Bike & beer

One of the things that I both like and dislike about fall in Wisconsin is the sense of urgency.  You just don't know when the weather is going to turn (usually it's earlier than I want), and that means every nice weather weekend in fall has to be respected and used wisely.  A nice Sunday rolled around in late October and it was hard to resist getting outside for a potentially last hurrah.

We decided on a bike ride to a winery and brewery on the Fox River State Recreational Trail.  The trip would involve a 16 mile round trip with Ledgestone Vineyards and the newer Gnarly Cedar Brewing Company at the same location as our turnaround point.  We set off from the DePere dam on the Fox River and headed south to Greenleaf.  Most of the leaves were already down from the trees and the first section of the trail is partially urban, but it was a nice ride with moderate temperatures, ample sun, and not too much trail traffic.  We reached our destination and enjoyed some beers while watching a very hyper golden retriever play in the yard with his human friend.   It was even nice enough to sit outside and enjoy our beers!  After our break it was time to hit the trail for the return trip north.  An enjoyable afternoon of some pretty decent exercise (flat trails = constant peddling), some nature time, and a new brewery.

As it turns out, we've had the wettest September on record, the snowiest October on record, the snowiest Halloween on record, the wettest year on record, and the snowiest start to winter in 124 years.  Looks like a fun (interesting?) winter on the way!

Beautiful day at Ledgestone Vineyards!

The namesake of Ledgestone Vineyards is the Ledge- a geologic formation of dolomite rock that almost looks like a little mountain if you squint really hard!

And here's the neighborhood park less than 48 hours later on October 29!

An evening with the cranes

I signed up for an evening program at Navarino Nature Center, about 40 minutes west of Green Bay, to see the sandhill cranes congregate at the end of the day in early October. We arrived at the nature center barely in time right at 6 PM and the group hurried out to the trailhead overlooking Pikes Peak flowage. There were many cranes calling when we arrived- they tend to congregate in larger groups this time of year to prepare to move south when conditions warrant. We saw a later stage of migration a few years ago down on the Wisconsin River with Aldo Leopold Foundation. 

We walked about half of a mile up a ridge trail to an observation deck. Our guide was the director of the center who shared lots of details about the nature center upcoming events, the wildlife area, and the cranes. At dusk, many of the cranes flew right over our heads to find a spot in the flowage for the night. There were up to a couple of thousand cranes, along with lots of geese and mallards in the wetlands. It was a nice evening to just watch it get dark and enjoy the sounds of the marsh. As it was finally getting dark, we walked the trail back to the vehicles and were on our way back to the old grind.

Keweenaw

Superior September rolled around again so it was time for a weekend getaway to Lake Superior! This year we opted for the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. Keweenaw is believed mean "portage" or "place to portage." The Portage River runs through the middle of the peninsula, which juts 60 miles out into Lake Superior and is the northernmost county of Michigan (also includes Isle Royale National Park, which is an island nearly 50 miles out into L. Superior).

We hit the road early on Friday and had a downer right away- a FIB (if you don't know, look it up...hey- my grandma reads this) sent some road rock flying into my windshield, which immediately cracked and spidered pretty badly. Ugh- looks like that needs replacing.  Eyes peeled for moose, but none spotted.

We got to Houghton, MI (pronounced: HOE ton) at lunchtime and had soups, salads, and beers at The Library followed by after lunch beers at Keweenaw Brewing Company.  We also passed two universities that keep the area bustling- Michigan Tech University and Finlandia University (yes, FU) in neighboring Hancock.  I had a little reminder of my Midwest journey since I had been offered an interview at MTU and turned it down (What if? Bet it's cold there...).  After replenishment, we visited the Keweenaw National Historic Park up the road in Calumet. We toured the visitor center to learn more about Copper Country and heritage of the UP.  Very interesting stories, including strong cultural influences from European immigrants who came to the area to work in the copper mines.  After the museum, we swung into another brewery right down the road for a beer and appetizers for dinner- Red Jacket Brewing Company. Calumet used to be called Red Jacket, hence the name of the brewery.  Breweried out for the day, we headed for our rental cottage in Eagle Harbor, my first Air B&B rental experience!  I was excited to see how close we were to the water and literally right next to the lighthouse- perfect!  The evening was spent watching the sunset and viewing the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse. Listened to Lake Superior waves all night long.

KBC in Houghton, MI

A series of historical sites, including former mines, churches, museums and lighthouses, became Keweenaw National Historic Park in the 1990s.

Sunset from Eagle Harbor

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, this building est. 1871

Couple of lighthouse enthusiasts do the Keweenaw.  

