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Starkweather Beer Company

 When I moved back to Madison to attend law school in 1987, we moved to a crappy little apartment near the banks of Starkweather Creek on the unfashionable east side.  Today, the east side is booming, and one of the newer brewpubs is called Starkweather Beer Company. It was Saint Pat's Day.  While Guinness is a decent light-bodied stout, I opted for Starkweather's dry Irish Stout, named "Jamestown Jackdaw." Coming in at 5.9 ABV, it had a malty chewable backbone.  It's a new favorite stout for me.  Julia had Late Winter Haze, a New England IPA that didn't have as much fruitiness as she likes in a hazy.  It was still well-executed. We walked down the street to the Harmony Bar, where Julia enjoyed a complete corn beef and cabbage dinner.  I opted for the Reuben sandwich.  Mine was washed down with an Edmund Fitzgerald porter from Great Lakes Brewing.  Julia enjoyed her Chaos Pattern IPA from 3 Sheeps Brewing.  Both are great beers. Justin update:   After a long h

A Few Days at Blue Mounds

Julia and I hitched up the Scamp on Wednesday, got our motors runnin' and headed out on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever came our way.  

Well, maybe not.  Wisconsin state parks require advanced reservations for camping this year.  We made prior arrangements at Blue Mounds State Park to spend a couple of days mid-week, before the crowds arrived for the July 4th weekend.  Blue Mounds is about an hour from our house.


Hazy Jane IPA
Things have been a little tense with the four adults (more or less) in our house, staring at each other for the last few months.  The real grown-ups had to get away to preserve sanity.  Allie and Justin were left to fend for themselves and defend the castle.  They did remarkably well, despite some challenges, and we appreciated the chance to get away for some safe down-time with nature and each other.

Campground check-in was touch-less.  The office was closed.  A sign directs campers to go directly to their campsite.  You can print a copy of your confirmation to put up on the site or show your phone if asked.  No one asked us for anything.  Aside from waving hi and thanks to the workers cleaning the bathrooms several times per day and spraying down the water spigots, there is no interaction with park personnel.  We brought our own water and bathroom, so things were touch-less there too.

The pool is closed.  The towers are closed.  The playground was closed.  Trails are open.  We hiked the park's trails and also strolled the Military Ridge Bike/Hike Trail which passes next to the state park. 



After a daily five mile hike early in the morning to beat the heat, we spent the afternoons and evenings at the campsite:  reading, cooking, drinking, and staring into the fire.  We tried to remember the last time we enjoyed a dinner inside a restaurant.  But mostly, we tried to stay in the moment and enjoy this respite from the current days. 



Reading a book by the fire


When we first arrived on Wednesday, the campground was about one-third full.  When we left this morning, things were just about filled up.  Camping mid-week seems like a good way to avoid the crowds.  Julia has changed her work schedule to allow more of these outings. 

Comments

Bill said…
One of those times when less is more... nice.

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