rails to trails half marathon (or why norwalk, wisconsin rocks)

November 9, 2011   ·   2 comments   ·   tweet this   ·   share on facebook   ·   pin it

Jess and I headed up to Norwalk, Wisconsin this past weekend for the Rails to Trails Half Marathon (her first half marathon since her knee surgery back in January). She was excited to be out again and to have a goal to work toward. We walked the majority of it to not stress out her knees – and they held up! We probably ran about two miles total (in little spurts) but overall her knees did well.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of being on the Elroy-Sparta bike trail, you are missing out! The trail is actually built on top of an old railway line and so doesn’t have more than a 3% grade at any point – nice for biking and running for sure.

The coolest part of the trail are the three tunnels that were hand carved through the hills in the 1860′s. The third tunnel, the one we ran through, is the longest (3/4 mile long). It’s dark, wet and amazing! They did setup some lanterns but normally it’s just pitch black so make sure to bring a flashlight. After we finished the half we drove back closer to it and walked to the entrance to the tunnel so I could grab some photos – it’s so unreal and I wanted to capture it (and share it here, of course).

I really have to recommend the Rails to Trails race for anyone looking for a great half or full marathon in Wisconsin. It’s really neat – the whole town comes together to put this on. From helping with the spaghetti dinner on Saturday to manning the aid stations to a lunch after the race – everyone is involved and is SUPER friendly. Props to the whole crew – you did a wonderful job and really exemplify Wisconsin hospitality. And a shout-out to Pearl Street Brewery in LaCrosse for sponsoring Sunday’s delicious lunch – complete with their microbrews. I will be stopping there when I’m up there next (LaCrosse is where I’m starting my Walk for Clean Water – walking across the state!).

After the half we made our way home enjoying this beautiful state of ours. Besides the snow we are supposed to get today, I have to say that I love this place.

(And for the photo geeks out there: everything was shot on the X100)

stephanie+daniel's south carolina wedding

August 4, 2011   ·   1 comment   ·   tweet this   ·   share on facebook   ·   pin it

A few posts ago I noted that Jess and I headed down to South Carolina for a wedding. This was that wedding. Stephanie+Daniel invited us down to be part of their beautiful and intimate wedding in Givhans Ferry State Park, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. We had a wonderful time with them, their dog Taco and their family and friends.

The heat and humidity was, of course, oppressive. Thankfully, Stephanie+Daniel allowed me to dress a little more casual than most weddings (shorts!) to keep cool. But that didn’t help Daniel who was in a full suit! Sorry Daniel ;-) At the end of the night though he cooled down, along with his buddies, by taking a little swim in the river though – so it all balanced out.

The day was very relaxed and everyone was so welcoming and open. I really appreciated the hospitality of everyone involved towards us “northerners”. It was our first trip to the southeast, but it won’t be our last.

Stephanie+Daniel, many blessings to you as you start your new life in Iowa and in your next adventures together!