- This week on "Wisconsin Life":
Meet a crop duster who soars through the air,
a veteran taking the reins,
- Whoa, yes!
- a founder who reels in new members,
and a baker known far and wide as the "pie guy."
It's all ahead on "Wisconsin Life!"
? ?
- Funding for "Wisconsin Life"
is provided in part
by Alliant Energy,
Lowell and Mary Peterson,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
- Welcome to "Wisconsin Life."
Angela Fitzgerald here.
I'm at the Brule River State Forest
ready to embark on a canoe trip down the waterway.
The state forest is in Douglas County
and has the entire 44 miles of
pristine Bois Brule River
in its boundaries.
With more than 40,000 acres of land,
the area is known for its world-class trout fishing.
That sport has brought famous visitors here in the past,
earning it the nickname "The River of Presidents."
To the north, the spring-fed river
winds through rocks
creating thrilling rapids
that eventually flow into Lake Superior.
Today, we are paddling the much calmer
southern portion of the river
and I invited Dennis Bowen and Aaron Carlson,
local guides from Brule River Canoe Rental, to join me.
But before we hit the river,
we set to the skies.
We met a crop duster in Waupun
who soars high and low to get the job done.
[birds chirping]
- Look at all those buddies right there.
They're all over.
The leafhoppers carry a virus called aster yellows.
And when their mouth parts penetrate the leaves,
they infect the plant with that virus
and begin to kill the plant.
When a pest gets to a certain level,
it's going to cause crop loss.
And that's why we have to be here all the time.
[click, whirr, nnneeaoowww]
We are known as crop dusters.
But we are aerial applicators.
We haven't been putting out any dust for many, many decades.
This type of flying is really unique.
There is very little time spent in straight and level flight.
There's no autopilot.
And the aircraft is constantly being maneuvered by the pilot.
? ?
It's a skill set that takes time to develop,
and to me, it's the type of flying that I want to do.
[nnneeaoowww]
[birds chirping]
We're at the world headquarters of Dairyland Aviation
here in Waupun, Wisconsin.
? ?
Flying is a family tradition.
I was about four or five years old
and was walking on the property alongside my dad,
and I just told him that,
"When I grow up, I want to be a pilot like you, Dad."
My grandfather's Roy Reabe.
He was a transport pilot during World War II.
When the war ended,
Grandpa started the crop dusting company
in the late 1940s here in Waupun.
The amount of work that I can cover in an hour
compared to what Grandpa could do with his first airplane
is a factor of about 15.
It's changed so much
and I think he'd just really love to be here to see it.
So the airplane is quite sophisticated as you can see.
I go to my GPS tablet
and I select how I'm going to spray the field.
The field's shape and what's around the field
will determine which one of these patterns I select.
[nnneeaoowww]
The optimum height
is a boom height of approximately eight foot,
which puts the wheels at approximately five feet.
[nnneeaoowww]
I don't view it as dangerous.
Every pilot that flies an aircraft
has to be able to land it.
And when you land,
you have to know where your wheels are "visually," right?
So while it seems like a really difficult thing to do,
knowing how high your wheels are above the ground
is actually just part of flying.
It's all about safety.
We take a lot of precautions.
We are looking for obstructions and people near the field.
The idea of being a daredevil simply doesn't fit.
It requires all of your attention
and all of your mental processes to fly,
and particularly be an aerial applicator.
It's fun.
I'm in a place where
all of my thoughts are focused on
doing the job.
And when that happens,
everything else goes away.
It's just a wonderful feeling.
[nnneeaoowww]
- Next up, we connect with a veteran
in Eau Claire who finds comfort
in caring for a four-legged friend.
- Strength comes in many forms.
[bucket clangs]
For Tyler Slabey,
it meant finding the courage to conquer his demons.
[solemn single piano note]
At 18 years old, Tyler joined the Marines.
It was September 2001.
- I went through boot camp.
Went through my tank school.
I was an M1A1 tank crewman.
- In 2003, he deployed to the Middle East,
spending nine months in combat during the Iraq war.
Nine months that still haunt him today.
- That was the single most terrifying thing
I've ever done in my life.
It's... um...
I lost my best friend there.
I lost a lot of good, good, good people.
It's.... it's not something...
It's not an experience that I'd wish on my worst enemy.
- Tyler retired from service in 2005,
but the images of war were seared into his memory.
He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,
and it consumed him.
- I was just so full of hate and anger when I got out.
It was either death or a better way.
[flags flapping]
- The path to a better way began here.
Tyler was referred to Trinity Equestrian Center
in Eau Claire.
It's a faith-based non-profit
that provides free horse therapy
to veterans with PTSD.
- When Tyler first came here, he was extremely isolated.
