The Dells of the Eau Claire: Across the 45th Parallel

"... remember, no matter where you go, there you are." ~ Buckaroo Banzai Vacation at last! Both of my shows at Door Shakespeare were open, and I was free. For the next twenty-eight days I had nothing to do but hike and drive and see things. It was July 2. I was meeting my wife …

Wild Tomato: Pizza in the Wild

Back in the day (a phrase I use to mean any time between the dawn of civilization and last week) this place was called "Digger's Pizza". I thought that was a stellar name for a local pizza joint. When it was changed to "Wild Tomato", I screwed up my face in a disapproving sneer and …

The Eagle Fire Tower: Towering Accessibility

Reading the title, you may be asking yourself, "Is this a post about a hike? Doesn't this guy write about hikes?" I do, and it is, although the star of this post is the tower, not the trail. I've already written about the trail, so if you want a more in-depth report go here. I …

Björklunden: Hiking on the Job

Björklunden. Swedish for "Birch Grove at the Lake" or "Birch Forest by the Water," Björklunden vid Sjön is Lawrence University's 441-acre North Campus. A sanctuary of peace and contemplation, Björklunden resides in picturesque Door County, Wisconsin and features meadows, woods, and more than a mile of unspoiled Lake Michigan shoreline. ~ https://www.lawrence.edu/bjorklunden Scenic (by Jody Sekas) and lighting (by …

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal: A Tale of Two Hikes

It was the best of hikes, it was the worst of hikes ... In truth, it was neither, but my choice of title for this post compelled me to drag Charles Dickens' sublime parlance down to the level of a dirty, dirty hiker. In fairness, like London and Paris in A Tale of Two Cities, …

Seneca Creek State Park: Clod-Hopping Around Clopper Lake

I hike in boots. Mids to be exact. My mother would have called them "clodhoppers". When I looked up clodhopper on TheFreeDictionary.com this week, I found a second, unexpected definition: I'm afraid I may not have completely understood my mother's meaning. Regardless, I like my Oboz Bridgers. You may read my review of them here. …

Piney Run Reservoir: Between Two (million) Ferns

It's getting harder to find a new trail to hike in the Baltimore/Washington area. If one were to draw a circle, with my home at the center, that encompassed all the places I could get to in an hour to an hour and a half, that ring would include upwards of fifty separate hikes hiked …

Palmer State Park: Spring Sprang on the Banks of Deer Creek

Spring arrived in the U.S. on March 20, although in the mid-Atlantic, daytime highs in the thirties seemed to contradict the calendar. Northeastern Maryland struggled to banish winter until the second week in April when suddenly the mercury was surging into the eighties. It was a delightful 75°F as I pulled into the tiny lot …

Wye Island Natural Resource Management Area: Wye Did I Hike Here?

It's rare that I pan a hike. The closest I've come is probably my Mason-Dixon Trail, Otter Creek: Trail(or) Trash (read here), and that was because of the trash, not the trail. While I may drop a criticism or two, I generally find joy and gratification in just being out in the nature, so virtually any …

O’Betty’s Red Hot: Wieners, Buns, and Burlesque

My gal is red hot(Your gal ain't doodly squat) "Red Hot" - Billy Lee Riley I had just come off the trail in Athens, Ohio, and I needed food. I was hungrier than I should have been - I had only hiked about four miles, but I was out of shape and struggling with elevation, …