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!