Win Some, Lose Some

This week, we drove up to Little Chute, Wisconsin to celebrate the birthday of Bob, who is my step father-in-law. When Bob and Berla married many years ago, a few eyebrows raised over the difference in their ages. Bob was significantly older and had a history of heart problems.  He spent freely (and generously).  He liked his evening Manhattans.  As things turned out, Bob outlived Berla (Julia’s mother) and celebrated his 90th birthday with…..a Manhattan party.  A large sign at the party described what goes into a Manhattan. (one third vermouth, one third cherry juice and one third whisky, along with bitters and a maraschino cherry as garnish.

Traditionally, during visits to Bob and Berla, Bob would always make me one of his special Manhattans, served in a large glass.  While very good, the drink was also very strong.  Bob confided to me that one wasn’t enough, two was perfect, and three was too much.  One was usually enough for me, especially the way he made them.

While my blog is not intended to glorify the consumption of alcohol, there’s definitely something remarkable about a guy who lived life fully on his own terms and made it to 90. You will notice that there is a modest-sized Manhattan in Bob’s right hand.

After all of this excitement, I decided to go camping by myself for a few days.  Too much social activity sucks away the energy from us introverts. Unfortunately, there weren’t many camping options without reservations for Saturday night.  I kept at it on Wisconsin’s new camping reservation system and found a campsite available at Mill Bluff State Park near Tomah, Wisconsin.

I’ve never been to this state park, despite passing its sign on Interstate 90/94 many times.  The available site had no hookups, which meant no air conditioning.  While I can brave actual temperatures below zero during Wisconsin’s winters, I am a wimp when it comes to hot, humid weather..  The weather forecast warned of heat index readings of about 100 for Friday night.

This park is deserving of a review, but just a short one.  The State of Wisconsin protected this lovely piece of property with a very cool bluff overlooking the surrounding countryside.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the State of Wisconsin then built a busy interstate and railroad tracks all around it.  This is a great park for people who want to get away from it all but miss the constant sounds of trucks, cars and trains.

Then it was hot.  Really hot.  And buggy.  The mosquitoes were eating me alive.  Callie, who is closer to ground level, attracted dozens of flies that were into her ears, eyes and the back of her head.  We got our hiking and climbing done, retreating to the heat of the trailer.  It was so hot that the Class B van from Nevada across from my campsite kept its engine running with the AC going from the time that I arrived until after I went to bed.

On Sunday morning, we got the heck out of the park and headed to the Driftless area of Wisconsin.  The original plan was to boondock at the Kickapoo Reserve, but the predicted storms and heat changed my mind.  We found a little town with an inexpensive campground and electrical hookups for $20/night.  I’m perched on top of a hill, watching the storms sweep across the valley.

This campsite is a winner.

Wildcat Mountain State Park

We spent three nights recently at Wildcat Mountain State Park in the driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin near the small town of Ontario.  While the glaciers barreled through much of Wisconsin leaving many rounded land forms and lakes, the driftless region features deeply carved river valleys. The Kickapoo River meanders back and forth for 126 miles, nearly meeting itself at times, before entering the Wisconsin River.

We live fairly close to Devil’s Lake State Park, which has more visitors than many national parks.  In the summer, that park is filled with crowds of tourists.  Campgrounds book up quickly, beginning 11 months in advance.  We were looking for a different experience without having to drive more than two hours, and we found that at Wildcat Mountain State Park.  The campground had about half a dozen sites with electric hookups, a bunch more rustic sites without hookups, and more walk-in tent sites.  For all campers, there were flush toilets, hot showers, picnic tables, campfire rings, and a dump station.  We had no trouble getting reservations a few weeks ahead of time, and some non-electric sites were still vacant for those showing up on Saturday night.  We rarely encountered hikers on the trails and never felt crowded.

The longest trail in the park is Old Settler’s Trail (2.5 miles).  It rises up and down steep valleys and crosses several streams.  Hemlock Trail is shorter but climbs to the top of Mount Pisgah ( a big hill).  Most of the Hemlock Trail is in a state-protected natural area and doesn’t allow dogs, although we didn’t see the small sign until after we completed the hike.  Callie said that it didn’t matter because she is part dingo and not really a dog.  The last trail that we hiked in the park was the Ice Cave Trail.  In June, it features a small waterfall.  While I kicked back with a book/nap, Julia went on to kayak for two hours down the Kickapoo.

We then drove through the back-roads of Amish farms and stores, which featured freshly- picked morel mushrooms (only in season this time of year), maple syrup, baked goods, honey, and many other items.  One farm advertised fresh trout, and it turned out that the fish were so fresh, they hadn’t been caught yet.  If you could catch one, the Amish would clean the fish for you as part of the price.

We passed on the trout, but we did scoop up morel mushrooms, maple syrup, and home-made chocolate toffee.

That night we prepared our mushrooms (sauteed with a whole stick of butter), steak, and a spinach salad, washed down with Snappy IPA brewed by the Hillsborough Brewing Company.  Then we enjoyed a campfire and daylight that continued past 9:30 p.m.

On Saturday, it rained off and on, but we found time to drive to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, which is a beautiful 8,600 acre tract of land between LaFarge and Ontario.  Because the trails were very muddy, we stayed on the paved and gravel portions of the multi-use bike, horse, and hiking trails.  We only saw two people on our hour hike.  One young man was Amish and brave enough to make a friend of Callie.

Saturday afternoon, we drove to the Hillsboro Brewing Company for nachos and tap beer.  Julia had “Treat Yo Self” (unfiltered northeastern IPA, and I had a Contented Cow (milk stout).  I loved the space, but they are moving to a bigger space with more parking.

By Saturday night, the skies had cleared, and we had another long campfire. Even at 10 p.m. the skies were not completely dark. Temp dropped into the 40’s, which made for great sleeping.  We got up early Sunday morning for breakfast and one last hike.

This is not the first time we’ve been to Wildcat Mountain, but it has been many years and far too long since the last time.  Julia liked the area and the Amish vibe so much that we had to check out the real estate listings in LaFarge.  But the good thing about the Brew Hut is that we don’t have to buy real estate or a cabin to enjoy an area.  There are many undiscovered and re-discovered gems, such as Wildcat Mountain.  Having said that, we will be back and hopefully soon.