Sporting Activities
Mary Beth Braun
Payment Options for All Events (unless otherwise noted):1. Online Registration with Credit Card payment;
2. In person with completed Event Coupon and credit card or check;
3. By mail, send completed Event Coupon with check to Event Leader.
>>Please sign up online for all events. Log-in with your email and Vagabond password to sign up and pay with your credit card.
Sunday Hikes
Meet at 1:30, hike from 1:45 to 3:45 p.m.
Hike for the Fun – or Just for the Health of It!
Join us for Sunday hikes at area parks and urban locales. Please note that hikes begin promptly at arranged time; late arrivals will not be accommodated.
We welcome volunteers to lead hikes in future months. Contact Dan Heidemann at danlmark@gmail.com or (414) 416-1678 if you know you can be a leader. Hikes without leaders will be canceled.
Hikes without leaders will be canceled.
May 4 – Pike Lake State Park
Take I-41 north to Hwy 60, then go west 3 miles to the park entrance on the left (Kettle Moraine Drive), then south into the park to the beach parking lot. Entrance fee required.
It’s a hilly, moderate hike. Wear proper hiking shoes. Hike rain or shine, dress and equip accordingly. Meet at 1:30 p.m., hike from 1:45 to 3:45 p.m.
Afterward, head to the Mineshaft restaurant, 22 N. Main St., in Hartford, for food and drink. Hike Leader is Gary Kovach, (414) 712-3897..
May 11 – Scuppernong Trails
This beautiful hike will be in the Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit in Waukesha County. Parking at the trailhead is located on County Highway ZZ, east of Hwy 67 and north of the village of Eagle: address for your map app is S58 W35820 County Road ZZ, Dousman 53118.
The trail is considered intermediate to advanced due to uneven surfaces, some inclines and rocks/ stones in some places. Hike distance is 5.5 miles. Gather at Sports Page Bar and Grill afterward for food and drinks. Hike Leaders: Joyce Szulc and Jim Stephens. Questions? Call Joyce at (262) 902-3248.
May 18 – Milwaukee Lakefront
Meet at the Gift of Wings Kite Store, 1300 N Lincoln Memorial Drive, Milwaukee (inside Veterans Park, on the lakefront). We will hike 4-plus miles from the lakefront to Kilbourn Reservoir Park, crossing the Milwaukee River to the Lakefront Brewery.
Dinner afterward at County Clare Irish Inn and Pub, 1234 N Astor St. Hike Leader is Jay Zinn, (414) 708-1663.
May 25, 12:30 p.m. – Memorial Day Weekend gathering at
Whitnall Park
The Vagabond gathering will be at Picnic Area No. 5 (as in past years). We will take an abbreviated hike in Whitnall Park so we don’t miss out on socializing with our non-hiking Vagabond friends.
Hike Leaders are Dan Heidemann, (414) 416-1678 and Betty Riley, (262) 888-9978.
Memorial Weekend Picnic, May 25 • Whitnall Park
The Vagabonds will have Area 5 at Whitnall Park available for our annual picnic get-together on Sunday, May 25. We have the area from 10 a.m. if you would like to set up a game or socialize. The weekly hike will start at 12:30, followed by a picnic at 2 p.m.
Parking is just across the road from Area 5, and restrooms are nearby. Guests are invited; bring your own food and drink. Bring a dish to pass if you would like (fruits or sweets, for example). Plates and utensils will be supplied. Any questions? Contact Mary Beth at (262) 443-7291.
Midweek Walks
Our one-hour walks are every Thursday morning from 11 to noon at various parks and area locations. The organizer is Sherry Dobson, (262) 498-4067, and she welcomes volunteers to lead a walk. Upcoming walks:
May 1 – Scout Lake, 5902 W. Loomis Road, Greendale
Parking is at the main entrance. The path is paved, with some hills. The park is a wonderful gem in the middle of a residential area.
May 8 – Greenfield Park, West Allis
Meet in the parking lot on Lincoln Avenue, just east of 124th Street. Most of the walk is on paved surfaces.
May 15 – Al Stigler Preserve, 17400 W. Liberty Lane, New Berlin (just off Calhoun Road)
The paths are mostly mulched, but some areas may be wet. No hills.
May 22 – Whitnall Park
Meet at the golf course parking lot off the 92nd Street entrance (6751 S. 92 St.). The paths are generally not paved.
