The First Two Days of an Incredibly Eventful Week, Part 1

I'm discovering fairly quickly that my ability to detach myself from work, after work hours, decreases the likelihood that I will spend an evening writing about my field adventures and reliving the work day! But I've got a lot to write about this week, so suck it up, Reetzie!!

Monday was eventful, to say the least. I was all mentally set for a sojourn in the Northwoods in Eagle River, Vilas County. I was FINALLY going to explore a bit of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the land of expansive woods and Finnish heritage -- YOOP! Well, that didn't happen, the construction schedule changed, and a last minute scramble sent me hopping around Western Wisconsin to some old stomping grounds.

Buffalo County was first on the agenda. This is one of my favorite places in Wisconsin, so I was happy to head that way. En route, we stopped at Ginny's Cupboard in Sparta for lunch. I'll rarely miss an opportunity to stop at Ginny's when I'm going through the area or at home visiting friends and family. Milkshakes = phenomenal; coffee = supreme; cheddar potatoe soup = the best!! Ginny's has also become a crew favorite over the past three years when we've been in the area. Sparta, represent!

In Buffalo County, we spent the afternoon doing our research and tried to catch some of the shops in the town of Alma before they closed. We weren't too successful, with it being 5pm on a Monday and all, but the weather was gorgeous, and it was great to walk around accompanied by the scents of lilacs, fresh cut grass, and charcoal grills. Alma was definitely a cool place to explore... scenic, historic, Mississippi, bluffs, and streets that are actually stairways. I imagine the residents of Alma get plenty of exercise...










There weren't any rooms at the hotels in Alma, so we ventured back to Fountain City for a stay at the Hawk's View cottages. I'd stayed in one of the lodges in 2006 and have been waiting for an excuse to get back ever since. They didn't disappoint! After checking in and having dinner and a caramelly pint of Fountain City Irish Valley Spring Bock at the Monarch Public House, we headed up the zig zagging Fountain City streets to the cottage parking area. Our cottage was Cooper's Hawk, which required a 117-stair climb up the bluff to the highest cottage. That definitely got the heart pumping, but it was well worth it! Bluff top trees, birds, sun, porches, sky lights, and a bottle of wine from their vineyard. I conquered the stairs twice more, for exploring, and then the sunset and a sauna.












A Finnish-style wood sauna, ahhhhhhh. It made me miss Finland. Why don't all Americans have saunas? It should be a required part of culture in the northern states; it just seems fitting.