4970. Go to Fonferek Glen in Green Bay

 When planning girls weekend, I looked at things we could do on the way up to Door County. Since I've not been to Fonferek Glen, I thought that would make a nice first stop. And if you are coming up 43 to Door County, especially in the spring and early summer, I would recommend making a stop here as well.

Fonferek Glen is a county park in Brown County. It is actually a conservatory area. It is in a pretty rugged setting. Parking is limited and if it is full, there is no parking on surrounding streets. 

The terrain is very rugged. There are signs that say dangerous conditions exist. Trails are not marked and aren't really kept up. 

We did walk a few trails trying to get to the bottom but they were rugged and steep and way more challenging than I was up to in the morning. We did see some very cool rock formations though on the along the trails we did check out. 

The highlight of Fonferek Glen is a 30 foot waterfall. Except I didn't do my research too real and it was pretty much dry. It turns out the waterfall is usually dry in mid to late summer and during droughts. There was a trickle of water.

It was actually so low we could walk across the top of the waterfall with relative ease as we hopped from dry spot to dry spot.

The waterfall empties into a giant pool. From up on top, the hole looks to go forever and I'm not sure I want to explore that swimming hole.

I definitely need to go back when there is a waterfall and even in winter when it is frozen. It is gorgeous and the being part of the Niagara Escarpment, the rock formations are stunning. It is a definite geological wonder. 

4945. See the World’s Largest Hex Nut at Packer Fastener in Green Bay

On Pinterest, I saw a list of things to do in Green Bay and one of them was to see world's largest Hex Nut. Who comes up with these things? Why do we need a large Hex Nut on display? Since it is there, I might as well go see it. Build it and they will come. 

The good news is you will literally almost run right into the Hex Nut if you take Lombardi Avenue east from Lambeau Field. We were headed back from Prismatica and I was like I have to see that thought as we were in the wrong lane trying to turn right. The nice brother that he is, my brother circled the block and went back so I could see the World's Largest Hex Nut.

Because it's a hex nut, it has metal ridges which are not very comfortable to sit on. So I stood instead.

It is not something I would go out of my way to see but since we literally drove right past it, I figured it was worth the stop for I could get my picture in a giant nut. 

The list of giant objects continues to grow: round barn, corkscrew, fish, penny, hex nut. Maybe I will add wooden nickel and frying pan later this year. Stay tuned to find out if I did.

4946. Check out Prismatica in Green Bay

 I saw an ad on Facebook for Prismetica in Green Bay. It was these giant prisms that made kaleidoscope like designs. It sounded really cool and I wanted to go. I asked Rick and Shannon if they wanted to go with me. We decided to meet for dinner and then go check out the prisms. 

We got to Titletown District around 7:30. The prisms are best viewed after dark. We got there around 7:30 so not quite dusk. This is the problem with spring and summer. It stays light later which means later start times for after dark activities.

Because it wasn't dark, Prismatica did not wow me. We still were able to spin then and try to cast different shapes and designs. Some of them worked better than others. The faster you spun them, they better they worked. 

Honestly we were not impressed. I think if it was dark out they were would have been way cooler. We spent about 15-20 minutes trying out different prisms.

Prismetica runs through the end of the month at Titletown District in Green Bay. It was free. Besides Prismetica there's live music on Fridays, bocce ball, shuffleboard, and plus a whole playground for the kids. It would make a fun evening out with the family.

4840. See the frozen waterfall at Wequiock Falls

 A friend posted about their afternoon at Wequiock Falls on Facebook and I was like I want to go. They falls were still frozen and I've not seen them frozen. I asked Shannon if they were interested if going with me. They were.

On our way bac from Cave Point, we stopped at Wequiock Falls County Park to see the waterfall. Being such a nice day, it was quite busy. We had to park on the road and over to the falls. I've been there once before with Rick and Shannon but never when the falls were frozen. 

There is an observation deck that you can climb down to see the falls from. You can also walk all the way to the bottom and the carefully walk across the mud, snow and ice to get a better view of the falls. That's what I did. You had to be patient and navigate around people as well. It was worth it though.

