Population & Geography Data

• US Census Data Access Tools
  Starting point for accessing data sets in the US Census.
  
• US Zip Codes
  A free source of USPS Zip codes.
• National Center for Health Statistics
  Marriage data occurring in States that meet reporting criteria for inclusion in the marriage-registration area, except for California unlicensed marriages.

Economy & Finance Data

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
  Contains information on inflation & prices, employment, unemployment, pay & benefits, spending, productivity, workplace, employee projections and more.
  
• Bureau of Economic Analysis
  Provides national, regional, international, industry and other data sets.
  
• Barron’s Market Data Center
  Real-time and daily data from WSJ.com and weekly data from Barron’s.
  
• Yahoo! Historical Stock Prices
  Provides daily open, high, low, close, adj. close, and volume of any equity over history. (enter the ticker of the equity you want to track).
  
• World Bank dataBank
  Provides data on world development indicators, finance, gender, education, health nutrition & population and more.
  
• International Monetary Fund Data & Statistics
  The IMF publishes a range of time series data on IMF lending, exchange rates and other economic and financial indicators.
  
• Federal Reserve Bank Economic Data (FRED)
  Information on Banking, Business/Fiscal, CPI, Employment & Population, Exchange Rates, Foreign Exchange Intervention, GDP and more.
• ISM Manufacturing PMI

Climate Data

• United States Historical Climatology Network
  The daily data include observations of maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation amount, snowfall amount, and snow depth. Monthly data include mean, maximum, and minimum temperature and total precipitation. Records for most stations extend through 2008.

Search & Competitive Web

• Quantcast
  Provides detailed visitor information for web sites.
• Google Trends
  Provides the daily search volume of terms on Google. While not the actual search volume, the exportable file provides a relative index.

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For reference, I was trying to gain top rankings for this search:

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHMA_enUS313US314&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=razorfunfish

How can you leverage the learnings from this exercise?

The easy solution is to come work for MillerCoors.  Great brands, great people, we get free beer, and I’d be able to partner with you.

Short of joining America’s Best Beer Company, you can leverage these tips:

1. It begins with rich content.  I wrote the blog post on Wednesday AM.  The content isn’t particularly engaging, or even coherent (it was after midnight Tuesday), but what it did have was keyword concentration for the razorfunfish term.  I aimed for at least 250 words with a 15-20% keyword density (15% of all words were razorfunfish).
2. Technically structure your pages correctly.  This is the biggest differentiatior in my experience.
   • The page title has razorfunfish in it, and as the first word.  I went a step further and made it completely razorfunfish.
   • The first <h1> tag on the page surrounds razorfunfish.
   • Leverage meta keywords with razorfunfish in it.
3. Did I mention keyword density? Don’t over razorfunfish, but you do need to keep mentioning razorfunfish.
4. Static URL’s with the name in the address.  Don’t use autogenerated page names.
5. Leverage software with your CMS or blogging software to assist with SEO. I use a plug-in on WordPress that helps optimize the page.
6. Use categories. This is subtle, but Google thinks my site has a section attributed to razorfunfish.
7. Nofollow. You get bumped down in rankings if you send traffic to other sites (which is bogus).  I normally don’t leverage the nofollow tag, but I did ensure all my competitors posting links to their razorfunfish sites from mine had nofollow in their links.  Sorry guys, your links weren’t generating lift on Google.

This all sounds like a lot, but I’ve setup my blog to ensure this all happens automatically as part of my posting.  The added overhead in writing a blog is 15 seconds.

I looked at registering razorfunfish.com as a domain.  That would have enhanced my rankings, but the domain was unavailable.

Once the post is created, you need to generate awareness about it. I did a few things here.

1. Google and Yahoo Sitemaps. Hours after creating the post, Google, Yahoo and MSN were notified of my post by an XML file called a sitemap (sitemap.xml).  They’re good about following and indexing the content.
2. Links from other popular sites. I won’t go into what sites I leveraged, but I have links from around 10 sites.  You don’t need to build large link farms, especially with a virgin term like razorfunfish.
3. Google AdWords. I (and others) suspect AdWords provide a temporary boost to organic rankings. I bought razorfunfish terms on the cheap ($0.05 per click).
4. Leverage that social network.  I asked my tweeps to check out my site and post a link from their blogs.  I primarily leveraged my Twitter network, but also setup a Facebook group (razorfunfish) and a few other secret items.

