A Bloy and his Blog

Last night I went with some of my family to watch Rhythm & Booms from the other side of Lake Mendota (along Observatory Drive). The fireworks display was pretty good, and it was fun being outside on a beautiful evening. While listening to the radio before the show (the display is choreographed with music over the radio), we heard the announcer say it was the “largest annual event in Wisconsin.” I beg to differ.

It was another gorgeous summer day today, so I returned to Mendota, and went for a long bike ride along the lake. One of my favorite places to ride in Madison is where the bike path runs along the lake shore in the middle of the U.W. campus.

I ended up biking for most of the afternoon. I stuck to the shore as best I could, riding through where the rich people live, and made it up to the northern side of the city.

After I got home, I decided it had to be one of the best rides I’ve done this year.

About two miles north of where I was camping last week, was the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.

read the rest of: Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge

Yesterday I returned home from a camping trip to northern Wisconsin. My goal for this trip was to explore some of the bike trails in Vilas County that run through the Northern Highland – American Legion State Forest.

read the rest of: Biking the north woods

Yesterday I returned from a camping trip to Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. One of the reasons I like to go there is the park has 20 miles of the best biking trails in Wisconsin. When you bike along the lakeshore and through the woods on those trails you can understand why Peninsula is one of the most popular parks in the midwest. I was fortunate to have excellent weather while I was there and was able to hit the bike trails every day.

read the rest of: Camping at Peninsula State Park

Right now where I live we are in the middle of Indian Summer. It’s tough for me to name a favorite season, but days like today make me think it might be autumn. I was lucky enough to have the day off and with the weather being so nice, I got out my bicycle this afternoon and rode through the beauty of autumn here in Wisconsin. While riding through one of the nearby parks in the area I spotted a great blue heron wading in one of the park’s ponds. I am always amazed when I see wildlife like that in the middle of the largest metropolitan area of the state.

Yesterday I went on my first bike ride of 2003 (and it’s still officially winter here in Wisconsin). Temperatures this weekend were in the balmy mid-60’s which forced me to dust off my bike and head outside. I rode for about an hour yesterday and about an hour and a half today. I’m sure my leg muscles will be feeling it tomorrow — not to mention my bum.

As I was riding along the Milwaukee County Parks Oak Leaf Bike Trail I was thinking about how fortunate I was to live close to such a nice trail. I hear a lot of people complain about paying property taxes, but what about the benefits that come from tax revenue? I’m happy to pay my share in taxes if I also have access to a beautiful parks system and other things that enhance the quality of life in my community. That’s money well spent in this biker’s opinion.

Sometimes I feel lucky to live where I do. Tonight after supper I took myself outside and hopped on my bicycle. Just a short three blocks away and I’m riding along a parkway, more specifically on the Oak Leaf Trail here in Milwaukee County. Just a few miles later and I’m pedaling along the part of the Oak Leaf Trail that goes through Grant Park — one of my favorite bike trails to ride on. On this section of the trail you ride through numerous combinations of woods (including a few with a delicious pine scent), open grassland and along bluffs with beautiful views of Lake Michigan. While cruising along tonight I was fortunate to see a beautiful sunset in the west and a blue heron sitting with his head high in the middle of a pond. And to think I was considering not going out for a ride tonight because it was too warm and muggy…