The Wandering Nana's are at it, again!

At Table Bluff where we started. #MammothHikeChallenge #HikingChallenge

 

Tuesday, October 12, 2021: Ice Age Trail - Table Bluff segment, Part 1

The weather today was cloudy, but no threat rain, so we decided to stick with our plan of hiking the connecting route between Indian Lake and Table Bluff. We had driven it previously to determine which direction we wanted to hike, and chose to go from the parking lot at the north end of Table Bluff to the Dog Park at Indian Lake, and if we still had energy to spare, move our vehicles and do the Table Bluff trail. The roads were lovely quiet roads with alternating views of farmland and forests. The colors are gradually changing, and because of our regular walks, we are able to enjoy observing the changes in small increments. Walking the countryside of Wisconsin and observing the working farms in addition to the flora and fauna is, mostly, one of the most peaceful things a body can do. Quilting is one of the past-times that Sue and I have enjoyed doing together, so seeing the barn quilts as we passed some of the farms along the way was an added treat.

 The only part that was less fun was the farm dog that insisted on barking at us as we passed "his" farm. I can't say we were "chased" because neither of us ran (being "dog-people" ourselves, we don't easily succumb to fear of them), but it took some scolding from Sue for the dog to realize it was time for him to go home. 

Being friends of many years, Sue and I always have things to talk about, and on this hike we discovered that we need to be mindful of where we are going. We definitely earned the "wandering" title in our trail name! It was unintentional, but we found it worth a good laugh! A hike that should have been about 4.8 miles including a .8 mile trek through a sweet little prairie ended up being closer to 7 miles. The "extended" version of the walk led to a change in plans, as we only completed the connecting route between the Indian Lake Dog Park and the Table Bluff parking lot, along with a small add-on of Halfway Prairie and the Matz Homestead, since we had not been certain that it was open the previous week when we did the connecting route between Springfield Hill and Indian Lake. A song that has been going through my head lately is  John Denver's "Annie's Song". While it is not necessarily a spiritual song, the first phrase, "You fill up my senses..." speaks to me of what God is doing as he moves me off the sofa and out to see and experience His creation. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." As I see his creation, I marvel at the magnitude of what that means, and am grateful to be a part of it.

Friday, October 15, 2021: Ice Age Trail - Table Bluff segment, Part 2

Since we did NOT finish the Table Bluff segment on Tuesday as originally planned, we came back to give it a second go, and did the connecting route into Cross Plains, as well. I smile now, as among the agreements Sue and I discussed when planning our joint venture on the Ice-Age Trail is that neither of us is all that fond of walking in the rain, so we would try to avoid it. The weather forecast for the day was "iffy", and we both ran into sprinkles on our way to meet at the Table Bluff parking lot, but since it wasn't raining when we got there, we set off on our trek with a measure of optimism. Well, more sprinkles did occur, though nothing like the downpours we know to be possible in Wisconsin. Maybe...just maybe...we are heartier than we give ourselves credit for! We still might be wusses when it comes to serious rain, but we survived Table Bluff and even got a kick our of the "mermaid". The final ascent from Table Bluff looks somewhat daunting, but the switchbacks made it a bit easier to navigate. We agreed that an "out-and-back" on this trail might be good preparation for the Devils Lake segment. 1 John 4:4 says, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." While there is a specific reference to what is being overcome in this scripture, it does not negate the thought that there is much for us to overcome in this world. We face obstacles often in this life that, in order to move forward, we must overcome. The steepness of the ascent from Table Bluff looks a little scary when you see it from below, but when you approach it from above and see the switchbacks, it becomes doable. How many times have you faced a hurdle in life that you had to overcome? Where did you turn when you needed help? By far, it has been the Lord who has directed the pathway of my life, and helped me to overcome. I would encourage you, reader, to look to him in your times of need, as well.

Ice Age Trail - Springfield Hill Trail and our first Connecting Route

 

Tuesday, October 7, 2021 - Sue and I choose to bite off a segment we thought we could succeed at. 

So far, 5 - 6 miles is about what we expect to do, and hope to build on that. Since we are hiking together, we parked one car at Indian Lake, and then drove to the Springfield Hill Trail and did that loop first, and then worked our way south back to Indian Lake. We drove the route ahead of time to determine if we would walk the connecting route north to south or south to north. We have both, at different times in our lives, done hiking in other places, but Springfield Hill was a new place for both of us. It has some inclines, but the 1.6 miles seemed to go pretty fast, even for a couple of Wandering Nana's (one of which - me - is a slow walker). We enjoyed the boardwalk and the historic barn that actually had a sign explaining its' history.

