much smaller and easier to transport.  The solar controller provides information on amps supplied to the batteries(something that the Harbor Freight controller did not do).  The panels produce   more amps in direct sun than the HF kit.   

I think it will be an excellent tool to top off the batteries for the Brew Hut when boondocking (camping without electrical hookups).

We’ve had a stretch of hot, humid weather that ended yesterday.  I celebrated with a Slack’s Hill hike on the Ice Age Trail to the Merrimac Ferry and back.  One of my favorite spots on the Ice Age Trail is a bench overlooking Lake Wisconsin and the Baraboo Hills.  This is the view:

 
This is the bench:

The header photo to this post shows my feet on the bottom part of the bench as I stretch out.  This bench was built in honor of a professor who loved the trail.

 
This segment of the trail ends at the Merrimac Ferry, the Colsac.

The Ferry crosses the Wisconsin River from the Town of West Point to the Town of Merrimac. From the deck of the Colsac, looking upstream, there is a railroad bridge.

In our family room, we have a painting of this bridge. Bernie Kvam, a sign painter for many years, became an artist in his retirement. Bernie was a coffee shop customer and continues to give me a hard time when we meet.  I try to dish it back, but he usually wins.

Little Cabin in the Woods

 

 

For the past few years, we have reserved one of the disability cabins in the Wisconsin State Park system, which allows my son Justin to enjoy the outdoors with us and to “hike” a few trails in his power wheelchair.  This summer, we spent two nights at Mirror Lake State Park, which is in the Wisconsin Dells/Baraboo region, a short drive from our home.

Justin would probably prefer to stay at home and play video games, but he has no choice in this matter.  The main characters in this adventure are Justin; his service dog, Elvis; my nephew, Zach; and my wife, Julia.

The cabins are an amazing resource and opportunity.  This one comes equipped with Hoyer lift, hospital bed, and full accessibility, including a roll-in shower. Rates are very reasonable.  There’s no television, but there’s a picnic table, bonfire pit, screened porch, and beautiful views.

We hiked all the accessible trails and a few that probably weren’t recommended for wheelchairs.  Justin is a daredevil in the power chair.  Somehow, he powered his way up a Nordic ski trail; I had to hold the back of his chair for the way down to keep it from tipping forwards and to hold it steady side-to-side.  After the bonfires, Justin still managed to find some indoor video game time.  Next year, Justin heads to college.  He has two in mind and has already been accepted by one with an offer for an academic scholarship.