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Wisconsin – Monday, June 10

I spent some time on the computer this morning, and sent a lot of pictures to the kids, now that they reminded me how to do that! And then I reorganized and cleaned out the van before heading out again. Last night something had hit my windshield as we were driving through the U.P. in the dark, and I thought it was a small bird, but this morning I saw that it was one of the biggest, most colorful moths I’ve seen. I had no idea a moth could clunk the windshield like that! I felt bad it flew into the windshield. I stopped for a very late breakfast at the same place Mickey and I had eaten a couple days ago because at that time I had seen a large jar by the cash register asking for donations for the Tomahawk Police Department’s new K-9 dog. The cashier had told us that the restaurant had also helped with several fundraisers for the K-9 dog. This was a new donation opportunity for me, and I think K-9 dogs can be a real asset for law enforcement. So I was happy to make this my donation-of-the-day.

Then I was ready to get back out on the road. My intent was to drive north a bit more up to the town of Minocqua (just because I like the name!) and then head west. This is northwoods country and there are lakes all over the place. It’s also loon country, and I really wanted to see or hear a loon! Minocqua is a pretty lakeside town (it’s in an area of northern Wisconsin that has over 3000 lakes) that is popular with summer visitors. Although I noticed parking meters in town, they were optional – any money that people put in them would go toward a food pantry. It reminded me of Nashville with the special parking meters to benefit homeless people. Tula and I walked a mile and a half around town, then she stayed in the car while I headed out for a 5 mile walk on the Bearskin State Trail, which was an old rail trail that started off with a bridge to an island…or maybe it was a bridge between lakes…there’s water all over the place! I’m pretty sure I heard a loon at the beginning of my walk, but I wasn’t positive. There were quite a few boaters out on some of the lakes, and then I passed a lake that was very quiet and there didn’t seem to be houses built around it. There was even a little nature sign saying loons can often be heard there in the early morning and late evening. I made a mental note to return!

I drove north of town a little bit to take a look at a possible donation place for tomorrow, and also considered heading up to the next town for a look-around. I hadn’t actually driven too far today because of my late start, and didn’t get west at all, but I decided to stay in Minocqua for the night, because towns are few and far between in that neck of the woods, and I didn’t want to be driving in the dark and missing the scenery. Plus I had passed a northwoodsy looking motel, and even though it was earlier than I often stop, I thought if they were pet-friendly and reasonable, that would be a good spot for tonight. I asked the proprietor about the loons, and he told me they’re definitely around, and suggested I go look under one of the bridges in town where the loons are sometimes seen fishing. I found the place he was talking about, but I only saw people fishing! I was determined to do my best to see or hear a loon, and someone else told me they like to be out and about when the sun is setting. So I got a quick bite to eat and then took Tula out for a mile walk by the lakes on the Bearskin Trail. I asked a couple more people about the loons, and one person told me they like quiet spaces, and another told me they like deep water and that they usually see them while out boating, not along the shore. And while everyone agreed there were lots of loons around, there was no fool-proof way to know where to go. I simply decided I would walk all the way back to the quiet lake I’d seen earlier in the day and sit for a while. I didn’t take Tula back there – there would be long grass and ticks are a big problem up north in the woods, and Tula doesn’t need any more problems! The sun was beginning to set as I walked nearly 2 miles back to the quiet lake. I saw some herons, and as I passed some marshy areas, the noise from all the frogs, crickets and peepers was nearly deafening. Such a racket! It got quieter as I got closer to the lake. When I found the spot I was looking for, I walked down the hill to the shore and found a comfy tree root and plunked myself down for a good 20 minutes to watch and listen. Lots of mosquitoes discovered me sitting there, so I was swatting at them and waving them away the whole time. I stayed out there til nearly 9:30 and didn’t hear or see a thing. I had to leave since it was almost a 2 mile walk back to the car. I walked nearly 11 1/2 miles today, and so far the loons have eluded me, but someday I will see them!

