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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

Brewed Journey Camp

 

Justin watching Callie retrieve the Frisbee

I felt like a new man after a good night's rest in the Scamp, which is parked on top of my hill. Sunny skies with highs in the upper 60's and lows in the lower 40's are probably my favorite type of weather.  

I knew that I wanted to hike somewhere different today, but I decided to stay close to home.  The nearest Ice Age Trail segment to my house is less than a mile away.  Recently, I've avoided that trail because it is heavily used during the pandemic.  Historically, there have been other reasons to avoid the trail at certain times of the year.

 

This is a public hunting property.  The bullet holes all over the sign (which is in a public parking lot right next to the public road) tell you that not all of the hunters use good judgement.  Part of the sign, obscured by a bullet hole, says that dogs can be off-leash for most of the year on this property.  

Nevertheless, I decided to take my chances this morning at about 8 a.m.  It's about a five mile in/out hike from the Lodi Cannery to the Twin Pines parking lot on Riddle Road. Callie reports that we didn't see any unleashed dogs on the entire hike.  The scenery was beautiful.


 

During the first part of the hike, I approached three young adults on a narrow part of the trail without any room to pass.  Nobody was wearing a mask.  I moved off the trail into the brush about five yards to let them pass.  Just as they passed, we were all startled by a loud "Boom."  Someone from a concealed spot nearby in the woods took a shot at something. 

The rest of the hike was uneventful. I stayed more than a few minutes letting the view below soak in.

Upper Prairie overlooking the Lodi Marsh




Comments

Bill said…
Gunshots and maskless hikers seems more like a gauntlet than a hiking trail.
John said…
At that particular moment, it did feel that way. Overall, it was a great hike. I wish that more people in Wisconsin took Covid seriously. Wisconsin hit 3000 cases/day today for the first time today. The Milwaukee newspaper noted that other states with Republican legislatures have taken safety measures. Wisconsin's Legislature, dominated by Republicans in the Assembly and Senate due to gerrymandering, has done absolutely nothing during the pandemic. They are currently taking the Governor to court to set aside the mask order. Meanwhile, today it was disclosed that Michigan militia members were training in my county in an effort to kidnap the governor of Michigan. It's downright embarrassing .

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