He didn't leave his house except to get his dog's food.
- I wouldn't go outside.
I wouldn't... I wasn't eating.
I just didn't care about myself at all, essentially.
- The program pairs each veteran with a therapy horse.
- Oh, I thought it was a joke, completely.
Just to be completely honest, you know?
And I said,
"How is a horse going to help me, um,
with this?"
[whispering] It's okay.
- Tyler's teamed up with Sterling,
who, like most horses, has a mind of his own.
- You'll go through the other one,
but not this one, huh?
[making kissy sounds] Come on, come on.
Nope. - Elizabeth Todd: You can't fake them.
You can't lie to them.
You can't manipulate them,
as we, we humans are so easily manipulated.
You can't do that with a horse.
- Good boy.
- Trinity staff say that's why the program works.
- Good boy.
Licensed counselors and equine specialists
use the horse's behavior during a therapy session...
- Gotta go around this one.
- ...to interpret what the veteran is feeling.
- But it's kinda' cool.
It's taught me patience.
It's taught me to make sure that he's okay
before I move on, too.
Yes, I love you too, buddy.
- And then that horse helps them process their feelings.
So, whereas the veteran won't say, "I'm angry."
They may say, "Oh, 'my horse' is angry today."
or "'My horse' looks like it's angry today."
That lets the mental health counselor
ask the questions that they need to ask
as far as "What's going on?
What are we working on?
What are you trying to process?"
- Just like a talk therapy session,
only with a thousand-pound security blanket.
- Something about these horses
allows you to bring your guard down
and really express yourself.
How you truly feel.
- We see a lot of that with veterans,
is that they get behind the horse,
and they'll be brushing it.
They'll be talking to the horse, and sharing their story
and almost forget we're there.
[whispering] - That's a good boy. It's okay.
- You can ask them to walk out a little further on that plank.
Tell us a little bit more about that history?
- Tyler's skepticism slowly morphed into something else.
Trust.
- There's that trust there still.
He doesn't forget.
I love this guy.
Yeah.
- As he formed a bond with Sterling,
he was also developing the tools
to fight his daily battle with PTSD.
- I don't know if there was a definitive moment
that it was just that "A-ha moment."
It was more of a retrospectively looking at it and going,
"Holy cow, that actually worked." You know?
- Tony Mattson: With Tyler, it's so obvious.
It's one of those where it just warms your heart
because it's like the before and after picture.
It's this transformation that has happened.
And we here have been privileged
to be even just a small part of that.
That's, wow, that's a blessing of a lifetime.
It's amazing.
- Come on. Come on, buddy.
- Tyler says because of Trinity and Sterling,
he's 100% happier than he used to be.
- I learned how to love again.
When I first came home,
I was cold and calculated.
And he's taught me to believe that love can exist
"for me."
I can't even put into words how much I appreciate this place,
and these people, and this program.
It's nothing but love out here.
? ?
- I'm in Douglas County
exploring the Brule River State Park and Bois Brule River
by canoe.
Before we launched earlier today,
I spoke with the Brule River Rental guides
to get a sense of what to expect on today's journey.
The Brule River has a rich history
of being one of Wisconsin's most beautiful river destinations
and a favorite fishing spot for presidents of the past.
- Presidents started coming here to trout fish.
Ulysses S. Grant, President Calvin Coolidge
came here quite often.
Hoover and Eisenhower came.
There were several presidents that came here
back in the early 1900s, mostly.
It was pretty famous for its trout fishing.
It's still.
A lot of people like to come here to trout fish
'cause it's such a beautiful stream
with a lot of good forest around it.
And it hasn't changed all that much
in the last hundred years.
- But with that beauty comes some pretty wild rapids.
- It's got a lot of variety of paddling.
The upper river's pretty easy.
Lower river's got some rapids for people
that want a little more excitement.
- This section's about four hours.
It goes down the south end of the river,
the Brule River starting at Winneboujou
and will end at the DNR campground.
- On the end of the easy section, it is a little faster.
We have a number of small rapids to go through.
They're fun.
Generally easy in the low water levels that we have.
The biggest one, right before the campground, called "Little Joe."
That one will be pretty exciting,
even in low water.
We expect to go through there without any difficulty.
[splash]
- Perfect.
I understand we're going to have some special guests
with us on the tour. - Yes, yeah.
My sons, 10 and 12, Avery and Jaden,
will accompany us in kayaks.
They've been down probably more than a dozen times.
I introduced them to kayaking and they love it.
- They're pros that can help me out
is what you're telling me.
[laughing] - Yeah, yup. - Perfect.
Anyone can follow the path of presidents
if they manage to stay dry.
[gentle instrumental]
- Angela: No, no fish.