Family Break in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9

This was a fun Zyburt Family weekend – nephew Cole graduated from high school last week, and his graduation party was on Saturday, and there was a baby shower for niece Erin on Sunday morning. There were about 25 family members around for the weekend, along with about 11 dogs – we’re definitely a dog family! Although I think the most dogs that were together in one place were 8. Toni and Taryn both made it up north for the weekend, so it was fun to see them again too. On Saturday morning, some of us went to Little Presque – a beautiful part of the Lake Superior shore – to let the dogs run and swim and tire themselves out before the graduation party. It was fun to catch up with family and see a few old friends at the party, and then we all enjoyed a fire in the evening.

Erin’s shower was on Sunday morning, and that went well. It’s always fun to see all the baby stuff – especially the things that didn’t exist when my kids were babies! We enjoyed the afternoon at niece Katie’s house with a fenced-in yard so the dogs could all play, and they all got along well – and the young ones could tire each other out. We were all treated to an unusual sight of a rainbow completely circling the sun. Obviously we couldn’t look at it directly for long, and I just sort of had to guess as far as aiming the camera, but I got most of it. Later we had a hotdog and hamburger dinner, then it was time to head back to Tomahawk, and it was pretty late when we got back – luckily with no deer incidents because there were a lot of them out by the roads.

I’ve been very lucky to see so many family members while on my journey – that’s what keeps my batteries charged!

Wisconsin – Friday, June 7

Mickey and I enjoyed a leisurely start to the day, and went out for brunch before she headed to school to prep for teaching summer school classes, and Tula and I headed out for some walking. We started by the Tomahawk River Trail, and were ready to get in a few miles, but it was shorter than I thought – only 1 1/2 miles round trip! But I did see and smell some lilies-of-the-valley – one of my favorite flowers! Before heading out for another walking path, I shopped for my donation-of-the-day, which was going to be a Kinship Mentoring Program which Mickey is involved with. This is a program that pairs up adults with children who need an extra adult in their life for whatever reason, and the adults often stay involved with their student for quite a few years. The mentors and students generally meet once a week in addition to special activities, and the weekly meetings are called KinsClub, and they always need healthy snacks for the kids to enjoy during the get-together, and that’s what I went shopping for. I ended up with fruit snacks, granola bars, cheese and crackers, PB and crackers and raisins. The students are also involved in a “Kids Give Back” program, so that they start learning they don’t always get something for nothing – and they might clean yards for senior citizens, or clean up streets, or other community jobs. So I was happy to contribute a little to a program that has been helping kids for years. Mickey told me that one student who had been a part of the program for years recently returned and made a $500 donation in gratitude for what the program did for her.

When I was done shopping for the snacks, Tula and I headed out for another walk along an old railroad trail, passing some huge lilac bushes (my other favorite flower!) in full bloom along the way. At first we headed in the less-traveled direction on the trail, but the mosquitoes were really bad, so we turned and went in the other direction where the grass was cut short, or the path was dirt. A deer walked in front of us for a while, and then I laughed when I passed a sign that said “Caution – Students on Trail” like they were some sort of wild animal! (There was a school nearby.) We walked until we came to a road outside of town, with a sidewalk, and then we circled back through town and neighborhoods back to Mickey’s house. Altogether we walked 5 miles, and Tula did well with the distance. It’s a good thing I walked a couple extra miles earlier in the week!

Once Mickey got back, we started getting ready to head for Marquette, MI for the weekend for a couple of fun family events. We fortified ourselves with pie and ice cream, then had an uneventful 3-4 hour drive to Marquette. The best sight along the way was a big, majestic eagle standing guard over a deer carcass by the side of the road.

Wisconsin – Thursday, June 6

My mom and I met up again later in the morning, and we went over to the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King, where I was going to make my donation for today. This place was first started back in 1887 as the Grand Army Home, and was built for the Civil War veterans. It was also the first veteran’s home in the nation to allow women to become members. It’s in a beautiful location, and back when my grandpa was still alive, it could have been a potential place for him to live in his later years, although that did not happen. But I liked the possibility! I had called earlier, and spoken with someone named Sarah about the “gifts and requests” programs and she gave me a whole list of different areas within the veterans home that I could designate my donation toward – there was bowling, wheelchair maintenance, library, wood shop and ceramics, cemetery upkeep, holiday cheer, and bingo and general purpose. I chose wood shop and ceramics. The people in the office were busy, so we didn’t hear too much about the programs, but we did learn that there are over 700 residents at the veterans home, plus we walked around the place afterwards.