Optimizing for a short-term and virgin term is much easier than running a long-term program, but the principles are the same.

How does social media change the mix?

Excluding the sitemaps.xml,  my awareness came primarily through social networks.  The power of crowds, their interest and actions is what tells Google that my post is credible.  Control the messaging on the social network locations, and you control what appears on Google.

Really hope I won, but hope more that people find this helpful.  Please shoot me a comment if you want more details on specifics.  I’ll be willing to share more details after the contest is over.

Cheers.

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Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is not a quiet campground.  It is surrounded by highways and railroads, and is too far away from the beach to have any noise cancelling effect.  Tents are already not good for light or sound insulation.  The constant traffic from the road, trains, and the early sun caused Gus to be awake most of the night.

Gus is an early riser anyway, rising at first light so we don’t lose a moment of play time.  I have to keep my room at home dark or I end up being awoken at 5:00 AM in the Summer.  He will sit with complete dedication on the bed, his head overlooking mine, eyes locked on my face, monitoring for the slightest indication that I am awake.  If I so much as crack an eye lid… play time.  And let me tell you, waking to the face of a schnauzer 6 inches from your face is somewhat disturbing!

I got to sleep around midnight and was awoken by the engine brakes of a truck at 6 AM.  I quickly decided it was futile trying for more sleep and packed my tent and hit the road.  We were back on the highway around 7 AM, sans shower or coffee.

The area of Indiana between Gary and South Bend is in great need of additional coffee outlets.  Perhaps Starbucks should relocate some of the 600 outlets slated for closure to this seriously underserved area?  I did find a coffee location about 30 miles into the drive and color started coming back to the otherwise gray world.

The drive to Loudonville was uneventful.  Western Ohio is light industry and agrarian.  The area near Toledo is a very significant melon producing area.  Drove by a field that had cars in various parts, almost as if a prank or some wierd alien abduction/repatriation.

Milan, Ohio is the birthplace of Thomas Edison.  A bar in Milan read, “Welcome Bikers”.  The bar had no window and a gravel parking lot.

As you neared Loudonville, the terrain became hillier and more densely covered with trees.  We arrived Loudonville around 2 PM.

Mohican Adventures Campground

I stayed at the Mohican Adventures campground, which is a complex of RV campsites, cabins of multiple sizes, and tent campsites.  There are essentially two halves of the park split by a stream.  The right half is fairly flat, and the dominant feature is the large lake in the middle of the park.  The left half is a substantial large hill/small mountain, densely covered with hemlocks, pines, and other large trees.

The right half:

• Entrance area.  This is the area in the front of the park, with the registration office, RV hookups, small cabins, swimming pool, and volleyball location.  The entrance area is ideal for those people that camp because it’s an inexpensive way to hang out with their friends.  Noisy, but lots of stuff to do.
• Lake area.  This is directly behind the entrance area, going back halfway into the park.  There is a fairly substantial lake dotted with nice cabins and a few large camper sites, and a beach at the far end.
• RV/camper area.  This is to the back of the campground, and is where the RV/camper’s that want more privacy go.

On the left half:

• Tent camping area.  The area features steep hills, and great campsites spread throughout the hills.

My tent campsite was on the mountain area, set back in a cul-de-sac with two other locations where my cousins would be staying.  It seemed secluded, but we later learned that the views from above had clear lines of sight into our campsites.

After setting up, Gus and I head to my folks location in the RV/camper area.  Their lot backed to a stream and woods on the far bank, had an empty lot on one side and my uncles camper on the other.  The small stream behind them emptied into a slightly larger stream 40 feet away.  This is the same sream that bisects the park.  It’s a nice feature, providing a flat riverbed and intermittent small waterfalls.  The campsites that back up to the stream aren’t the most scenic, but you have the constant sound of the water falling while you sleep.

