A Governor To Trust

Warning!  This post looks innocent, but I think it's what we bloggers call a rant:) I wanted to delete it but the topics all connected together so nicely:) During our trip to Wisconsin, the big vote was happening.  Would Scott Walker be recalled or would he stay?  We decided to skip Illinois in case the borders were closed due to massive fighting between various sides of the recall.  We hid in a little village called Dodgeville and ate cheese curds and sausage sticks until the vote was over.  Thankfully everyone behaved and no one threw tear gas at one another.  We stayed in the Piney Lodge which felt more like a retirement home.   But what could we do for a day?  In recognition of the Governor and all the cheesehead craziness, we headed to Governor Dodge State Park.  It's one of the largest state parks in Wisconsin.  It has some of the best preserved prairie land around the state. 

Most people go to Governor Dodge for the waterfall, but you won't see that here on this blog.  BORING!!!  Well to be honest, my pics were kind of bad.  The lighting didn't work with me:) BUT the action was happening on the prairie grounds with the birds, butterflies, and crazy bugs!! Oh and let's not forget the fields of Lupine!!!!  What an incredible display of wildflowers all around!

Common Buckeye

Word has it that the bees are making a comeback again and the population is on the increase.  A mite was found to be passing the disease onto hives around the country.  Apparently a little strip inserted into a hive will keep this mite from infiltrating the colonies of bees all over the world.  I'd hate to miss out on pics like this one below. 

Desert dwellers are always shocked to discover the cute little chipmunks that live in Wisconsin forests.  If I had to sum up Wisconsin critters, I'd have to say that they are full of every type of rodent you can imagine!  My Dad discovered a Woodchuck for the first time and people are always trying to figure out the various rodents.  It's not uncommon to find people drinking beer and discussing what they may have seen in their backyard.  My father sat with his buddy Tex on the porch looking at the Woodchuck. Was it a beaver, muskrat, groundhog, etc etc?  It came down to the tail and after another beer, my dad was finally able to identify the critter as a woodchuck.  PS.  Tex is as colorful a character as his name suggests.  My Dad is recently retired and needs a hobby.  If I lived back home, I'd haul his butt with me on my walks.  I know he likes to do this stuff but he is um....not so motivated:)

And look at this nest below!!!!  I think it's made of spit from a bug, but I could be wrong.  I had forgotten about these alien constructions, but very cool to see out in the wild!

Gypsy Moth Nest

There are a lot of trails around the park and even a spot to go horseback riding!  But these are the boring details.  It's more about the experience, right?:)  While on our hike, I noticed a strong cigarrette smell.  Wisconsin loves cigs because everywhere I turned I could smell the nasty fumes!  I HATE smoking.  Most of my family smokes or chews tobacco.  We've done a good job at respecting each other's air space.  I just don't want to be around it and they are good about doing their nasty deeds in private. But it always shocks me to see smokers leaving their truck with a hazy cloud pouring out behind them as they get ready for their hike!!!  And then they walk by and smell terrible!  Please understand that I hate smoking and not the people who enjoy smoking.  Otherwise, I'd have to disown most of my family:)  I write this because in Tucson, you don't notice smoking as an issue much. In Wisconsin they have designated areas for you to smoke at nature centers, museums, etc and they will state this outloud to everyone on the walks/guides.  In fact, they seem to have figured out the stops where people can take a break and smoke. Very clever.  In Tucson,  it rarely if ever is mentioned. Smokers band together here and protect each other from the nasty looks and remarks from others. The attitude difference?  In Wisconsin, smoke away!  We've got a spot for you.  In Tucson,  you've got a serious problem and we will not acknowledge your issues:)  Again this is just a generalization, but they are observations from our trips:)  The teenagers with clouds of smoke around them on this day just made me sad.  Apparently they didn't get the message.  Is it the cold weather that makes people more willing to smoke?  Or was it the Marlboro man?  Because he's dead now.  Plus it's expensive!!  A year supply of cigs is like a round trip ticket to most places in the world!

And whether we agree with something or not doesn't matter because it will happen regardless.  We went to Madison(because I am a curious man) to see if the capital would have some protesting AND  we found them:)  They screamed, "Indict WAAALLLKER."  School trips were still going on and parents quietly walked their children away and went to the security and asked them to remove the protesters.  They were removed from the building and did the screaming outside.  There are many people that would still like to punch Scott Walker in the face.  I am a Tucsonan so I had nothing to do with the vote:)  But I will tell you about my own family.  There are 14 adults and it was split down the middle.  Educators, health care providers vs. the parents.  It was messy but my family moved forward after the recall.  A lot of families had the same issues around the state and it was really fun to hear the discussions going on between everyone at breakfast.  Both sides had their points.  And in the end Walker won.

When we came back to our own home in Tucson, my faith in our city was rewarded with the news that Ron Barber would take over for Gabriela Gifford and it felt good.  I loved Giffords very much and I hope Barber will be a great replacement.  As for Jan Brewer......well I'd much rather not go there:)  This post is all over the place.  And people wonder why we hike and enjoy nature:) Governors come and go....but Governor Dodge has been there the longest:)  It must be his universal appeal to everyone.  More tomorrow....