Blog of Roger Hyttinen » Travel

Camping at Nelson Dewey State Park

Roger — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:27:57 +0000

View from campsite at Nelson Dewey

I went on my first camping trip of the season at Nelson Dewey State Park (named after the first governor of Wisconsin) in Cassville, Wisconsin. Now I have heard about the park several times over the years but this was my first visit – and I was truly impressed! I didn’t realize what an awesome place this was. The sites are on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi. We chose one of the four secluded walk-in sites right on the bluff. Talk about the million dollar view! The first thing you see in the morning when getting out of the tent is the breathtaking panorama of the Mississippi river.

View of the Mississippi River from my tent

Right across the street from the park is historic Stonefield, a recreation of an rural village from the 1800’s. I took the tour which featured Wisconsin’s typical dairy farms and farming equipment of the era, and a typical downtown street in a farming village – complete with barber, grocery store and undertaker. The tour concluded with a tour of the estate of Governor Dewey in all of its slendor.

Stonefield Village

Close to the park was the town of Cassville. I must say that there was not much going on there. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the Rivers Cafe – the servers there were a hoot! Not only were they fun and friendly, but also quite informative about the area. The only other place we ate at was the Town Pump. They had a minimal breakfast menu (eggs only!) but both the server and the cook were a tad on the surly side. Perhaps they were just having a bad morning? Not a place to which I would probably return. Cassville is an extremely quiet town so if you are looking for action, you’d probably want to head across the river to Prairie du Chien.

Now if you are the kind of person who has to be continuously on the go, it is important to note that there is not much to do in the park. There are a couple of short hiking trails but mostly, it’s a place for peace and quiet. There are, however, things to do in the area. At Wyalusing State Park, which is not too far away, you can paddle through the river sloughs as well as fish, bike and picnic. I have both canoed and kayaked the backwaters of the Mississippi there and the wildlife is both varied and abundant (you can’t spit without hitting an eagle!). There is also the city of Prairie du Chien across the river, if you want to get away from nature for a bit.

We did spend an afternoon hiking at the Effigy Mounds National Monument. There, one can find 200 burial mounds, many in the shape of bears and birds. Supposedly, the mounds were creating by American Indian tribes over 1,000 years ago. The mounds are dispersed over a beautiful picturesque landscape. Many are on top of the bluff, which is a bit of a climb initially – but the view from the top is more than worth the effort. The hike along the bluff is quite beautiful. I remember years ago taking a full moon hike there – I wonder if they still do that?

All in all, a very fun trip. I think I may plan another excursion there in the fall once the leaves change color.
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Celebrate Your Life Conference

Roger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:22:40 +0000

I just signed up for the Celebrate your Life conference in Chicago during the weekend of June 5th. It’s been several years since I’ve been to a workshop or major conference so I figured that I was due.

What attracted to this conference, is that several of my favorite non-fiction authors will be there: John Holland, Brian Weiss, Caroline Myss, Neale Donald Walsch and Sonia Choquette. Heck, with that kind of a lineup, how could I refuse?

It’s funny – when I received the email regarding the conference, I didn’t hold out much hope that I’d be free that weekend. Being a Wedding Officiant, I am pretty much booked every weekend from May until November. But lo and behold, I checked my calendar and have not one thing scheduled for those three days. Now what are the chances of that happening?

So I am officially registered for the conference. Anyone else going? If so, let me know!
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Inexpensive Travel with Youth Hostels

Roger — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:38:32 +0000

Our mission is “to help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling.” – Hostelling International

I am all about inexpensive travel and a few years back, it stumbled upon Youth Hostels, one of the best kept traveling secrets. Now, any time I travel, I first check first to see if there is a hostel at my destination.

When many people think of youth hostels, they think that they are just for the young – typically, those 25 years old or younger. In actuality, Hostels are open to everybody and provide inexpensive, overnight accommodations no matter what your age. These days, there are more and more people 55 years and older using hostels, as well as entire families. While there are some places in Europe where the age limit is 25 or 26, it is extremely rare.

How much do Hostels cost?

Room rental varies by location. In bigger cities like Chicago or San Francisco, I have paid about $25-$30 a night. Hostels in smaller towns can be as low as $15 a night. It certainly is lot more inexpensive than staying at hotels.

How is a Hostel Different from a Hotel/Motel?

Hostels typically offer dormitory-style rooms although private rooms can be obtained for an extra fee. All hostels provide a blanket and pillow – linens are another story. Most often, they are included in the price – if not, they usually can be rented from the front desk. In the past, folks would bring their sleeping bags along just in case but the majority of hostels no longer allow them.

Hostels usually have dining areas or cafeterias and often come equipped self-service kitchens. Some even include hot tubs and swimming pools!

The building itself can vary. Some hostels make their homes in historic buildings like a castle or a lighthouse. Others might be a renovated barn on a farm.

Can anyone stay at a hostel?

There are no membership requirements for Hostelling International Hostels although if you are not a member, you will end up paying a higher rate than members. Membership runs $28 for adult and $18 for senior citizens. Children under the age of 18 stay for free.

So if you are an adventuresome type and want to save some money while traveling, hostels are definitely worth checking out.

To learn more about Hostels, visit the Hostelling International Web site.

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Back from Florida

Roger — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:04:09 +0000

Made it back from Florida today and I was extremely lucky to miss any bad weather. Everyday was 80 degrees and sunny – such a nice, welcome change from our cold and snowy Wisconsin December! I spent the week of Christmas in Fort Lauderdale visiting family and doing a bit of sightseeing. While there, we went to the Zoo in Miami, rented bicycles and peddaled around in Palm Beach, went to the Hard Rock Casino, ate out at the local restaurants, and spent a good amount of time at the beach. On Christmas Day after dinner, we got to have a nice hot soak in the outdoor hot tub. Now that was my idea of how to spend Christmas.

A couple of days after Christmas, I left Fort Lauderdale and headed over to the gulf side of the state. Once there, I decided to spend a couple of days at Sanibel Island. It’s probably been about 17 years since I was there last and had forgotten pretty much every everything about it. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a room with it being the holiday season. Luckily, there was availability at the Holiday Inn, located right on the water. While I was in the process of registration, the hotel clerk said “300″ and I assumed that she was talking about the room number. In actuality, it was the cost per night. Ouch! Little bit more than I had planned on spending but since it had been a year since my last break, I bit the bullet and rented the room for 3 days. I was able to get a $250 room rather than the $300 one.

While in Sanibel, I rented a bicycle and peddaled around the island. Spent a good amount of time at the beach (since I was paying premium hotel rates for my waterfront hotel) and visited the J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. I learned quite a bit about the various water birds on the island as well as the Mangrove Trees which surround the island.

It was a sad day when I had to get back in the car and head back to Wisconsin. It is a 23 hour drive and I did it in two days – drove about 12 hours per day. What helped, is that I listened to a couple of books on CD (on iPod, actually) to help pass the time. I listened to Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” and “Anansi Boys“. Needless to say, I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. Listening to the books certainly eased the pain of the drive and I was home before I knew it – back into the Winter Wonderland of Wisconsin.

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