One thing I had not taken into consideration before deciding to do the Ice Age trail is the connecting routes. The trail includes many actual trails through parks, woodlands, and private land but they are not all connected, so there are "connecting routes" that involve walking along roadsides. The connecting route between Springfield Hill and Indian Lake goes along Hwy 12 in Dane County for a short ways, which can be quite busy at times. We are pretty green when it comes to figuring out how best to navigate these connecting routes, so we ended up walking along Hwy 12 until we could cross the road to get to Matz Road. We stayed several feet off the road, which meant wading through some knee-high grass in places. When we reached to point where we needed to cross the road, it looked like there was a mown trail to that point, but we didn't see the start of the trail earlier, so not sure if it is part of the connecting route. The benefit of moving slower was enjoying the panoramic scenery as well as the asters along the stone ditch. Matz road took us most of the way to Indian Lake. It was a lovely walk, but definitely hills to navigate. The trees in south-central Wisconsin are starting to turn colors, so we got to enjoy that, as well. The cows even cheered us on to "moooo-ve" along, which we happily did.

After our walk, I spent some time meditating on what God might have for me, and the scripture that immediately came to mind is Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." I have no illusions that God is going to miraculously turn all of the curves (and hills!) on the Ice Age trail into straight paths though it seems reasonable to me to believe a God that is powerful enough to create the universe can do that. However, I also believe that He is the one who is ultimately in control of the path of my life. That path has not always been pleasant, but some of the hardest times have also been the times when I have experienced the most growth. Sometimes it is spiritual growth and sometimes emotional or mental growth. I believe all are necessary if we are to live lives worth living.

Hi! It's me, again! On to a new adventure!

 Life in the past few years has taking some twists and turns that included another hiatus from blogging, but, here I am, again, and excited to be here! I am probably stating the obvious when I say that 2020 brought a lot of unexpected changes - and that probably is true for many of you, as well. After three years of serving as Airbnb hosts, the pandemic brought that to an abrupt halt. Shortly after that, Norm and I looked at each other and said, "I think it's time to sell the house." That was the sum total of the conversation that led to selling our house and buying a condo in a nearby small town. It is a great fit for us at this time in our lives, and we're very happy about it. 

I've written before about dealing with my health journey. This has included efforts at different times to get a grip on weight-gain. After four Whole30's, which dealt with non-scale victories but weight loss that never exceeded 4 pounds, I determined that I was finished with the Whole30 journey. However, this last March I reached a breaking point. I couldn't find one pair of pants in my closet that I could comfortably button. One prayer I prayed at that time was that God would give me the victory over a spirit of gluttony that I seemed unable to control. Proverbs 23:1-2 says, "When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." It seems apparent to me that if we should exercise self-control in this area before rulers (or those in charge of leading us), that it would be good practice when we are in any other circumstances, as well. Also, I wanted to eat as healthy and as much whole foods as possible, as well. With a health history that includes diabetes and heart disease, I chose to give JJ Virgins Sugar Impact Diet a try. For the first time in 20 years - and having tried many other "diets" - I finally found an eating program that works for me. Notice, I did NOT use the word "diet", as that suggests something temporary that is not sustainable. I need to find a way of eating that I can sustain over the long haul. I can't say that I will continue with this forever, as I also took a break from this for 4 weeks in July and switch gears to do Dr. Alan Christianson's Metabolism Reset Diet, which is essentially a liver detox program, and is not recommended for more that 4 weeks in a 3-month period. I also started walking. If you've read any of my earlier blog posts, you know I have a dog, Nala. She and I have walked at least 15 minutes most days since I got her 13 years ago. That has led to some "non-scale" victories, but not to weight-loss. Since April 2021, she and I have upped our game, so now we walk at least a mile a day, and I walk at other times without her, too. (She is 13 years old, after all!)

The Wandering Nana's

One thing I have sensed lately is the Lord leading me to take on hiking the Ice Age trail here in Wisconsin. I have often considered the Christian life a journey, and this seems to be the next step in my life's journey. A recent scripture I read confirmed that to me. Psalm 84:5 says "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage." Just as I have learned some things about the relationship with God as my father/parent by raising children, I believe God has something to show me about my spiritual journey with Him by taking a physical journey. I mentioned my plan to walk the Ice Age trail to Sue, my friend and walking buddy, and asked if she would consider joining me. My initial goal was to start in April 2022, with the thought that I would have time to build up my hiking endurance, but our recent walks have increased in length so that we walked 5 miles on a recent hike. As a result, we decided that  Monday, September 27, 2021, would be our inaugural hike of the Ice Age Trail.