After catching up with everyone, Gus and I headed down to the lake for a swim.  A couple pointers before you take your dog swimming:

1. Ensure your dog knows how to swim.  I suggest trying a small swimming pool with steps as a learning area.  Gus found out by accidentally jumping in, which wasn’t good for either he or I.
2. Check the water before you allow your dog to swim or get anywhere near the water.  Some lakes have algae problems that can cause death if dogs drink the water.  If you don’t know about the safety, don’t risk it.
3. Watch for plants and soft bottoms.  Dogs will naturally try to put their feet on the ground and can quickly get tangled in plants.
4. Know the limits of how far your dog can swim.  Bigger dogs, especially retrieving dogs, can swim longer distances.  Smaller dogs have to paddle much more to go the same distance.
5. Have water available for them to drink.  They’re working out and need to stay hydrated.  Also, beaches tend to be warmer than other areas.
6. Watch for signs of being tired out.  Dogs are known to push themselves past their limits, but you don’t want your dog giving up in the water.  If they look tired, call it quits.
7. Be prepared to jump in.  Don’t bring anything that you don’t want to get wet.  If your dog gets stuck or struggles, you may need to jump in to help them back.

Gus and I made our way to the lake with a floating retriever toy.  There were a few people around the beach when we started, and more so when we finished.  If you’ve never seen a dog retrieve toys from the water it’s a cool sight.  When a dog likes swimming and playing fetch, they love retrieving in the water.  It’s a fun source of exercise that keeps them cool.

If you’ve never seen a 23 lbs. miniature schnauzer retrieve in the water, it’s even better.  Bigger dogs are good at retrieving partly because they are better able to swim.  Gus has to work pretty hard to get to the toy, retrieve it, and come back.  I’d toss the toy 30 feet out, he’d rush out to the water, and bring it back.

We started attracting a crowd, and Gus started retrieving the toy back to the cute girls at the beach (good dog!).  We called it quits after 45 minutes and headed back to the campsite.

Gus crashed in my lap that night near the campfire, completely exhausted from the day’s travel and exercise.  A tired dog is a happy dog.

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Loading my truck took longer than I expected.  I’ve been living out of a hotel room for 2 months.  My life is organized into clear Rubbermaid tubs with fliptops, making transport easy if bulky.  9 tubs, 1 mighty squirrel hunter, camping equipment and 11 cases of beer… well, almost 11 cases of beer.  I ran out of room.  Fortunately, a group of guys and girls in front of the hotel were grilling and graciously helped me relieve myself of a case of beer.

I hit the road for the Dunes at around 4:30, which was the worst possible time.  That put me in Milwaukee rush hour towards Racine.  I cleared that traffic in time to make Chicago’s late rush hour.  What should’ve been a 2 1/2 hour drive took 4 1/2.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is located in the North part of Indiana along the coast of Lake Michigan.  There are several parts of the park, but camping is limited to the Dunewood Campground.

I typically like camping in national parks because they design the layout of camping sites to be in harmony with the surrounding areas.  The result are campsites that retain privacy from neighboring sites.

The layout at the Dunewood Campground is no different, and at $15/night ($7 for National Park pass holders) are a bargain. My campsite was setback from the road and backed into a forest.  I was able to get my tent setup in low light, and then headed to the neighboring area for dinner.

I took a brief detour to the neighboring lakeshore and took a few shots of a beautiful sunset.  I saw tall buildings in the distance, but I’m not certain if they were from Gary or Chicago.  Chicago is a pretty fair distance from the area.

I stopped in a gas station to pickup some water and firewood, and to get an idea of where I could find food for dinner.  I did checkout the options in the gas station, but wasn’t desperate enough to eat the 2 year old burritos in the frozen case.  The clerk told me there was a restaurant a few miles down the road, so I hopped back in the truck and headed East.

I believe you can tell a lot about an area by its billboards, houses, bumper stickers, and the layouts and offerings in the local grocery stores.  Local grocery stores have an incredible understanding of the local clientele.  The grocery store I visit in Brookfield doesn’t carry Coke Zero, has old fluorescent lights, much older clerks, and more traditional selections of vegetables.  It’s definitely not where you go if you are a gourmet, or under the age of 40 (it’s close to me, that about it), but I’ll bet they have at least 4 different digestive fiber aids.

The first telling sign to me about the Indiana Dunes was the surrounding area.  Most vacation locales have restaurants and hotels near where the tourists stay.  The story nobody talks about is that the housing for the workers, often low-paid, is frequently Spartan at best, and run-down at worst.  Look no further than the housing in many parts of Orlando to see how the thousands of housekeepers, groundskeepers, and kitchen staffs at resorts live.

The community surrounding the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore features billboards advertising teen pregnancy, completing high school equivalencies, and other lofty objectives.  Beer signs advertise Busch Light 12 packs on sale.

