We arrived in Cashton eager for a bite to eat, so we enjoyed a burger at Badger Crossing before resuming our drive by heading east on Hwy 33. We stopped at our freind Kathy Kuderer’s shop called Down a Country Road. Kathy always carries a nice selection of Amish wares – everything from Amish honey to quilts to hand crafted funiture.

Leaving Kathy’s business we drove east and north to our favorite Amish quilt shop, that of Laura Shrock. Laura and Andy have a farm and a quilt shop on Newport Road, and her inventory of quilts is mind-blowing. At any one time Laura usually has about 100 finished quilts in sizes ranging from full to king. We picked out a beautiful quilt at what we considered a real bargain price.

Great day, great road trip. We have made many trips to the Cashton Amish settlement and have purchased beautiful furniture and quilts. It is wonderful to witness the work ethic and humble lifestyle of the Amish.

Wyalusing State Park: located 10 miles south of Prairie du Chien, this is one of Wisconsin’s largest state parks. It includes more than 2600 acres of valley and bluff land that borders both great rivers. There are more than 100 campsites, 22 miles of hiking trails, canoe and kayak rentals.

Effigy Mounds National Monument: Operated by the National Park Service, Effigy Mounds lies just across the Mississippi River and five miles north. It offers 2500 acres of land, splendid bluff top hiking trails, and a rich Native American history. More than 200 burial mounds have been identified here and the visitor center contains museum exhibits and a wonderful video detailing the history of the area’s earliest inhabitants. A unique boardwalk takes you almost one mile through backwaters of  the Yellow River that flows through the park on its way to the Mississippi.

Villa Louis: Prairie du Chien is Wisconsin’s second oldest city, founded in the 1600′s by Joliet and Marquette at the end of their pathfinding travels from Hudson Bay to the Mississippi River. The Villa Louis was home to Wisconsin’s first millionaire family, the Dousmans. Now owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society this house is beautifully restored and excellent educational tours are offered. Many great events happen throughout the year on the grounds of this estate.

Fort Crawford Museum:  This National Historic Landmark sits on the site of the second fort built at Prairie du Chien. Fort Crawford guarded America’s western frontier beginning in the 1700′s. A minor battle in the War of 1812 was fought there and is commemorated yet today.

To the above you must add Mississippi River cruises, orchards, cave tours, a marina, a Mississippi River lock and dam, a winery, a micro brewery, good lodging and dining options, and interesting shopping. This part of Wisconsin is definitely worth a few days of exploration.

One of the nicest streams in the Soldiers Grove area is Tainter Creek. This creek meanders through woodlands, then through farm fields as it winds its 12-15 mile course to the Kickapoo River. The upper reaches of Tainter Creek are unimproved, meaning there are no “lunker” structures dug into the bank, below the surface of the water. Such structures are put in place by landowners and by Trout Unlimited to improve the surviveability of the trout. The trout can hide in these 20 foot long structures, protected from predators from above, and lie in wait for lunch or dinner to swim by. The lower five or six miles of Tainter Creek are wider, offer more open shoreline, and have been fitted with lunker boxes to aid the trout population.

One early summer day I left home just before noon to meet my guide in Towerville, at a very nondescript bar/lunch place. We first fished the lower part of the creek and I was thrilled to land two 19-inch brown trout. I was fishing with ultra-light spin tackle and was casting the smallest Rapala I had in my box. Later that afternoon the guide took me to the upper section of the creek and he put me in a 40 ft long, four foot deep hole that was full of 10-12 inch brook trout. I was throwing small spinners and the trout loved ‘em.

This was my first real success on the local streams. The guide was very helpful in choosing the parts of the stream to fish and the baits to use. For many trips and many years after that first trip, I was always confident in fishing these lovely streams of the Driftless Area. If you are a midwesterner, you don’t have to travel to Montana, or Colorado, or Idaho to find great trout fishing. It’s right here in Southwest Wisconsin.

The Driftless Area offers beautiful rural bed and breakfasts, places to call home for a couple of days while enjoying your loved one’s company. Curl up to your own fireplace and soak in a hot whirlpool tub. Be pampered at breafast with unique country cuisine prepared for just you, not for a noisy room full of diners.

If you choose your lodging wisely, you can hike right outside your door.  Whether it’s snowshoeing in the winter months, or hiking down private forested trails in the warmer weather. You may be dazzled by a palette of gaudy woodland wildflowers or serenaded by flock of early summer songbirds.

Most B&Bs offer lovely patio areas and some even offer large ponds with private gazebos and a babbling waterfall. Bring your loved one to the country. Relax, talk, feast you senses on all the beauty that surrounds you.

I was driving on Hwy 35 near the Lynxville dam a few days ago and in a 30 second drive by I counted five eagles. One day in December 2010 I crossed the Hwy 18 bridge traveling from Prairie du Chien to Marquette, Iowa. On that drive across the Mississippi and its backwaters I saw more than 10 eagles. These winter eagles congregate around any open water  to fish and enjoy lunch or dinner, maybe even breakfast. Eagles can be seen diving into the water and snatching a fish, or standing on the ice enjoying a meal, or circling overhead looking for a fish, or perched in a nearby tree just waiting their turn.