The frozen falls were gorgeous but starting to melt. This was probably the last weekend that there would be frozen especially with temperatures in the 50s to start the week. 

I just wish we were there with less people so I could have taken pictures in front of the main falls. There was a photo shoot going on as well so I didn't want to disturb the either. 

After taking the picture in front of the side falls, I opted to slide down the incline on my butt versus trying not to slip going down the ice. It worked well. I almost made it back to the stairs without falling then my foot slipped and my hand (and phone) landed in a cold puddle of clay. We both survived and was able to wash most of the gunk of my hands in the creek. When we got back to the car, I used water and tissues to clean up better.

It was definitely a sight to see. I have to remember to go check out Wequiock Falls every year in winter and maybe Fonfrek Glen as well. 

Titletown Winter Games

For the second year, US Venture and the Titletown District has come together to put on Titletown Winter Games. It is a chance for people to try winter sports they might not normally try. It's a two day free family event. Last year the weather was not very nice. This year I really wanted to try the luge.

Danielle and I headed to Green Bay. I was worried about parking and what not but we parked right in the Titletown lot and it was a short walk to the Winter Games. After signing my life away, I got my ticket to play. Danielle was just along to document everything.

The games included luge, curling, ice skating, figure skating, cross country skiing with the biathlon option, and ski jumping. I really wanted to try the luge, biathlon, and maybe ski jump.

We headed to the luge run which was being done on Arian's Hill. They were awarding prizes to the fastest times each day. In order to qualify you actually had to make it down the hill without crashing. Yeah, me and the walls were friends. I made it no father than half way down on either run. I decided that luge is not for me.

We skipped the curling since I've already had tried that once and like luge, it wasn't the sport for me. I really didn't need to ice skate. I might have been able to handle trying curling again since it was a smaller area and not full curling sheet but I decided to stay off the ice.

Next up was cross country skiing. I did this once back in high school. I figured this should be a piece of cake. After getting my skis on, I head out to do a loop around the football field. 50 feet later, I'm on my butt. I continuously landed on my butt every 50-100 feet. Apparently my balance isn't the greatest anymore (or maybe the ruts were causing me issues). Finally half way through, I got frustrated I attempted to take off my skis and walk back. I couldn't even get the dang things off but I successfully managed to take off the top strap of one of the skis. Just by doing this, I managed not to fall any more.

By this time, I'm cold and snow covered. I am no longer having fun. Snow down my pants is cold.

We skipped the biathlon only because the line was long. They used lasers instead of bullets. So I might have been safe. Ski jumping was out of the question since I probably would not land on my feet and end up on my butt in the snow again.The ski jump was only like two or three feet off the ground.

The Winter Games is a great idea. It gets people out and trying new activities. If you don't want to participate there were plenty of restaurants to visit as well as ice sculptures and music.

I probably won't go again only because I'm not all that keen on falling in the snow anymore.  I would definitely suggest checking it out in the future especially if you have kids. They would have a blast.

6682. Luge

The Titletown District and US Venture have sponsored the Titletown Winter Games for the last two years. One of the events you can try is luge. I've always wanted to try luge, skeleton, and bobsled. Those are among my favorites at the Winter Olympics. Skeleton and bobsled are actually on the original bucket list. Luge for some reason never made the original list.

Since the weather was supposed to be nice, Danielle and I planned on going to Green Bay for the winter games so I could luge. We get there and it started snowing.

I registered for the events and headed over to the luge which was being done on Arien's Hill. After a quick lesson in how to steer, I climb to the top of the hill carrying my luge. Unlike Olympic luge which is done on an icy, enclosed track, my luging adventure was done on a short, snow covered tubing hill. I probably wouldn't have attempted this if it was being done on an actual luge track.

One of the junior luge team members pushed me down the hill and off I went. I made it about half way down before I hit the wall and crashed. Apparently I forgot to lean into the wall as oppose to away from it. I walked the rest of the way down. I could feel the bruise already forming.