What surprised me was that there were no nearby hotels or restaurants.  I arrived at the suggested restaurant.  The sign out front read, “Lounge,” in cursive script.  One car sat out front in a gravel parking lot.  I got the feeling that the Indiana Dunes was a park that was frequented mainly by locals, or people that wouldn’t need to go to a nearby restaurant or stay at a local hotel.

I passed on the lounge cuisine and picked up a container of Jiffy Pop from the gas station on my way back to my site.  i remember Jiffy Pop from when I was a kid.  We’d use it when we camped and had a great litle snack.  I was counting on Jiffy Pop being my dinner for the night, both for Gus and I.  In the earlier mentioning packing, I had packed all of MSH’s items in the bottom center part of the bed.

We arrived back at the campsite and I quickly got the fire going. There was an almost mystical sense of the fire, as it rose through the single clearing in the tree canopy.  Gus curiously watched as sparks spiraled upward towards the clear, star filled skies.  We sat their appreciating the fire for at least 30 minutes before we tried to cook our popcorn.  Astute readers caught that I said ‘tried’.  To be fair, Jiffy Pop clearly states on the package that you shouldn’t try to cook it over an open campfire.  Still, I remember camping with Jiffy Pop.

I removed the paper and held it over the fire with an amazingly short metal handle.  My hand started getting extremely hot, but nothing was happening with the popcorn.  I held it closer and the oil started to boil inside, but so did the blood in my knuckles.

I finally rigged it so it wasn’t in direct flame, but was propped up so I didn’t have to hold it.  At the point where I thought I had it fixed, a hole formed in the bottom of the aluminum and boiling oil shot into the fire, furthering fueling the flame.

I never did get the popcorn to pop, so Gus and I just watched the fire for the night.

My neighbors were quiet that night, but the campsite sits near both a highway and railroad line.  I heard trucks and trains roaring by throughout the night.  I’m a heavy sleeper, but Gus stayed up the entire night barking at any new sound.  I got to sleep around midnight, and was awakened by heavy traffic at 6:30.  We packed and were on the road before 7:00.

The park makes an okay overnight campground if you’re driving through the area.  It’s certainly better than many places I’ve stayed and a bargain at $15/night.  I wouldn’t recommend it for people that are looking for a multiday vacation.

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The campsite is a bit off from the beach, but I’m hopeful I can hear the sounds of waves crashing throughout the night.

I miss my yard and garden (and my bed), so I am pretty excited to get back into nature.  I spent most of last year cultivating a nice garden in my front yard.  I ripped out two massive hedges and replaced it with a french drain, terracing, and a garden of perennials.  What amazed me was I put in one butterfly plant and the garden attracted all sorts of butterflies, bees, and other good insects.  I don’t believe butterflies or bees are attracted to hedges, but I was amazed at their coming in such amounts within the first year of my planting the garden.

The Indiana Dunes claims to have waves crashing on sandy beaches, Karner Blue butterflies landing on wild lupines, peaceful silence lingering along winter trails, and bank swallows flying from their nest inside the dunes. 

They also have a marsh, which I’m sure Gus the MSH will find a way to invade.  I am prepared with the new tea tree oil shampoo for both the bugs and the awful marshy smell.  I also invested in a life preserver so he can go further out in the water.

The drive from Indiana Dunes is slated for 5 hours, barring traffic or construction, so I should arrive in Ohio with plenty of time on Thursday to get setup.

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I took a trip from Omaha to Minneapolis by way of Des Moines.  In the north central part of the state is a massive array of wind turbines.  It’s an amazing drive through the area, and I suspect that we’re only slightly leveraging the capacity of wind in the area.

It seems T. Boone Pickens has an idea on how we can invest more in wind and solar power.  Check out his site.

Oil is that primary factor in our economy.  Changes in the price and availability in oil have a direct impact on all other areas of our economy.

I strongly believe the energy independence is the greatest challenge we face as a country. Forget any idealistic or “global warming” reasons, we are exporting $700 billion each year. We’re increasingly at risk for volatility in oil prices. Venezuela and Iran are trying to use oil to threaten our security.  We’re borrowing great volumes of money to fund our habit.  Now that we’ve tied food with energy, we’re seeing inflation in all areas.  For the same reason I think a “victory garden” revival would be great, I think we need to look at sustainable energy.

