8 kids and a dog at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve

What to do on another cold, snowy day with the kiddos? With winter hibernation settling in quickly, we turned to the hills and trails of our neighbors. The Kickapoo Valley Reserve(KVR) sits on 8,000 acres between the villages of La Farge and Ontario in southwestern Wisconsin. We went out for a day of "low-impact tourism".

The kiddo's ambivalence and impatience during the meandering car ride turned into snow-filled glee when we arrived at the reserve. Half the kids immediately disappeared into a snow pile. The visitor center was closed so we set off with a lot of energy, a little falling snow and no map.

We had the whole place to ourselves.

"The world I found was inside a book, and then that world was made up of 

even more books, each of which led to yet another world. It goes on forever and ever. 

At nine I thought I must get to Narnia or die. It would be a long time before I understood

 that I was already there."

Laura Miller, The Magician's Book: A Skeptics Adventure in Narnia

 We walked through the Narnia-like woods as if we had just rolled out of a wardrobe and the White Witch would appear at any moment. I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was young. It's one of the few fantasy books I can remember loving...talking animals, magic wardrobes... snow-covered landscapes.. I didn't connect with all of the Christian elements of the story but loved the idea of being transported to an alternate world. And here we were. It was real.

"Wildness reminds us what it means to be human , what we are connected to 

rather than what we are separated from.

Terry Tempest Williams

As we walked by all of the natural wonders, under the falling snow and through the trees, the magical place rose up around us. 

We didn't see any woodland creatures. Or any witches. We did walk through rolling hills, over bridges and up and down trails.

I was just glad to be joined by 8 kids and a dog. Magic is always better when shared.

Growing down at Justin Trails

As we drove through the rolling hills of Western Wisconsin,  I thought about the cozy little cabin we had reserved for the next couple of days.  Justin Trails, in Sparta, Wisconsin, is known for its outdoor recreational activities but we were in the midst of a record-breaking cold-spell. Our cross-country skiis seemed destined to go unused. We bundled up as we carried stuff into our cabin. It was 25 feet away. It was -10 degrees.

The cabin was really toasty and welcoming when we walked in. I am not usually a bed & breakfast person, preferring the anonymity of a hotel. When I go away for a few days, I love the idea of holing up in a spot and reading and watching movies for hours on end. My husband is the opposite. He wants to go outside and do things.

 Inevitably, I realize that his plan is more fun (most of the time) and we end up having a great time in the woods, on the trails, sometimes getting wet and cold but then warming up inside somewhere.

 The proprieters at Justin Trails, Don and Donna, were definitely quirky. When I saw our cabin and took in the huge snow hill and the pet llamas, I decided eccentric was the best word for it.
I later learned that their property had been in the family for generations as a working farm which endeared me to it. Also, Martin Sheen had stayed in the cabins. Apparently, after Donna showed him to his cabin, another guest said, "Do you know you have a famous person staying here?!" Donna said, "Nobody told me they were famous."

The thing about staying close to home and picking a spot that has both a nice indoor and outdoor space is there is time to enjoy so much. We didn't spend a lot of time driving and once we unloaded the car, all of our free time descended on us for the next two days.

Snow tubing was a blast.

The snow was covered in a layer of ice so we went flying down the hill at about 30 miles per hour.

A huge bonus to this place was they accepted dogs. Our dog went racing around the property, running as fast as he could behind our snow tubes, wandering ahead of us on the ski trails.

To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature.  Most persons do not see the sun.  At least they have a very superficial seeing.  The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child.  The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We took a lot of breaks inside. I took a deep breath each time we plunged outdoors again. Returning to a toasty fire in a little cabin was all the more beautiful. 

I still wanted to read and sit around, of course. 

The beauty of this place is you're welcome to do both.

"You will find more happiness growing down than growing up."

                                                   --Author Unknown

The Griswolds go to Great America

The trip started out great. We had a little time with family, loaded up on a good breakfast and we were one of the first family trucksters to arrive at the Six Flags Great America theme park. My husband pointed out our landmark so we'd remember where we parked.  The location of our car seemed like the biggest challenge at the time.

Here we were at America's favorite family fun park and we we're on a quest for fun. There was no Marty Moose and the park was actually open, so far so good.

I have always called this ride "the log ride" but realized it is actually called Logger's Run.  This is the most nostalgic ride in the park for me. It's something you can ride as a kid, still want to ride as a teenager and then appreciate as an adult. 

We got in several big roller coaster rides before lunch. Raging Bull was really scary looking so I decided to go on it right away with the kiddos and get it over with.


I did something not recommended and used my iPhone to capture our experience.  Somehow it just doesn't look as scary as it feels.  Hanging out at the top of a roller coaster for the few moments before you tip over the edge feels like you're just about to go flying into midair. Total weightlessness.  And I made it off the ride, phone still intact. Ian completely loved it and my husband laughed like a crazy man throughout the ride.

We then sauntered out to the car, hungry, and looking forward to lunch. As we're nearing the car, my husband is checking his pockets and checking again. He is not finding the keys.  We peer in through the windows and continue looking back to Mike, hoping he has somehow located the keys deep in a pocket.  He lost the keys.  No car. No lunch. After we check at lost & found to no avail, I say in disbelief, "We're stranded." Owen says, "Well, at least we're at Great America."  He made a good point.

