Posts Tagged ‘Southwest Wisconsin’
July 26th, 2011 by knapik
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.
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Tags: driftless region, Kickapoo Country Fair, Southwest Wisconsin
Posted in Around Soldiers Grove WI | Comments Off
February 18th, 2011 by knapik
We are only two weeks away from the opening day of catch-and-release trout fishing in Wisconsin – March 1. The southwest corner of the state has hundreds of cold water streams and trout fishing opportunities abound. The landscape in this corner of Wisconsin is that of the Driftless Area – rugged ridges and valleys that sit on a limestone/sandstone base. Cold, clear springs “pop up” along the hillsides and in the valleys and combine to form great trout streams. Native brook trout along with stocked rainbow and brown trout constitute this fishery.
Many of the Southwest Wisconsin streams pass through heavily wooded terrain. The wooded areas are not suited to farming and the scattered cabins and houses are few and far between. You definitely get the feel of being much more remote than you really are. Other parts of the stream do pass through agricultural land and as you gaze up from the stream you may see crops or livestock in the foreground and the ever-present wooded hills in the distance.
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Tags: driftless area, Southwest Wisconsin, trout fishing
Posted in Trout Fishing | Comments Off
January 10th, 2011 by knapik
Westby Wisconsin, located in the soutwest corner of the state only a half hour from LaCrosse, is home to an annual nordic ski jumping tournament. On February 4 and 5, 2011, the Snowflake Ski Club will host its annual “big hill” event. US and international jumpers will compete on a 118 meter hill. The jumpers approach 50 mph as they soar off the jump and down the hill. Many olympic jumpers use the Westby event as training for major worlwide jumping competition.
Snowflake Ski Club was founded in 1922 and it is one of only two remaining all-volunteer large hill ski jumping clubs in the Western Hemisphere. This is a tribute to the city of Westby (population 2000) and to the dedicated local volunteers. On Friday, February 4 there will be open training at night, under the lights. Following the jumping there will be live music and fireworks. The main competition will be held on Saturday, February 5 starting at noon. Live music will go throughout the day on Saturday. Snowflake Ski Club offers free admission to US military members.
Westby is located in Wisconsin’s famed Driftless Area and is a three hour drive from Minneapolis, about four hours from the Chicago western suburbs. Excellent lodging and restauarants can be found nearby.
Tags: driftless area, ski jumping, snowflake ski club, Southwest Wisconsin, winter in Wisconsin
Posted in Around Soldiers Grove WI | Comments Off
December 3rd, 2010 by knapik
On a chilly December afternoon we decided to make a half-day visit to La Crosse, WI. We wanted to enjoy dinner at one of the great restaurants there, but our biggest reason for going was to enjoy the Rotary Lights at La Crosse’s Riverfront Park. So we left Lonesome Hollow by 2 pm; arrived in La Crosse by 3 pm; did some shopping that just isn’t possible in Soldiers Grove; and went for a glass or two of wine to the Three Rivers Lodge restaurant located in the Radisson hotel. The Radisson sits right next to Riverfront Park and we sipped our wine while gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the park and the mighty Mississippi River that lay on the other side of the park.
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Tags: La Crosse, Rotary Lights, Southwest Wisconsin, winter, winter in Wisconsin
Posted in Around Soldiers Grove WI | Comments Off
November 19th, 2010 by knapik
On a beautiful, clear, early November day we drove from Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. We travelled north past Ferryville then crossed to the Iowa side of the Great River. Then north again into Minnesota. We were headed for Brownsville, Minnesota for a very special sight.
This is a special time of the year along the upper Mississippi River, near the tri-state area where Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota meet. Just south of the city of Brownsville, Minnesota in the extensive Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the Corps of Engineers has been rebuilding islands in the backwaters of the Mississippi. These islands were originally present when the river was dammed, but then gradually eroded over the subsequent 60 or 70 years. It turns out that those islands provided the perfect habitat for tuberous plants that offer a perfect diet to migrating swans.
Migrating Swans on the Mississippi
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Tags: birding, Brownsville, mississippi river, Southwest Wisconsin, tundra swans, Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin Birds
Posted in Wisconsin Outdoors | Comments Off
September 3rd, 2010 by knapik
One of the very best times of the year is approaching – Fall Color Season. The warm (and this year very wet) days of summer are coming to an end. Refreshing cooler temperatures make us excited to head back outdoors. The fragrant smell of decaying leaves fills the air.
For several reasons the fall colors are especially good in the Driftless Region of Southwest Wisconsin. The Driftless Area is very rugged and much of the land is heavily forested. Maple trees constitute about 50% of the Driftless Area trees and over time this percentage will increase (this bodes well for future maple syrup production as well). Also the terrain itself, a constant expanse of ridges and valleys, creates an environment in which there are wooded hillsides that face in every direction. This extends the time over which fall colors can be enjoyed. The south and west facing hillside will turn color first, followed by the east and north facing hillsides. Likewise the trees along many streams and along the Mississippi River will hold their leaves longer and produce fall colors after many other trees have disrobed themselves for winter.
Fall at Lonesome Hollow B&B
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Tags: Amish artisans, driftless area, Driftless Area Art Festival, fall colors, fall foliage, fall in Wisconsin, Gays Mills orchards, kickapoo valley, Southwest Wisconsin
Posted in Wisconsin Outdoors | Comments Off
June 14th, 2010 by knapik
The weekend of June 18-20 will be a busy one in Southwest Wisconsin. Four great events are scheduled.
