A large tree stands watch over a snowy scene outside of Monroe, Wisconsin. This is one of those benefits of what I call "drive by shooting." Driving aimlessly along quite country roads can result in some rather spectacular scenes.

I will be leaving later today for a week-long trip to Casper, Wyoming. It may soon be my base of operations for the foreseeable future. It will be a long drive, but I plan on also stopping in the Badlands of South Dakota along the way.

Casper is the gateway to the rugged Old West. Located in the eastern plains of Wyoming, it is the second largest city in Wyoming; about the size of Janesville, Wisconsin. Unlike Janesville, there aren’t many cities or villages beyond Casper’s wall. The landscape is stark, but beautiful, and it is centrally between some of the most beautiful places in America…Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Devil’s Tower, Black Hills, and the Rocky Mountains.

I see this trip as a prelude to my ultimate departure from Wisconsin soon. It will be the start of a new chapter in my life and an opportunity to be closer to the beauty of the western United States. I am excited to head west, but I have also grown a bit nostalgic for the home state I love.

Aside from the obvious (i.e. friends and family), there are many aspects of Wisconsin I will miss. I began thinking about these last night as I played some board games with friends. Having traveled much before, it is easy for me to see the things that many Wisconsinites take for granted. Woven into our everyday life, the Wisconsin culture and identity is very unique.

While I know the western U.S. has much to offer, here are some of the things I will miss most. They are positively Wisconsin:

• Red barns dotting the plush rural landscape.
• Summer nights on the Memorial Union Terrace.
• Cheese & sausage platters.
• Playing euchre and sheepshead with the guys.
• The shake of the day.
• Friday night fish fries.
• Green Bay Packers roster moves leading the nightly news.
• Roadside vegetable stands.
• State Street.
• Cheap beer.
• Madison’s beatniks.
• Santiago Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum.
• Fried cheese curds.
• County fairs.
• Happy holsteins grazing in open pastures.
• Mom’s home cooking.
• Silos.
• Madison politics.
• Large oak trees (see above).
• Kalberwurst.
• The first big, wet snow storm of the year.
• Dane County Farmers’ Market.
• UW Badgers football.
• Dining at The Glarner Stube in New Glarus and Imperial Garden in Madison.
• Driving through the fields on the family farm.
• Landjaegers.
• Madison Magazine.
• Bo Ryan’s UW men’s basketball team.
• New Glarus beer.
• Farmers talking about the weather.
• Tailgating in Madison before University of Wisconsin football games.
• Vibrant, small towns.
• Autumn leaves.
• New Glarus Bakery.
• Supper clubs.

So yes, soon my journey begins.