Mike proceeded to make some very long phone calls for help. I spent $40 for a not very tasty lunch. The kiddos and I got absorbed back into Wally World.

Mike ended up in a tow truck and on to a dealership in Gurnee.  His conversation with the towing company went like this:
Mike: I've lost my keys and need a tow from Great America
Towing guy: Did you ride Batman?
Mike: Yes
Towing guy: We love that ride. That's how we get all of our business.

Eventually, we secured another set of keys, piled into the family truckster and headed home whistling Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.

Finding awe at the Urban Ecology Center

Milwaukee for the weekend... My niece was graduating from Marquette and already had a job. Let the celebration begin. After an ice cream stop, a bathroom stop, hours of video game chimes & pings and  five or six rounds of the ABC game, the family truckster pulled into White Fish Bay. The graduation party was full of family & friends and great food. We visited with siblings, parents & nieces and talked and talked and talked.  I dropped into bed at 10:30. My introvert self could not go a moment longer.

We woke up and visited more with family and then took off for the lakefront.

My husband's brother lives a few blocks from Big Bay Park. I had serious envy as we lounged on the cute little beach.  I love lakes....love them.  Especially when I'm safely on the beach.  The great lakes are so big and stormy and romantic and fierce and beautiful.

We made our way back and there was lunch and more talking, laughing, sharing. It was getting close to time to leave for home. My brother-in-law suggested a visit to the Urban Ecology Center. If we left for home immediately, there would be just enough time to get groceries and unpack. Urban Ecology Center, you say? We all wanted to go.

I was as tired as I could be but there was just an immediate energy as we walked into the place. Jay was telling us that the guy who started the center is now lecturing all over the place. Other cities want to learn the model of the Urban Ecology Center because it has been so successful. Their mission is to "foster ecological understanding as inspiration for change, neighborhood by neighborhood".

For the Scott kiddos, that meant scaling the rock wall.

There are birdwalks, "eat local" food challenges, young scientist programs, urban adventure trips, "meet your farmer" parties and land stewardship activity.  They are busy.  There was a group of 6-7 year olds running around us, squealing at the fish pond, asking lots of questions.  You can rent bikes and hop onto the bike trail or kayaks and they will drive you to your destination.

So thanks, Jay, for introducing us to this beacon of hope. 

You always seem to know the best joints. 

So we finally ventured on home. We stopped and bought things we probably didn't need at the outlet mall, ate an over-stimulating dinner at Ella's Deli in Madison and delayed our trip home a little more. It was just a big, noisy, exhausting and inspiring weekend. And this introvert spent the rest of the week recovering.

Escape to Minneapolis

We packed our bags packed, dropped off our dog and sped down the highway with our Guthrie tickets burning a hole in our pocket.  The snow is falling heavily.  As we continue to drive up Highway 61, we realize the drive will not be our usual quick scoot up to Minneapolis. The roads are slippery.  We slip and slide all the way into the city, my husband gripping the wheel and finally steering us to our hotel. We walk into our hotel room, do a quick and happy scan of the simple, modern cool furnishings and make a quick game plan. There would be no more driving so it came down to how far we were going to walk in a snowstorm.  We put on all of our layers and started forging through the freshly fallen, very messy, very pretty snow-covered sidewalks.

 The snow had fallen so fast that there were city snowblowers cruising all around us as we walked.

The snow and ice took lead roles in our winter, urban getaway.  As tired of winter as I am, the fluffy whiteness tempted me out of the wintertime blues.

Our hotel was right by the Guthrie theatre in the Mill District of downtown Minneapolis. Old renovated industrial buildings sit atop the banks of the Mississippi River. This neighborhood couldn't be more scenic.  Every road trip we take, I imagine us living there...the west side of Madison by the zoo in one of those cute, quaint neighborhoods, a Northwoods life in Hayward, WI, an urban existence in Chicago or Minneapolis eating lots of ethnic food and seeing great music every weekend. I eyed the rehabbed condos with wintery evergreen arrangements in big colorful pots, imagining us living in one of them.

We finally made our way to the North Loop area and a very subtle-looking restaurant. We found it with the help of Yelp, Google Maps and a couple of guys pointing to the front door of this quiet-looking place we were standing 10 feet away from.  We had arrived at The Bachelor Farmer wet, tired and hungry.

You gotta love a place that serves whiskey at brunch. 

This was the best breakfast I've ever had.  The hollandaise was actually light and the vinegar cabbage was a really good contrast with the pork.

So we inhaled our breakfast and then walked the streets.

This retail display at Martin Patrick 3 made me want to move into the store.

  They sold retro decor, $45 candles that smelled like the best vacation you've ever been on, cologne in vintage bottles, very Mad Men style.

We went to see Other Desert Cities at The Guthrie. It was a great play with a set design that featured a rain storm.  We were in the third row and you could feel the humidity. The Guthrie has three stages, bars and cafes around every corner, and a cantilevered bridge that juts out above the Mississippi. This is the view from one of the little 2nd floor bars.

We walked the city a little more the next day.

 Here's the view of the Guthrie, in the background, from the other side of the river.

A little warmup at Wilde Roast Cafe.

And we took our frozen selves home.