building a dream

Wisconsin Take Two

.......after our first trip to Valley Ridge which you have read about we are back on the road to WI. Another opportunity to explore the country side and soak up all Valley Ridge has to offer, as well as spending some more time with the lovely Nina.

While Kim spent her days in class, I had the opportunity to wander around on two wheels explore the area and connect with myself. My days were filled with self exploration and my
evening spent with fun and laughter meeting new people and forging new friendships you will soon learn about as we proceed through the weekend. I will take you on a virtual tour of my weekend narrated by the pictures below.

I started my Friday ride in Barneveld on the Military Ridge trail en route to Blue Mounds State Park to hit the local singletrack.....singletrack trails are approx 18 inches in width usually mountain bike specific maintained by local volunteers. These trails were maintained by WORBA and were in great shape. (Wisconsin Off Road Bike Association)

Here is an example of the singletrack at Blue Mounds -- lots of roots and rocks keeps you on your toes!!This is a HUGE boulder just off the trail, you will see it again later.....
After a hot ride, I made it back to Barneveld about 18 miles total for the day, not a lot but enough when exploring on my own. My next stop was the New Glarus Brewery which was a priority this trip to pick up a case of Spotted Cow beer that one can not buy in Ohio.

The next surprise of this trip was the wonderful evenings we spent with Tracie and her husband Earl and Shari...who I like to call Shari Beaubini! We spent three evenings together telling stories, laughing and making sugar packets come to life. One would have thought we had all known each other for years....they all really made this trip special......and we get to see Shari again this weekend on a very random and spontaneous trip to Ann Arbor.

My biking adventures of day two took place at Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville - here is a view from the trailhead..just beautiful.

This park had so much to offer from wide open fields, to two lakes, to ravines and of course more large boulders as seen here with my bike. Never a dull moment.....But my day did end a little early with a flat tire...but I was close enough to the car that I didn't have to change the tube out on the trail.

Since I was done on the bike, I headed over to Stephen's Falls and took the short hike in...

Following my outdoor activities, I headed to Platteville which is about 20 west Mineral Point and 10 miles south of Valley Ridge. Here is a picture of the student center at UW-Platteville. I was interested in visiting campus as we played UW-Platteville in various softball tournaments during my collegiate career.

I arrived back at Valley Ridge each evening between 4:30 and 5:00 to pick up Kim and make plans with our evening plans with our dinner crew.

Sunday I spent most of the day simply hanging out at Valley Ridge doing absolutely nothing, something I have not done for a long time, well maybe never. Anyway, it was a great way to end these two journeys to Valley Ridge. I just love these pictures of Kim and Nina below -- they simply exemplify the love, laughter and sense of expression I experienced during my time here...

Monday was an extremely long and exhausting ride home but nothing, including our three hour trip through Chicago traffic will tarnish the experiences and memories I have from my first experiences at Valley Ridge. I can't wait to get back......

Now that you know what I was up to I'll share a few self portraits I took while entertaining myself throughout this weekend.....yes it was nice to have some time alone but as those of you who know me know I do not have that long of an attention span so here I am messing around here and there.......