[rushing rapids]
[splash, splash] - Boy: That's fun!
[gurgling water]
- Boy: Ah, shoot!
- I can see why so many fishing and nature enthusiasts
love this remote location.
Now we meet a group that
loves being out on Wisconsin waters,
as we head to Butternut
where a founder works
to bring women together
as they reel in their next big catch.
[ATV chugs "rrr-rrr"]
- I remember the first time that I went ice fishing.
[high-pitched whirring]
My dad took me
to a VFW fishery.
We were out there on the ice.
I caught a little perch and we brought it in.
I ended up winning a prize for the smallest fish.
And that just kind of stuck with me.
Well, my dad was a police officer actually.
And women were not in policing then.
Once I saw the first female police officer I ever saw,
I just knew.
If she could do it, I can do it.
I still think so highly of him and realize now that
I, you know, it's like, I can be someone like my dad.
That was cool.
I kind of relate it to police work.
Because when you're a police officer,
you're just kinda' going along,
but something exciting can happen at any moment.
And that's the same thing with fishing.
You know sometimes-- here we go.
Yeah, yeah, it's a nice crappie.
? ?
I was a cop for about 15, 16 years total
before I got out of it.
I broke off a piece of the joint surface
on the bottom of my knee.
And it ended up never really getting back
to where I could run up and down the stairs
or kneel down.
It was, emotionally,
one of the hardest things that happened to me
was having to retire 'cause I love my job so much.
It was tough.
In between when I was a child and in my, like say 40,
when I was raising my daughter and working three jobs,
fishing, kind of, was on the back burner.
[auger emits a high-pitched whirr]
I came back to it more in ice fishing.
For me, it was the elusive walleye.
I could never catch walleye.
[frustrated] Shoot.
I remember the first big one
I got through the ice.
It was 26-inches long and I was by myself.
I had it mounted because it was just
the first time I was out there doing it myself
and I succeeded and I had this huge fish.
And when I brought that to the taxidermist,
I thought it was, like, 35-inches long.
I mean that's how much that fish meant to me.
? ?
I never saw any other women ice fishing.
I'd look around and say,
"Where are they?
Don't they realize how much fun this is?"
And that's really what started me
creating opportunities for women to fish.
That's a huge walleye.
Look at that rod bend.
I ended up getting introduced to some other gals who fished.
And I'm like,
"Oh, my gosh, somebody else ice fishes!
Another woman that ice fishes!"
- It's a nice little walleye.
- We kind of hated to see this fishing thing end
so we said, "Oh, I know.
Why don't we get together this spring and go walleye fishing?"
From there it was,
"I know, let's get together this fall
and go camping and fishing!"
[splash]
And that was the first ever fish camp.
That was 11 years ago now.
So now, here we are in year number 11.
And from there,
it's just grown into this wonderful thing
that it is right now.
I gotta say, "Hats off to Ricky."
- crowd: Amen [cheers and applause]
- I used to say, "It's all about the fishing."
And as things evolved,
it's become less about the fishing
and more about the people.
- Is this what it's like to be in the army?
- Yep.
- They have a sorority, so to speak,
and very connected to each other.
- Fisher: Seventeen.
- Once they fish with us, they're like--
they walk out of there two feet taller
and they can't wait to come back.
- Another little walleye. [laughing]
- That's the number one thing that women get out of this.
They get self-confidence.
That's why it's so important for me
because I flailed for so many years.
There's fish to be caught now.
You don't have to struggle for five years
paying your dues.
We want you to catch 'em right now.
That's the thing about fishing.
It doesn't matter how much you know,
there's so much more to learn.
It's probably the only time in my life
that I'm just present with what I'm doing.
? ? C'mon, how you doing there?
Oooh, yes!
[fishing line unwinds fast, reel drags and clicks]
Holy smokes.
It's a big fish.
This is fun. [chuckles]
Hey, Sandy!
I got a really big fish on!
- Was it a Muskie? - Yep, it's a big Muskie.
Oh, shoot! Oh, damn!
- Did you lose it?
- Yeah, it just bit off.
[exhales] So close.
People ask why people fish.
You know, right there.
"That's" why people fish.
I mean, your heart rate gets going.
You just have this euphoria.
I mean, what else gives you that?
Oh, this is why we do this!
I just love it.
[addressing the fish] Well, you bit the shiner.
? ?
[chuckles]
- For our last story,
we travel to Milwaukee
to meet a baker
who brings the sweets
to the streets.
? ? [background conversation]
- We got free pie samples, folks.
You guys are gonna hurt my feelings
if you don't try my pie. C'mon.
Pie is very universal.
And I think it can be a bridge.
Thank you, ma'am.