From there we went to one of the access points of the Wau-king Bike Trail, which was built to honor the veterans at the King Veterans Home, so that was a fitting place to walk a few miles! I started off with a couple miles on my own, and along the way I did a phone interview with someone down in Mukwonago. Then my mom joined me for another 2 1/2 miles of walking. We had worked up an appetite by then, so we went out for a very late lunch, and then it was time to head north from Waupaca. I drove over to Stevens Point, where I was able to squeeze in for the last oil change appointment of the day – it’s always nice to get those details taken care of. There was another good walking trail there – the Green Circle Trail, and the lady at the oil change shop told me how to find it. I got there and discovered that particular part of the trail was in a wildlife refuge where dogs weren’t allowed, and I wanted to get Tula out so the ranger directed me to another parking lot a couple miles away, and Tula and I went on a beautiful 3+ mile walk through the woods. The first quarter mile or so was a nice boardwalk – they’re always fun to walk on.

Once we finished our walk there, I drove north to Tomahawk, where one of my sisters-in-law lives, and we caught up over pie and ice cream and I stayed at her home for the night. We’re going to be going to Marquette, Michigan for the weekend for a couple big family events, so I’ll be taking a shor tfamily break after my walking and donation tomorrow.

Wisconsin – Wednesday, June 5

I got in to Fond du Lac late last night, so I didn’t mind a late start this morning, plus I was waiting for my mom to finish an eye doctor appointment so she could join me for the day. We met up at a grocery store to shop for the Food for Thought program which is part of the Fondy Food Pantry; and their motto is “Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope.” They’ve been helping people for 40 years. Food for Thought is a children’s nutrition program where 475 local students from 4 schools discreetly receive a weekly bag of healthy food and snacks to help provide better nutrition during the weekends. We shopped for peanut butter crackers, microwave popcorn, fruit snacks, pudding cups, granola bars, applesauce and raisins. Then we drove over to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was where the food pantry was located. We went inside and met Linda, who is on the Board of Directors, and she showed us where to carry in our food. Linda was a wonderful lady who took an hour to show us all around, and she told us about the many different programs that are offered. In addition to the Food for Thought children’s program, they also have a large food pantry, and a weekly meal in the church which is open to anyone who is hungry. They also sell handmade cards to benefit the programs, and have a very unusual “Mouse Factory” program, where the ladies of the church sew intricate costumes for stuffed mice, and they sell a lot of these mice all over the country, and all the proceeds go to the Fondy Food Pantry programs. There are many volunteers to keep the programs running, and they even have children coming in to help other children, so that they can start learning at a young age what it’s like to help out. School groups, junior football players and special ed kids all come in at various times to help sort and pack food, and she says they all enjoy it! Even while we were there, a volunteer was in the process of loading food in her car for deliveries, and she had so many she had to make 2 trips. My mom and I both really enjoyed hearing about everything, and appreciated the time Linda took with us.

When we finished our tour, we walked for a mile and a half up and down a couple of the old historic streets in Fond du Lac, admiring some of the big old houses. Then we took a break for a bite to eat before heading outside of town to the Wild Goose Trail so I could get some more miles in. My mom walked a couple miles, but I had to go a little farther to get my miles in, so Tula and I walked 3 1/2 miles there – Tula seems to be responding well enough to her meds. It started sprinkling before we got back, but we were sheltered a bit by the trees so we didn’t get too wet.

Then we started driving to Waupaca, but we stopped in Oshkosh at a big park by Lake Winnebago so I could finish my other 3 miles of walking. The path went by the lake for a while, then circled around by soccer fields and a little zoo. It still sprinkled off and on, and the wind was pretty gusty by the lake. There were several sailboats out near the shore in the stiff breezes, and it sort of looked like they were in a class or something. Once my walking was done, my mom treated me to a late, yummy perch dinner. We looked at some photos on my computer and called it a day.