T. Boone is no idealist. If his idea is successful, he’ll be even wealthier.  I don’t have a problem with that.  He will have earned it. A reduction by 50% would be such a stimulus to the economy we could eliminate our deficit.  We could face the next renaissance in technology and job creation, and it’s sustainable.

I’m not saying T. Boone’s plan is the best idea, but it is a tangible plan and he’s willing to put up his own money to back it up.  We need to look at transition technologies that allow us to migrate to other energy sources.  These off-the-grid “green” activists that argue for immediate elimination of oil are unrealistic. We need the ability to maintain an economy, but we need to see some action around it.

There is still the challenge of fluctuations in wind and solar availability.  We need a comprehensive plan for energy that leverages wind, direct solar and solar tubes, nuclear, coal, and other energy sources, and improvements in battery technologies and transmission capabilities.  Our transmission network for electricity is old and needs improvements in both management and efficiency.

I think there are some very exciting opportunities that are being proven:

• Solar towers for ensuring 24/7 availability of electricty generation using solar power.
• Honda’s hydrogen home fueling station
• Carbon nanotube batteries that drastically reduce charging time, have less environmental impact, and last much longer.

I realize this is a bit off the topic of travel, but I’m reminded as I drive across the country how vast a space we have at our disposal.  I also want to ensure we have both a sustainable economy and the ability to appreciate our natural areas for future generations.  You need to travel by land to appreciate what resources we have at our disposal.

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Menucha’s greatest personal assets are her organization and persistence.  I’ve never seen her eat spaghetti, but wouldn’t be surprised if she straightened the noodles – and maybe gave them firm instruction to the effect of “now noodles, you will get in my mouth so I can eat you” – before eating them.  She’s no nonsense, which makes her very good at what she does.  It also makes giving her a hard time that much more fun.

I hadn’t seen Menucha in a few months, but she lives only 2 hours away now.  I finally had an event I couldn’t pass up, or two events to be precise.

1. Menucha is no longer persona non grata in the United States.  She is a full, naturalized U.S. citizen!
2. Her daughter, Gaia, was celebrating her first birthday.

I hadn’t yet met Gaia so I hopped in the truck, sans Gus, and headed down to Chicago.

I’m not certain if I could live in Chicago.  I have many friends there.  I love the town.  Great culture, restaurants, parks, things to do.  What kills me is the concentration of thoughtlessness. 

1. I chose the contraflow lane on the way down to Chicago.  This lane bypasses the local traffic, but doesn’t have outlets for many miles.  It’s intended for people that are driving through the area and wish to bypass the traffic (get to their end destination more quickly).  I entered the lane and was immediately stuck behind an SUV driving under the speed limit.  Cars in the non-contra lane were passing us.  We quickly had a dozen cars behind us.
2. I sat at two intersections where the light turned green, and the person in front didn’t move for 20 seconds.  On the second light, the light started turning yellow before they started moving. 
3. Driving through an ethnic neigborhood (Pakistani or Indian) just north of Menucha’s house, people were jaywalking everywhere.  I’m guilty of this crime, but these people were doing it by tossing their kids out in front of them, “if my kid gets hit, I’ll know not to cross.”

I may be too demanding.  I surround myself with people that are engaged in what they do, whatever they’re doing at that time.  That’s not a switch you turn off when you’re not at work, so they tend to be focused, passionate people even if they’re shopping at the grocery store.  I am starting to believe most people don’t like to be engaged or focused.

I made Menucha’s home about 20 minutes late.  She’s in a nice area to the north of the city, near Skokie and Evanston.

The party at Menucha’s was fun.  I brought plenty of beer and was thus dubbed, “the beer guy,” by her family and friends.  Strong turnout, including several youngsters that were running the length of the house and back.  Alan, Menucha’s husband, tried to stop them but I thought they were generating a nice breeze on an otherwise warm day.

Gaia ate her birthday cake uneventfully.  No cake on the face.  Acted responsibly.  Seems to have inherited her mom’s prudent nature.

Gaia also inherited her mom’s cautious look.  Gaia kept looking at me with this look of consternation.  She eventually smiled, but I could tell she was trying to figure me out.

Got to talking with Alan about geek stuff, and then we started sampling beers.  Alan’s a pretty cool guy, but I get the sense that he’s just a 12-pack and a weekend away from having some really crazy stories that involve tattoos.  I might pony up funds.

