After a 7 hour drive from St. Louis, I pull into Prairie du Chien (Wisconsin) on Thursday evening and look for a place to stay that is cheap and wired. The Holiday Motel, according to the lodging guide, fits the bill. Cheap is relative, though; it is still costing me $60/night with all the added taxes. At least the WiFi works well.

WiFi is a priority on this trip, because I do not have cell phone service around here. Thank you Virgin/Sprint. I feel strangely out of touch without a working cell phone, but at least WiFi helps me feel connected and accessible to people I know. Weird. Just a few years ago I was totally against the cell phone concept. I didn’t want to be that easy to reach, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would need, or want, to be so accessible. Now I am so hooked to that damn thing that I feel unnerved about being out of cell phone range for a couple of days. Go figure.

So, here’s a quick list of the pros and cons of my room at the Holiday Motel:

  • Pros: Free WiFi, sat TV, firm bed, decent pillows, fridge.
  • Cons: It is noisy. The AC unit rattles enough to register on the Richter Scale and the train tracks across the street are busier than riot cops at an English soccer game. (Right now as I am typing this blog, a train roars by.)
  • Another con: my room stinks. It smells like something died in here. Recently.

Quick aside: If I hadn’t already told you where I am this weekend, would the photo below have helped?

Care for some gouda with your gas?

I get a wild idea to wake up very early on Friday morning, around 5am. I am sure that shocks those of you who know me. The forecast calls for a chance of fog. I grab a thirty-five cent cup of coffee from the convenience mart, and set out in search of a backwater slough shrouded in fog under the early morning light. Instead, I end up finding closed roads and poison ivy. Regardless, it is a good scouting trip. I find a couple of promising hikes and explore a trail that could be a very cool spot for birdwatching and/or fog photo-taking. I also kinda like the picture below.

After the last hike of the morning, I come back to my room for a quick shower, hoping to wash away any potential poison ivy exposure. By 9, I am sitting in Simply Coffeehouse & Eatery, a spacious café located in a beautifully restored 19th century building – wood plank floors, exposed brick walls, tin ceiling, the whole package. Fully charged on coffee and portabella eggs benedict, I spend the rest of the day biking around town between attractions.

By 3:30 I feel worn out, so I retreat to the motel for one of my patented 15 minute power-naps. Recharged, I enter notes from the day’s work and check email. Around 5:30 I head out for another round of sightseeing, this time by car. After more driving, more exploring, and more hiking, I hit the wall around 8. The rest of my exciting Friday night: Subway for dinner and a beer in my room, followed by an early bedtime. Rain is on the way late tonight. Bummer. Now that I know some decent places for early morning shots, I was ready to do it all over again.

Bad Decision of the Day: Hiking through waist high brush in shorts. What poison ivy?

© Dean Klinkenberg, 2007