Category: travel
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Vacation in California 2013
I didn’t take my phone to Isle Royale because it wouldn’t work there, except as a camera, but I didn’t want to use it as a camera because it’s a pretty old phone. I was absolutely certain the battery wouldn’t last five days. Even if I brought a power bank, I was pretty sure my… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-30-2025
Put the picnic table in the marshiest part of the camp site. We’ll just dump some gravel in the mud underneath the table. It’ll be fine. The only time I got rained on while I was visiting Isle Royale was on Friday morning. Once, well before sunrise while it was still pretty dark, I heard… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-29-2025
The holy grail of visitors to Isle Royale would seem to be getting to see a moose. If you talk to anyone you meet on the island for more than five minutes, they’ll ask if you’ve seen one, or they’ll tell you where they saw one. Usually both. It’s a hot topic. More than half… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-28-2025
My Darling B was surprised to learn there are outhouses in the wilderness areas of Isle Royale. If you have to answer the call of nature while you’re on the trail, you’re allowed to poop in a cathole. I didn’t have to on this trip, and I’m pretty happy about that, to be honest. I’ve… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-27-2025
My day started with a toad and ended with frogs. I’m not saying it means anything, but it’s an odd coincidence, don’t you think? Right out of Lane Cove campground, after crossing the plank bridge and just as I was starting the climb up the first ridge, a toad as big and fat as my… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-26-2025
I’ve wanted to visit Isle Royale since I heard about it while I was a Boy Scout. (That was a few years ago.) I’ve been planning this trip for months. I almost didn’t make it! I booked a crossing on the Ranger III, a ferry operated by the National Park Service to take visitors and… Read.
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Newport State Park 4-29-25 — 5-1-25
Hello from Newport State Park in Door County, Wisconsin! I visited recently for a two-night stay to try out my new backpacking gear, as well as some of the oldest gear I have (my spindly old legs), all to make sure I’m ready to hit the trail this season. Here’s an obligatory selfie at the… Read.
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morning walk 4-26-2025
It was a good day for a morning walk through the UW-Madison arboretum. It started out cold, with temps in the forties, but a clear, sunny sky quickly warmed everything and by the time I left, about two hours after I arrived, temps were in the fifties. Very pleasant weather for a long, slow stroll… Read.
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IAT Sauk Point Segment
After drinking my morning coffee Sunday morning, I dressed for a rainy day outside, jumped in the van with my backpack, and headed for the Sauk Point segment of the Ice Age Trail. There was rain forecast for the afternoon but it wasn’t supposed to arrive until one o’clock or later so I figured I… Read.
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IAT Blue Spring Lake Segment
Today was a beautiful day to hike the Ice Age Trail! It started out crisp and cool but ended up delightfully warm and was sunny all morning and afternoon. I was a little concerned the warm temps would thaw out the frozen ground and turn the whole trail into a muddy bog, making today’s hike… Read.
This Is Drivel 