On Saturday morning, we took a scenic ride up to Copper Harbor, the most northern town in MI. I didn't realize that it's a major mountain biking destination, so there were lots of bikes and bikers all over town. We went to Fort Wilkins State Park, featuring a fort built in the 1840s to keep the peace in Copper Country. They never saw any battles, and life was very lonely at such a remote post. The fort saw major restoration to rebuild some of the buildings that were lost with time. The park was well designed as an open air museum, allowing visitors to walk in each of the buildings to see displays, read signage, and get close to rooms that depicted what life would have looked like. Some of the buildings included the hospital, bakery, jail, mess hall, and officers quarters. It was easy to lose track of time. The state park also included the Copper Harbor Lighthouse. The park has worked hard to renovate it, but unfortunately the boat tours required to transport visitors to the island to go inside the lighthouse had ended for the season. Next it was time for lunch- we selected Mariner North for sandwiches, and then stopped in to Brickside Brewery for beers. Then it was time for the scenic drive back to Eagle Harbor to tour the Eagle Harbor lighthouse and museums. The tour docent was from Green Bay, of course, and gave us a primer on the lighthouse and some of the keepers. Very informative!  One of the keepers was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. The skies were looking cloudy and it got windy and drizzly, so we walked back to the cottage and opted for some R&R through the late afternoon. After it cleared, we took a walk to the Eagle Harbor beach and then watched the sunset. Windy all night long.

Fort Wilkins State Park- the fort was a remote outpost established in the 1840s to "keep the peace" in Copper Country.  Amazing the conditions and isolation these soldiers experienced.

Sulter's store at Fort Wilkins

Copper Harbor Lighthouse

On Sunday, I watched my second sunrise over the lighthouse and we visited the Eagle Harbor Life Saving Station museum before we had to hit the road. The Life Saving Service was the precursor to the Coast Guard- they had some restored lifeboats and other life saving equipment, told the stories of heroic rescues of ship crews along Keweenaw Point, and highlighted the motto of the Life Saving Service: "You have to go out, but you don't have to come back."  We headed south again to Houghton for brunch at Suomi Home Bakery & Restaurant- we had Finnish breakfast pancakes and got some pasties (rhymes with the word nasty) to go for dinner. Our next stop was Alpha MI Brewing Company for some beers and the first half of the Packers game.  Alpha Brewing is located in the small town of Alpha almost on the Wisconsin line- it's in a repurposed building next to a big old school which was a pretty neat setting.  Rain started as we made it back to Wisconsin. Pasties from Suomi were delicious for dinner- a great finale to a great trip.  Oh, and the Packers won.

Good morning from Eagle Harbor Lighthouse!

Backyard visitors: Part 2

Well, we (they) fledged an owlet! One night we saw a form standing on top of the nesting box where we had guessed the barred owl nest was located. And sure enough, there was a little owlet standing there! He would glance around at all the neighborhood sounds, but stayed there for a few days. Once a baby bird leaves the nest, they are called a fledgling.  This guy would have been too young to feed himself and not a great flier just yet.  So they hang around the nest site and the parents will still feed them and watch out for them.  We did see the parents chase off another intruder owl that flew in.  They snapped their bills at him and a minor fight ensued until the interloper moved on.

Both parents were together often (they have the same plumage, but the female is the larger one) watching over the owlet and watching us as well as preening and feeding each other. So cool to have an up close and personal chance to share the neighborhood with them. After a few days, the owlet was no longer at the box and the parents started moving around more and were visible to us less often. Hope the young owlet continues to learn about his new home and is enjoying our woods.  And I hope they return to nest in our neighbor's box again next winter.

 Adult hunting for frogs and toads at dusk.

Backyard visitors

As you might imagine, spring comes rather late for us in Wisconsin.  The wait is long, but the reward is great.  Lately the weather has been cool and wet, but the backyard is an captivating place this spring with all the birds (and other wildlife) that visit.  Especially exciting this year is a barred owl pair (and presumably a nest!).  The two owls have stayed very close by for a few months, reliably since about March although they are around regularly throughout the year.  I also heard young calling (begging for food) on several nights earlier in the spring (a pretty eerie screeching), but have yet to definitively locate the nest.  It is very likely they are using an owl nest box in my next door neighbor's yard since we have seen an owl entering the box a couple of times.  Just about every evening the pair wakes up, calling back and forth to each other with their "Who cooks for you...who cooks for you all?" call, or some portion of it.  I always laugh when they just do the emphasized "ALLLL" trill note since it sounds like a lazy whine.