We tried several good Leinie’s before settling on the MGD 64.  I think MGD 64 is going to be a very hot product, and perhaps a game changer in the industry in the way the 100 calorie packs were for snacks.  64 rolls of the tongue.  It’s almost iconic.  The beer itself is a terrific replacement for the Coors Lights and Bud Lights.  Similar strength of flavor, and it’s nearly 50% the calories of a Bud Light.  Everyone I speak with says, “I can drink two of these instead of one Bud Light.”  People are talking about doubling their consumption rate.  Phenomenal.

Met everyone else at the party.  Heard a story about how one of the guys had worked on a nuclear submarine and had smuggled a case of Leinie’s on board, to drink while they were under the arctic ice cap!

All in all, good turnout and good people.  A little crowded in spots, but that’s because everyone was congregating around where everyone else was.  Headed back later that night, took the boy to the park, and called it a weekend.

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Iowa

The state of Iowa smells like a marsh. I know too well what marsh smells like and that tea tree oil can help remove it from dogs, but I don’t think there is enough tea tree oil to wash the state. You can only imagine the mold, mildew, and fungus that is growing and causing the smell.

Interstate 80 crosses the entire state and had been closed for several days. The area near Iowa City and Cedar Rapids was the hardest hit. Crops are devastated and I imagine the health impact from disease, mosquitos, respiratory ailments will only now begin.

The people of Iowa face unbelievable devastation, and it keeps raining. It doesn’t seem like it is going to stop enough to dry out.

What amazes me about the spirit of people on the Plains is that, even with this devastation there is little resentment. There is a pervasive good work ethic here. They don’t want handouts. They truly appreciate both the consideration and assistance of people, and just want to get back working on their feet. I expect the state of Iowa, which faces complete devastation across hundreds of miles, will recover and contribute more quickly than the city of New Orleans.

Nebraska

I stopped home in Nebraska to work on the house. I’m very lucky to have friends and family that have watched out for my house. I had major tree limbs down, but they pulled them out into the street and encouraged the city of Omaha to pick them up. I can’t get the city to pick up a trash can if it has a handful of grass clippings on it. My grandmotherly mom is able to get a city front loader to pick up limbs from my driveway. Go figure.

I dropped off MSH with his cousin and headed out to Denver. I ran into more storms along the way and took some pictures of this amazing cloud formation near Ogallala. You know a storm is significant when people in that part of Nebraska take notice. The starkness of the land only increases the contrast of storms out there, and highlights how much at risk you can be. I imagine settlers in those storms, where they were quite literally the tallest object for miles. Takes a different breed.

Colorado

I continued through Eastern Colorado. If you’ve never driven it, the most remote part of the country is from Amarillo straight north until the Black Hills. As if to add insult to injury, Colorado has placed a state prison out in this area! Don’t violate the law in Colorado.

I spent a little time meeting people in Golden, had dinner, and stopped by Uncle Bill’s grave. Gotta hand it to the guy; in the past year I’ve travelled to Cody (WY), Golden, all along I-80 in Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado, and he has major interest points in all the areas. It’s well over 100 years ago, but he’s still a draw.

He has a tremendous view from his gravesite.

Illinois

I’m starting to take a few more side-trips on long distance drives. I stopped in Dixon, IL on the way back. Dixon is the childhood home of Ronald Reagan, but more importantly is near the original home and shop of John Deere. It’s a neat home, and not more than 200 yards from a river that was one of the only ferry stops in Illinois. He lived there in 1838, so imagine Tom Sawyer’s home growing up (or look here).

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I’ve been stuck in the room all week, and my poor dog hasn’t been able to go on walks or to the park.  He’s showing signs of bad behavior, so I needed to get us both out exploring.

We decided to try Kettle Moraine North State Park this time.  We had tried the South the past few weekends, and beside being a magnet for thunderstorms and tornadic activity, is a pretty nice area.  I have been searching for a hiking trail with amazing scenery.  Kettle Moraine South is beautiful, but not striking.  I love the woods, streams, hills and flowers, but it’s not a Grand Teton.  It’s not even a Black Hills National Forest.

I know there is something like that around here.  It gives me an opportunity to continue exploring.

