Building a summery “bucket list”
Each day, it seems, we gaze outside and look at those stubborn piles and wonder when all this snow will melt. We toss on our winter parkas and trudge begrudgingly outdoors to warm up the car. Hey, we don’t need 80 degrees like it was around this time last March. We just like a day or two of temperatures NEAR NORMAL. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Such thoughts were rattling around my head Wednesday when I was checking out Rock County’s website for information on the new Aging and Disability Resource Center. That’s when I stumbled across the link to the county’s parks system.
Yes, I want to get to Beckman Mill this year. My wife, Cheryl, and I haven’t taken advantage of many of the county’s parks (Did you know the county lists 22 parks and recreation areas?). I love the stunning views from atop Magnolia Bluff, and we took a walk around Carver-Roehl Park many years ago.
I’ve heard about Beckman Mill repeatedly, and having grown up in the Dane County village of Marshall, where Blaschka’s mill was for many decades the focal point of the community, I’m intrigued by the idea of visiting Beckman not only for the park’s purported beauty and to walk the nature trail but to see the mill operating during one of the park’s special events. The Beckman-Howe Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Friends of Beckman Mill have a series of events again planned for 2013, and the mill will grind grain during opening day May 4.
I’m hoping to make it to one of these events this year. I’ve added it to my summertime “bucket list.” Unfortunately, the bucket list I created last year has lots of leftover things to see and do. I ran out of time and money to check off all of them. Holdovers include visiting Interstate State Park, which I hear has beautiful hiking trails, and canoeing the Kickapoo River.
Which county parks have you visited? Which county or state parks are on your bucket list for this year?
Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook
Mar 22, 2013 at 12:43 p.m.
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packattack: Probably a dozen years ago, my wife and I biked the entire length of the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail in one day. We had planned to do it in two legs over a two-day weekend, but the weather wasn't promising. It wasn't raining, so we did the whole thing on Saturday with a visitors-center driver leaving our car at the opposite end. We loaded up the bikes and had just entered Wildcat Mountain State Park when it started pouring--and it kept pouring all the rest of the weekend. So I think I understand the attraction and would like to see it under sunny skies. But thanks for the reminder.
Greg Peck
Mar 22, 2013 at 8:17 a.m.
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Greg: When canoeing the Kickappo I recommend taking a picnic lunch and stop at Wildcat Mountain State Park. Breathtaking.
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