Saying Goodbye to Wisconsin and Friends

We've called Wisconsin home for over fifty years.  With the house inspections in our rear view mirror, it's full steam ahead for our move to Arizona in the latter part of July.

This past weekend, we went to a music festival in Milwaukee called Summerfest.  The primary purpose was to say goodbye to our friends Dave and Ruth, who live in a northern suburb. There wasn't any particular band that we wanted to see.  It was just an excuse to get together.   

 

Milwaukee skyline

The Romantics

Friends since sixth grade

Close friends

Dave lived a few doors down from me in the sixth grade. We've never been best friends, but he's the only guy from high school with whom I've stayed in contact.  When we took an organized bike ride together across the state of Wisconsin during the late 80's, he met his wife Ruth.  I stood up in their wedding, and Julia and Ruth both became very good friends. 

Dave and Ruth have both lived in the Milwaukee area for their entire lives and have no plans to ever move away.  I hope they will come visit us in Tucson, but I just don't know. Hasta luego, Dave and Ruth.  

Just before our Tucson trip, we booked a different campground close to the Wisconsin Dells area.  Things are much better maintained here, but it's pretty far from services and still gets really busy on the weekend. That gets us through to July 12th.  After that, we will spend ten days moving between a couple of county campgrounds that still had openings.  The U-Haul truck is reserved.  Adventures ahead!

 

Lake Life

Mike and I have known each other since we were 18-year-old freshmen at UW-Madison.  At Spring Break, we drove my old VW Bug to Daytona with the plan to trade transportation for space on someone's hotel room carpet.  It worked for the most part, except for a night or two on the beach, which I learned wasn't as comfortable as I imagined.  

Mike's favorite story from that trip is when the car keys fell out of my pocket during one of those overnights on the sand.  We didn't really have a Plan B so we started kicking up sand from around where I slept.  Somehow, I managed to kick up the car keys to our mutual surprise.  Luck sometimes comes to the young and foolish.

I lost touch with many of my college friends over the years.  Mike and I reconnected through a Lodi friend who was someone that Mike worked and socialized with.  Mike and his wife Kathy lived in Madison, but sold that house and built a retirement log cabin on a northern Wisconsin lake where the winter is long, and summer is brief.

 

We had a great time, hanging out and telling stories of the old days.  Mike took us out on his pontoon boat where we slowly cruised for several hours.

Mike, me, and Brad

 

Fran, Kathy, and Julia

 

That night, Mike grilled up a big slab of flank steak and later made (from scratch) strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.

 

With Brad, Fran, Mike, Kathy, and Mike's son Robb staying in the cabin, we elected to bring the Scamp along.  We found an RV park about a mile from Mike's place.   We had some concerns about what it might be like.  There were no pictures or reviews on the internet, and the campground manager said that she had plenty of space on what would normally be a busy summer weekend with great weather. 

When we pulled up, we saw a trailer park on one side and tiny crowded cabins on the other side.  Our hearts sank, "Oh, no."  But a hand-painted sign directed us to the campground at the rear of the property on a deeply rutted gravel driveway.  Much to our surprise, it was kinda nice.  It took awhile to get level, but there was lots of space, and only a few seasonal campers, the nearest of which was more than a baseball throw away.  And it was quiet.

From the Scamp's back window

Reconnecting

During the last couple of weeks, Julia and I reconnected with college friends who we haven't seen in many years.  

We missed the wedding of Brad and Fran's daughter when Julia and I were sick with covid.  To make up for it, we decided to go for a hike at New Glarus Woods State Park.

Brad is more of a golfer than a hiker.  I'm not sure we convinced him that hiking was very similar to golf, except no waiting, crowds, clubs, or balls.  After hiking on a hot and buggy day, we found something that we all could enjoy at Bailey's Run Vineyard. 

Later, we played games at Brad and Fran's house in Verona.  It was there that their big dog, Harper, apparently decided that she did not like Callie's fragrance on my leg, so she bit me in the thigh--without breaking the skin.  Brad's theory was that Harper didn't like men in hats.  Okay, hats off for me.

