Monday - 234th

Well, we did double duty today! The weather is supposed to be unusually grand this week, starting right about now! Because I am still waiting for a bulb delivery, I cannot finish up (or even begin) my planting of the spring garden and so Ed and I pick this day to treat ourselves to an outing -- about as far from home as the two of us have gone together for many, many months. A whole 45 minute drive up north!

But first, a morning farmette walk. It's cold. Freezing in fact. But the sun holds promise.You have to go with convincing predictions! It is going to be a fine day, I'm sure of it.

Breakfast...

And the usual Monday mucking around with life's essentials and then, at noon, we take off!

Our plan is to do not one, but two hikes, both along the Ice Age Trail. They wont have the Fall color anymore, but both hold great sentimental value: Ed and I have done them probably every Fall we've been together. 

First is our climb up the "Rock of Gibraltar." Yes, we do pass maybe half a dozen people on this rather popular trail, but they are spread over our 4500 steps, so you can be sure there was plenty of distance. (Yes, I'm still on a step counting roll and between the two hikes, today surely gave me an easy win!)

It's just such a pretty climb and of course, the views from the top are superb. Total Wisconsin.

A selfie, for sure!

 

What? You prefer one with a view toward something other than just us? Okay! On a timed release!

Our second hike isn't too far from the Rock: we pick up another segment of the Ice Age trail close to where the Merrimac Ferry crosses the great Wisconsin River. This trail takes us up the hill and through the woods...

... and then across a segment of a prairie that has been here since the glacier that covered the north and eastern part of the state, receded some 13,000 years ago.

Here, we are alone. We rarely pass anyone on this hiking trail. Just us, the sunlight, the birds, and the increasingly bare trees.

We end the day's outing with a ferry crossing. Just for the hell of it. There and back.

Last year on this day Ed was setting out into the Atlantic with his buddies to sail a boat south for the winter. My, have things changed since then!

 

 

It's nearly dark by the time we get home. Walked out, refreshed, hungry. Yes, there will be popcorn tonight after dinner. With chocolate. And a glass of wine.