Wyalusing State Park

The last time and only time I was at this State Park was in 2016, some neighbors and I got together and decided to explore Wyalusing.

Side note: My father had some great stories about working in the CCC Camps when he was young.

My grand daughter, Lily, was with us and the first place we went to was the overlook. I wrote about it in a blog back then called To There and Back. I'd let Lily use my camera to take a shot from the overlook. The trip was in August and we'd had a rainy year.

2016

Lily's photo:

My photo 2016:

November 5, 2025.

It sure looked different! The bridge in the distance goes across the main channel of the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien and crosses to Marquette Iowa. The bridge in the foreground crosses the Wisconsin River and heads through Prairie in the distance.

It was rather cold and windy on the bluff, so I decided to take a trail that went down into a valley.

Charlie was the perfect gentleman and walked as is he'd been leash trained all of his life. We went a trailed called The Sand Cave Trail which is a 2.4 mile loop with two little Sand Caves or as I'd call them, Ice Caves in the winter.

The trail is well worn and well marked. The only issue I would see is the roots that could make it difficult for others to navigate.

It was also a beautiful trail.

Just before we got to the Big Sand Cave, we were lucky enough to have this guy pose for us.

The Big Sand Cave:

I didn't take any photos of the second Sand Cave. I would like to go back and see it in the winter.

I wanted to get back to the Long Valley Road and walk down to see the boat landing and come back up the Sentinel Trail.

The trek is surrounded by the pink line below on the map.

Well, we almost made it. We made it to the purple area I think. 

Charlie was pooping out and I decided to walk back up the road to the parking area instead of navigating the rougher trail with him. 

Charlie got a lift part of the way back up the Long Valley Road.

The road that went down to the boat launch was mesmerizing.

Look at the amazing curves in the road!

It reminds me of the stretch of curvy road in Door County that is Highway 42. It is one of the most photographed stretches of road in Wisconsin and supposedly was influenced by a landscape artist.

This road is not as dramatic as the photos I've seen of Hwy 42, but I think I discovered something pretty special. Not only that, I didn't have to drive to Door County to see it.

I found it undeniably beautiful with its shadows and colorful foliage.

We had an amazing day and look forward to exploring all of the other trails. 

My Garmin did indicate that we traveled 7.56 miles on foot. 

Sunday Morning coming up

What a magical frosty morning!

It was 23 ℉ when I went out to enjoy the morning sounds on Sunday morning.

I thought it was raining or there were droplets of water from the trees, but it wasn't. It was the most beautiful sound of leaves falling gently to the ground around me.

The sun takes a long time in the later months to come over the hilltops and trees. As it comes up slowly, it lights up the colors of the trees across the meadow. 

[This is a section that hasn't been logged yet so there are still quite a few oaks as well as other colorful trees]

15 minutes later, I could see through our trees across to the meadow floor. The deer usually come out along these woods late in the day when the sun shines directly into the area where the green leaves are. 

I found a spot to sit down in my coveralls and watch our meadow as the sun slowly came up over the trees.

The only sounds I heard were some crows calling and flying overhead, along with the whisper of locust leaves and some oak leaves drifting down.

Off to my west I could hear a deer snort and blow. Either it scented me or something else had disturbed it. I waited.

The Queen Anne's Lace was delicately decorated with frost.

The Vervain that I was sitting next to reflected the morning color hues.

Finally the sun was high enough to shine on our meadow and I waited. Most mornings, the does will come out and cross our meadow and browse quietly before jumping our fence and heading east into the neighbor's land.

They didn't this time. So I took a few more 'frosty' photos and decided to check our trail cam which I'd set out a couple of weeks ago. According to the time strip, on the trail cam, this guy was in the woods west of me.

He sure is a pretty one.

Here he is a few days earlier. 

However, I looked through about 200+ photos of deer and we have quite a few who like to come and either sleep in front of the camera or wander through. 

I did see a short video of one buck chasing girls, so it is obvious that the rut season is on.

The day broke wide open and I hunted up a tiny bit of color.

A blackberry bush that had climbed the barbed wire fence and was glowing from the morning sun.

What a brilliant morning to be alive.

 

Turn the page

Here it is. November. 

I promise not to get glum.

However, historically, I have not liked November. I say this each year. I'm going to go out and find something I like in the landscape of November.

I have to look a bit harder, but I'm sure I can find beauty around me.

That is, until the period of time I can't go out for walks in any of my usual haunts for 10 days during the WI Deer Gun Season.

I don't want to complain, as the deer herd does need to be managed. But.....

