Trip # 5, Wine, apples, cheese, and donuts?
Obstacles do not block the path; they are the path.
-Zen proverb
I am so glad to be writing this. We weren’t sure if there would be another one of these trips this year, but we made it happen.
A quick update regarding our bump in the road: Wanda recently completed her third course of radiation therapy. This time it was five daily treatments on her hip for a painful area where the cancer had spread. These treatments are for pain control, and thankfully, they are effective. I am happy to say she is much better, pain-wise, which allowed us to do this latest trip. And after a three-week delay due to the “business” aspect of medicine in America, she also recently started on her new medication. Like all these medications, the possible side effects are serious, but so far, so good. Fatigue, significant at times, is her primary issue.
We continue to try to be philosophical about all this. We consciously realize the value and finite nature of time and live life looking through that lens. I view such awareness as a gift, and we try to share it with others. We accept what is given to us and do everything possible to be grateful and stay in the moment. But maybe the best part of all this stuff is everything means more- sunrises, sunsets, the simple and profound joy of seeing her wake up bleary-eyed with wild hair, and being able to give her that morning hug, thanking her and God for another day together.
Fall is always bittersweet, but more so this year. On the one hand, it is my favorite season, and when I lived in more southerly climes, I went into a depression every October because I was missing it, knowing it was happening somewhere without me. It is a profoundly beautiful, spiritual, and emotional time of year. But this year, while excited to see the colors and feel the chill, I don’t want this incredible summer to end, and I find myself struggling to hold on to the living dream it so often was.
The morning of our departure, we woke up to quite a sunrise.
(Picture taken from our living room balcony).
Later, on a warm, hazy day, our first stop was Burr Oak Winery in New Lisbon, WI., about 70 miles from home.
We camped in a quiet and pleasant spot adjacent to the vineyard and next to an old barn.
We had a good time tasting wines with this couple from Georgia. We are not big wine drinkers, but we enjoyed the experience and bought a bottle of cranberry dessert wine to enjoy during the holidays.
The winery sits on a beautiful piece of property, which we were free to explore to our hearts content.
Smoke from wildfires in Montana and Idaho made for a lovely, somewhat otherworldly sunset.
In the morning, while we were packing up, the owner of the winery came out and gave us these freshly picked tomatoes and basil. We bought some farmers cheese (a soft, creamy white cheese much like mozzarella) at our next stop and made an amazing Caprese salad. The tomatoes with the orange striations were incredibly sweet and flavorful.
Our next stop was Sunrise Orchards in Gays Mills, WI.
Established in 1913 and sitting on a beautiful 225 acres, Sunrise Orchards grows 21 varieties of apples and produces 150,000 bushels of fruit per year.
We set up across the street from the store in a pretty spot on a hot and windy day. The wind was a clue that, weather-wise, things would soon be changing.
Honeycrisp was the variety primarily featured while we were there, which was great because it is our favorite.
In Door County, cherries were the focus, and here it was obviously apples. Apple butter, apple sauce, apple cider, caramel apples, etc. But I went further with some fantastic sweet pickled whole-clove garlic and locally made bacon salsa. Yep, salsa made with bacon. It’s genius! Note the barn quilt on the wall.
The fall color is just starting to become apparent out there. The orchard sits in what is known as the driftless area of Wisconsin, which in my opinion, is the prettiest part of the state, with Door County running a close second. The region was spared glaciation during the last ice age leaving it with steep and rolling hills, deep ravines, and numerous creeks and streams. Even though we will have plenty of fall colors where we live, the hilly terrain of the driftless adds another level of drama and beauty. Every time you round a corner on one of the countless twisting roads, another postcard moment presents itself, with old barns and silos tucked away into the myriad nooks and crannies, cows grazing on the green hillsides above. I don’t have many good pictures of it though; the skies were not ideal due to the smoky haze, and it’s not easy to pull over on a whim on a two-lane road with a 7000 lb. trailer to get that perfect pic. Because it is less than two hours from home, we plan on returning without the trailer this autumn to see the colors and hopefully get some good pictures.
But let's face it, this is the real reason we came- apple cider donuts. These are the only donuts we eat all year and are stupid good (they are available at any self-respecting apple orchard, of which there are many.) We only bought a half dozen because we knew we'd have probably eaten them all if we went with the full monty.
After going Homer Simpson on the donuts, Wanda got down to some postcard writing. Some people have asked what the inside of our trailer is like, so here are some pictures taken on a sunny afternoon.
It’s pretty rough out there, with a full-sized queen bed with a Serta memory foam mattress, heated recliners, a large fridge, 2 TVs, and a nice big bathroom. From the beginning I vowed that if we did this, she would be as comfortable out here as she is at home. I think we got pretty close.
This was the view out our screen door of the orchard and the rolling hills beyond. Imagine this all dressed up in fall colors. The hardwood forest was as thick and healthy as any I have seen.
