Not really SAD, but

A lot of people are affected with Seasonal Affective Disorder in Wisconsin.  We have many, many days without sun during the winter months.  This year, we've had a string of days with heavy fog and unseasonably warm temperatures in the 30's and 40's.   Personally, I can't claim that I've ever really felt the effects of SAD, but this year, knowing that we are likely moving west later next year, I've been very impatient and annoyed with Wisconsin weather.  

Sun trying to fight through the clouds

It hasn't helped that my daily routine involves looking at the weather in Fort Collins and Tucson.  Their weather has been spectacularly sunny and more pleasant this time of year.  

So, I haven't been blogging much because not much is going on. I've substituted indoor pickleball for hiking. The trails have been muddy and not much fun. For Christmas, we had my mother, Julia's brother and Allie here.  I went and retrieved my mother from Cedar Rapids and brought her here.  My brother was nice enough to take her back.  

Brother, mother, and me

Julia would like to take a trip somewhere warm in February or March, but it's too early to say whether that will work out.  We are busy getting the house ready for sale in the spring.  In fact, we had our first showing to a friend of a friend who  heard we will be listing it in the spring.  Things will work out one way or another.  

One thing we have decided upon is not to buy anything out west until the money is in the bank from our house sale.  At that point, we plan to put our remaining household belongings in storage and head west with the Scamp to Fort Collins.  I took the opportunity to give some family stuff to my mother and brother in anticipation of our downsizing.

Callie soaking up the heat

From a personal standpoint, Julia and I will be glad to put 2024 behind us.  It was a very tough year with the loss of Justin, our son.  It definitely took its toll.  My body and mind are slowly recovering, and I am sleeping much better after some very poor sleep for many months. 

The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons.

1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and

2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel.

But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together.

On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.  

We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music. 

 Remembering Hurricane Katrina

On the third day, we walked to the port, managed some crowds and long lines, and boarded our ship, The Getaway.  Because this was my mother's first cruise, we booked separate balcony rooms. We learned that Norwegian gave my mother a free upgrade to an expanded balcony room. That allowed us all to sit on her balcony together with table and three chairs.  I don't know if Julia and I would ever cruise again, but if we do, we will get a balcony room.  It's a lovely way to escape the crowds and enjoy sunrises/sunsets.   On our only other cruise, we had an interior room with no windows.  

The ship left around 4 p.m., and we watched the sun go down, as we made our way down the Mississippi River and eventually out into the Gulf of Mexico.  

On the fourth day, we had rough seas.  The captain told us that we were going to be outrunning a hurricane, so we went pretty fast through the big waves.  The plan was evidently good, as the hurricane passed to our east without incident.  No one in our group got seasick.

On the next four days, we visited ports that were fairly close to each other.  The limited travel occurred at slower speeds and overnight.  The ports included (in order) Costa Maya (a small town on Mexico's Yucatan), Harvest Caye (a small Belizean island), Roatan (a Honduran island), and Cozumel (a Mexican island). I don't recommend cruising to get to know places.  Almost all of the business near the port are owned by the cruise lines.  Prices are inflated.  Food tends to be bland.

My two favorite ports were Roatan and Cozumel.  On Roatan, Julia took my mother on a wildlife tour and gave me the freedom to explore. 

 

I ended up in a bar where the cab drivers go, drank a few bottles of cheap, local beer, and met a bunch of interesting locals.  On Cozumel, Julia and I walked past the port area and had some great blue corn tacos with mole, a sauce made from scratch with many spices and chocolate.  Later we found a bar overlooking the gulf with cold beer and a very pleasant breeze.

There was one more sea day on the way home.  The weather was not great with gray skies and drizzle.  We arrived at the New Orleans port early the next morning and checked into the Embassy Suites for another day in New Orleans.  Mom was tired again, but joined us for a Cajun dinner and live music.  The Cajun food was too spicy for her Iowa taste buds, so she ordered onion rings to stave off her hunger.

