We are most definitely PEAKING this week out here in Fransconsin! I have never seen such spectacular color. Not being a big lover of yellow, I have been known to grumble about Fall colors when the reds and oranges don't come out to play, but this year, wow, it's a cacophony of gorgeousness! If you want to take a fantastic drive, this is where you want to be.
I have a couple of ideas for you besides just driving. Remember my Covid Travel Itinerary? Hitting the road early to score some yummies from the Smiling Pelican Bakeshop and Lake View Organic Farm would make you one of the most popular kids on the block! Once you've got some goods, hit our backroads for truly glamorous scenery!
For those of you who have been out here before, you know our Wisconsin road naming system is THE MOST CONFUSING thing EVER! I actually cannot give people directions from my farm to Ellsworth as I cannot remember 210th, 230th, 250th...all so similar yet not the same, and no easy-to-understand logic about how/why they are what they are. THEREFORE, I am a HUGE FAN of GOOGLE MAPS, and quite the opposite for APPLE MAP APP that comes on the iPhones. Download the Google Map App and hit the road. It's the most reliable way to maneuver your way around these parts. Once you're here, Google yourself from small town to small town and choose the most roundabout way to see the best FALL colors!
Here are a couple suggestions for making a great driving day trip.
TO LAKE VIEW ORGANIC FARM from the Cities
Use your Google Maps to get yourselves to Prescott - here you have the choice of going right or left. Left takes you out our way on Highway 10 past spectacular farmland and horse country. Right takes you along the Great River Road (WI highway 35). Do you want farmland or river bluffs?
If you go LEFT (my personal favorite route), follow Highway 10 to Ellsworth and stop at the Ellsworth Creamery for some cheese curds. Continue on Highway 10 to County Road D and take a right. Go about 5 miles to 250th Avenue and take a LEFT. Go to 490th and take a RIGHT. A little down the road, the road continues forward or turns to the left becoming 230th. Follow it to the left on 230th Avenue. Stop at the Salem Township Cemetery for a tour through our past. Continue on 230th. It takes a turn to the RIGHT and becomes 450th Street on the gravel. Take a slight left avoiding the gravel and continue on the blacktop until you get to Lake View Farm, OR take the gravel road down in the holler for some crazy beautiful scenery and color! Once you get back to the blacktop after dipping down into the "Sleepy Hollow" ravine on your narrow winding gravel road, you're on 420th, and a LEFT will get you up the hill to Lake View Farm, or a RIGHT will take you to County Road A. Right on A takes you to the Great River Road 35 where you can continue your explorations of our Lake Pepin Area.
Sleepy Hollow Road 450th Street, Maiden Rock
MENOMONIE to LAKE VIEW ORGANIC FARM
William and I took this trip yesterday and I cannot say enough about the natural beauty along the way! If you have time, stop at Nugget Lake Park for a hike for that up-close-and-personal connection with nature.
From Menomonie, Google Map yourself to Cady Cheese Factory and Gift Shop (126 State Highway 128) in Wilson for an ice cream cone and a WI dairy delicacy to take home. Then head to Spring Valley where you can find The Butchery, an amazing grocery and butcher with some of our area's finest. For a spectacular AUTUMN COLOR SHOW, map yourself to Elmwood down Highway 128, a charming little village tucked in one of the many Driftless valleys. From Elmwood follow 72 to NUGGET LAKE for an autumn hike. From Nugget Lake, take HH to County Road CC South towards Highway 10 West to County Road A and take a left. Travel along the Rush River about 5 miles to 210th Avenue and take a RIGHT up the hill. This gorgeous road will take you up out of the valley to our rooftop area in the sky! At the top of the hill, take a left and follow the blacktop around until you see our big red barn.
TECH TIP: Use the "Add Stop" feature of Google Maps:
Menomonie (add stop)
Cady Cheese (add stop)
Spring Valley the Butchery (add stop)
Elmwood (add stop)
Nugget Lake (add stop)
Lake View Organic Farm
It's going to be a great few days for enjoying the countryside and we're open Thursday - Sunday if you can get away!
We are STOCKED with a new Balsamic Maple Sunflower Dressing, Tomato Chutney to top roast pork or chicken if you're meat and potatoes, or a lovely vegetable curry with roti on the side if not, and LOTS of CBD Chocolates and Truffles to sweeten your daily dose. Health and wellness all around!
OUR CBD - ONLINE STORE IS IN THE WORKS
If you're curious about CBD, we have quality products. Our carrier oil for our CBD is our own sunflower oil instead of the MCT most CBD companies use. We also process and press the oils ourselves so they are all farm, all organic, full-spectrum (less than 0.3% THC - legal limit). You will understand the difference if you've been using someone else's CBD. People have reported that our CBD helps them sleep, relieves anxiety and stress and decreases inflammation. Perhaps you need a little Covid relief? Stop in the Farm Store to see our products, or shop online with the "Online Store" link.
WHAT'S NEW ON THE FARM?
Sorry to say, farming has taken precedence, and we have been unable to take the time to clear our Sugar Bush Maple Hill trails yet. We got out there to assess what it would take to get the job done, and quickly realized we simply don't have the time right now.
The calves have been moved to pasture and weaned from milk, so were crying for a couple of days. Now they've taken to munching grass and enjoying some of the ground feed William has prepared for them. They get a mixture of barley, oats, corn, sunflower seeds, and buckwheat...instead of letting the chickens snack from their goods like they did when they were on both milk and this feed, now they lick the pan clean!
A few days ago, William was spreading manure, so the farm was a little stinky-cheese ripe for awhile, but for now he's off to other tasks. He planted lots of rye the last few days with the idea to manage some of the weed pressure on a few of our fields, and all the corn silage is chopped, bagged and ready for winter. It's in a happy fermentation mode turning plain old food into delicious fodder!
Around us, farmers are combining the soybeans, so the lady beetles are swarming looking for winter bedding ground. My farmhouse seems to be their chosen place.
It was an early spring with crops in early, so harvest will also be earlier this year than some...of course, that assumes little or no rain to continue. Instead of finishing the end of November this year, I would bet most farmers will likely have their crops in by the end of October. We had our first frost out here this past week - no major damage, but a big reminder of what's to come!
It would be great fun to see you for this beautiful Fall season. I'll be around to greet you, give you tips for travel stops and point you out for a walk to see our gorgeous Lake View!
Cheers to you all. Stay well and balanced in these troubling times.
Sarah
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