I'm definitely doing my part for diversity at some markets.
[chuckling]
Sometimes it's culture shock for some people, you know.
I'm black and Puerto Rican.
I'm from the city. I'm from the hood.
Thank you so much.
Sometimes, just looking at me,
people, they don't know how to take me at first.
I'd be happy to help.
But I'm selling pie.
I know that you're going to love me at some point 'cause I--
you're going to love this pie and I make the pie.
You're going to love me. I know this.
- Woman: Best pie on the entire planet right here.
- You become kind of safe when you bake pie.
- Don't miss your chance to get a pie
before we sell out yet again.
- There's a picture of 'em.
[click, clack]
I've got two brothers.
One is three years older.
One's three years younger.
And so, I was the middle child.
From my grandma, I learned to,
how to take care of people with food.
She would cook for about
34 people every Thanksgiving.
I would hang out with her and just watch.
And then after a while, you know,
you can only hang out in the kitchen so long
before they, you know,
"Grab this, do this, put this in there."
And then, they put you to work.
That's how I learned how to cook.
This is another one of my grandma's pots.
I got two of them. [tap, tap]
Literally, the business was built with that pot.
[click, hum]
You know, that was the pot I used to even cook sweet potatoes
and do whatever.
She passed
and I always felt that she's with us anyway.
But, you know,
she has to know that I'm selling pie.
You know, she has to know that.
[click, clack]
This is me back selling investments,
my investment days.
I sold investments for ten years.
The prospect of helping people
with their investments was attractive to me.
And the funny thing is I used to think that
being an investment adviser was really rewarding.
And, uh, it is.
But it's nothing compared to somebody gets one...
one forkful of pie.
You're not going to love your mutual fund.
You know, you're going to worry about it.
To get to that love, you know,
where you can get there so quick with a pie or with food.
Yes, it's true.
Baking and cooking, for me,
was definitely a stress reliever.
You're getting big, man.
- Think that's good? - Ah, little more, little more.
When Johnathan was born, it's become
kind of full circle.
- Johnathan Pye: That's kinda' cool.
[blender buzzes]
[small talk, chuckling]
- I had already had thoughts of starting a pie business
down the road.
I was in an Asian grocery store,
and I discovered these Okinawan purple yams.
Then one day, the light bulb went off,
like, "Wow, I bet I could make a pretty mean sweet potato pie."
Fortunately, I was out of work,
and had been out of work for quite some time.
I got to the point where
I wasn't going to ask anybody else for a job.
I just needed to figure out what was next.
And we went and got a couple dozen eggs and got started.
[whistling melody]
I knew what I could do, you know.
I knew I could make the pies.
I knew I could sell the pies.
- Woman: The pecan has something in it.
I'm trying to figure out what the taste is.
- Man: Well, is it good?
- Mr. Dye: We put love in it.
[man chuckles] - Woman: It's good.
- Man: Man,...delicious. - Thank you, sir.
It kind of grew organically and slowly in the beginning.
- Thank you so much. - All right, sir.
- Thanks a lot. - Nice meeting you.
- A good day would be,
I get up and bake a few pies, and I'd sell them.
And, you know, I'd pick Johnathan up from school,
and, you know, we would make dinner.
And, you know, I make enough money to make dinner.
Felt better than most of the days
that I had selling investments, you know.
Something about working for yourself.
If there was criticism... what would it be?
- It's too tasty.
- "It's too tasty"? That's not criticism.
- Yes, it is.
- We got free pie samples, guys, c'mon.
Then, the farmers markets came along.
Best pies anywhere.
The first time somebody called me the "pie guy,"
I wasn't ready for it.
And they yelled across the street,
"Hey, Pie Guy!"
I'm like, "What? Who?"
I'm thinking, "Nooooooo..."
And then, pretty early, pretty quickly, I got--
I love it now. It's awesome, you know,
to be recognized for something that you do.
When someone genuinely takes a bite
and they're like shocked that it's that good,
that's, you know, that's the best praise you can get.
You know, a pie can remind you of your grandma.
It can bring you a warm feeling back,
and that is very necessary.
It's not a necessity, but it's close.
[background conversation]
- I may have gotten splashed a bit on my journey today
but it was well worth it.
If you want to learn more about the Brule River State Forest
or any of the stories you've seen here,
visit WisconsinLife.org.
We'd love to hear about your "Wisconsin Life,"
so send us your ideas at WisconsinLife@wpt.org.
Until our next adventure,
I'm Angela Fitzgerald and this is our "Wisconsin Life."
Bye.
[water lapping on canoe hull]
- Funding for "Wisconsin Life"
is provided in part
by Alliant Energy,
Lowell and Mary Peterson,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.