We had a very slow start to the winter–hardly any snow or cold
through the end of 2018. January and February have been a different
story. We’ve had more than our share of snow, cold, and freezing rain.
The snowbanks on the long, steep driveway are too high for my atv
snowblade to be effective. No matter, I can’t use the atv anyway
because there’s glare ice on the steepest part of the driveway up by the
pole shed. I had trouble getting uphill even in four-wheel drive, and I
had trouble maintaining control going downhill (where 4 wheel drive
becomes 4 wheel slide).
People in warmer climates probably wonder how we survive. In fact,
many people thrive. Recently, we had 50 mph winds to go with the icy
roads which weren’t responding to salt application because it was too
cold. Julia and I went snowshoeing across from the Lodi Marsh.
We
then celebrated our stroll in the woods with a Wisconsin tradition:
drinking beer. Sun Prairie, a growing community just outside Madison,
recently saw the opening of two new brewpubs. The first one was called
Right Bauer
and is definitely the only euchre-themed brewpub that I’ve ever been
in. On Thursdays, the owner’s dad presides over Euchre night, which is
open to players of all abilities. We got on the email list and will
definitely be back. The beer was very good. I also appreciate it when a
brewpub isn’t afraid to have guest taps from its competitors. To me,
that shows confidence. In this case, the confidence was well-earned.
Next, we walked around the corner to the other place,
Full Mile Beer Company.
This place was packed with people. We snagged two of the last seats and
sat back to enjoy wood-fired pizza and some of their beer.
Unfortunately, my pizza’s sauce was bland and a little too thick for my
taste. My Vienna pilsner placed its emphasis on crispness rather than
malt. It was well-executed; I just prefer a maltier Vienna. Julia’s
beer, which was a milkshake IPA, was very good. We’ll be back to give
them another chance and perhaps try some different things.
Today,
Callie and I went snowshoeing at Gibraltar Rock. It was a beautiful
winter day. There were a lot of branches down–probably from the recent
high winds. One large branch in particular blocked the trail and
created some acrobatic moments as I went down the steep hillside with
Callie and then back up to avoid the tangle. The views at the top were
amazing.
By
the time I finished the second long uphill in the loop, I had my coat
open, gloves off, and hat off. It’s only cold when you’re not moving.
By the way, the fox in the header photo was walking along the rock wall
in our back yard and following rabbit tracks.
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