A Great Wisconsin Gas-Tank Getaway

It's been forever since I posted anything on this blog! We've been busy here at home, mainly because we got a new puppy shortly after our last trip and we've also been trying to finish a major home improvement project. Other than a few long weekends at our favorite Up North retreat cabin, we really haven't done any traveling to speak of. So we decided it was time for a little road trip, to one of those places our local newspaper features as a "Gas-Tank Getaway" in the Saturday travel section.


Mount Horeb is a little town about 20 miles west of Madison, and it was settled mainly by Norwegians so they have this funky troll theme going throughout the area. In fact the reason we went there was to meet up with some old Army friends who were going there for the 8th Annual Thirsty Troll Brewfest.


The fest was a blast, but I also enjoyed stepping back in time at this 1950s era hotel that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. More on that later!

Beer Here!

This is probably my favorite "still life" photo from the day, and the beer from Cross Plains Brewery was outstanding too.


Lake Louie Brewing had good selections too, and a most interesting banner!


Of course the Thirsty Troll himself was on hand to pose for photos with the crowd.


Another interesting group of brewers was the one from Madison's Ale Asylum.


But in the end we had to cast our votes for the Stone Cellar Brewpub, which was the only entry from Mark's hometown of Appleton. Normally I don't even try the dark beers, but they featured a vanilla stout that was just awesome!

Here's to good friends ....

This is me with Jessika, one of my print team soldiers in the 139th MPAD during our Iraq tour in 2004-05. She was responsible for the layout of some amazing newsletters and magazines, and she still does a lot of great artistic stuff these days in Chicago. As you can tell, I'm proud of her just like she was my own daughter!


And this is her boyfriend Justin, who also served with us in Iraq as part of the broadcast team. He's also a very talented young man and I'm proud to call him an honorary son as well as a great friend.


Here's Jess with her cute little sis Jeni, who came up all the way from Springfield to party with family and friends for the weekend.


The lovely lady on the left is Justin's mom, Rachel. She is the one who started this brewfest trip tradition six years ago, and the group has been getting bigger every year.


She and her friends have it down to an art now, including renting the park shelter and organizing a big potluck for the after party!

Hop Couture

I love men in skirts!

The Fashion Parade - Continued

The Karakahl Inn

When Jess first told me everyone was staying at this place, I looked it up on TripAdvisor.com and found reviews running the gamut from "Hidden Gem" to "Haunted Dump" so of course I was intrigued.


As I mentioned earlier, this hotel was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright back in the 1950s and even today I think it really is quite an architectural gem. It's faded and peeling and more than a bit run down these days, but it's one of only two hotels in the city and the other one is not much newer!


The interior hallways still have the original carpets, which I really liked. Mark said it reminded him of "The Shining".


Even I had to admit that the empty pool area looked a bit like a ghostly cavern.

Keep your expectations low ....

Really, what do you think you're getting for $60 a night on a festival weekend? Luckily we're not really picky people, so we were happy to find a basic motel room with a comfortable bed and clean bedding.


Most importantly the bathroom was clean, and aside from a missing knob on the fan control everything was in working order.


It even has a state-of-the art wall heater, which fortunately we didn't need to use.


I'm sure this was the height of modernity in the 1950s.


And of course it offered the holy trinity of TV, mini-fridge and microwave, so you know Mark was a happy camper!

Bring Your Bike!

Mount Horeb is right around the middle of the beautiful Military Ridge State Park Trail which runs about 40 miles from Madison to Dodgeville.


There are actually 14 different trolls on the Mount Horeb Trollway, but I just had to stop for a photo by the "biker" troll!


The trail is a former railway, so it's not too hilly and it has some beautiful bridges.


We rode from Mount Horeb to Blue Mounds, which is actually the highest point on the trail so the ride back was a nice cruise on a mostly downhill grade. It was perfect after a big breakfast and Bloody Marys at Aunt Mary's Hooterville Inn!


By coincidence the 112-mile bicycle ride portion of the Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon came right through Mount Horeb on Sunday. We had no part in that though! We just happened to see them where the trail crossed this road as we were coming back into town later in the morning.

More random scenes along the trail .....

In addition to several picturesque bridges, the trail went under the highway at one point via this cool little tunnel.




Of course we expected to see a few dairy farms along the way .....


.... but the llamas were a pleasant surprise!