Shea Prairie Preserve

I had a free hour today so I jumped in the Jeep and meandered to the SW of our home. As I wound around through the little valleys I happened upon a large flock of turkeys. There had to have been at least 40 all together. I rolled down my window and was able to snap a couple of shots, though not perfectly sharp I liked this photo. It was at this time I also discovered I was at another isolated pocket of prairie land. This time it was Shea Prairie I'm adding to my list of places to explore in more detail.

The 62 acre Shea Prairie Preserve is located within the dissected, un-glaciated landscape of southwest WI. It lies within what was once a large prairie that extended north to the Military Ridge, covering many thousands of acres. The prerserve is within the 50,000-acre Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area (MRPHA). The MRPHA has been identified as one of the best opportunities in Wisconsin for prairie/grassland conservation on a landscape scale. In addition to grassland bird use of the area, there are three state-listed plant species at the site: prairie turnip, Richardson’s sedge, and Hill's thistle.

#wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #midwestliving #midwestmoment #themidwestival #discoverwisconsin #madisonwi #midwestisbest #goplayoutside #greatnorthcollective #wildernessculture #letsgosomewhere #keepitwild #turkey #wildturkey #meleagrisgallopavo #wildlife #wildlifelover #naturelover #wildturkeyreport #prairie #prairieland #driftlessarea #naturalarea #natural #oaksavannah #grassland

Cave of the Mounds

Cave of the Mounds, a natural limestone cave located near Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, United States, is named for two nearby hills called the Blue Mounds. It is located in the southern slope of the east hill. The cave's beauty comes from its many varieties of mineral formations called speleothems. The Chicago Academy of Sciences considers the Cave of the Mounds to be "the significant cave of the upper Midwest" because of its beauty, and it is promoted as the "jewel box" of major American caves. In 1987, the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service designated the cave as a National Natural Landmark.

#speleothems #caveofthemounds #cave #limestonecave #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #galenadolomite #usinterior #findyourpark #NationalPark #wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #discoverwisconsin #conquer_wi #midwestisbest

Anunnaki

'Anunnaki' by local artist John Pahlas that I took the other day. Today we met, scouted out locations and talked about projects, being an artist, and parenthood. It was truly a tonic for my soul.

#midwestisbest #midwestliving #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #travelwisconsin #driftlessarea #centergroundstudios​ #wisconsinar​​t​ #wisconsinlife #fineart #sculpture​ ​#finaeartphotography ​#art #featuredpalette #artlovers #artlover #steel #steelsculpture #mounthoreb #Anunaki #Anunna #Anunnaku #Ananaki #Anunnaki #ancient #Mesopotamian#midwestisbest #midwestliving #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #travelwisconsin #driftlessarea #centergroundstudios​ #wisconsinar​​t​ #wisconsinlife #fineart #sculpture​ ​#finaeartphotography ​#art #featuredpalette #artlovers #artlover #steel #steelsculpture #mounthoreb #Anunaki #Anunna #Anunnaku #Ananaki #Anunnaki #ancient #Mesopotamian

Tyrol Basin

After a quick dinner we drove all of 10 minutes to the nearby Tyrol Basin ski resort. We'd not been as I'm not much of a skier and Teri is more into cross country. Freja has done that with her mother for a few years but now she's interested in snowboarding. So we looked around and she's now signed up for lessons starting next week. I have this feeling that living so close to this place is going to be very interesting for her. Especially once she's old enough to ditch her parents and come with friends.

#midwest #madison #ski #skiing #snowboarding #snowboard #tyrolbasin #wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #midwestliving #midwestmoment #themidwestival #discoverwisconsin #conquer_wi #mounthoreb #madisonwi #midwestisbest #danecounty #goplayoutside #driftlessarea #winterfun #playinthesnow

Art by John Pahlas

"I like stainless razor
Sharpen appetite
I can swallow laser
If I'm eating light"
~ #petetownshend

I had a bit of time today to run over to Center Ground Studios to take a shot of one piece. We talked and made plans for a few projects as we readied ourselves for a hike out into the snow. I seem to recall talk of going all the way to the park about a mile away. As we set off down the street both of us noticed the transformer station literally right next door to the studio! It was fun and I am looking forward to our continuing to set up photo shoots of his art.

#hogarth #ieatheavymetal #theirongiant #ironman #theironman #midwestisbest #midwestliving #wi #travelwi #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #travelwisconsin #driftlessarea #johnleehooker #centergroundstudios​ #wisconsinar​​t​ #wisconsinlife #fineart #sculpture​ ​#finaeartphotography ​#art #featuredpalette #artlovers #artlover #steel #steelsculpture #mounthoreb

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Grumpy Troll Brew Pub

Ah, the good old Grumpy Troll. I've grown fond of his wooden mug of a face. I must have passed by him at least 4 times today. It's been a very, very active day for me. As I write this my pedometer is showing I've taken 17, 166 steps so far, almost 9 miles! Lots of chores, restocked on fireplace wood. We've now two months worth in the garage sitting in my Jeep trailer. The new gym routine I kicked off yesterday is really giving it to me but good. I've also really bashed up my right elbow through a combination of activities... It's SO tempting to just head over to the Troll and order an amazing beer. But I won't...

#troll #mounthoreb #wisconsin #travelwisconsin #discoverwisconsin #driftlessarea #madisonwi #hilltroll #towntroll #dovregubben #grumpytroll #grumpy #beer #lager #ale #brewery #brewpub #tavern #craftbrew #craftbeer #wibrewing #wicraftbeer #beerporn #beerstagram #beergram #instabeer #craftbeerporn #craftbeergeek