Wisconsin – Tuesday, June 4

This morning I drove into Wisconsin – State #36! I had already picked out my donation spot for the day, and since I saw a grocery store nearly right away, I stopped and shopped for my donation, but more on that later. After shopping I drove to Lake Geneva – and it was a perfect summer day to enjoy a long walk in a summery lake community! Tula and I found the 26 mile Lakeshore Trail that circles the whole lake. It’s an old historic Indian trail – they used it from about 2500BC til around 1836. Then after the wealthy Chicago people started building summer homes on the lake, the workmen would use the path to get to the estates they were working on. And today it still remains a pedestrian trail around the lake – right through everyone’s backyard. I kind of wondered about that – the people own their homes and yards, and they own their docks and boats, but the trail (typically right down by the water) is open to the public at all times. I felt a bit as if I was trespassing, especially if the families were out in their yard, but other people were out walking, and I’m certainly much quieter than the many school groups I passed! I passed luxurious, elegant mansions set back on large landscaped lawns, and there were lots of flowers and it all smelled so good. The path changes from yard to yard – it could be concrete, asphalt, patio stones, brick, or just dirt. Most people had their docks and boats out, but a few were in the process of having them installed. There are apparently work boats – or platforms – with small cranes on them to help with the installation. And there’s a big public marina where the walk started. Tula and I covered 3 miles of lakefront walking, then I put her back in the car and headed in the other direction to get more than 2 more miles of walking in. This side of the lake still had very nice homes, but they weren’t quite as grand as the ones I had walked by earlier, and the lots were smaller. So I felt more like an intruder because the homes were much closer to the path. It would have been fun to walk all around the lake, but that wasn’t going to happen! At least the path is just a little footpath, and is not open to bikes or anything other than pedestrian traffic. And occasional signs remind people that we’re on private property and to stay on the path, pick up after pets, and don’t pick anything. It was a very scenic walk.

But after a couple hours of walking, I had to leave the lake to get up to the food pantry in Mukwonago that I’d chosen for the day. I liked the name of this place (it has something to do with bears) and it sounded like they had a nice program, so I had shopped for things from their wish list – laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dish soap, cereal and oatmeal, cans of ravioli, jelly and pasta. I found the food pantry, and met Cindy and Pat and we all chatted for a while. They were very interested in my journey and supportive of what I was doing. If ever I needed inspiration to continue on, talking with people like them would spur me on to finish – not that I’ve needed encouragement yet to keep going! This is going too fast and I don’t want it to end! Cindy and Pat told me about the many programs that are run through the Mukwonago Food Pantry program. They have their own building on a pretty lot, and in addition to the food pantry, they also have things like a backpack program for school kids, diabetes classes, a shelter, energy bill assistance, senior chair yoga classes, and vouchers for seniors to use at the farmer’s market. They’re also working on a community garden with raised beds so that seniors can also work in it. There are roughly 14,000 households in the areas that they serve, and about 5,000 come to them for some sort of occasional assistance. All in all, it sounds like a very busy place with a lot of things happening, and I’m happy I found them – it was a good stop!

From there I headed back south a bit to Burlington. I had read that Burlington is the “chocolate capital of the US” and a big Nestle plant was there. I was sort of hoping the Nestle plant did tours, but they stopped doing that back in the 1980s and I stopped by the little museum instead, but it mostly consisted of chocolate sculptures that had been made for their annual chocolate extravaganza over Memorial Day. Tula and I did a short mile walk along their river trail, and then I started heading north to Fond du Lac.

Along the way I stopped in Fort Atkinson so I could walk on the Glacial River Trail, and it was a beautiful evening out for walk. Tula stayed put in the car while I enjoyed a 3 mile walk along the bike trail. As I crossed a bridge back into town there were a lot of firemen and numerous firetrucks down by the river – either filling tanks with water or doing some sort of exercise with the hoses. I wanted to get Tula out for a short walk before driving a bit more, and she was happy out walking in the pretty neighborhood, so we did another mile and a half. So I did a total of 10 1/2 miles of walking for my first day in Wisconsin!

