A Fall Trip to Wisconsin

Fall is a double edged sword for me.  On one hand there are the beautiful fall colors, crisp nights, fragrant, warm days, the insects and small animals busily preparing for winter.  The other side of the sword presents much, shorter days and the slow, gradual demise of color, activity and energy.  As much as I love the bright side of Fall I dread the dark.  In my area of the country Fall gradually becomes darker and darker and grayer and grayer.  And it is the grayness that eventually does me in. 

But that is not what this blog is about!!  This blog is about a trip to Wisconsin to visit with Karen and attend the Gustavus Adolphus College Nobel Conference on the Oceans. 

Karen has been talking about this conference for a couple of years.  Each year they select a topic; two years ago it was Food, last year the Brain and this year the Oceans.  Each year I’ve wanted to attend and this year I said, I’m gonna do it!!!

I’m going to split the blog up into several installments as I suspect I will have a lot to share….more than you want to read in one sitting.  So this installment is the Prelude to the Grand Event!!!

The trip starts with a beautiful drive to Columbus to catch my flight to Minneapolis.  Most folks would not notice the drive …after all I-71 north from Cincinnati to Columbus is flat corn and soybean fields all the way from one city edge to the next.  But this time of the year….Fall…… the colors are bright and fresh, the Canada geese are heading south in their V formations and the fields are either freshly harvested or waiting their turn.  For a girl with strong farming roots, it is a drive that strengthens the soul.

The flight from Columbus to Midway and Midway to Minneapolis is uneventful.  A small glitch takes place when I recover my luggage and go to call Karen waiting for me at the cell phone lot.  What happened to her cell number on my cell phone?  I have no way to contact her!!  Luckily she waits until about 15 minutes after my arrival and she calls me…problem solved.

Saturday arrives bright and clear….a glorious day in Wisconsin.  We hike a mile down to Heather’s….the organic farmer to deliver Rainy Lake Pike to her freezer and pick up 2 dozen fresh farm eggs and organic lettuce.   Heather's farm is one of many in Yearger Valley, a location where everyone is committed to living organically.  

Along with running an organic milling operation, the farm she also makes and serves up pizza made from her organic ingredients.  During the summer months on Friday evenings anyone and everyone stops by, orders their pizza and then enjoys the community spirit eating pizza picnic style on the lawn.  It is really a lovely way to spend a Friday evening.

Heather's outdoor pizza oven.

The rolling hills of Yeager Valley are resplendent with the beginnings of fall color.  This weekend is a full moon and we’ll be spending the evening on the Mississippi River kayaking with friends.

Organic Yeager Valley

Another view of Yeager Valley

We arrive just before 6:00 waiting for the other 9 paddlers to show up.  We drove by Erica’s house on our way to the river and saw that the kayaks are loaded and she looks as though she is on her way.  Within a few minutes she has joined us along with everyone else at the boat landing.  Nice group of people.  Karen knows a few, a few are new to everyone, including me.  

The Kayaks are here!!!

 It takes just a few minutes for everyone to select their kayak, grab their life preservers and shove off from Reicke’s Landing.  We are immediately in the backwaters of the Mississippi.  We plan to paddle about 3 hours, 1.5 hours out to Sandy Beach Island and 1.5 hours back.  It is a full moon night so the experience should be glorious. 

Kayaks lined up and ready to go!

And it is.  It is always curious to me how many people simply have no sense of their geographical orientation.  Several of the paddlers immediately asked where the moon would come up.  I smiled and said, “In the East.”  Of course they have no idea which way is East.  To me it is like breathing.  The sun is just setting so look in the opposite direction of the sun. 

Harvest Moon over the Mississippi River

 The beautiful Harvest Moon rises before the sun is fully set.  We all ‘oh’ and ‘ah’, take photos and then finally Erica rounds us up and gets us headed in the right direction, which is heading West.  Darkness overcomes us quickly but with the moon at our back we have no problem seeing each other. 

Karen enjoying the view

At about the 75 minute mark I am beginning to feel the strain in my arms.  With no current to help move us along it is all arms for me.  I know there is a more efficient way to paddle, but I do not know that technique.  I watch others seeing if anyone is doing it differently than I am, but no, I am pretty sure no one in the group is truly a kayaker with solid kayaking knowledge.  I am very grateful when we arrive at the island and can take a break. 

After about 20 minutes we all load back up and head home.  Now the moon is in front of us and again our visibility is excellent.  There are no bugs and no boat traffic where we are, so everyone falls into small groups and head back to the landing.  I am a little wet, but comfortable as the air temperature is probably around 55-60 degrees.  However, at about the 60 minute mark heading back I am really starting to feel fatigued.  Then of course, the wind picks up and we have something of a head wind.  I don’t want to complain or even whine just a little, I keep my mouth shut and just paddle.  That landing looks so good when it comes into sight. 

It take just a couple of minutes to load everything back up and then six of us head over to a campground where we have site saved and get a bonfire going;  perfect ending to the evening, sitting around, visiting, drinking wine and eating hot dogs. 

It is past midnight when I make it to bed and geeze am I glad to find my way there.  My shoulders hurt, my forearms hurt, my hands hurt….my whole body aches.  Kayaking is not for the faint of heart….or old ladies who are out of shape.

Sunday is a sleep in morning.  It takes a lot to get me out of bed.  It feels so good and I still feel the soreness.  But John is in the kitchen and I smell yummy bacon cooking and Sourdough waffles, I finally roll out.

Mississippi River and Wabasha

Karen and I leave the house by 10:30 and head to Wabasha, Minnesota.  They are having a two month Octoberfest and we want to spend time at the National Bald Eagle Center and take a segway tour of the town.  Segways are those two-wheeled scooters that you balance on.  I am very excited as that is what I really want to do today. 

Fun times in Wabasha

Turns out that the sign-up for the tours is at the Bald Eagle Center and we find the sign-up book.  Get our names in the book and I’m paying my fee when we are told that the Segway Man has stood up the town of Wabasha.  Turns out he got a better offer from another event elsewhere and called just that morning to say he would not be there.  Boy, am I bummed!!!

So we spend the day at the Center learning about Bald Eagles and other raptors.  They have 5 eagles on display that have been wounded in different ways so that they are unable to fly or live on their own in the wild.  It is hard for me to enjoy that visit.  Yes, intellectually I understand that those eagles are doing their part to educate the public but emotionally I can’t help but wonder if their lives are not dramatically diminished.  It is a tough call for me. 

One of the captive Eagles at the Bald Eagle Center

Bald Eagle Center in Wabasah, MN

S.O.A.R. makes a presentation in a tent next to the Center and several raptors fly over our heads as we learn about their species.  The presentation is very well done and informative.

Bard Owl in flight over our heads

Blind in one eye so unable to be free.

We have lunch at Slippery’s Restaurant where “Grumpy Old Men II” was filmed and then call it a day.  We’re both tired and ready to head home.