On Saturday, Feb 25, 2012, the Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Effigy Mounds National Monument (located in Iowa a few miles north of the Hwy 18 bridge) will sponsor Bald Eagle Appreciation Day. Activities will run from 9 am until 4:30 pm and will include a live raptor program, nature film, eagle photography, and a life size eagle nest replica. Outdoor viewing with spotting scopes will be offered. Prairie du Chien offers great dining and lodging, so come and make a day of it. Couple this with a trip to Cabelas Outdoor Store in Prairie du Chien, a long drive on Hwy 35 along the beautiful Mississippi River, or a drive eastward to the Kickapoo River Valley and the quaint villages of Crawford and Vernon Counties. Nice winter time in Wisconsin.

Southwest Wisconsin is particularly blessed with hundreds of cold water streams. This is the Driftless Area, a part of the midwest that was not glaciated during the last period of North American glaciers. This land was spared the glaciers and therefore it retained its rugged topography of repeated ridges and valleys. Karst geology underlies the Driftless Area and the porous sandstone and limestone rock spawns thousands of cold water springs that emerge on the hillsides and in the valleys. Between Viroqua and Boscobel, Wisconsin the springs combine and form a maze of streams that then find their way to the Mississippi, the Wisconsin, or the Kickapoo rivers.  

Superb trout fishing can be found in most of this area’s streams and small rivers: Knapp Creek, Tainter Creek, Reads Creek, Copper Creek, Citron Creek, Rush Creek, the Bad Axe River, the West Fork of the Kickapoo River, Sugar Creek, English Run, Mill Creek and many others. Brook, Rainbow, and Brown trout are found throughout these creeks. Many streams have been improved by Trout Unlimited and many streams remain totally natural.

Good dining and lodging is available. Tackle and guide service is available at the Driftless Angler Fly Shop in Viroqua. If you want a multi-species fishing trip, combine the stream time with time spent on the Mississippi River. On this section of the big river you will find big walleye, big northern, and big bass. In addition you will find that the Driftless Area scenery is just as good as the fishing.

The opening ceremony happens at 7pm on Saturday, Feb 3. Competition follows immediately and fireworks will entertain visitors in between rounds of jumping. From 9 pm until 1 am enjoy live music. Food and beverages are available on the grounds. On Sunday the competition resumes at 12:30 pm. Live music follows the jumping from 3 to 7 pm on Sunday.

Westby has a deep and persistent Norwegian heritage. Enjoy the city and surrounding areas. This is the Driftless Area and the countryside is a progression of ridges and valleys. Very good restaurants can be found in Westby, Viroqua, Readstown, and Soldiers Grove. The Mississippi River is a short 30 minute drive to the west. Clean motels and beautiful B&Bs are available for overnight lodging. Hike at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve or at Wildcat Mountain State Park. Drive along the Mississippi River and you will undoubtedly see many bald eagles that winter in this area.

This is a very special winter weekend in Southwest Wisconsin.

On Sept 10/11 travel to Prairie du Chien and the Villa Louis to enjoy the annual Carriage Classic. The Villa Louis is one of Wisconsin’s state historic sites. It is a beautifully restored Victorian house that was home to Wisconsin’s first millionaire family, the Dousmans. The Villa has a long history of horse breeding and elegance and the Carriage Classic will bring more than 100 beautifully restored carriages to the grounds for demonstrations of horsemanship and carriage driving.

Carraige Classic at Villa Louis

Then on Sept 17/18 enjoy one of the best art festivals in the entire state, the Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove. Eighty artists from across the Driftless Area will show their artwork – paintings, sculptures, pottery, woodcraft, photography, and jewelry. This juried art show will feature day long music performed by local musicians playing an eclectic mix of folk and bluegrass music that fits perfectly into the rugged landscape that surrounds the art festival grounds. 

While at the art festival sample local foods, wine, and beer as you stroll past the artists’ displays. Talk with the artists, all of whom make their home in one of the midwest’s more scenic areas. Stay for a few nights in a lovely B&B and maybe bring your fly rod along and spend some time in a local trout stream leaving your cares behind you.

Havin' fun at the Kickapoo Country Fair

Organic Valley is hosting its annual Kickapoo Country Fair at the OV headquarters premises in LaFarge, Wisconsin on July 30th.    The folks at OV call it a “picnic party” and are extending the invitation to all who hear to come and “eat, laugh and learn together”.  They wish to share this area, called a paradise by many, the Driftless Region of Southwest Wisconsin and the Kickapoo Valley.

The fair offers many interesting activities, but of course, is all about food, lots of food; locally grown or raised, fresh and organic.  There is plenty of food, as the Driftless Region boasts the largest concentration of organic farms in the U.S.

So get the family in the car and come on down to the Kickapoo Country Fair.  There is something for everyone; from nationally recognized guest speakers, to food and wonderful music, to  displays by local vendors and artisans.  Once you are here, you will see that there are many ways to have fun and experience the Driftless Region: canoeing, biking , hiking, horse trails, antiquing, and visiting the Amish shops.

Enjoy a delicious dinner, with organic or locally produced foods, at a country diner small enough to fit in most suburban living rooms. As evening deepens and the daylight fades walk to a gazebo that sits alongside a peaceful pond, listen to the frogs sing their night time serenade, and enjoy a glass of wine and bowl of cold, fresh strawberries for dessert.

Stay at an elegant country B&B. Allow the innkeepers to suggest daytime activities that will allow you to wander across a rural landscape as dramatic as any you will find in the midwest. Allow your eyes and mind to absorb a landscape of a hundred ridges and valleys, a myriad of cold, trout filled streams, and a patchwork of sculpted farm fields painted all shades of green. Drive roads that are never straight for very very long, but instead continually wind left then right as they navigate through the terrain of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area.

Spend a romantic weekend like this, and we think that you’l want to do it over and over again.