The flight home was supposed to be simple and non-stop.  Spirit Airlines cancelled our non-stop flight and turned a three hour flight into eight hours of travel through Florida.  We made it to Chicago without further incident, picked up the car, drove Mom to Iowa, and drove back to Wisconsin, arriving at about 2 a.m.  

After all of that travel, it felt good to slip into a routine at home again.

The Cruise

The election didn't go the way that I was hoping but did go the way that I expected.  Our fragile democracy continues on--only because the big bully got his way and won.  The changes that are coming will hurt many of the people who voted for the president-elect, but it will take time for that recognition to kick in.  Laughter is my medicine; watching the Daily Show's commentary on YouTube has helped me to keep moving on.  

The cruise was a great success.  My mother loved every part of it, and we enjoyed being able to share that time with her.  

Sunrise

Mom and the monkeys

Piranha pedicure in Costa Maya

Cozumel port

Roatan,Honduras wildlife refuge

Bicycle Shuttle, Cozumel port

Harvest Caye

We are back to a Wisconsin gray November.  We've already completed some projects to get the house ready to sell in the spring.  We also have started sorting through what we will be taking to Colorado after we move.  We won't do any serious home searching until after our current one is sold. 

See you After the Election

My mother, who is 85, has never been on a cruise.  Dad wasn't really into that kind of vacation.  We've been on just one cruise, and it was okay.  We took the kids.  My favorite part was walking circles on the outer deck.  Fresh air and water for as far as you could see.  My least favorite part was the ports.  There just isn't enough time spent ashore to get a sense of place.

So when she asked us to go on a week cruise over election day, we said sure.  She didn't care where--just so long as it wasn't here.  We didn't sign up for the Internet package, so it'll be a good chance for us all to unplug for a week that promises to be otherwise stressful.  Hope things work out while we're gone.

Autumn at Parfrey's Glen

 

Wisconsin gets limited days of glorious weather days, but we had one this past week during which we took full advantage.  First, there was a ferry ride across the Wisconsin River to get to our destination.

Even though it was a weekday, the local kids had no school on Friday, so the small parking lot was full of families who had the same idea.  Fortunately, one car was leaving and left us a spot. We were quickly on the trail.

While we still have peak color at home, many of the leaves have already fallen at Parfrey’s Glen, which has its one special microclimate, where supporting plants and animals are usually found only in northern Wisconsin.

The trail follows a small stream. Storms have wiped out much of the original boardwalk, so the last half if the trail requires a bit of rock hopping through the stream. 

Eventually, the sandstone cliffs close into a narrow ravine.

At the end, there’s a small waterfall and pool.

After returning to the truck, we continued our date night with pizza and beer at Tumbled Rocks Brewery in Baraboo. While the beer and food were good, the pour was a short one and in a 12 ounce glass. Shrinkification does not encourage repeat business!

 

Finally, we followed the former president's recommendation for early voting.  Unfortunately, for him, he did not benefit from our early vote. There's a wolf at America's door of democracy.

 

It encourages me that some Republicans are taking notice, but will it be enough?

 

Back Home. Where will our next home be?

With our mission complete to check out the top four choices for relocating next year, we drove home from Santa Fe without wasting any time, leaving early Sunday morning and pulling into our driveway on Monday evening.

Home, sweet home

I've mowed the lawn, picked up the junk mail, and roasted coffee for the week.  Did we reach any conclusions after five weeks of boots-on-the-ground research?  Kinda, sorta.  I confirmed for myself that I'm ready to move from Wisconsin after living here for the last 30-plus years.  Honestly, I could live in any of the four cities that we visited, but Julia and I are in agreement on the top two.

Not making the final list are Grand Junction and Santa Fe. We couldn't find as much bang for the buck as we expected in Grand Junction as it relates to housing.  Also, Julia felt that it was too isolated from a major airport and too small in general.  Santa Fe was just too expensive for us, although we loved many things about it as a destination.  As they say, it's a great place to visit, but we wouldn't want to live there.  We will be back.

