My Valhalla

The great expanse of the Mississippi just outside a sleepy little ledge-locked town in western Wisconsin called Maiden Rock, is where we like to picnic in October. Above the north/south railroad tracks at a spot overlooking the river is our favorite picnic table. A century old working well with an ancient iron, creeky sledge-handle provides fresh water. Freight trains constantly rumble past in both both directions, frantically racing against the coming winter. The river, 3-miles wide at this stretch, surges a steady dominoes of whitecaps down the river. White Pelicans, with their striking long yellow bills, huddle in vast rafts of white, just off the current, resting and feeding on small fish, their migration only beginning. Barges, heavy-laden, plow south, pushed by stout baroque tugs. Behind us, straight-up, limestone bare bluffs tower, Bald Eagles circling lazily alongside. Mom likes the local handmade cheddar-brats, grilled; on sprouted 9-grain buns with ice-cold spring water! the brats are spittin' sizzlin' cheddar! time to go! 10/25/14