My girlfriend Katie recently bought me two panier bags for my road bike. After I got a rack for the back of the bike, I was daydreaming of the faraway places I could tour. But because I had only ever ridden for short distances in the city, I still had many questions: Would my 20-year-old… Read More »
I headed up on Sunday with some folks in the Hoofers Mountaineering Club to go bouldering at Rib Mountain in Wausau, WI. Rib Mountain was closed to bouldering in 2003, but was just reopened a few weeks ago, so we were excited to check it out.
The boulders were right next to the lookout
I spent a recent weekend with 7 friends climbing at Jackson Falls in the Shawnee National Forest of southern Illinois. I had no idea there was an actual forest with hills and cliffs in Illinois. I always thought the state consisted of Chicago and a bunch… Read More »
I met a couple of friends last week for an afternoon of bouldering at Governor Dodge State Park. For the uninitiated, bouldering is climbing without a rope, but you use a mattress called a “crash pad” in case you fall. Most boulder “problems” are only 10-15 feet high, but sometimes they can be 20 feet… Read More »
Recently I got to go ice climbing for the first time near Madison. Tying in and belaying were basically same as rock climbing, but there were tons of differences. Here's some of the stuff I liked and disliked versus rock climbing:
Good
– Huge reaches. You're allowed to – no, encouraged… Read More »
The coldest invasion known to CouchSurfing was upon us in Duluth, MN. This year's highlights included a walk through Pattinson State Park to see the frozen Little Manitou Falls and a mineral-laden river, a potluck at an art gallery, a walk on… Read More »
The Hoofers Outing Club in Madison does an annual cross-country ski trip in Delta, which is kind of between Hayward and Ashland, but really in the middle of nowhere. They must do something well, though, because this was my third time going there. On the drive up I listened to Fear and Loathing in Las… Read More »
I spent a few days in Chicago at the end of November. It's a huge city that's only a few hours from Madison, yet I don't get there very often for some reason. Probably because I've been focused on the natural world for the last few years.
For this Chicago visit, I didn't have any… Read More »
I've lived in Madison for over four years, and while I've driven to nearby Devil's Lake dozens of times, I had never stopped at nearby Dr. Evermor's. That all changed when I got together with some friends, including a CouchSurfer from Chicago, to have a tea party at the Forevertron.
Many people had told me… Read More »
Katie and I drove out to Spring Green to check out a shitty barn session. It's basically a concert inside a barn with no stage. They only sell about fifty tickets per show, so you're guaranteed a great seat. Another cool thing is that they have grills with hot… Read More »
