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Adventure, Daily Bread, Nature, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 6.19.24: Thru-Hiking in Wisconsin

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Good morning.

Juneteenth in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a possibility of afternoon showers and a high of 87. Sunrise is 5:16 and sunset 8:36 for 15h 20m 23s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 93.2 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Lakes Advisory Committee meets at 3:30 PM, the Finance Committee meets at 5 PM, and the Parks & Recreation Board meets at 5:30 PM.

On this day in 1814, Fort Shelby is dedicated in Prairie du Chien:

During the War of 1812, Missouri governor William Clark recognized the location’s strategic importance and sent approximately 150 soldiers to build the fort. The fort did not remain in American hands for long; British troops with the assistance of 400 Indians took the fort on July 20th and renamed it Fort McKay. After the end of the war, the British burned the fort, but the Americans constructed another building at the site in 1816 and named it Fort Crawford.

On this day in 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Galveston, Texas are officially informed of their freedom. The anniversary was officially celebrated in Texas and other states as Juneteenth. In 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday in the United States.

While I’m a cyclist and not a hiker, there’s much to admire about dedicated hiking. That commitment is apparent from the hikers in Colleen Leahy’s story Thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail: Why some hikers become ‘thousand-milers’ in Wisconsin (‘Hiking the entire Ice Age Trail has exploded in popularity since the 2010s’):

Wisconsin’s own 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail was recently designated a National Scenic Trail. 

Since the 2010s, thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail has exploded in popularity. From 2012 to 2018, more than 100  people thru-hiked the trail — compared to 76 thru-hikers total in the first four decades of the trail’s existence.

The first-ever thru-hiker has been cited as Earl Shaffer, who hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 1948, 11 years after trailblazers finished building the trail from Maine to Georgia. 

Thru-hiking started to become more mainstream in the 1990s and really exploded after the 2012 publication of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.”

Still, why would someone choose to put themselves through the physical pain, dirtiness and occasional dangers that come with living outside for months at a time? 

Melanie Radzicki McManus, who set a record in 2013 for the fastest-known time thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail, joined WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” and explained how she felt throughout the hiking process. 

“When you get on a trail, all you have to do day after day is walk, eat, go to sleep,” she said. “It’s amazing how relaxing it is. I don’t think people spend enough time with themselves or their thoughts.”

Thru-hiking likely has similarities to multi-day riding, and if so, then one can see that thru-hiking would be relaxing.

Sound of Space Data: Crab Nebula Sonification:

Adventure, Daily Bread, Nature, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 5.25.24: Wisconsin’s Top Nature Destinations

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 73. Sunrise is 5:22 and sunset 8:21 for 14h 59m 34s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 95.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1787, after a delay of 11 days, the Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured.

Nature Nomads lists the top ten nature destinations in Wisconsin:

1. Devil’s Lake State Park – A hiker’s paradise with stunning bluffs.
2. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore – Kayak through mesmerizing sea caves.
3. Door County – Scenic lighthouses and charming coastal towns.
4. Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest – Endless trails amidst lush landscapes.
5. Horicon Marsh – A birdwatcher’s dream and a marshland of wonder.
6. Pattison State Park – Witness the power of Wisconsin’s highest waterfall.
7. Ice Age National Scenic Trail – Trace the path of glaciers over rolling hills.
8. Wisconsin Dells – Natural sandstone formations meet thrilling waterparks.
9. Rib Mountain State Park – Year-round fun with awe-inspiring views.
10. Perrot State Park – Canoe and hike where rivers and bluffs converge.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism draws a list of seven: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore,  Big Manitou Falls, Cave of the Mounds, Devil’s Lake State Park, Eagle River Chain of Lakes,  High Cliff State Park, and Horicon Marsh.

Meanwhile, among human designs, an SUV spontaneously combusts in a driveway:

Adventure, Daily Bread, Nature, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 4.14.24: Devil’s Lake State Park | West Bluff and Tumbled Rocks Trail

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Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 77. Sunrise is 6:12 and sunset 7:37 for 13h 24m 58s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 37 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 2003, the Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.

Devil’s Lake State Park | West Bluff and Tumbled Rocks Trail:

The Marks of Curiosity channel presents a trip to Devil’s Lake:

The West Bluff Trail is one of the best at Devil’s Lake State Park located near Baraboo, Wisconsin. This beautiful landscape has been carved by ice sheets from the last ice age and an awesome blue lake remains. Part of the Wisconsin State Park system, Devil’s Lake is one of the most popular in the state and for good reason. Swimming, hiking, rock climbing, and photography are just a few of the activities one can enjoy. Devil’s Lake include two sandy beaches named the North Beach and South Beach. Swimming, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving is popular at these locations. A 2.4 mile hiking loop can be combined from the West Bluff Trail and the Tumbled Rocks Trails.

Happy stories, including of 100 students who orchestrate a moving surprise for 99-year-old WWII veteran:

Adventure, Daily Bread, Faraway Places

Daily Bread for 2.18.24: CHASING LIGHTS IN THE HIMALAYAS

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 Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 40. Sunrise is 6:46 and sunset 5:30 for 10h 43m 54s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 69.7% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1930, Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft:

Elm Farm Ollie (known as “Nellie Jay” and post-flight as “Sky Queen”) was the first cow to fly in an airplane, doing so on 18 February 1930, as part of the International Air Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. On the same trip, which covered 72 miles in a Ford Trimotor airplane from Bismarck, Missouri, to St. Louis, she also became the first cow milked in flight. This was done ostensibly to allow scientists to observe midair effects on animals, as well as for publicity purposes. A St. Louis newspaper trumpeted her mission as being “to blaze a trail for the transportation of livestock by air.”