Their antics provide some reliable entertainment for us to listen and watch them in the evenings (sometimes for an hour or more before dark).  Teddy hears them and has seen them fly before, but is much more interested in the deer and turkeys than the owls.  The second photo below Scott took of one of the owls when it was checking out Teddy.  He's too big to be bothered with, but too small to be much of a disturbance.  It's pretty wild how the owls could care less about traffic, lawn mowing, kids playing, dogs barking, the distant shooting range, and all kinds of neighborhood noise.  I asked my neighbors if they had even seen the owls in their yard- they hadn't noticed!  Aside from the owls' very distinctive call, they also often sit close by or even together.  Their flight is nearly silent, but movement is easily detected because of their size.  When they are sitting still (and now as the leaves finally emerge), they are really hard to see due to their cryptic colors.

My eyes are peeled for the young to come out of the box.  Hopefully we will have a few more owls to watch very soon!

Check out the barred owl profile on All About Birds for more photos and owl calls.  I have been trying to take a video of their evening routine to at least capture their calls- no luck yet!

Watching intently, but rarely disturbed by all the neighborhood activity.

Barred owl trying to figure out Teddy.  Photo by Scott.

Always near by, but incredibly camouflaged.  Can you find the owl?  Photo by Scott.

Leopold Weekend in Madison

2019 is the 70th anniversary of the publication of A Sand County Almanac, by Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold.  Leopold is considered the father of wildlife management and an absolute favorite author of mine, so it has been just my luck to be close enough to many special events plus the Leopold Family Shack to learn more about his life and writing.  But there was one place connected to Leopold that I hadn't really explored yet- Leopold was the first professor of game (wildlife, conservation) management (anywhere!) and where did he teach?  University of Wisconsin in Madison.  I heard about an exhibit of some of his papers honoring the 70th anniversary of the book publication, but was disappointed initially to see that the exhibit was only open during the week at the UW-Madison library's special collections.  Lucky for me, I caught news of a special presentation and opening of the exhibit on the last Saturday of March, so I couldn't miss it!

We drove down to Madison (Wisconsin's capital city) on Saturday morning, and of course had to stop for lunch and a beer or two on the way (The Lone Girl Brewing Company in Waunakee and Working Draft Beer Company in Madison).  We arrived on the UW-Madison campus in the early afternoon and stopped in another library building to see one of John's Muir inventions (his study desk) on display.  It was pretty windy and cold so we didn't walk around for too long.  Once we go to the library and found the exhibit, I had to go through everything twice since there was just so much information and so many unique documents to see and read.  The collection included books, hand drawn maps, journals, photos, and personal items.  It was really special to see these up close and organized in such a way to highlight some of the unique details and experiences of Leopold's life.  For example, one section highlighted some communications in establishing Leopold's job with the university, including his offer letter and photos of the first department offices (which was located in a house near campus!).  After exhibit viewing time, there was an excellent presentation by Curt Meine, Leopold's biographer, about the making of A Sand County Almanac.  We also had the chance to talk with a number of folks connected to the Aldo Leopold Foundation, and we got to meet Aldo's granddaughter.  Really awesome experience!

Round River and personal journals describing time traveling

Leopold's binoculars

Letter from Teddy Roosevelt, who heard about Leopold's involvement in a game protection association in New Mexico

Course catalog with game management listed.  First wildlife class ever!

Handwritten draft of The Good Oak.  Many of Leopold's hand written drafts were discarded after they were typed, but one of his grad students thought to pull them out of the trash and save them.

Icy Lake Mendota views from campus

After finishing up on campus, we drove by Aldo Leopold's house just a few blocks away on Van Hise Avenue.  No photo there since a different family lives there now and it was creepy enough to pull up in front of their house and stare for a few minutes.  After stopping by the family home, we had to hit the UW Arboretum where Aldo worked extensively while he was at the university.  The arboretum is touted as the first ecological restoration effort to bring back plants and habitats that were once there.  The university acquired the farmland during Leopold's tenure, and a number of notable folks since then have worked hard to implement different practices and bring back native species and communities right in the city.  Really beautiful property- we enjoyed a walk around Curtis Prairie and the Leopold Pines.  Would be great to go back when the prairie is in bloom!

Curtis Prairie at UW-Madison Arboretum, the birthplace of ecological restoration

The Leopold Pines, planted in the 1930s by the CCC

Arboretum turkeys!

After the arboretum, it was time for another beer/root beer- this time at newly opened Delta Beer Lab owned by a 2018 Appalachian Trail thru hiker.  I was excited to see a map of the trail and the guy's gear displayed in a corner- reminded me of Virginia!  Then it was time for dinner at Scott's favorite eatery in Madison- Ichibahn Sichuan Restaurant.  Scott often travels to Madison for work, so he knows his way around pretty well!