We left for Kettle Moraine North around 10:30 and arrived just before noon.  I noticed on the map that they have a “Dog Training Facility – Water” on the map.  It turns out there is a good sized pond where you can take hunting dogs and train them to retrieve “ducks” from the water.  There were a few people there, all with labradors.  I can say with fair certainty that I was the first guy with a schnauzer to go there, but I may not be the last.  They all chuckled at Gus at first.  Their dogs were moping around after the toys in the water.  When it came my turn, Gus just launched like a bullet right to the toy, grabbed it, turned around, brought it back, and dropped it at my feet.  The guys that had been chuckling were a bit astonished, and commented on how good he was at retrieving.  I’m not suggesting that you’ll start seeing Schnauzers sitting in duck blinds with hunters anytime soon!

We found a nice 3 mile trail after that.  Took that around, and despite a liberal application of Deep Woods Off, were still hounded by deer flies.  Nasty little buggers.

Send me a note if you know Wisconsin and want to suggest an area to go or take photos.  I’ve posted a few more at Flickr.

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It isn’t like anything in the United States, but then it hit me.  It bears a striking resemblence to Southern Germany… which is probably why the area was populated by Germans beginning 150 years ago.

I’ve been exploring the area now that it’s just the mighty squirrel hunter and me.  We spent a day driving down by the lakefront, and the next day hiking at Kettle Moraine State Park.  Kettle Moraine State Park was formed by a receding glacier.  In its place is left rolling hills, streams, prairies and marshes.  The Southern Unit, where we were hiking, is about 67 miles long and goes from the Southwest to the Northeast.

This was actually the second trip Gus and I had made to Kettle Moraine.  The first, immediately one week earlier, also featured great scenery.  However, these new digital cameras require the memory chips be placed within the cameras, and not just in immediate proximity, to record the photos.  It’s a design flaw on Nikon’s part that I rectified by revisiting the area, but I digress..

The road out to Kettle Moraine goes through idyllic Wisconsin farming land.  Hosteins grazing in grassy meadows near large hay barns.  Country roads lined with grand old trees that are likely remnants of soil conservation programs from the Great Depression.  In the field to the right of the road were wild turkeys spanning their wings to soak up the warmth of the sun.  On the other side of the road (left) was a mix of old and new, an old red barn with a modern addition.

I continued down this road not more than a half mile and came across this stream cutting through the fields.  There is something very tranquil about this spot.  I’ve driven by the spot at least a half dozen times now.  I’ve got it marked on my TomTom as a favorite location.  I know it reminds me of someplace I’ve been.  It’s quiet.  You can hear the stream slowly passing by, making churning and swishing sounds as eddys are formed in the bends.  There is a bend in the road, causing the cars to slow down leaving the sound of their tires grinding in the asphalt and a low rumble of their engines accelerating after the curve.  When I tire of the corporate life, I may come back to make an offer to the owner and become a farmer.

We made the headquarters of Kettle Moraine State Park around noon.  The HQ is located in the center of the Southern portion of the park.  If that’s confusing, it’s one of another oddities of Wisconsin.  All signs seem to point in one location in a loop.  You can stand directly East of the park headquarters, but the signs to the headquarters will point East in a loop.  I think it has something to do with the German background, where they identify one way of doing something and don’t consider any further possibilities.

We registered, got our little blue sticker, and headed down to a hiking area the park ranger recommended.  I asked for scenic vistas, meadows, and lakes.  I was provided hilly paths in wooded areas, with one meadow.  Scenic, no, but it was an enjoyable hike.

There are these little purple flowers that appear all over the area.  I find them amazing.  We have some purple flowers back in Nebraska, but none as vibrant as these.  They stand out from the surrounding grasses and tress.  In all, the flowers seem darker in this climate.  it must have something to do with the cold weather and chlorophyl.

It was warm out.  80 something degrees and at least 80 percent humidity.  Gus was shaggy, having not had a haircut in 2 months.  At the mile in point, he started walking from one spot of shade to the next piece of shade, even if it was on the other side of the trail.  We stopped for frequent water breaks, but about another half mile in he stopped to rest in the shade at the top of a hill.  We decided that was a good resting point, and sat down to watch the scenery and share an apple.  After some more water and the energy from the apple, Gus was a little more energetic.  We turned around and took our time coming back, and were both appreciative of the powerful air conditioning in the truck.

Just as we made it back to the parking lot, the tornado sirens sounded.  I don’t know if Gus saw it coming – that whole animal instinct – or he was just sucking air because of the heat.  Either way, he saved us from a lot of rain and potentially worse.

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