I did it. It was fun... but there was no video or pictures to prove I did this.

So I put my helmet back on, grabbed a new sled and head back up the hill. By this time there was a short wait to go down.

I should have skipped the proof and called it a day. My second run wasn't any better than the first. I made it about a 1/3 of the way down before crashing into the other wall. Again the whole lean into the wall is the bane of my existence.

But if you are going to wipe out, you might as well wipe out with style. I flipped the luge and slid a few feet on my stomach. One of the people in charge heard the thump when I hit the snow.

Okay so luge is not the sport for me. I was not going to try it a third time because either 3rd times a charm or 3 strikes and you're out. Knowing my luck, it would be the later one.

Despite the crashes, I had a blast. It was fast and fun. The hubby wasn't thrilled that I did this. I probably won't get to it again. However, if luge is on your bucket list head to Green Bay next winter for the Winter Games and give it a shot. Maybe you would actually make it down the hill.

Cafe Hopping in Green Bay

When a friend was looking for people and activities to celebrate her birthday next month, I made a mental note. When a Facebook event intrigued me, I contacted her saying "I know your birthday isn't til next month but how does a cafe walk sound" I sent her the details and she was like "Free? Coffee?".

Now I don't drink coffee.. never really acquired the taste for it but a cafe walk to various cafes in Green Bay to sample coffee, hot beverages, and treats sounded like a good way to spend a Saturday morning.

Downtown Green Bay and Cellcom sponsored the Cafe Walk. You pick up your punch card and can visit 8 different cafes in downtown Green Bay. There were 3 on the west side of the river and 5 on the east side. Everything was within relative walking distance and there was a trolley that took you to each stop. Not familiar with downtown Green Bay and poor map reading skills, we relied on Googlemaps for most of it.

We visited the following cafes

The Cannery -- It featured a dark roasted coffee. My friend, T, really liked it. I took longer to drink it. I was not a fan but I drank it all.

Kavarna -- You could have either coffee or Chaider. The Chaider was popular and we had to wait for it. The coffee was good T said. Chaider is chai tea and apple cider. It was actually really good and I'm not a fan of hot apple cider.

Monzu Bakery -- This was the only place without a beverage. There were scones to sample. Very yummy scones. I had bacon cheddar. If T and I didn't promise to save our money for the candy store at the end, I totally would have gotten a macroon.

The Attic -- They actually had several different teas to try including chaider. I went with Once Upon a Tea which was a tea with chocolate hints. T and I felt the teas were really watered down. If we actually got a strong tea here, it might have been better.

Glas -- Green Bay's newest cafe. Again they had two different kinds of coffee. It was really strong. I was not a fan. This was very self serve and a very tiny cafe.

The Creamery -- They served an iced chai latte. O.M.G. This was my favorite by far. I would actually go here and get one in the future. The couple dispensing the drinks were very friendly and helpful. They actually told us how to get to the last two stops.

Daily Buzz -- They had drinks and treats. You could Pumpkin Spice Coffee or an Autumn Refresher which was lemonade and tea plus a cookie or scone sample. The Autumn Refresher was alright but the cookies and creme scone was divine.

Grounded Cafe -- Again we had drinks and treats. They actually had four of the same stations set up around the room so it was not crowded. There was chaider to drink and either a cheese or apple pastry. The apple pastry was so much better than the cheese pastry.

Apparently chaider was the hot new beverage of choice this year. I never even heard of it until the cafe walk. The samples weren't big but it's a sample and it's free so I'm not complaining besides I couldn't drink an 8 oz beverage at all these locations.

I guess in the first year, there were a dozen or more locations instead of the eight we had this year. 8 was actually a good number. It gave you time to walk to the locations because waiting for the trolley was a waste of time and enjoy your drink. You really only 3.5 hours to complete it (8:30-12) and it was pretty close to noon when we finished because of having to wait for the trolley to take us across the river. We didn't get there til 9:15 or so though either.

T and I decided we would do this again but with more people. It would actually be fun with a big group of people. I can't wait til next year so I can arrange for a group of us to go.