Delta Beer Lab is owned by a 2018 AT thru hiker!

The next morning, we spent some time shopping at the REI store in Madison, before taking a 30 minute ride to the southwest of Madison to visit New Glarus Brewing Company.  New Glarus is one of the most popular breweries in Wisconsin, and their main to claim to fame (aside from good beers) is that their beer is only sold within the state ("Drink Indigenous").  New Glarus (the town) has a strong Swiss heritage, so there are a number of shops and restaurants with the theme, as well as the architecture of the downtown.  The brewery complex looks like a Swiss Chateau and of course had the whole tourist experience- tours, gift shop, beer store, and tasting room.  We did a tasting and bought some specialty beers to take home before hitting the road back to Green Bay.  A fun weekend in Madison!

New Glarus Brewing Company

Polar vortex

Well, January 2019 has been interesting as far as winter weather! Most people are aware of the late January polar vortex impacting the Midwest and Northeast (you might have even got the chance for your nose hairs to freeze where you live!).  In northeast Wisconsin, we had back-to-back 9-10 inch snow storms in a matter of 5 days, and then experienced extreme cold from the polar vortex that hasn't been seen in Wisconsin in 23 years (1996)!  I had a feeling our 5th Wisconsin winter would be memorable, given that we kept hearing we "have it so easy" during each prior winter.  And, we still have good 2.5 months to go yet (at least)!  We returned from the holidays to find 6 inches of snow on the ground, and now we have around 2 feet of snowpack.

A warm January Saturday early in the month (42 deg F)!

Schools were closed during the worst two days of the vortex, where nighttime temperatures dipped into the -20s deg F below zero (real temperatures) with wind chills in the -40s (wind chill warning)  Daytime temperatures stayed in the single digits and teens below zero.  I can't say I've ever experienced cold like that where the temperatures never even hit 0 for a couple of days.  Many of the news outlets were reporting that these temperatures in the Upper Midwest were colder than Alaska, and parts of the Arctic and Antarctica!  Although to be honest, to me below zero feels like below zero regardless of the temperature and wind chill (still hurts whether it is -10 or -30!).  I described the extreme cold feeling in one of my earlier blogs- a slap in the face which takes your breath away, and then your nose hairs freeze in about the first second.  Based on my monitoring, the lowest real temperature we experienced was -23 F, and the lowest wind chill was -48 F (see below).  At those temperatures, exposed skin can experience frostbite in 5-10 minutes.

Another complication that you may have seen on the news or experienced yourself is that our more recent 10 inch snowstorm happened the day before the temperatures tanked.  Most roads stayed snow covered and icy throughout because it could not melt, and most salt products do not work at such low temperatures (below about 15 deg F).  So really, secondary roads have been treacherous all week.  Another complication (from road salt due to winter weather) is that you literally cannot get a car wash in these temperatures!  So no wonder cars rust out when you have to drive around with a salt coated car for weeks on end.  Luckily, we are getting a short reprieve after the vortex retreats (heading to the +40s for a couple of days!), and I am thrilled that I might get to wait in line for hours with everyone else to wash my car!

I was keyed in on the severity of the situation since schools closed for 3 days this week (1 for snow, 2 for cold)- snow days are pretty rare (with extreme cold days even more rare), so you know it must be pretty bad.  Kids go to school when it's cold unless the wind chill is more than -30 degrees below (a wind chill warning vs. an advisory).  Even UW-Green Bay canceled classes 3 days this week!

Of course, at extremely low temperatures, there are always concerns about homes too.  Two of our exterior doors are frozen shut with ice in the jambs and around the edges of the door.  We have a door to the garage that we have to use for now.  Same situation with the interior of the windows, which are all covered in condensation and ice (they are pretty old, so we know replacements are needed eventually!).  That said, the windows luckily aren't drafty and the old furnace has been keeping us going pretty well, so our temperature inside has been holding steady!  Definitely concerns about pipes freezing with days of below zero temperatures, but so far, so good at our house (other than the cabin fever...).

The real hero in all of this is Teddy, who was so brave to use the outdoor potty facilities throughout these frigid temperatures.  I was worried about him, but he did great with going out (despite not wanting to) and being totally cooped up for days.  I worked hard to get the back deck and several "tunnel trails" dug for him out into the yard after the snow so he would have some options when the cold hit.  He only has about 10 seconds to go before I have to scoop him up and get it back in, so time is of the essence!

I have always wanted to live in Alaska temporarily, so chalk it up to an interesting experience.  Alaska came to me for about 5 days...and that's enough, thank you!

Snowstorm walk before the cold set in