Elm Farm Ollie was reported to have been an unusually productive Guernsey cow, requiring three milkings a day and producing 24 quarts of milk during the flight itself. Wisconsin native Elsworth W. Bunce milked her, becoming the first man to milk a cow mid-flight. Elm Farm Ollie’s milk was sealed into paper cartons which were parachuted to spectators below. Charles Lindbergh reportedly received a glass of the milk.

Although Elm Farm Ollie was born and raised in Bismarck, Missouri, it is largely in the dairy state of Wisconsin where her fame has lived on.

Painting of Elm Farm Ollie by E.D. Thalinger in 1930 Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7506008

CHASING LIGHTS IN THE HIMALAYAS:

As we were in Nepal filming « Everest Green » documentary, about pollution in Kathmandu and the Himalayan mountains, we decided to make this short film, « CHASING LIGHTS IN THE HIMALAYAS », showing the incredible beauty of this country.

If you want more information about « Everest Green » : block8production.com/everest-green-en

Hungry moose goes grocery shopping in woman’s cart outside of store:

 

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Adventure, Daily Bread, Photography

Daily Bread for 1.14.24: The Mysteries

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 Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 2. Sunrise is 7:22 and sunset 4:45 for 9h 22m 36s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 13.5% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1952, NBC‘s long-running morning news program Today debuts.

The Mysteries:

The vision came to Krystle Wright in a dream: a bird’s-eye view of BASE jumpers in flight over a stark desert landscape. When she awoke, the adventure photographer resolved to make that vision into reality. And with that, the dream turned into an obsession — one that led her on a four-and-a-half-year journey of failed attempts, uncooperative weather, disappointments and inward examination. The Mysteries follows a tenacious, and perhaps crazy, quest to chase down an elusive image and provides a glimpse into the kind of singular passion that drives people to reach their goals, regardless of what stands in the way.

See also krystlewright.com and Krystle J. Wright on Instagram.

Volcano erupts near Reykjavik forcing evacuation of residents:

A volcano has erupted north of the south-western Icelandic town of Grindavik near the site of a previous eruption in December, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said. Seismic activity had intensified overnight and residents of Grindavik were evacuated at about 3am (0300 GMT) on Sunday, the Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported. “A crack has opened up on both sides of the dikes that have begun to be built north of Grindavik,” the MetOffice wrote. Live images showed jets of glowing orange lava spewing up against the dark winter sky. This is Iceland’s fifth volcanic eruption in two years, the previous eruption occurring on 18 December in the same region south-west of the capital Reykjavik.

Adventure, Cycling, Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 1.7.24: Blanco en Botella’s Re-Discover: One day trip on a gravel bike

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 Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 35. Sunrise is 7:25 and sunset 4:37 for 9h 12m 33s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 17.7% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1610, Galileo writes of his observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following night.

Re-Discover:

RE-DISCOVER – One day trip on a gravel bike from Blanco en Botella on Vimeo.

Family Dog Eats Nearly $4,000:

Adventure, Daily Bread, Nature, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 12.3.23: Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures | Northwoods

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 Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will see morning flurries with a high of 38. Sunrise is 7:08 and sunset 4:21 for 9h 12m 50s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 65.7% of its visible disk illuminated.

  On this day in 1947, the first TV station in Wisconsin, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, is established. The seventeenth television station in the country, WTMJ-TV was the first in the Midwest.

Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures | Northwoods:

Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures: Northwoods continues the celebration of our state’s natural landscapes. This exploration of Wisconsin’s northern forests, lakes, parks and natural areas takes the viewer to widely cherished locales as well as lesser-known secluded spots. Experience this panoramic compilation of our treasured ‘Up North’ wonders.

Pufferfish receives stress-free checkups by swimming onto platform:

A 12-year-old pufferfish at the Melbourne Zoo has learned to swim onto a platform, so that it can receive a health checkup.

Adventure, Daily Bread, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 11.26.23: Winter in Wisconsin – A Place Like No Other

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 Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will see light snow in the morning, followed by a mixture of clouds and sunshine, with a high of 33. Sunrise is 7:00 and sunset 4:23 for 9h 22m 55s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 99.3% of its visible disk illuminated.

  On this day in 1838, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature assembles in Madison for the first time:

[A]fter moving from the temporary capital in Burlington, Iowa, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature assembled in Madison for the first time. Two years earlier, when the territorial legislature had met for the first time in Belmont, many cities were mentioned as possibilities for the permanent capital — Cassville, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, Platteville, Mineral Point, Racine, Belmont, Koshkonong, Wisconsinapolis, Peru, and Wisconsin City. Madison won the vote, and funds were authorized to erect a suitable building in which lawmakers would conduct the people’s business.

Progress went so slowly, however, that some lawmakers wanted to relocate the seat of government to Milwaukee, where they also thought they would find better accommodations than in the wilds of Dane Co. When the legislature finally met in Madison in November 1838 there was only an outside shell to the new Capitol. The interior was not completed until 1845, more than six years after it was supposed to be finished. On November 26, 1838, Governor Henry Dodge delivered his first speech in the new seat of government.

We’ve had some snow today, and that’s sure to delight some but disappoint others.  Wisconsin offers myriad winter adventures. Sam Li’s Winter in Wisconsin – A Place Like No Other highlights some of our cold-weather offerings. Go ahead, lean in: 

The 3D printer that crafts complex robotic organs in a single run:

Adventure, Cycling, Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.3.23: Gravel

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 Good morning. Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 93. Sunrise is 6:22 AM and sunset 7:25 PM for 13h 03m 02s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 83.2% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1783, the representatives of the United States and Great Britain sign…