In the final analysis of pros and cons, Fort Collins comes out on top, but Tucson hasn't been completely eliminated.  Fort Collins has a great beer scene, outdoor-loving people, dog friendly spaces, good housing market for us to downsize, mountains and trails, some folks we already know, decent pickleball opportunities, lots of sunshine, mild winters, and a major airport within an hour.  

We really liked Tucson also, and we can afford a lot more house in Tucson for the same money.  But the heat factor just can't be eliminated. I think I could get used to the summers and that they would be preferable at this point in my life to any winter.  But Julia doesn't feel that way, and it's going to have to be a mutual decision.  I know that I can be happy in Fort Collins, and if Julia is willing to downsize, it will work out just fine.  At this point, I think she is mulling over the downsizing part, so our decision isn't yet set in stone.  

In the short term, we have a couple of quick trips planned next month.  We are joining up with my mother for her first cruise.  Later, we will  drive to Kentucky for Thanksgiving with Julia's brother Scott for a big family Thanksgiving at Julia's sister's place in Lexington. 

In the meantime, I rescued this summer's refrigerated sourdough culture and will start baking bread again in the morning.  Today, we had our first wood stove fire of the year.

Living Large

 In full vacation mode, we have been doing the tourist thing for the last few days. We experienced the art scene in true brewedjourney fashion. While Julia bought a ticket to see the Georgia O’Keefe museum, I found an “art bar,” a place around the corner where people painted pottery while sipping brews from Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery.

My old Milwaukee Brewers hat was looking pretty ratty, so I bought a new one promoting Tumbleroot—about the same cost as Julia’s museum ticket. I had been to that museum during an earlier trip to Santa Fe.

That night we dined at Tomasito’s, a Santa Fe Restaurant specializing in New Mexican cuisine. I had the Wednesday night special, which was a chile relleno inside a flour tortilla also stuffed with refried beans, chorizo and slathered with red chile sauce.

Julia had the blue corn enchiladas with green chile, refried beans and Spanish rice.

At 4:45 a.m. on Thursday, we were on the road to Albuquerque to see the balloon festival. We weren’t interested in battling the traffic or crowds at the festival grounds so we opted for another viewing point and arrived just as the “dawn patrol” took flight.

At 7 am , the sun was starting to rise and Steel Bender Brewyard was open for business.

Just one

On the way home, we drove along the Turquoise Highway and checked out Madrid. 

We arrived back in Santa Fe in time to check out the Tai Modern museum. Julia loved the bamboo and rattan pieces. I got caught up in a couple of interesting pieces by Tony Fitzpatrick, who used the written word in his pieces.

This morning we took Callie on a walk up Canyon Road, It was too early for galleries to be open, but we enjoyed some sculpture gardens and historic buildings along the way.

 

Later, we played pickleball at Fort Marcy. The regulars were very friendly and accommodating, so we played and socialized for several hours. All of this excitement has me worn out. But as you might imagine, Julia has other plans for me with another restaurant tonight.

Santa Fe

 

Santa Fe pickleball courts. Fort Marcy

Usually, we spend several days checking real estate listings and open houses. After one day of that here, there is good news. We are done with that job. We absolutely can’t afford to live here, so we are entering full vacation mode. 

It’s time for a hike. This morning, we did a steep but short four mile hike up Picacho Peak.

steep but well-marked.

A good day with spectacular weather and views.

Tucson

This trip was originally scheduled for last February and was cancelled when Justin was admitted to the hospital. I’m sure that Tucson would have been lovely that time of year. Now, normally, in the good old days, Tucson would be starting to cool off by October but not this year. Record after record is being broken with high temps over the last few days topping out at 105-107 F.  The scary thing is that locals are bracing themselves for spiraling higher temperatures in the years ahead. 

