A Frigid Start to 2026

2026 has been unusual for both the frigid weather and also for my traveling. The temps have been below average. In the whole scheme of things, the weather itself is mild. At least compared to what the rest of the country is experiencing. While it’s a bit of an ice block here, other places are getting hammered with snow.

When it comes to traveling, I haven’t left Dane County either in December or January. During my daily routine, I can see the Green County line, but I have not crossed it. This is the opposite of my normal travels, where I’ll visit 20+ county courthouses in a day.

January 17th is when I ventured the furthest from Belleville. I took Little Dude to his haircut. Because it was frigid and he needed to burn off some energy, we went to Chick-fil-A.

I like how they have fruit cups (his favorite).

A meal from Chick-fil-A featuring a red box of chicken nuggets and a white cup of fresh fruit containing strawberries, blueberries, mandarin orange segments, and honeydew melon pieces.

I got a grilled chicken sandwich and some warm soup.

Little Dude then burned off energy in the play area. I will say for as compact as this play area is, there is a lot to do. He had a blast!

A young child playing in an indoor Chick-fil-A playground, standing at a pretend "Beauty Shop" play station. The play area features climbing structures, slides, and safety netting.

We then drove back on the not-so-clear roads.

View through a car windshield of a snow-covered rural highway in winter conditions, with flat farmland on both sides and high snow banks along the road edges under an overcast gray sky.

Later that night, Victoria and I got a babysitter. We then celebrated our anniversary at Ollie’s in Fitchburg.

A generous portion of golden beer-battered Wisconsin cheese curds served in a black dish on red-and-white checkered paper, with a side of white ranch dipping sauce.

A Greek gyro wrapped in pita bread topped with tomato, cucumber, red onion, and feta cheese, served on red-and-white checkered paper with a side of crispy onion strings and ketchup.

We then checked out the new Hop Garden in Belleville. They had some pretty awesome beer!

Nighttime street view of "The Garage" restaurant with its illuminated sign, located in what appears to be a small downtown area. Snow is visible on the ground and several vehicles are parked along the street.

Our anniversary was actually on Monday. We exchanged gifts. Victoria got me stuff from my favorite smokehouse in Texas, Prasek’s.

We then had tacos from Taqueria Los Olivos for lunch.

Three authentic street-style carne asada tacos on corn tortillas topped with fresh cilantro and diced white onion, served in a white styrofoam container with lime wedges.

We then fired up the fireplace. It was one of the rare times we have done so lately. Having a now mobile infant makes it a bad idea to leave a hot surface he can crawl up to.

A gas fireplace with realistic ceramic logs and glowing flames, set into a brick surround with hardwood flooring visible at the base. A child’s toy is partially visible in the corner.

On January 23rd, the wind chills were brutal. They closed schools and daycare. You know it’s cold when that happens in Wisconsin!

A television displaying a Channel 15 First Alert Weather broadcast showing "feels-like temperature" readings across southern Wisconsin, with values ranging from -35°F to -49°F in various cities including Madison at -37°F.

The weekend was my planned weekend away. I braved the cold and headed to the Sleep Inn in Oregon, WI. Even after driving from Belleville to Oregon, my car was only halfway warmed up.

This is another reason I don’t travel a lot in winter. Besides driving in snow, my car is very cold-blooded. The 1.0L EcoBoost is great for fuel efficiency. Sadly, the small engine doesn’t generate enough heat to stay fully warm in super cold temps. Also, fuel efficiency drops like crazy in cold temperatures.

A car dashboard display showing an exterior temperature of -9°F, with trip computer data showing 22.4 MPG, 294 miles of range, and an odometer reading of 185,979 miles.

Another thing I did was break out the heavy winter jacket. This jacket is so heavy that it requires two plastic hangers, or it will break a single hanger. I usually wear a zip-up hoodie until it gets to be about 20-25F. Then I will switch to an actual jacket until it hits single negative digits. Below that, I crank out this jacket.

Heavy winter coats including a tan Carhartt-style work jacket hanging in a closet on wooden hangers, ready for extreme cold weather conditions.

The room I got this time was at the end of the first floor. I could feel the cold seep through the walls, so I cranked the heat. On the bright side, I could see my car out the window.

A hotel room interior with a king-size bed with white linens, orange accent wall, modern dark wood furniture, gray armchair with teal ottoman, and standard hotel amenities.

A snowy hotel parking lot at night with several parked cars covered in snow and ice. A "Welcome to Dubuque" sign is faintly visible in the background.

This time, I packed light. A simple duffle bag and then a grocery tote were all I needed. This was more than enough to let me stay in the room the whole time.

A red Metro grocery store reusable bag and a black tactical-style backpack sitting on a hotel hallway floor against gray carpet and white baseboard.