Indiana – Monday June 3

The Red Cross had called me again a couple days ago about scheduling a time for another blood donation, and that can be tricky, with me constantly on the move and not every blood donor site is always open. But we had found a place in Goshen, which was near the Amish part of Indiana, and I had made an 11:00 appointment for this morning, thinking I’d be in that neck of the woods. But I actually ended up more than 2 hours away, and wondered about re-scheduling, and they said I could come in about 1/2 hour later. So we started the day off with a drive, eventually passing places with foreign names like Mexico, Peru, Chili, and Warsaw. I made a quick stop in Wabash by the river to walk Tula, and then found the Red Cross. So my donation-of-the-day was another pint of blood – which will help 3 more people somewhere down the road. They had to check all the territories to make sure none of them were restricted places as far as blood donations (usually because of a malaria threat), but all the US territories were fine. So I did my good deed, and instead of just cookies and crackers to eat afterward, this place had fresh pizza and Dunkin Donuts! So I had a little lunch while I was there. Since I had done some extra walking during the past week, I only needed to do 4 miles today, which was a good thing since I was supposed to kind of take it easy for the rest of the day. Tula and I walked on a bike trail for a little less than 2 miles, then headed to Middlebury to finish off my Indiana walking. I was driving by lots of Amish farms, and horses and buggies were out and about. I stopped and did a little shopping for the weekend, and debated about eating at an Amish restaurant, but wasn’t quite ready for a big meal. It was time for driving instead!

Indiana was State #35 in my journey, and I finished all 56 miles of walking, and made all 7 donations – the Free Store food pantry in Rising Sun, Big Brother Big Sister, USO in Camp Atterbury, Ronald McDonald House, Dove Harbor Shelter, Wabash and Erie Canal Interpretive Center, and a blood donation at Red Cross. Then I pointed the van in the direction of State #36!

Indiana – Sunday, June 2

I got kind of a late start today, but at least the weather looked relatively clear. Originally I had thoughts of heading northeast to Amish country, but yesterday I had read something about a canal park in Delphi, which I discovered was a little to my northwest, so that’s the direction I went instead. I took a detour to see one of Indiana’s covered bridges. The drive took a while, but it was really pretty going through the rolling green farmland of central Indiana. I found the Wabash and Erie Canal Park and Interpretive Center and was really happy I came this way. I went into the museum/visitor center, and found out that they offer boat rides on a reproduction of an original canal boat, and I had 5 minutes to get down to the dock to catch the next tour. The canal history was really interesting – the Wabash and Erie Canal was over 400 miles long in its heyday. It was the longest canal in the US, and the second longest canal in the world. It was all dug by hand by Irish and German immigrants, and was about 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. But just because the canal was only 4 feet deep didn’t mean the digging was only through 4 feet of dirt. The laborers had to dig through stones, rocks, tree roots and snake dens. The water flowing through some of the limestone was acidic, and mosquitoes didn’t like that, so that kept the bugs under control in parts of the canal, and the acidic water was also said to be a good remedy for snakebites. We passed one of the old lime kilns. The water in the canal was pretty high today, and the boat barely made it under the bridge – it cleared the bridge by mere inches, and only because the boat had filled its ballast tanks with water. Our boat was powered by an electric motor, but back in the day teams of mules often pulled the canal boats instead of horses – mules were smarter, stronger and easier to train. A typical work session for a mule was 15 miles, and the mules often knew exactly when they had covered those 15 miles. The big companies who frequently shipped freight by canal built mule barns every 15 miles and they would trade the tired mules for fresh ones, and usually cover 60 miles in a day. They didn’t travel at night. Private canal boats would often have room on their boats for a couple extra mules and rotate them every 15 miles. There were different kinds of canal boats, and the passenger-only ones could be quite luxurious – a comfortable and very reasonable way to travel. The Wabash and Erie Canal is mostly dry now – but a short segment of it has enough water in it for the boats, thanks to the limestone quarry that releases about 3 million gallons a day into it. Trains made the canals obsolete after only 30-40 years of use.

After the boat ride, I went in to see the museum, and enjoyed that. They had a donation box out for the park, and since I’ve enjoyed so many canal walks and towpaths, and really enjoy learning about all of that, I decided the Wabash and Canal Interpretive Center would be a good place for a donation today. The people there were interested in my journey, and a lady even came out of a back office when she heard me talking to say she had read about me in a newspaper. She also told me there was a small campground right behind the building, and that sounded like a tempting place to stay for the night, although I first had a lot of walking to do! So Tula and I set off along several towpaths, and a couple other trails, and she did a good part of the walking with me, but took a break in the middle section. We covered a little over 7 1/2 miles – sometimes it’s nice to have some extra miles stored up! We mostly walked along the canal, but part of the trail was by the river too. And Tula even walked across a suspension bridge, which she typically doesn’t like. This one wasn’t too bouncy, and she was hesitant to cross it the first time, but on the way back to the car it didn’t seem to bother her at all.

