Warm welcome to my first full week in Wisconsin. So grateful you took the time to check in on my continuing adventure!
Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians who are celebrating this special day over the long weekend (Oct. 11 - 13). Yes, Monday, October 13 is a national holiday in Canada.
I restarted my yoga practice on Sunday at The Yoga Rooms by attending Soul Flow which is led by my friend Stasha. I also attended Carmen's Soul Soothing Vin to Yin on Sunday evening. I'll also had classes with Beth, Alyssa, Lori, and Jenny throughout the week. I purchased a month long membership with plans to attend 4 - 5 classes/week until I leave on October 29. I've been so grateful for the warm and friendly reception I received since my return. It feels great to be with my yoga friends.
 |
| Mill, water wheel and dam |
I went golfing two times during the week. I was so enamoured with how well I did I stopped by a store to check out purchasing a new set of golf clubs. Thank goodness I successfully reined in my ego sufficiently to avoid this unnecessary cost. BTW - I had sold my clubs to Brad, the golf course owner, prior to leaving Eau Claire last October. I'll take advantage of the free clubs I can use at The Valley Golf and Events course until my departure. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. I've had sections of the course to myself for my mid-week rounds. A round of 18 holes plus use of a golf cart costs $34.50 which is incredibly reasonable on such a beautiful and well-maintained course.
This part of Wisconsin is one of my favourite places in the world, as long as I avoid the winter, that is. I love the kind and friendly people, the beautiful surroundings, the non-stop activities that one can get involved in, and driving on the scenic country roads which have limited traffic. Like Stasha reminded me last Sunday, home is where your heart is. My heart here in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
A note of gratitude to my good friends Jes and Dave for their guidance and encouragement to start exercising on a regular basis. I've become lazy which translates into the likelihood of a shorter and less enjoyable life. I've taken their advice to heart and started exercising daily - 30 minutes of cardio on one day and muscle toning on the following day. Thank you to the universe for sending the fitness message through my two friends!
This week's ironic moment - the hotel cleaning staff who spoke Spanish used Google Translate in an effort to understand a request I was making. Google Translate is helpful throughout the world including the USA!
May the universe bring endless blessings (blessings in disguise) and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
TBD
Travel Maps
Welcome to Eau Claire County and a little beyond, but not much beyond for the past week.
If you are interested in geology, Wisconsin State is a great destination. The state and the Ice Age Alliance have done remarkable work to develop and maintain this 1,000 mile (1600 km) footpath that is entirely within Wisconsin. If you are visiting Ontario, Canada you may be interested in hiking on the
Bruce Trail which is 1,395 km long in the Province of Ontario. Want the ultimate Canadian challenge, how about taking on
Trans Canada Trail which is the longest multi-use trail system in the world. It reaches every province and territory, and connects all three of Canada’s coastlines.
Enough proud Canadian stuff - back to more info on the Ice Age Trail
'More than 12,000 years ago, an immense flow of glacial ice sculpted a landscape of remarkable beauty across Wisconsin. As the glacier retreated, it left behind a variety of unique landscape features. These glacial remnants are now considered among the world’s finest examples of how continental glaciation sculpts our planet.
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a thousand-mile footpath that highlights these landscape features as it travels through some of the state’s most beautiful natural areas. The Trail is entirely within Wisconsin and is one of only eleven National Scenic Trails.'
This Interpretative Center, a 40 minute drive from Eau Claire, is my closest trail access point. There are three local trails to hike in addition to hiking the Ice Age Trail. Wonderful location to have lunch and hike. I hiked the Dry Lake Trail, a 1.8 mile loop trail, after eating lunch in the warm sun while enjoying being immersed in the natural beauty. I have plans to return in the week of October 19 to hike The Adam Cahow Trail which is a 4.7 mile loop trail. Geology factoid - the interpretative centre sits on top of a
ice-walled lake plain!
 |
| Interpretative Center |
 |
Reminder on hours.
Note the NO HUNTING warning! |
 |
| Ice Age Trail Map |
 |
| Dry Lake Trail sights |
 |
| Dry Lake Trail sights |
 |
| Dry Lake Trail sights |
 |
| Dry Lake Trail sights |
 |
| Dry Lake Trail sights |
My next stop, after hiking, was Connell's Orchard, my go-to place for apple and raspberry picking! It continued to be a warm sunny October day.
I was surprised to learn I could still pick raspberries. I ended up visiting the orchard on three consecutive days. Day 1 I picked ten pounds of Honey Crisp apples on the first day which I gifted to my friend Carmen and her family. By the end of the three days, I had picked about seven pounds of raspberries which I'll enjoy during my remaining time in Wisconsin. I've now picked enough apples and raspberries for this year!
 |
| What size pumpkin would you like? |
 |
| Raspberry patch |
 |
| Apple trees |
 |
| Loads of apple trees |
 |
| More apple trees |
 |
| So many raspberry bushes! |
 |
| Apples and raspberries (in white pail) from Day 1 |
 |
Raspberries - washed and dried
Ready for freezing |
I learned from fellow Mason Steve at the Scottish Rite Fall Reunion that a candlelit musical event was planned for the Temple's ballroom on Thursday evening. A four member string quartet was scheduled to play Coldplay and Imagine Dragons music. Why not? Another first for me. The quartet did a great job in the musical arrangements. A most enjoyable hour long session!
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Eau Claire. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons at Eau Claire Masonic Ballroom under the gentle glow of candlelight.'
 |
| Candlelit stage |
 |
| Masonic ballroom |
 |
| Quartet on stage |
Welcome to the home of
einkorn flour, the superior ancient grain compared to whole wheat. I learned during my visit that the five pounds of einkorn flout that Herman, the mill owner, had ground for me last October had been a very special event. When I recounted the story to him, he admitted that it was a rare time he invest all the set up effort for just five pounds. I count myself amongst the blessed once again. I used the flour to bake the four dozen cookies that I left every Sunday morning at the yoga studio last year. My purchases were a loaf of einkorn bread, a cherry pie and two very delicious donuts - all homemade.
John and Craig are the official greeters at the mill. John likes to discuss his granddaughter (high school football) and his grandson (varsity football). Craig used to work for Enterprise Rental until he quit after raising a safety concern that was ignored. The safety concern was being in an Enterprise van that was traveling over the speed limit.
Photos of the mill have been used in multiple places domestically and internationally, including jigsaw puzzles.
 |
| Welcome sign |
|
| Mill, water wheel and dam |
 |
| Imagine this sight with full fall colors! |
 |
| John (l) and Craig (r) - local mill hosts |
 |
| Such great donuts |
 |
| Cherry pie |
The Hmong community, who mostly originate from Laos, were celebrating New Years over the past weekend. Wisconsin is home to one of the larger Hmong communities in the United States and North America. The Hmong had been involved in working with the CIA in Laos during the
Vietnam War to support the American war efforts.
Travel Administration
TBD
Next Week
The continuing good weather means I'll be visiting the golf course at least a couple times. I may make one last hurrah with raspberry picking later in the week. I'll be in the yoga studio almost every day in the week. I've been blessed with an invitation from the master of my Eau Claire Masonic Lodge to give a presentation about my travels at Tuesday's night meeting. Saturday is the second part of our Scottish Rite Fall Reunion which includes a banquet on Saturday evening. I'll also with my daily exercise program in an effort to restore my body to a better state of fitness! Fingers crossed that I have my first article ready for submission sometime in the week as well!!!
Comments
Post a Comment