Other than the heat, I have only one other serious complaint: the local brewery scene. After spending 2-3 weeks in Colorado, it isn’t as good in Tucson. I’ve done my due diligence on the internet to find the thriving brewing scene and have come up short.  I’ve had some good beers from Barrio  Brewing Company and Pueblo Brewing Company but nothing great.  And I’ve had some mediocre-tasting beer elsewhere.

The weird thing is that some of the breweries have only one or two of their own beers and then rely upon a bunch of other guest beers. I don’t believe in complaining, as there are other tasty cold beverages . We have enjoyed great margaritas and excellent Mexican food over the past several days.

The weekend was again spent touring neighborhoods and open houses. Unlike Grand Junction, we both like the housing market here and can afford a nice place with mountain views here— if Tucson becomes the winner among the cities we are looking at. There is also good hiking/walking here, along with ample pickleball opportunities. 

The big question is can we handle the heat?  The answer is we have some honest doubts. In the early morning we take Callie on a three mile walk in an abandoned Oro Valley golf course turned into a nature preserve. It’s generally in the high 70’s when we walk and pleasant enough. The rest of the day until the sun starts to set is just incredibly hot. It’s not bad while sitting in the shade but pretty miserable under full sun.

Yesterday, we beat the heat by driving to the top of Mount Lemmon. We hiked the available short trails at the summit and followed a forest road to the lookout tower and then part of the way down the mountain.

Later, we drove down further and hiked the Mint Springs Trail, but that became overgrown at lower elevations. As a northern woodsman, I’m not comfortable being unable to see my feet in what appeared to be “snakey” country so we cut that hike short. The temps were very comfortable above 9000 feet with temps around 60 starting out and finishing in the low 80’s at Summerhaven.

But it’s a long drive to the top of Mount Lemmon—about 90 minutes from our Airbnb. So we obviously can’t seek natural air conditioning every day.

Today, we drove out to Saguaro National Park-West and did a couple of shorter hikes. It got pretty warm even before ten a.m. 

Before we headed home, we drove south to Green Valley, a smaller town on our radar. I liked the vibe there. It wasn’t Julia’s favorite; she felt it was too isolated from Tucson. The search goes on.  We are here until Sunday morning. No break from the heat is expected until after we leave.

Addendum: On our sunset walk tonight through the abandoned golf course, Callie caused a bobcat to leave its bush two feet off the trail and retreat a short distance away. It wasn’t very afraid. As soon as we moved on, it returned to its bush. 

 

Crag’s Crest Trail

While staying in Grand Junction, we took the opportunity to drive up to the Grand Mesa National Forest and hike a national recreation trail, Crag’s Crest. We left our airbnb at 7 a.m., taking Interstate 70 east and then climbed steeply up CO-65 North for 33 miles. On the way, we stopped to let three big horn sheep cross the road directly in front of us.

We started hiking at about 8:15 am. There was only one other car in the parking lot. The temperature was 33 degrees F., and there was a heavy overnight frost. Fall colors were just about peak.

Our first wildlife sighting was a grouse just off the trail.

The trail immediately started uphill. The views were amazing.

After about three miles, we found ourselves on a narrow exposed ridge. This was the most spectacular part of the hike. 

At one point, the trail thinned to one small rock to step on to get to the next part of the trail. Steep drop offs fell to either side. If I was a better blogger, I would have taken a photo here, but I was honestly so glad to get past that sketchy path forward that I was holding my breath and didn’t look back.

After a couple of miles of exposed ridge, the trail dropped below to some beautiful lakes.

The last five miles was a bit of a slog with a mixture of dry meadow and rocky trail through the trees. Callie found some excitement in nearby deer.

This was a loop hike and just over 11 miles with an elevation gain of 1548 feet. We topped out at a little over 11,000 feet.  Completion called for a well deserved cold beverage at Trail Life brewery in downtown Grand Junction.