It was the weirdest thing.  I haven't been bit by a dog in fifty years.  Julia calls me the Dog Whisperer.  Harper didn't stay mad long, coming over under the dining room table and laying her head at my feet.  Maybe it was the hat.

Brad and Fran were getting together the following weekend with another couple that we've known for decades and suggested that we all get together at Mike and Kathy's retirement home on a northern lake.    We've had a standing invitation to visit them, so we got the okay to tag along.  We would bring the Scamp to stay in.    That trip will be the subject of the next post. 

Back to the Fairgrounds

The North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh has been a very convenient place for Julia to arrive and depart from.  It’s only about twenty minutes from the airport and offers full hookups for $30/night.

Showers and bathroom are a bit of an issue.  Almost everyone here is self-contained.  We are too, but showering takes some effort in the Brew Hut with the small wet bath. Camp-ground showers are always appreciated, especially from Julia’s perceptive.

On my first visit, I talked to the security guard about potential showering opportunities. He told me that there were some off-site showers, but I never did find them.  On my second visit, however, I got clearer directions.  The bathroom and showers are at the H6 gate.  Drive up towards the first horse barn on the right.  There’s a bathroom on the far side of the building.  There’s a door inside the bathroom leading to three shower stalls.

I’m pretty sure these are for the horse people, but there was only one other guy taking a shower there during the entire time that I was there shaving, etc.  One caveat:  don’t do what I did and park to close to the horse barn.  When I came out, the truck was parked in by a long horse trailer.  I managed to get out with the help of some spotters.  But it took a lot of wriggling back and forth.  Julia was worried because she needed to be dropped off at the airport, and I was late.

Visit with Friends

We  combined our second stay with an opportunity to visit with one of Julia’s graduate school classmates who lives in nearby Chapel Hill.  Jane and Julia spent an afternoon sightseeing, and then the husbands joined in at dinner time at Kitchen.

A good time was had by all.  After dinner, we picked up some pie and spent time at the residence, meeting their teenage daughter and the family’s crazy but friendly dogs. Callie would not have been amused.

I stayed at the Fairgrounds two more nights in order to get some errands done.  I’m not sure how long I’ll take on the return trip, but the plan is to make a couple of multiple day stops in Virginia and Kentucky.  The rest of the way will depend on the weather, which has been hot, humid and dry.  That’s going to head the other direction at some point in October.

It’s been so hot that Callie and I get up to take our long walk before and during sunrise when the temps are the coolest.

Elk Mountain

All four of us resolved to hike together.  Dave did such a good job of picking out the Scalplock Lookout hike that we let him research the hike for the group.  He picked Elk Mountain because it was “only” about three miles up once the trail started.  Unfortunately, it was also 3000 feet of vertical climb.  We did not reach the summit, but it was a great adventure.

The trail is not well-marked, and we drove past the turn-off twice before we drove out on to a gravel access road at the base of the mountain.  Even then, we had to use my Gaia app and research some trail maps before we confirmed that we were in the right spot. The right spot is on Road 1066 directly across from Mile Marker 192 on Hwy 2.

There is no trailhead sign that we could find, but we did find an unmarked trail to the right of the gravel road (and just before all of the “no trespassing signs”), which leads to the railroad access road.  That access road crosses the tracks.  Soon after that, there is a trailhead sign for Elk Mountain.

This hike was a lesson in patience.  Everyone has different hiking styles.  Dave and I like to get up and go.  Ruth and Julia prefer to rise a bit later and enjoy a pancake breakfast. As a result, by the time, we started hiking,  the sun had already come up over the mountain.

The steep ascent grew hotter and dryer as we climbed.  The hike was challenging for all of us, but Ruth had never hiked anything quite so challenging.  Ruth is almost always in a good mood, and that changed as the hike became more and more brutal. 

We took a long siesta in a meadow to discuss whether to proceed.

Ruth was willing to continue or wait for us as we continued, but we decided as a group to head back down.  While the descent was not as heart-pounding, it wasn’t easy either.  I slipped a few times and almost ended up flat on my butt.  Turning around improved Ruth’s mood.  Soon, she was back to smiling and singing. We made it to the railroad tracks and back to the vehicle, no worse for wear.

