From: wolverine01@charter.net   
      
   On 10/11/2025 7:21 PM, bfh wrote:   
   > sticks wrote:   
   >> I'd like to give a report on my trip last weekend to the Kettle   
   >> Moraine area in Wisconsin.  I stayed in the Northern District at a   
   >> place called Mauthe Lake State Park.  I did this trip solo, so I was   
   >> unsupervised. But wow, I shall remember this trip for quite some   
   >> time.  It was absolutely wonderful.   
   >>   
   >> First off, it probably was the time of the year that helped since   
   >> there was not a campground full of kids, and very few adults for that   
   >> matter. The sites at this place were laid out so that you had a lot of   
   >> solitude.  Most all of the sites in the park were like this.  They   
   >> clear out an area and put in a gravel drive, picnic table, and a fire   
   >> ring. Everything outside that is either brush or trees, so nobody can   
   >> just walk into your area.  Electric, but no water, though there were   
   >> many water stations around.  Even though it was woods, above the site   
   >> was clear so the Starlink worked nicely.  Though, it took me about an   
   >> hour to figure out that a stink bug had been hiding in the Ethernet   
   >> port on the dish and when I had pushed in the cable I squished him and   
   >> the connections weren't making contact.  Fortunately, one last check   
   >> found the little dead critter and once I dug him out and cleaned it up   
   >> it fired right up.   
   >>   
   >>    
   >>   
   >> The first night I had no neighbors at all.  It was warm with night   
   >> temps still in the 70's.  It was also the weekend of the Hunters moon,   
   >> and man was it bright.  The other cool thing is that when you have a   
   >> bright full moon like that, the geese and cranes out on the lake just   
   >> go crazy well into the night.  After midnight I was still sitting   
   >> around the fire listening to either the birds out on the lake, or the   
   >> owls banging their beaks together.  Every once in a while the wind   
   >> would pick up just a little and whistle through the aspen leaves.  I   
   >> did all this while enjoying a good cigar that took about two hours to   
   >> smoke.  I also had a nice steak all three nights since it was only me   
   >> and that is so easy to do.  It was just perfect!  The pics are at   
   >> about 11:30 PM.   
   >>   
   >>    
   >>   
   >> I got up early and got ready to go hiking.  You can get to a famous   
   >> Wisconsin trail called the Ice Age Trail right from the park.  I   
   >> decided to go south along that and did 7 miles with 308 feet of   
   >> ascent.  It was an out and back route, but that's OK as you always do   
   >> get a different perspective, especially if it's the first time you've   
   >> ever been there. There was a little rain forecast, and I did just get   
   >> back before a gentle drizzle began.  I had the grill under the awning,   
   >> so I had a cup of coffee and then proceeded to eat dinner and get   
   >> ready for the rain to pass, which it did after about 2 hours.  I did   
   >> enjoy sitting out under the awning nice and dry listening to the   
   >> rain.  It cleared up and I lit the campfire, another good cigar, and   
   >> enjoyed another magical night at the fire.   
   >>   
   >>    
   >>   
   >> Next day I got up and went hiking again.  This time I went north and   
   >> east of the park, sometimes on the Ice Age, sometimes on some horse   
   >> trails, and even a short distance on a very small gravel road in the   
   >> middle of nowhere and did basically a big loop.  I ended up going   
   >> about 9 miles with about 432 feet of ascent in what was mostly a   
   >> loop.  I had taken meloxicam before I left, and it must have helped   
   >> because though my knee was sore, it was not overly inflamed and I was   
   >> still moving OK. This was an absolutely great trail and I would highly   
   >> recommend it.  You go around curves, up and over hills, and surprises   
   >> show up at every corner.  Several small lakes popped up out of   
   >> nowhere, and they were all in just a beautiful setting.  The bugs were   
   >> not bad at all, and it was nice and cool so I didn't get all sweated up.   
   >>   
   >>    
   >>   
   >> Got back to the RV, had a coffee, and then another steak.  One last   
   >> cigar, the best one that actually made my tongue tingle, and a few   
   >> hours at the last campfire and I just sat there amazed at what a great   
   >> time I had been having, even though I was alone.  Everything worked   
   >> finally on the View and I had no issues at all.  All in all, even   
   >> though it was relatively short, this was just a perfect trip for me!   
   >>   
   >>    
   >>   
   >> This place is only about 2.5 hours north of me, and when I got home I   
   >> just wanted to turn around and go back.  Some day I will!   
   >>   
   > Yep. That looks like a good place. And a good steak. But where's the   
   > wine and potato and garlic toast?   
      
   Does a can of beans and a cold beer work?   
      
   --   
   Science doesn't support Darwin.  Scientists do.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)