May 29 – Mitchel Park and Fox Brook Park, Brookfield
Meet in the parking lot of Sharon Lynne Wilson Theater. We will walk through Mitchel Park and cross over to Fox Brook Park to walk around the pond and back. All paths are paved or boardwalk.
State park admission
Vehicle admission passes for Wisconsin state parks are now valid for 12 months from the time of purchase (rather than just the remainder of the calendar year).The fee is $28 for a vehicle with a Wisconsin license plate, with a senior rate of $13 annual, or $3 daily. To buy a pass online, go to yourpassnow.com/ParkPass/wi
golf leagues
Wednesdays at Songbird, June 4 to Aug. 27
W259 N8700 Hwy 164, Hartland
Tee times start at 1:30 p.m.
Fee: $200 for 9 holes each week for 13 weeks
We will play golf Wednesday afternoons at Songbird Hills, just south of County Line Road in Hartland.
Our tee times will start at 1:30 p.m.
Fee: $200 for 9 holes each week for 13 weeks; includes an end-of-summer party and prizes.
If you wish, play 18 holes for a higher fee. Cart rental is $10 per rider weekly.
Experienced golfers can sign up as a single, twosome or foursome. Foursomes will be put together and you will play with the same foursome each week. Contact Suzanne if you have specific requests for your foursome.
Substitutes pay $6 to sign up and $12 to the person they are playing for. The end-of-summer party will be an additional $25 for subs if they wish to attend. Guests are also welcome to attend the party for $25. Call or text league captain Suzanne Wiedner at (262) 305-8444.
Fridays at Sunny Slope
5285 S. Sunny Slope Road, New Berlin
June 6 to Aug. 29 (No golf July 4; two rain dates in September.)
Fee: $180 for the weekly golfer who walks; includes the end–of–season pizza party. Cart rental is $9 per person weekly.
You can sign up as a single or as a twosome; singles will be matched with a partner, and each week there will be a mix-up of twosomes, so we get to play with everyone. If you would like to be paired with a particular partner, please specify their name on the registration form.
Substitutes pay $20 to sign up, which includes the party, and then $13 or $21 for each round of golf paid directly to the person they are playing for.
We play READY Golf; players need to be alert and ready to strike the ball!
Call, text or email league captain Jean Dueling at (414) 321-0258 or duelingj@gmail.com.
Weekly Bike Rides
We need leaders The Vagabond bike-riding season starts Sunday, June 1
Thank you to everybody who volunteered to lead a bike ride last year. We now need volunteer leaders for this year. We ride on Sunday afternoons and need leaders to map out routes of 15 to 25 miles. Along with the ride leader, we will have a sweeper to help monitor the group and assist in case of emergency.
After each ride, we meet for food, drink and camaraderie. (No local ride is scheduled June 22 because of the annual Weekend Bike Trip.) The June schedule is already full, but we need leaders for July, August and September. To reserve your date, contact Jim Stephens at (262) 694-2115 or at jstephens3@wi.rr.com.
Weekend Bike Trip, Root River, June 19–22
Back by popular demand. … Our annual weekend bike trip this summer will be on the Root River trail in Minnesota’s Driftless Region. We will stay at the Country Trails Inn and Suites in Preston, Minn. Root River is a paved trail through quaint towns, with the famous Aroma Pie Shop along the way. There is also golf, canoeing, shopping and tennis nearby.
Transportation will be on your own.
Breakfast is provided by the hotel. Dinners will be on your own. After you arrive, bring your own beverages for a Thursday-night pizza party. There will be a group dinner Saturday night, if you wish to attend. Friday night will be on your own.
Price is $285 per person, double occupancy. Contact Dan Heidemann at (414) 416-1678 or Denise Kremel at (262) 524-1023.
Bike and Barge Trip France Sept. 6–13
$2,000 per person double occupancy, excluding air
Tour the South of France by boat and bike Sept. 6–13, 2025. A week of cycling, suitable even for less experienced cyclists. The stages are led by a guide, mainly on back roads from Avignon to Aigues Mortes, with little traffic.
Price: $2,000 per person, payable by check and based on double occupancy. Does not include airfare or bike rental. Meals included.
For details, go to Sitzmark.org/event-5665633; contact Trip Leader John Graff at jgraff1809@gmail.com or (414) 403-3478.
Have an Idea?
If you would like to do something this spring or summer that doesn’t involve participating in a sport, please share your ideas and help make it happen with your fellow Vagabonds.
We can’t do it without you! Contact Mary Beth at 262-443-7291 or MBBraun4@wi.rr.com.