Hotel room desk displaying travel provisions including Hungry-Man frozen dinners, various packages of beef jerky and meat snacks, pickle-flavored chips, and a Metro grocery bag.

I then set up my laptop.

I noticed the wifi speeds were dramatically different between my phone…

iPhone screenshot of Ookla Speedtest app showing cellular speed results on Spectrum Business network in Eau Claire, WI. Download speed is 12.9 Mbps, upload is 5.36 Mbps, with ping of 20ms and jitter of 31ms.

…and laptop.

Computer monitor displaying Ookla Speedtest results showing significantly faster hotel WiFi speeds on Spectrum network. Download speed is 76.75 Mbps, upload is 9.82 Mbps, with a speedometer gauge interface visible.

I was planning on working off my laptop anyway. On my way to the hotel, I had stopped at Piggly Wiggly. I got some Hungry Man microwave meals. I didn’t want to repeat my last visit, where I had to go to the front desk to get my food.

I will say Hungry Man is definitely getting on the shrinkflation trend. I bought it for a big hearty meal. 520 calories is Lean Cuisine territory.

Back of a Hungry-Man frozen dinner box for salisbury steak meal, showing the product photo with beef patties, beer gravy, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Nutrition facts panel shows 530 calories and 21g protein per package.

Also, the food itself wasn’t that great. The protein portions were small and it had a weird chemical taste to it.

Cooked Hungry-Man salisbury steak frozen dinner in its white microwave tray, featuring two beef patties covered in brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables including corn, carrots, and green beans. A plastic fork is visible on the side.

Luckily, I had jerky and sausage as a backup to supplement this. I got to work experimenting with AI on my laptop and eventually went to bed. I like to have a fan going for white noise. I have several portable ones I use, and this one also moderated the temperature a bit. The heat was cranked, so it kept me warm without making me sweat.

The next morning was still brutally cold.

iPhone Weather app screenshot for Oregon, Wisconsin showing -10°F with feels-like temperature of -4°F. A Severe Weather Advisory banner warns conditions will persist until Saturday, January 24 at noon. Hourly forecast shows temperatures ranging from -10°F to 2°F.

A winter parking lot scene with a Culver’s restaurant visible in the background. The lot shows patches of ice and snow with slush, several parked vehicles, and overcast skies typical of Wisconsin winter weather.

Keeping with staying in the room, I made some El Monterey breakfast burritos. This is one brand that keeps delivering in both quality and quantity. Next weekend to myself, I think I’ll just buy a big pack of them.

Simple hotel breakfast of two flour tortilla breakfast burritos on a white paper plate, served alongside a can of Celsius energy drink in the "Retro Vibe" flavor, on a dark surface.

For lunch, I had my 390-calorie snack of a Hungry Man.

Back of a Hungry-Man frozen dinner box for roasted turkey meal, showing sliced white meat turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, apple cranberry compote, and mixed vegetables. Nutrition facts show 390 calories and 16g protein.

The turkey one was way better. It didn’t have a chemical taste and had good flavor. It just wasn’t super substantive of a meal.

The rest of the day, I relaxed and played around on my laptop. On Sunday morning, it was still cold.

Cooked Hungry-Man turkey frozen dinner in its divided white tray, featuring sliced turkey breast with gravy over stuffing and mashed potatoes, a side of mixed vegetables with corn, carrots, and green beans, and apple cranberry compote.

I gathered my things and checked out. I then grabbed the hotel breakfast.

iPhone Weather app screenshot for Oregon, Wisconsin showing -2°F with feels-like temperature of -14°F. Severe Weather Advisory continues until Monday, January 26 at midnight, with forecast showing temperatures from -2°F to 5°F and cloudy conditions expected.

The reason I chose the Sleep Inn in Oregon, WI, is that our church is right down the road. I made the short drive to church and then carried on with my normal routine. The weather across the country has been a big topic of conversation in the news.

Hotel continental breakfast plate with scrambled eggs and two slices of Canadian bacon on a white styrofoam plate, accompanied by a plastic cup of apple juice on a white table.

Later on in the month, we got tacos again. This place is becoming my favorite place to eat!

Television displaying NBC’s Today Show weather segment with Al Roker presenting. The screen shows "Tracking New Storm and Brutal Temps" headline with a weather map of the southeastern United States showing a developing storm system.

Three tacos al pastor served in a white styrofoam container, featuring seasoned pork topped with fresh cilantro, diced white onion, and pineapple chunks on corn tortillas, garnished with lime wedges.

I will say, this is kind of the opposite of my normal blog entries. While the normal ones have extensive travels, this one sticks to Dane County. Winter is always a time to slow down anyway.

I did get to enjoy the staycation at the Sleep Inn and may do it again this winter. Just like my road trips, where I hone in on what works best for them, I am doing the same for these kinds of weekends. Sometimes the best travel experiences are actually traveling in your own backyard.

A Frigid Start to 2026

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