Then we returned to the campground, and got set up. I never expected to be able to camp next to a canal in Indiana!

Indiana – Saturday, June 1

It was still wet and dreary out, with more rainy weather to come, so I kept my same motel room for another night so I’d have a dry place to return to during the day if I needed it. And then I headed over to the town of Anderson, to make my donation to Dove Harbor, a shelter for women and children. But first, once we were in town, Tula and I got out to walk in the historic district. Natural gas was the economic basis for this town years ago, and there were lots of old Victorian style homes and the streets were lined with 100 Newport-style gaslights. And I could tell I was in an area of Indy car racing fans, because there were numerous Indy Speedway decorations and flags in some of the yards. Then I drove over by the White River, and walked another mile. The early settlers named it the White River because the reflections of the clouds on the water does make it look white, even though at first glance it appears to be a muddy brown.

After that, I located Dove Harbor, which is housed in a big church-like building, where other programs were also offered. I had tried calling them several times, but no one answered on a Saturday, which wasn’t surprising, so I will have to mail in the donation. Dove Harbor is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and they have helped countless families over the years. They can shelter and support up to 10 families for 6-12 months at a time.

Then I found the White River Trail and I left Tula in the car as I walked 4 miles on that. It was a pretty walk – very green, and there were also several boardwalks. I was lucky with the weather again – it was sprinkling a bit while I was out on the trail, but the expected storms did not appear. I stopped for some soup and salad on the way back to the motel – relieved the severe weather didn’t pass through, but sad to hear about more Oklahoma tornadoes, affecting towns I have walked through and made donations in. That makes it seem more personal.

Indiana – Friday, May 31

My donation today was going to the Ronald McDonald House in Indianapolis – the Crossroads of America. So I headed to the store and shopped for items on their wish list, which included window cleaner, styrofoam plates, laundry detergent and dryer sheets, and individual foods/snacks like cereal, chips, pretzels, Little Debbie desserts, granola bars, poptarts and microwavable meals. I loaded it in the car and headed for the Ronald McDonald House, which was located downtown right by the hospitals. It was a huge house – they have 46 rooms and 6 apartments for families, and they’re always full. They’ve been providing a comfortable place for families of sick kids to stay for 30 years.

One of the people there told me how to find the canal walk that goes right through part of Indianapolis, and despite heavy gray skies, I found a good parking lot, and Tula and I set off with an umbrella. It was a fun canal walk, winding its way a mile and a half through downtown (3 miles roundtrip); under bridges and alongside both commercial and residential buildings. We started off dry, but then the clouds finally burst, and we ended up being out in a downpour. I was happy to have my umbrella, which did a pretty good job of keeping me relatively dry, but Tula got soaked, as did my feet. We waited under bridges a couple times while the worst of it passed. There were a couple gondolas tied up under one of the bridges. The hardest rain hit when we were about as far away from the car as I was going (of course!) so we didn’t have much choice except to keep mushing our soggy way through the rain! It finally began to let up for our last half mile or so, and we covered nearly 4 miles by the time we walked by all the museums back to the parking lot. Tula did great – she didn’t show any signs of fatigue (she likes water anyway), and she was scampering after ducks in the canal, and at one point even jumped up on a 3 foot high ledge to investigate a garden. I was happy to see her acting more like her usual self 🙂

After I toweled Tula off, I left her in the car while I headed out on another walk along the White River, which was part of the White River State Park. I crossed the river a couple times on bridges and walked on both sides of it, getting almost 3 more miles of walking in, and there were only a few sprinkles this time, but it was still very gray out.

By then I’d had enough city time, and headed out of Indianapolis to the Eagle Creek Greenway north of town. I walked for another mile and a half, dodging some raindrops, and finished all 8 miles today. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do that with the rain, but all the thunder and lightning held off during the day, although it did storm later at night.