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Tags: bald eagle cruise, Breakfast in a Victorian Kitchen, Dairy Days, driftless area, events, kickapoo valley, Midsummer Fest, Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center, Prairie du Chein, Southwest Wisconsin, Villa Louis
Posted in Around Soldiers Grove WI | Comments Off
April 20th, 2010 by knapik
Dutchman's Britches
Nora and I are fortunate to live in the Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin, a rugged area of bluffs and valleys, relatively few people, and incredible scenery. Not only do we get to live in this wonderful place, but we also can greet and host hundreds of guests each year at our Bed and Breakfast, the Inn at Lonesome Hollow. Our B&B offers 160 acres of mostly wooded hill and valley, many gardens, a large pond, and a completely undeveloped ridgetop woods/prairie.
Spring Beauty
On Sunday afternoon the temperature was in the mid 60s, the sun was shining brilliantly, and we found ourselves in the midst of the earliest spring either of us can remember. Temperatures have been above average ever since the beginning of March. Trees are leafing out at least two weeks ahead of schedule. Maple syrup season has come and gone and the morels will undoubtedly be here early this spring. We decided it was time to seriously check out the wildflowers in the woods on our ridge. We left the coziness of our valley and headed upward 300 ft in elevation to our ridgetop 80 acres. We are not expert at plant identification, but with the help of a Wisconsin Wildflower Guide we noted purple and yellow violets, bellwort, spring beauty, wood anemone, dutchmens’ britches, bloodroot, pussytoes, and Greek valerian.
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Tags: hiking, kickapoo valley, Southwest Wisconsin
Posted in Wisconsin Outdoors | Comments Off
April 16th, 2010 by knapik
Kickapoo River Canoeing
The 2010 canoeing season is now open on the Kickapoo River in Southwest Wisconsin. A leisurely paddle down the Kickapoo starting in either Ontario, Wisconsin or Rockton, Wisconsin will take you through some beautiful Driftless Area terrain complete with large limestone and sandstone rock outcroppings and some good trout fishing opportunities as well.
The Kickapoo River is a class 2 trout stream from Wilton to Gays Mills. Good spots to fish are the junctions where small streams flow into the Kickapoo. Right now all trout fishing is catch and release, and there is a week that is closed to trout fishing in early May as angling transitions into the regular season. From mid-May through the end of September trout season is fully open and you can catch your own dinner.
Don’t attempt to canoe the Kickapoo following heavy rain. Too much water is funneled quickly by the surrounding hills into this otherwise lazy river. But most of the time you can just relax, paddle slowly, and enjoy great scenery. If you float south from Ontario, you will pass through a corner of Wildcat Mountain State Park and past impressive limestone outcroppings. If you float out of Rockton, you will float through a long stretch of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, an 8600 acre parcel of public land (very much undeveloped) with great hiking and biking opportunities.
Spend two to six hours on the Kickapoo. Have a great local steak dinner. Lodge at one of the areas neat B&Bs, such as Inn at Lonesome Hollow. You’ll have a wonderful time.
Tags: Canoeing, canoeing Wisconsin, Driftless Wisconsin, kickapoo river, kickapoo valley, Southwest Wisconsin
Posted in Wisconsin Outdoors | Comments Off
December 9th, 2009 by knapik
Winter at Lonesome Hollow
It looks like the 2009/2010 winter will be another snowy one in Wisconsin. In SW Wisconsin, about 60 miles south of La Crosse, we are right now watching a big storm go through. There is already a foot of snow on the ground from this storm and 3-5 inches additional is forecast for later today. So, lets make lemonade from the lemons!
For those who are adventurous enough to go out into the snowy landscape, the rewards are many. There is nothing more quiet and more peaceful than a snow-filled forest. The normal quiet of a rural forest is rendered even quieter by the sound absorbing blanket of snow. Everything is fresh, and white, and invigorating. Animal lovers have access to the tracks of every critter that has recently passed before you on the trail. Signs of deer, rabbit, fox, turkey, coyote, and even an occasional bobcat will be there on the ground. Look also for signs of a hawk swooping down to the ground to grab an unsuspecting field mouse.
Snowshoeing at Lonesome Hollow
The Inn at Lonesome Hollow is a rural bed and breakfast located half way between Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. Accommodations include B&B rooms, suites, and a cabin. All units have a gas fireplace to warm up over after a few hours in the woods. Four of our units have whirlpool tubs for you to soak away any residual chill. Enjoy a hot breakfast guaranteed to fill you up; dine at a great pub only four miles away; or order a take out meal from the pub’s menu and we will pick up your dinner for you.
The Inn offers complimentary use of snowshoes for use on the four miles of trails at Lonesome Hollow or at one of five nearby state parks. Visit www.lonesomehollow.com to see hundreds of photos of our 160 acre property. We off special internet winter rates to make your stay economical as well as enjoyable.
Pete and Nora
Tags: Silent Sports, snow, Snowshoeing, Southwest Wisconsin, winter, winter in Wisconsin, winter recreation, Winter Sports, wisconsin snowshoeing
Posted in Wisconsin Outdoors | Comments Off
A Day in Wisconsin's Amish Country
Prairie du Chien Attractions
A Great Day of Wisconsin Trout Fishing
