Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska

The beauty of the Great Lakes region continued as we headed south into Wisconsin and settled for a few nights in Milwaukee.  We stayed with Carrie and Augie in the suburbs at their little blue cottage on Lake Pauwaukee - such a comfortable, homey place to land for a bit.  Our relaxing activities at the lake - swimming and kayaking and boat riding and book reading and music playing - were interrupted by a couple trips into the city for cultural exploration - we found a tasty pint at Lakeshore Brewing Co., shopped and snacked on Brady St., witnessed the noontime opening and closing of the sails of the art museum, and watched the Brewers beat the Cubs from the nosebleeds in Miller Park.

Anyone who has done much research in urban agriculture has most likely heard of Will Allen and his Milwaukee based Growing Power.  This urban farm, bustling with life (animal and vegetable), was our main draw to Milwaukee.  We took a tour one day to get acquainted with the farm, and returned the next day to volunteer for several hours.  Growing Power is penned in by houses and streets and takes advantage of vertical space using aquaponics - usually a 3-tiered system that grows fish and plants in a symbiotic relationship.  Another way to combat its lack of horizontal property is to plant very intensively.  The only way they can manage to do this organically is to ensure that the soil they plant in is full of nutrients, so growing soil is a huge part of their operation.  Using different combinations of coconut mulch (coir), worm castings (there are millions of worms on site, pumping out nutrient rich droppings that are integral to the farm's health), compost (from their own massive composting operation), and recycled soil from trays and pots that has given its nutrients to what had been planted therein.  These pots and trays fill every nook and cranny on the property, bursting with sprouts or salad greens, too thickly planted to see the soil through the nutritious foliage.  The front entryway to the farm is filled with dozens of awards that Mr. Allen and Growing Power have received over the years, testimony to the fact that this is indeed a well-respected mecca of Urban Agriculture.  It was a privilege to be a part of it for a couple days!

Not sure what to expect in Madison, we parked the van, hopped on bikes, and rode around on the isthmus of  the capital city on great bike infrastructure and dug the UW campus, the Capitol, the coffee shops, and got a great Wisconsin treat - brats and mash and a local pint - for lunch.  Then John joined us.  Immediately taken in by his fast paced excitement to quickly show us everything we needed to see (we had only a few hours of daylight), we jumped in his car and cruised around to the north side of Lake Mendota where we boarded his family's speed boat for an exciting high-speed tour of the water's edge, including wooded areas and stately mansions on the lakeshore, all set below the ever-seen Capitol Building.

New Glarus was our last stop in Wisconsin.  The Swiss town hosts one of the most popular breweries in the state (New Glarus Brewing Co.).  It's a shame they don't distribute outside of the state, but their tag line "drink indigenous" hints at their committed involvement in their community.  With a coupon for a free glass of their product, they convinced us to turn back toward the town after our tour for our Wisconsin finale - fried cheese curds and sauerkraut washed down by several ounces of the local brew.

Great connections with Jon and Lisa in Iowa City and with Eric and Lindsay and Todd in Omaha wrapped up our 9000+ mile eastern jaunt.  Back in Colorful Colorado, the van is now clean, we're half way through our 6 month edu-adventure, and after reconnecting with family and friends and farms - we'll be on our way west!

More pics HERE.

Tuesday, August 9th, we invite all readers of the blog to come to Platt Park (Logan and Iowa) for a potluck and to connect with us face to face instead of face to blog!  We'll be on the west side of the park starting at 5pm.  Come anytime after that - feel free to contribute food or beverage or a park game.