This little park was right outside our door and was a perfect place for Wanda to have a long conversation with her daughter on her birthday.
As the orchard closed for the day and the parking lot emptied, clouds began to roll in.
In the morning, we awakened to cold, wind-driven rain. The temperature dropped precipitously from 85 degrees the previous day to a high of 57. Not unusual for this time of year, as summer and winter begin to battle it out in the season we call autumn, but it sure impacts the camping experience. We had some coffee, resisted the urge to buy more donuts, and drove in the pouring rain to our next stop 30 miles to the north.
Nordic Creamery, Westby, Wisconsin
We were a little disappointed to learn that this location was a retail store and that the dairy cows and production operation were located 8 miles away; we always like to see the animals and how things are done. Anyway, we set up behind some abandoned buildings that were part of an old cattle breeding complex. It had a creepy, haunted feel, made more so by the wind whistling and moaning through the empty spaces. When I mentioned this to the young woman working in the store, she said she always thought that and wouldn't go back there alone- "back there" being right where she told us to camp.
During a break in the rain, Wanda and George had great fun exploring the overgrown ruins.
The view to the west was nice and would be amazing on a bright blue sunny day.
The break in the rain was over soon enough. Here you can see a line of pouring rain coming toward us; it reached us in about 30 seconds and was torrential.
Nordic Creamery is known for its award-winning butter, available in various varieties and flavors, including this Goat Butter. It tastes like you think it would; think butter with more than a hint of goat cheese mixed in. Let’s just say it’s interesting.
This was the first real weather (other than passing thunderstorms, which never last long) we have had to deal with, and it revealed a weakness- solar power doesn't work that well when it is cloudy for any length of time. Our batteries were dying, and we figured they would be flat by morning, meaning we would have no fridge or heat, and it was raining too hard to put out the generator. Already wet and cold, we sat there contemplating our predicament, knowing things would worsen by morning. Having always been aware that "adventures often suck when you're having them," we decided we didn't want to participate in this particular "adventure." I remembered there was a Boondockers Welcome host nearby and decided to message him to see if he had any room at the inn, the inn being his driveway. And though he was out of town, he messaged back promptly and offered to let us stay at his place and use his power.
Jay and Cathy are their names, and this is their driveway. Amazingly, it was no more than 3 minutes from where we were. He had RV power outlets outside his garage, and we plugged in and got the heat, fridge, and TV working so Wanda could catch up on the news about the Queen's passing. Wanda loved the Queen.
The view from their driveway was not bad.
As we headed east in the direction of home, where we were going to spend a couple of nights in a campground, we happened upon this parade. Well, to be more accurate, the streets in this little town were closed for a parade, and we were stuck. We spoke to a very kind police officer who assured us there was no way around it with a rig our size. Recognizing that it's pretty challenging to execute a U-turn in a rig that is 50 ft. long, we resigned ourselves to the delay and accepted his invitation to park it and enjoy the festivities. And we are so glad we did. We would never have had this experience if we'd gone another way or chosen to sit in the truck impatiently waiting and looking at our phones. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and at times was even moving. The lesson is that good things happen when you simply take what life gives you. In a related story, Wanda loves bagpipes, George, not so much.
(Little known Royal fact- George is named after Prince George because he was rescued the day the prince was born).
There are two ways to know you are in Amish country. One is the presence of these signs. The other you can find on the road as a byproduct of using this organic form of horsepower.
It’s not every day you have an Amish buggy trying to pass you on the left.
Our truck has 375 horsepower; he has two. He managed to pass us anyway.
As is our custom, we stayed at a campground close to home for a couple of days to empty our tanks, re-supply with fresh water, and clean the trailer, getting it ready for another adventure. At this point, it doesn't look good for any more long Harvest Hosts trips this year, colder weather is not that far off, and there are just too many appointments and obligations. We hope to do some short trips to local state and county parks to immerse ourselves in the upcoming show of autumnal color, and as was said, another trip to the driftless is desired, so this year's fun is not entirely over, but it is sadly winding down.
It leaves us joyful and a tad melancholy at the same time. We are so happy we did this and thankful for all the memories, experiences, places, and people we have encountered over these short three months. We are bummed it couldn't last longer; there is so much to see and do still, and if things were different, we'd head south and keep doing it. It strikes me as analogous to life in general; we will always wish the good times, the time spent together, and our lives could last just a little longer. But we have no control over that. We do have control over getting up, getting out there, and doing something our hearts truly desire, preferably without having to become seriously ill to realize we can and should do it.
Thanks again for joining us on this journey. It has truly been an honor to document this for all of you and for us as well. I assure you, we can feel your presence.
With Love,
Scott & Wanda
Summer's going fast
Nights growing colder
Children growing up
Old friends growing older
Freeze this moment
A little bit longer
Make each sensation
A little bit stronger
Rush- Time Stand Still