All posts by Jonathan
Feeding time
Striking a pose
Tunnel ahead
From the Badger State Trail. Because this 1/4 mile tunnel is built on a curve, you cannot see the other end when you first enter. Complete darkness envelopes you until about half way through. Don’t forget your bike light!
Ghost bike
Here’s a sobering sight to come across while biking.
A bicycle painted white, left as a memorial to the victim of a fatal biking accident.
Glowing rose
Soft light from the early evening sun, striking a colorful rose at just the right moment.
Rays of light
Yesterday evening I biked around Lake Monona. During the entire ride, my eyes kept being drawn to the sunbeams in the sky.
Orange hawkweed
You see a lot of orange hawkweed in northern Wisconsin. I love the deep orange color, but sadly it’s an invasive species (also known as the devil’s paintbrush) that crowds out native vegetation.
Biking the Bearskin
I took advantage of the one day that was rain-free in northern Wisconsin last week, and went biking on the Bearskin State Trail.
Mosquitoes and rain
If I could sum up my camping vacation last week with two words it would be these.
I have never experienced mosquitoes as bad as I did last week in northern Wisconsin. The heavy winter snowfall, late melt, and abundant spring rains created perfect conditions for mosquitoes and biting flies. They were relentless. I even heard that 70-80% of loons in northern Wisconsin are abandoning their nests because of the heavy infestation of black flies. Thankfully I had two good things going for me: a tent with a screen room, and some interesting bug repellent my nephew’s wife gave me to try. Made with only natural essential oils, it did work pretty well. I actually came home with less bug bites than I have from past trips when the bugs weren’t so bad. However, because there were so many bugs around, it really didn’t do anything to prevent them from buzzing around your head, in your ears, and trying to bite where the repellent wasn’t applied (like the top of your head). Trying to cook was the worst, as mosquitoes are attracted to the heat and gasses from running the camp stove.