Althouse: Meade bikes the John Muir Trail...

November 21, 2012

Meade bikes the John Muir Trail...

... in Kettle Moraine State Forest.

19 comments:

ricpic said...: "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this Hoosier son."

That's what Wilbur Shakes, inbred descendant (he claims) of the Bard, lifelong resident of Posey County, Indiana, whispered, leaning over my shoulder watching this video.; 11/21/12, 7:52 PM
Titus said...: Muir-commie.; 11/21/12, 8:20 PM
edutcher said...: Looks like something you'd hike, rather than bike, but kudos to Meade for even attempting it.

But, where was his sweetie, hanging back to yell, "Watch out for that... TREE!"?; 11/21/12, 8:31 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Not the John Muir Trail I'm familiar with. That one is 211 miles long, from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney. I hiked 180 of those miles, from Tuolumne Meadows to the southern terminus between my junior and senior years in high school, lo, these 42 years and gone. It was quite a walk.; 11/21/12, 8:44 PM
Methadras said...: Meade should try biking in the Briones area where John Muir is a saint there.; 11/21/12, 8:44 PM
Danno said...: Looks like fun. I see it isn't that far for you, as I saw Whitewater in a larger map I pulled up.; 11/21/12, 8:51 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Did you get a GoPro? Because that's some preeeety steady shoot'n there.; 11/21/12, 8:55 PM
RazorSharpSundries said...: Nature w/out humans is an illusion. It's not Meade riding the trail, it's the trail riding Meade.; 11/21/12, 9:22 PM
jimbino said...: Ask Meade to note the number of Black and Brown faces he sees along the way, in order to substantiate or refute my claim that our Black and Hispanic minorities never get to enjoy their patrimony, in spite of the taxes they pay to support those White Muir Country Clubs.; 11/21/12, 9:26 PM
McTriumph said...: Very nice vid, thanks, but in Missouri we call that woods, not forest. But, guess Kettle Moraine State Woods sounds sucky.; 11/21/12, 9:34 PM
Michael K said...: "Not the John Muir Trail I'm familiar with."

John Muir was actually from Wisconsin.

In 1849, Muir's family emigrated to the United States, starting a farm near Portage, Wisconsin, called Fountain Lake Farm. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.[13] Stephen Fox recounts that Muir's father found the Church of Scotland insufficiently strict in faith and practice, leading to their emigration and joining a congregation of the Campbellite Restoration Movement, called the Disciples of Christ .

Muir went to the U of Wisconsin.

At age 22, Muir enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, paying his own way for several years. There, under a towering black locust tree beside North Hall, Muir took his first botany lesson. A fellow student plucked a flower from the tree and used it to explain how the grand locust is a member of the pea family, related to the straggling pea plant. Fifty years later, the naturalist Muir described the day in his autobiography. "This fine lesson charmed me and sent me flying to the woods and meadows in wild enthusiasm."[10]:225 As a freshman Muir studied chemistry with Professor Ezra Carr and his wife Jeanne; they became lifelong friends and Muir developed a lifelong interest in chemistry and the sciences.[9]:76 Muir took an eclectic approach to his studies, attending classes for two years but never being listed higher than a first-year student due to his unusual selection of courses. Records showed his class status as "irregular gent" and, even though he never graduated, he learned enough geology and botany to inform his later wanderings.[

I've read everything he wrote and they are very readable. He had an amazing life. Walking from Wisconsin to the Gulf to take a ship to California. It was right after the Civil War and he walked through dangerous territory.; 11/21/12, 10:32 PM
Mutaman said...: "Has Hillary Clinton ever registered an actual accomplishment?"

We all know one thing Ann
accomplished -she found the N-I-G on the kids pajamas.; 11/21/12, 10:34 PM
Michael K said...: I believe the university still has a desk he built which had a clockwork mechanism to force him to study. He describes it as locked and it would only display a book for a period of time, like a half hour, then hide it again.; 11/21/12, 10:35 PM
McTriumph said...: Michael K

Thanks; 11/21/12, 10:44 PM
Sorun said...: John Muir has a trail, but Aldo Leopold has a trail system (all the state trails).

BTW, Aldo Leopold's parents were first cousins. Knowing my own first cousins, I think that screwing one of them would be really awkward.; 11/21/12, 10:52 PM
Unknown said...: I enjoy this video !! Accident lawyer; 11/21/12, 11:11 PM
Sorun said...: I enjoy this video !! Accident lawyer

Haha, ambulance chaser spam.

The two things most characteristic of Louisiana are sensitivity to trespassing and personal injury lawyers.

Some people might instead say Cajun culture and Mardi Gras, but they would be wrong.; 11/21/12, 11:19 PM
Jim in St Louis said...: McTriumph said...

... in Missouri we call that woods, not forest.

Ha! So very true. And have you noticed how those hot-dish loving Badgers will name any ole ditch a 'river'?

As bad as Texans. *disdainful snort*; 11/22/12, 3:38 AM
Laura said...: I have bike envy.; 11/22/12, 3:58 AM