Day 29: Connecting Route, Whitewater Lake, Blackhawk, Blue Spring Lake, Stony Ridge, Eagle

Another hot, windy day, with temps around 80. That's too hot for running/hiking. Optimal temps are more like 55-65. But I'm not complaining (too much). Better that than rain.

Today started with a short connecting route, which passed this cool, old well. A sign noted it was hand-dug in 1895 and has been flowing steadily ever since. I filled my water bottle there; it was great tasting (not mineral-y) and nice and cold.

Then I hit KETTLE MORAINE, BABY! I've had various goals since I started: get across northern Wisconsin, get to the Dells, reach Madison, get to Janesville and go through Kettle Moraine. I was so excited to start the Southern Kettle. First up was Whitewater Lake. The path was quite rocky, which my blistered, infected feet didn't like one bit. Blackhawk was better, but Blue Spring Lake was alternately rocky and sandy, which wasn't great. Stony Ridge and Eagle were my favorites by far. They took me through gorgeous prairie and some wooded areas, with great footing overall. I was able to run quite a bit in these sections, and couldn't get enough of the scenery.

I've been wearing my blaze orange cap ever since Doug bought one for each of us back in Antigo. I was wondering if it was silly today, in Kettle Moraine, where surely there was no hunting. Then in Blue Spring Lake two hunters with huge rifles walked past. They said they were hunting squirrels. Glad I had my cap on! In both Stony Ridge and Eagle, gunshot could be steadily heard for hours. I thought maybe there was some shooting range in the area; Ed, my crew member for today and tomorrow, thought it was a trap shooting facility.

Lots of hikers, runners, mountain bikers and horseback riders in the Kettle today. It was nice to see the trails getting lots of use. There were at least a dozen people on the Eagle segment alone when I passed through at the end of the day.

Tonight we're staying at Eagle Centre House in Eagle, an early-American B&B. Ed and I are on the third floor in a room with some kind of rope bed/trundle bed. It's pretty interesting.

Got a little rain tonight, but it looks like sunny skies for the next few days. If all goes well, I'll be in Sturgeon Bay in just 8 days. Seems like I just started yesterday ...