January thaw

Last weekend we had some decent weather in the upper 20s and low 30s, so it was a good time to get out and take some scenic drives.  On Sunday, we drove to Kewaunee (pronounced KEY WAHN EE), a small town on Lake Michigan about 30 miles east of Green Bay. Kewaunee is a small fishing community of only a couple thousand, and not very touristy like some of the other lakefront towns.  I have heard several definitions for the meaning of the name Kewaunee, but one of the more interesting ones was the phrase "we are lost!" reportedly shouted by the Potawatomi when they were socked in with fog on the Lake and it was difficult to locate the shore.

We went straight to the Kewaunee Pierhead Light, which marks the outflow of the Kewaunee River into Lake Michigan.  The light was located at the end of an icy concrete pier, but we enjoyed the slow walk out and back without any wind.  We saw flocks of Canada geese and Common goldeneye (ducks), and a lot of open water (i.e., very little ice).

Kewaunee Pierhead Light, Lake Michigan

 

After the lighthouse, we visited Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery a few miles inland for a tasting.  The name Parallel 44 comes from the latitude where the winery is located, which is interestingly shared with Bordeaux, France and Tuscany, Italy.  All of the wines were great and it was quiet there since the Packers played on Sunday afternoon.  We got home in time to catch the second half of the game...it was a sad night in Packerland.

Since Monday was a holiday for Scott, we decided to head "Up North" along the western shore of Green Bay to check out the town of Marinette, WI- directly across the river from Menominee, MI (the first town in Upper Penninsula Michigan).  The UP is going to deserve a lot more of our attention once the weather clears- while winter sports are popular up there, many of the small museums and other attractions are closed for the winter.  Menominee, Michigan is about halfway up on the west shore of Green Bay, and is only about 50 miles north of the City of Green Bay.  Bonus: we were excited to see a Bald Eagle perched on a utility pole along the highway on the trip up- a real treat!

Display honoring the lumbering history of Marinette- logs from the North Woods were floated down the Menominee River, processed at mills in Menominee/Marinette, and shipped to their destination via Lake Michigan

We crossed the bridge into Pure Michigan (as the welcome sign stated) and had the Menominee North Pier Light to ourselves.  The concrete pier was much less icy than Kewaunee, but the likely reason for this was that Green Bay and the Menominee River were completely iced in as far as we could see.  It was neat to see all that ice (and a couple of ice fishermen out), but it did make for a stronger wind across what felt like a real arctic tundra.  After visiting the light, we crossed the bridge back into Marinette (WI) and visited the Rail House Restaurant & Brewpub for beers and sandwiches (delicious!), and then Forgotten Fire Winery for a wine tasting.  We had a private wine tasting (and in fact were the only visitors to the winery all day), and luckily had the opportunity to let the bartender know that there are in fact mountains and it does in fact snow in Virginia (who knew?).  They had a lot of fruity and sweet wines, which were all very good, especially the cranberry.

 Menominee North Pier Light, Menominee, Michigan on a frozen Green Bay

 

The name Forgotten Fire refers to the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871.  It actually occurred on the same night as the Great Chicago Fire (October 8, 1871), but ironically receives little to no attention outside of Wisconsin since it was overshadowed by the devastation of the fires in Chicago.  Nonetheless, 1,500-2,500 people were killed as a result of the Peshtigo fire, and it altered the landscape over 1,800 square miles of northeastern Wisconsin.  The fire was so intense that it even jumped over the Bay of Green Bay to Door Peninsula (check out the link above to see a range map of the fire).  Unfortunately, the Peshtigo Fire Museum was closed for the season, so we will have to check that out another time.

We have been in this freeze and thaw weather pattern for the last week or so- we get one day in the 30s which melts most of the snow, and then it gets replaced by the next Alberta clipper system (i.e., quick blast that comes from Canada, hence the name).  I actually saw some grass over the weekend.  Winter sports enthusiasts aren't too happy about that, but Teddy sure appreciates it!

