Road Trip to Hemlock Draw

I hope my readers got outside this weekend to enjoy the beautiful weather. Friday evening Travalon and I went to Liliana’s and thought we might sit outside there, but by the time we got there (since Travalon works late on Fridays), it was cooling off so we sat in the dining room and enjoyed the live jazz band playing in the bar area. We got free champagne for our anniversary, and we both had the blackened catfish. They really do it well there, and the cheesy grits they serve it with are the best.

Saturday morning Travalon and I met OK Cap for coffee, then we went on a hike with Rich, Catzookz, and Luxuli. We went back to the trails behind the historical marker denoting the site of the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. Later Catzookz found a blog online done by a woman who is visiting every historical marker in the state. What a fun blog! Mine could be like that for historical taverns, except that it is also about everything else too. Like its writer, this blog has no focus. In the evening, Travalon and I went to an “inverse surprise party,” because the birthday girl surprised us all with a party and even with gifts. It was so much fun! We ladies got goofy and wore the ribbons from the gifts in our hair, and then the guys got even goofier and wore them as fake beards. We all got the same gift: a book with brain games to keep brains over 40 fit. Of course, Travalon and I forgot ours there, so maybe we desperately need these brain exercises! I remember one of them was to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, and another was to get into your car and start it (but not drive it!) with your eyes closed.

Sunday Travalon and I took a boat ride, with a half-hour break back in the marsh to row so that we got some exercise. Sometime we will take the canoe out for a lot of exercise, but it was busy on the water that day, and we don’t like canoeing as well when there are a ton of motorboats passing us. Then we set off on a real adventure: to find some more Nature Conservancy land, a place called Hemlock Draw. We followed beautiful back roads into the Baraboo Hills to a very primitive parking lot, basically just a dirt field, and followed the trail about a half mile back into the woods, where it appeared to end abruptly at a gully. Then we realized there were arrows directing us to climb down into the gully and cross the creek running through it. Travalon had no interest in doing this, but I would be up for it at some time in the future if someone else (looking at you, Richard Bonomo) is feeling adventurous. My main reason for wanting to visit this land was to see the sea stacks that are supposed to be there, but we didn’t see them on our short jaunt, so they must be further back. Travalon and I did get in a really good hike by exploring even more trails behind the Battle of Wisconsin Heights historical marker. The Baraboo Hills are the closest thing to mountains we have around here, and we went up the equivalent of ten flights of stairs following the paths along the side of the bluff. I do love those ancient (billion years old!) hills. 

Famous Hat