If you like driving past green pastures and meadows ablaze with daisies, yarrow and Orange Hawkweed on a perfect summer day, then Claudia and John Cavanaugh’s place in Cumberland, Wisconsin is where it’s at! The day couldn’t have been nicer and the fresh summer air and scenery were the best they have been this year. This is one of the benefits of enduring the wettest June on record.
Cavanaugh’s farm is a charming place to visit. Their log home, alone, is worth the trip. It’s vaulted ceilings, stain glass windows, fieldstone fireplace and ample front porch give the illusion of being at a mountain lodge. Their long, private driveway was perfect for assembling our vehicles for the drive. The quiet country roads allowed us to drive eleven miles encountering only a handful of cars. We did, however, see many excited cows running along the fence with us at the Valley Vu Dairy. That was exciting for us passengers. The horses didn’t seem to mind ...... Vergel turned back before reaching the dairy. He is not a fan of the cows we hear. Ned Hahn brought Buck along. Lyle and Marlyene Jahn enjoyed riding with him. Max brought Caramia. This was her second club drive. She is doing really well. Tom and Jerry better spruce up their act or they’ll be replaced on a regular basis. Mo and Thoven pulled Ken and Kathy’s hitch wagon. Heidi and Trent Kowalchyk, Victoria Letourneau, Cheryl Wilson and myself road along with them. Kathy and Dave Boron brought their team. Victoria abandon the hitch wagon half way through the drive to join them. She wanted to experience a different vehicle and they were gracious enough to include her. Claudia hitched Vergel and her friend Cindy went along. They lead the way at the start but, as I mentioned, they turned back before confronting the cows. Joan and Wil Kowalchyk came in time for our potluck. They had enjoyed watching their grandchildren performing at an event back home earlier in the day. They stayed overnight at Cavanaugh’s on Saturday and enjoyed the same eleven mile drive on Sunday. It was just as nice the second time around!
Our potluck was delicious, as usual. It never seems to disappoint us! The day was a bright spot in an otherwise rainy stretch of June. Thank you, Claudia and John, for hosting the drive. We had a marvelous time!