Give it 6 months

That's what they say about packing up your life and moving to an entirely new and strange place.  It takes at least 6 months to acclimate and get a clear picture of your new surroundings, as well as "get over" the loss of your previous home.  For me, I know it takes a lot longer than that..so stay tuned.  Since this week marks the 6 month point in Wisconsin for us, and we are starting the new year, I thought I would do some reflecting on the positive (and not-so-positive) aspects of our experience in Wisconsin so far. 

5 Things I Miss in Wisconsin:

1. Family and Friends:  This one is mainly due to proximity, not anything specifically against Wisconsin.  When your nearest friends are 2.5 hours away, and 99% of friends and family are a 12-15 hour drive away, it makes it challenging to stay in touch with friends and also requires one to make a conscious effort to get out and meet new people to stay socially connected.  That's not to mention the disappointment of missing events and gatherings that you wish you could attend, but simply can't due to limited time or lack of money.

2. Mountains:  Sorry, Wisconsin, another one where you just don't stand a chance.  I always say when we visit Out West (and now when we go home to PA and VA), "I hope the people who live here don't ever take this beauty for granted."  Whether you simply drive by and look at the mountains,  hike into them, or live way up there, mountains are much more than just part of the landscape.  And that goes for the Rockies, the Tetons, the Appalachians, the Alleghenies, and all the ranges in between.  As conservationist John Muir said, "I am in the mountains, and the mountains are in me."

Aerial view of Carvin's Cove Reservoir from the Applachian Trail, Virginia

3. Southern hospitality:  While most prevalent in my experience in Virginia, my experience thus far suggests southern hospitality is not a virtue here.  That's not to say there are not nice people (the Minnesotans are actually known for their "Minnesota nice" over the Wisconsinites).  But there is not a simple kindness that goes along with day to day contact with strangers as I have grown accustomed to in Virginia.  For example, in Virginia, I had many impromptu conversations with strangers in an aisle of the store talking about what product one uses, family and friends, the weather, etc.  In Wisconsin, almost no one smiles or says "excuse me"....and I have twice been criticized/lectured about products I was looking at in the grocery store (if you wanted to know, multivitamins and peanut butter on separate occasions).  In Virginia, I often got irritated because people WITH the right of way on the roads would stop and wave for me to go.  Here, good luck with that- just try not to get run off the road or hit a huge pothole.

4. Above zero winter temperatures:  Now that I have experienced a -30 degree wind chill as of the polar vortex last week, my perception of this aspect of Wisconsin winter will not be taken for granted again.  While typical January temps in this area of Wisconsin should be in the 20s (really not bad when you think about it), last week we had 7 days straight of single digits and below zero highs.  Please don't whine when it's 20 degrees that it's "soooooo cold outside!"  Keep in mind that -30 feels nearly 50 degrees colder than positive 20.  It's so dangerously cold it doesn't even hurt anymore- while hard to imagine, it gets even colder in other places.

Below zero activities

5. Comfort foods:  Good luck finding a decent cheesesteak, hoagie, soft pretzel, pizza, sweet tea, BBQ sandwich with slaw, Yuengling...nowhere to be found (yet). 



Five Things I really like about Wisconsin:

1. Local foods:  I love the fact that I can find so many products made/grown in Wisconsin.  Not only does this work well for locavores who are interested in buying local, but most of these products also save us money.  I would say our average grocery bill has been reduced by about $10 comparatively because I can switch to Wisconsin products which costs less- everything from cheese and milk, maple syrup, honey, breads, meats, paper goods, and beer and wine.  For example, I used to buy Kraft grated parmesan cheese.  I found a local shredded parmeasan, which not only tastes better, but it costs $1 less than Kraft and comes in the same size container.  Why wouldn't I buy it?

