In an attempt to suck up as much "now" as possible and not freak out about the upcoming "now," I pumped myself up for a Memorial Day ride to remember. It was time for the 2nd Annual Country Drive-While-Avoiding-All-4-Lane-Or-Busy-2-Lane-Roads Road Trip with Lee and Ann! There is something just magical about not having any place to be, a tank full of gas, a bottle of Coke (without all that high fructose syrup) and a well-used gazetteer... just sitting three to a front seat and enjoying the day!
We drove south from Amherst on Cty A in search of the "secret road." Apparently, 15th Ave is probably known only to people who live on it and those in love with their gazetteer. It was revelicious! The trees hung over the road, hills, curves and all = perfect! People in Dakota love to wave. We felt welcome, friends! We made our way to Montello (pronounced: Mon-TAY-yo) and stopped for some stretching (three people in the front seat is both a blessing and a curse, folks!). Turns out, there is a granite quarry there that the granite for Grant's tomb was extracted from. Remember that for Trivial Pursuit: US Presidents Edition!
Our general goal was to make it to the Baraboo area for some "natural area exploration." I think it's a bit ridiculous that we have to label our "natural areas" so that we don't end up putting a highway or gas station up on accident there! Anyway, Abelman's Gorge was slightly over-rated, although this may have been fed by our fright in hearing that a bear had been sighted on the trail just last week. We were all a little behind on our bear handling skill courses! Pewitt's Nest (Hwy W west out of Baraboo) was just what we were looking for! It was a gorgeous gorge! Shady, beautiful river, stunning structures, and some good light hiking (let's not get carried away - it's a holiday, remember!). It was definitely a place to which I would and will return!
We headed down to Merrimac and with all our hearts, wanted to ride the free river ferry, but the line was too long and unlike what my opening paragraph suggests, we did have a place to be... so we forwent (word?) that adventure. Merrimac is magical. We'd like to come back.
At the end of it all: 268 miles. Tons of gorgeous gorges. Thoughtful conversation. Sweat. A couple of walking sticks. A few pictures. Awesome roads. A knowledgeable navigator. A faithful friend. An attentive driver (well, we did almost throw up all over each other toward the end!). Sun. And all around bliss. It was all it was cracked up to be!
Pictures may follow... eventually...
