Native seed, lupine, and cow tippin

The day began with a shopping run down to Monroe. By midafternoon the gang was out on the native plants tallgrass prairie spreading native seed.

Wind dispersal was a favored technique of the boy while the girls broad cast seeds as they wandered over hill and dale. Wisconsin state route 78 is in the background.

Shrue assisting in the seeding effort. Go forth and multiply!

The wild lupine (Lupinus perinnus, Fabaceae) was in riotous bloom, and generated the most wonderful fragrance.

A fairly rare sight: a Kosraean framed by a tallgrass prairie Lupine.

The cream wild indigo (Baptisia bracteata var. Leucophaea, Fabaceae) was also in full bloom across the tallgrass prairie.

Prior to sowing seeds, I had taken the green machine and weed whacked silver, white, teal, brown, and the extension of brown down to the gate. The shot below is looking east on silver from the north gate to the property. While the three downed trees might be problematic for equine, the gentle downhill turned this stretch into a fun set of quick hop hurdles later in the long day. This photo was taken after sowing the seeds, I was showing Barb that silver is run-ready if not equine ready.

At 16:45 I hit the now completed loop. As always there are a few brambles and thorns left hanging over the trail, so one comes in with a few hits to the leg. Nothing serious. What is a good run without some stinging nettle and a few recurved thorn wounds in the skin? The loop GPS'ed at 3.75 km which took me 25:01 to run. I was absolutely thrilled, one week on the ground and "the loop" was open and runnable.

Cardio hill was tough as ever, but the white connector climb up out of the north valley was what left me most oxygen deprived. Teal trail was fast, but the final climb out the southernmost vale was tough. I slowed to barely a walking pace when I looked up and saw the worst of the widow makers on the property hanging from a dead tree about twenty meters up. That motivated me to punch on up the hill and out from under the widow maker.

Dinner was a wonderful cheese, broccoli, and rolled tortillas casserole. After dinner the weather was so glorious that Barb declared an ice cream run to Yellowstone.

At the dairy bar there I ordered Cow tippin' ice cream: vanilla with caramel swirl and chocolate cows. I wandered down to the dam to enjoy my sinfully delicious treat.

Yellowstone lake was beautiful this evening - no wind, blue skies, seventy degree air temperature. Cool in the shade, warm in the sun. All-in-all a wonderful day.