The women decided that the hike wasn’t nearly as beautiful as some of the other trails that we hiked in the park.  On the other hand, Dave and I appreciated the challenge of the hike. We also appreciated the solitude of not seeing another hiker for four hours.  That doesn’t happen on the popular trails.

Someday, I’d like to finish that hike, but there are so many great trails in the area.  I know one thing. I want to return to this area of Montana again but with the Brew Hut (Scamp trailer).

That night, we celebrated our hike with excellent “Jersey-style” pizza at North Fork Pizza in Columbia Falls.  Then we hung out at the Farmer’s Market, which included live music.  A great day with friends!  One more day to hike, and then it’s time to go  back home.

Hungry Horse, Montana

Our trip to Montana is a Julia-inspired trip, so travel is different than a Brew Hut trip. We drove down to Chicago after making a quick stop in Whitewater for lunch with our son Justin. Then we checked into the Sheraton for a stay, park and fly package.

Our package included a $15 voucher for food and beverages, so we dined during happy hour and turned in early. Our early morning flight was delayed due to the need to find a replacement pilot for the one who didn’t show up. We ended up still landing in Kalispel in the early afternoon.

The accommodations were lovely: a log cabin just outside of Hungry Horse, Montana.

Our friends, Dave and Ruth, arrived a few hours later. I’ve known Dave since middle school. When Dave and I bicycled across Wisconsin in our late 20’s, he met Ruth. They later married, and Julia became very good friends with Ruth.

After an evening of burgers on the grill and brews on the patio, we were up early this morning to hike up part of the Columbia Mountain Trail, which is just outside Columbia Falls. The weather and hiking conditions were spectacular.

We all marveled at the incredible blue color of the Montana sky.

In the afternoon, after a quick stop at the Backslope Brewing Company, we drove to the Hungry Horse Dam, parked the car, and hiked back and forth along the top of dam.

Great hiking, friends and beers. A recipe for a wonderful trip.

Mauthe Lake Recreational Area

This weekend, Julia and I did something different:  we went camping with my adult daughter and her two friends.  Mauthe Lake is located about an hour north of Milwaukee and has 135 mostly wooded sites.  It’s part of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Northern Unit. There are electric sites at Mauthe Lake, but our campsite was without any hookups.

We arrived early Friday afternoon in time to set up the Brew Hut and hike a few miles of the Ice Age Trail.  That trail runs through most of the state forest and cuts across this property near the entrance station.  Although rain was predicted for the entire weekend, the weather held off until the end, making for fantastic hiking conditions.

Allie and friends showed up in time for a supper of bratwurst, chips, IPA’s and homemade wine.  Setting up Grandpa Gene’s tent was a learning experience for all.  Allie also learned how to use Gene’s old campstove.

By ten o’clock, the old geezer (me) was ready to turn in.  As I heard the young women and Julia talk and laugh, I was reminded of my own early adult camping experiences and the foolish but fun times we had.

Julia and I rose early Saturday morning and hiked around Mauthe Lake.  The trail was wet.  In the beginning, we balanced on logs and jumped across stones to keep our feet dry.  By about halfway, the trail was so deep with water that it was pointless, so we just sloshed through, ankle deep.  By the time we arrived back at the campsite, the girls were hungry.

I fixed bacon, eggs, and toast for five on the two burner Coleman stove.  Then we went for a  3.5 mile loop hike around Parnell Tower.  Afterwards, we celebrated with two flights at SoLu Estate Wine and Meadery.  My favorite was the ginger root mead, but we took home a bottle of Highland’s Blend, a delightful red wine, reminding me of a spicy California Zinfandel.

After an early dinner of tacos, tortilla chips and guac, Allie and Company headed back home to Milwaukee. Julia and I sat by the fire, sipping red wine until after dark.

On Sunday morning, we drove out to the Long Lake campground to check it out. Most of the sites were located in scrub and without much shade.  We hiked some more on both the Zillmer Trail and the Butler Lake loop.  By noon, it was time to hit the taco truck in Campbellsport.  By the time that we hitched up and hit the road, the long-predicted rain started to fall.  All agreed that it was a great start to a Wisconsin summer.