[at-l] Day hikes (and apple pie) in Wisconsin

[bluetrail at aol.com (bluetrail@aol.com)]

Went to Milwaukee on October 14 for a professional conference.  After workshops on Saturday, I had Sunday off before the conference started, so I rented a car and headed to Kettle Moraine State Forest
 
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/kms/
 
I actually got to do a little day hike on the Ice Age Trail.  There were LOTS of folks/cars at this trailhead and every other trailhead I drove by.  It was a glorious day, trees not quite peak but full of color, temp about 48 at the start of the day, warming to about 70, sunny and breezy late in the day.  I thoroughly enjoyed the short hikes I took.  Stopped at a couple more trailheads and did little exploratory hikes.
 
I had called the hotel ahead of time to ask the concierge about renting a car close to the hotel.  Turns out that she?s a hiker too, so she had a notated map to Buelah Bog waiting for me when I arrived.  I?d never have know about this little jewel otherwise. It was a perfect autumn walk, fall color, an ancient apple tree dropping wizened apples on the trail, Canada geese honking overhead, and I got to see tamarack trees for the first time.  AND I had this trail entirely to myself.  I only wish I knew what the various red berries I saw were (some type of cranberry?).  
 
Buelah Bog, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources property. 
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/sna/sna122.htm\
 
Second photo on this page:
http://www.davidschwaegler.com/stock/scenics/Bog/index.html
 
One sidelight the concierge told me about--an overgrown farmer's market/orchard/pumpkin patch/fall event called the Elegant Farmer at a crossroads in the middle of no where.  I got my hiking lunch there--a sandwich of cider-baked ham and Wisconsin cheese, a Maucon (sp?) apple, and a piece of their famous baked in a brown paper bag apple pie and more cheese for my breakfast.  The pie was SO good that I stopped by the Elegant Farmer on my way back and bought a whole pie.  The concierge gave me napkins, plate, forks, and a knife, and I called the others from my university who were staying at the hotel to come to my room for a pie feast.  It was absolutely the BEST applie pie I've ever had.  Here's the recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_24941,00.html
 
Hiking and fabulous apple pie.  A marvelous day.
 
Joan
bluetrail@aol.com