2. Football community:  If you have to move on from 2 college towns that really love their football, move to Green Bay.  People come from all over the world to go to Lambeau Field.  The dedication and sense of community for the Packers is very similar to my experiences in State College and Blacksburg.  Everyone wears their gear everywhere and everyone is a fan year-round, win or lose.  The small city atmosphere really helps fuel the sense of ownership in the team, even for the non-season ticket holder, recent arrivals like us.  Everyone in Wisconsin loves the Wisconsin Badgers too...but I can't jump on that bandwagon.  Let's Go State!

Lambeau Field, August 2014 pre-season game

3. Lake Michigan:  The Lake has really been a highlight for me along with all the associated points of interest- lighthouses, shore towns, ferries, waterfront hike/bike trails, and coastal birds.  It's the third largest Great Lake, and the only one contained entirely within the US.  Michigan (the Lake and the state) is derived from the Ojibwe word michigami meaning "great waters."  Well played.

Lake Michigan sunrise, Point Beach State Forest

4. State parks and recreational areas:  Wisconsin has a very well managed and funded system of state parks.  We enjoyed camping and recreating in several last fall.  Many other states do not have the sheer number of parks, nor the facilities that these places have.  Even in the City of Green Bay, we have the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary and Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve funded and managed by local governments, as well as the Green Bay Botanical Garden nonprofit, just to name a few.  And Wisconsinites are not only dedicated to their parks in nice weather- they certainly don't hibernate in the winter.  Everyone participates in winter outdoor recreation like skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.

5. Conservation ethic:  Since both Scott and I are natural resource professionals, we have to appreciate the strong values that Wisconsinites hold for the environment.  Recycling, valuing outdoor recreation opportunities (see above), as well as recognition for notable conservation names that lived in Wisconsin (e.g., Aldo Leopold, John Muir, even Frank Lloyd Wright).  You can see why recreational areas are so valued (and people are willing to pay for their upkeep) as a result of this culture that becomes part of residents at an early age.

Aldo Leopold's shack, Baraboo (October 2013)

Happy New Year

December was busy with two weeks "back east" visiting our families in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the holidays.  The 15.5 hour drive from Green Bay to New Jersey was brutally long (twice as long as what we used to do from VA to PA/NJ), but the weather was clear and mild and first-time rider Teddy did well despite the early start (3:30 AM CT) and wanting to roam around in the car and sit on our laps rather than staying in the backseat.  We were able to celebrate Gram's 80th birthday, Christmas Eve seven fishes dinner, visit with both families and friends, and Scott and I even celebrated the new year for the first time in memorable history...asleep before midnight.  We had a great time visiting, and Teddy enjoyed meeting everyone and playing with his new canine friends (cousins Moose and Molly, aunt Bella) too despite his mischievousness.

 Snow and ice in the Laurel Highlands of PA (the only snow on the outbound trip)

We returned to Wisconsin in early January during a winter mix storm, but only experienced icy roads for the first couple of hours in western PA.  After that- heavy rain all the way to Chicago and then clear back to Green Bay to round out our 13 hour trip.  Over 2,000 miles, nearly 35 hours on the road, and almost $75 in tolls for turnpikes and bridges plus gas.  We returned on the last "average" day before the polar vortex took hold in Wisconsin to find about 4-5 inches of fresh snow on the ground.  Now we won't climb to double digit positive temperatures for at least the next week.  In fact, many local schools saw their first delays and closures for the season today.  According to the news, they often close or delay for wind chills below -30 degrees.  Even so, we will not even reach positive temperatures today, so what does it matter!

 Weather forecast looks pretty rough- looking forward to the "balmy" weather on Sunday!

Teddy is worn out from a busy trip (and cranky that his outside time is cut short).

Next Sunday the Dallas Cowboys will be in town to play the Packers for a divisional playoff game, so everyone is excited about that.  The last time Dallas came to town for a playoff was the infamous Ice Bowl in 1967.  The Tundra will indeed be Frozen for their arrival.