November 22-30th is when the majority of the gun hunters are out. December 1-10th is the muzzleloader antlerless hunt. 
December 11-14th is a special antlerless gun hunt.
December 24th through Jan 1 is another special antlerless Holiday Gun Hunt.

If that isn't enough, Bow Season lasts through January 4th.

Uffdah.

The 10 day season is the worst.

However, the folks that end up on the land east of me during the other seasons keep me on edge. They don't always know that a barbed wire fence means property lines. Go figure. 

Sometimes I dislike living in such a rural area. However, there is till amazing beauty all around and this year I will have to make some special efforts to deal with it.

Below are a few of the last blast of some of the plants in our woods. Maybe not gorgeous like the full fall colors, but still interesting enough for me to stop and take a look.

I spent most of the day yesterday with another gal friend. We enjoyed an afternoon of fun things. 

November also holds the promises of all sorts of Holiday Fairs and Craft Shows that I can visit. I'll have to keep busy. These are things I couldn't do for the past several years.

So even if November is the time of less color outside, a time of weather change, and more...darkness, I promise to find something fun to keep the spirits up.

Glorious sunrises always do help.

A good and quiet day

 The bike rack that attaches to the hitch came in very handy when Mr. Charlie wanted to run about and sniff for good marking places. 

This trail has a sign: Dogs Must Be Leashed.

He was attached to the car as I assembled his cruiser and got everything together for our ride.

Yesterday was an adventure day. 

I'd spent Wednesday doing errands and taking care of 'stuff'.  

I'd had lunch with my MIL's cousin and was introduced as The Widow of Richard. I almost corrected her and said 'wife' but realized Widow was correct.

It gave me a pause for a moment.

My good neighbor Justin [a bike expert! He likes to build bikes!] came over and helped me assemble and learn how to use my bike rack. 

Thursday  seemed perfect to go try everything out. 

The temperature was 40 degrees F when we hit the trail. Coldish weather bicycling is new to me, so I layered just enough to feel a bit cool while putting our gear together. There was a 5 mph wind and the sun was shining. 

We took off and saw one runner and one other bicyclist. This is not a super popular trail in cooler weather. However, it is maintained by the county and is FREE to use. It is an old railroad bed so it is flatish and not hard to cycle.

My copilot seemed quite happy in his trailer. We did stop a few times to have a dog treat and a small walk so he could sniff and pee on things.

Parked:

Thing is, we enjoyed it so much we went further than I'd been before.

My eventual goal is to reach the WI River Slough and petal into the State Natural Area to observe birds and wildlife. The round trip would be around 20 miles, but very doable. I think going by bicycle is an extremely cool way to get around and visit areas along the Pine River and the Wisconsin River.

The little blue-green line is some of what my GPS recorded. The trail ends at Lone Rock. One of these times I will ride all the way there and buy lunch. It just seems to be a fun thing for me to do.

IF we don't have a lot of snow this winter, I will be able to cycle this trail often.

The State Bike Trails cost $25 per year from January 1st to January 1st. I may purchase a pass to go on the State Trails this coming Spring, but not at the end of October. 

I have the mode, the means, and the time to explore by bike. I can go further than a hike and see more wildlife and land.

Today I saw a flock of bluebirds flitting about and flying in front of me. In one of the pastures I passed, several Sandhill Cranes were strutting about. The Tamarack Trees were turning yellow. 

It was cool yet refreshing. Pictured are stops along the Pine River. The colors are still pretty even though most trees are barren.

When I got home, I found that the new and smaller table had been delivered. It is an Ikea sort of table, a put together thing. It is going to replace the huge round table that Rich inherited from his great grandmother. 

That old table was partially broken. Parts of it were falling apart. It was also huge and cumbersome to get around. 

While in place, there was very little room for anyone to sit around the table. The top was no longer in good shape.

I dismantled it and was surprised to find dry rot under the top. I guess it was time for it to go.

Below were the parts for putting the new table together. 

I've always wanted a 'gate leg' table. 

Or a table that had fold down sides to open up the little eating area.

The top and the fold downs

are photo'd below.

It wasn't hard to assemble and I like the extra room it gives me in the small eating area we have.

I was very surprised at how easy it was to assemble and how sturdy it feels.

The table has two leaves that fold down or up depending on your guests. Since it is mostly just myself and Charlie, I decided to go with things this way. 

I'll be putting a slightly larger rug under the table. The floor under the chairs is a concrete slab which can feel cold in the winter.

I'm pleased.

The old table was too large for the area and too hard to move around. Now it feels more open and agreeable.