We walked the 2.9 mile segment at Indian Lake, near where we live. It was a gorgeous day - sunshine and a perfect 73°. The hike is considered "intermediate level" with inclines to navigate, and  I found myself huffing and puffing, but I did it, and it felt great! We did the 2.9 mile segment through the park, and then took a trail along the edge of the lake to return to the parking area, so ended up walking nearly 5 miles. We came up with a "trail name", as that seemed like a cool thing to do, so if you see us on the trail, we are the "Wandering Nana's". We are looking forward to adventuring together and meeting fellow travelers!

The colors are just starting to turn.

Quilt Square on a shed

Part of the trail at Indian Lake

Another Great Day!

I'm sitting in the Gaither's Special Country concert, and thinking what a fantastic day it has been, and how fast the week seems to be flying by. The fiddler just played "The Orange Blossom Special" and burned it up. Joyce Martin sang "Nine to Five", and could easily give Dolly a run for her money. Levi Bowman, son of Becky Isaacs Bowman had the crowd as singing along on "Back Home, Again". Adam Crabb could make you cry when he croons Hank Williams "Whippoorwill".

This is the icing on the cake on a day that has already been filled with sea kayaking, fudge that was made here in Alaska, another afternoon, concert, and another excellent dinner in the main dining room. Like I said, "such a great day."

Cruising the Tracy Arm Fjord

Here is a small taste of some of the grandeur we have witnessed on this trip. This is Sawyer Glacier. On Tuesday we cruised into Tracy Arm, and this is a part of what we saw. The landscape here in Alaska is quite rugged, and stunning scenery abounds. Yesterday we got off the ship in Juneau and took the Glacier Express bus up to Mendenhall Glacier. The first thing we saw was a mama black bear with her cub, fishing for salmon. Then we walked up to Nugget Falls and spent a couple of hours soaking in the beauty and taking pictures. After that we hiked back down to the Visitors Center where Norm was happy to be able to purchase His senior Federal Park pass. We saw a short movie that described details about the Mendenhall Glacier, and viewed a few dioramas with the same theme. By then we were getting tired and hungry, so we went back to the drop point and caught the next Glacier Express bus back to the dock.

Lunch was found at Tracy's Crab Shack, and was a fun experience, if pricey. We shared a "number 1" which included a king crab leg, an order of crab cakes, and crab bisque. We were both pretty hungry, so we took the option of adding a second leg to the order. The crab was succulent, and nearly melted in our mouths. After we were done, Norm agreed that it was worth the cost.

Last night was not a music night, but Andy Andrews was the featured guest speaker, and he had some good things to say. Stay tuned...more to come, later.

Gaither Cruise - It's more awesome than we could have imagined!

We are into the second full day of cruising, and it has been amazing! We have already had four concerts, and each one is better than the one before. We've seen the Gaither Vocal Band, The Martins, The Isaacs, Charlotte Ritchie, Wesley Pritchard, Gene MacDonald, Buddy Green, Reggie and Ladylove Smith, Russ Taff, Angela Primm and motivational speaker Andy Andrews. All of the artists are so personable. I've had personal conversations with Ladylove Smith, Angela Primm, and Jonathan Martin and enjoyed having an opportunity to talk to them a little bit. I also shook hands with Adam Crabb (GVB), and said "hi" to Becky Isaac Bowman - who I saw on the Lido deck the very first day of the cruise.


Our staterooms seem spacious, and the food is wonderful. Last night was our first Gala night, and it was fun to see all of the ladies and gentlemen dressed up in their finest. We have another concert early this afternoon noon, and then this afternoon around 3:00 pm we should enter the Tracy Arm. We're hoping for more photo op's. Lunch will be a salmon bake by the Lido pool, today.


Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be our first port day, when we pull into Juneau. Norm and I are planning to hop on a shuttle and go up to Mendenhall Glacier and take pictures (you're all so surprised, right?).


This had definitely been the trip of a lifetime, so far. Will try and report in, again, later in the week.


Blessings to all!

Gaither Alaskan Cruise - 48 hours and counting!

It's almost here, and I am so excited, I can hardly stand it. Planning has been going on for months, and to have the countdown down to 48 hours seems unbelievable. I have my checklist for what to pack finely tuned, and started putting clothes in the suitcase last night. Just a few things left to pickup at the local discount store, and the shopping will be done. It's going to be great! Can't wait!