The Verona segment, just outside of Verona, intersects with the Military Ridge Bicycle Trail, a great locus of recreation.

The trail heads south alongside Badger Mill Creek.

The bottomland along the creek is very green this time of year.

Also wet and muddy.

The Lincoln Street bridge offers an alternate route for trail followers who might want to detour through Verona.

The trail rises out of the bottomland.

And pretty soon we above roof-top level, overlooking one of Verona’s newest neighborhoods.

The Trail crosses over US highway 18/151 on the County M highway bridge.

And then plunges in to the Moraine Kettles Preserve.

In geological terms, “a kettle is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers.” This is what the Ice Age Trail is all about, highlighting these geological features. There appear to be three kettles, now in the form of ponds, in this preserve.

There’s lots of good signage along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

There’s official signage which helps explain the trail’s mission…

And some unofficial signage was also spotted.

There were lots of oak trees in the Moraine Kettles Preserve. These birch trees were being girdled to kill them off.

Dead birch trees, still reaching for the sky.

The southern end of the Verona trail segment ended near a nice overlook.

The trail also passed by some remnants of previous farm operations.

I had to sit in the seat of this mower, thinking that maybe a century or so ago my dad would’ve operated something like this.

There was also a Little Library along the trail, for those who might want some reading material to pass the time.

Trail features also include a tunnel, under East Verona Avenue.

And flowers, of course, in the spring. These berry blossoms indicate some good eating possible along the trail in a few weeks.

The north end of the Verona segment passes through the restored prairie of the Ice Age Junction Area, the green space that separates Verona from Madison.