Charlie's chair is on the lower right side. He does have his own chair that he likes to sit on when I am at the table.

I figured it was a good day. We traveled and explored, we constructed, and we modified our living space.

All is good.

Halloween is today. No plans for anything as we are so remote. I will be working in the pastures if it doesn't rain and if it does...well, there is always organizing and more purging to be done inside.

These shots below were photos I worked on for Halloween Themes for this year.

Have a great day! These will be my trick or treaters!

Surprise surprise

When I called Social Security to deal with Rich's monthly payment vs my monthly payment which is called Survivor Benefits, the person that answered was a total Grump. He kept saying 'you can go to the website' and do this. He interrupted me a few times. 

The thing is, I wanted to see or talk to a human and not do it online. So cold.

He gave me a date for a phone interview and repeated that I could do this at the website.

So I figured it was going to be a monumental hassle and I expected a phone call from a stern voiced person. I recieved a letter telling me the appointment time and what they would need.

Though to tell you the truth, the letter really left many items out. I'll get to that in a minute.

The phone rang and a very chipper woman said, "Hi! My name is Mallory and I'm from the Social Security Administration and I'm going to help you today."

I nearly dropped my cellphone and fainted. WHUT? 

She was going to help me? 

We went through details. 

Things you do need to know if you have been remarried, or previously married. How long were you married previously. When were you divorced? Date of Divorce? Where were you married, where were you divorced. Is your previous husband alive? What is your previous husband's birthdate?

When was your husband married and for how long? Date of Divorce? Is his previous wife remarried? What is the previous wife's name? What is her birthdate? Was your husband a Veteran? Which branch did he serve in? 

Marriage Certificate? Did I have one? Date? Mother's maiden name? A few more easy questions and that was it. 
Other than they needed to see the Marriage Certificate.

I replied that I had an appointment on Tuesday not far from their office. She said, 

"OH great! Could you bring it in and then we will copy it and your file will be closed! Type your social security number into the Kiosk and we'll jump you to the front of the line so you can hand us the certificate and we'll copy it and you can be on your way!"

Of course they had the bank info. Oddly enough, that was on my letter.

When I got to their office, I did as they said. I spent approximately 5 minutes waiting and then was on my way. The security guard was pleasant, the lady behind the window was pleasant, and the process was painless.

So the questions regarding marriage and divorce are things they need to know. While dealing with the VA, we had to show proof of my divorce, his divorce, and our martial certificate years ago. I had gathered all of those papers [which included the final divorce papers from the court] and had put them all together in large clip that resided in my lockbox.

All of these items have been essential items to have when negotiating through the death of a spouse. There should be a class regarding these things. 

It may a lot less complicated if you have never been divorced and remarried. However, you still need a notarized marriage certificate to physically show them or send it in. They will return those papers to you.

Face the facts. We will all go through at some point in our lives with the death of a loved one. No one wants to talk about it. No one likes to discuss it. But Rich and I were always open about these things and I was the record keeper. 

My surprise was how pleasant and cordial Mallory from the Social Security Administration was and I will say, it was comforting to do this with a living breathing human. Call me old fashioned, but I like to speak to people when discussing issues. I don't like a screen that asks me questions and asks to fill in the blanks.

So cold feeling.

I do wish that there was a class that people could attend to figure out how to negotiate everything that happens when a loved one passes.

Wildcat Mountain State Park

I used to ride equine at Wildcat Mountain nearly every week with Rich. I started hiking it, snow shoeing it, and cross country skiing the trails about 10 years ago. That's when Rich stopped driving, riding, and doing many things he used to be able to do.

The view above is from the Lookout point not far from the parking lot. I just had my little point and shoot camera with me and cell phone. So this is just a view looking out from the Look out point framed by a tree.

This was taken two years ago on a hike with a fellow blogger Aurora in November. I think this is one of my favorite Autumn photos of all time. But then I have many!

I'd gone to see if I could find an attendant at the Park Office and of course it was closed. I wanted to pay and receive a year's State Park pass. 

Charlie and I decided to hike the Old Settler's Trail which is a 2.2 mile hike. I don't consider it a rough or tough hike but it really can be. The altitude changes on this trail add up to 581 ft. That is pretty interesting as I never had a used a GPS tracker before to figure that out. What a great workout it is!

The footing is pretty good in most places but one has to watch out for roots and rocks that hide on the trail and spring up to grab your foot! 

I came across and elderly man [maybe he wasn't elderly I just perceived it that way] who was hiking with hiking poles. I thought to myself. That is very smart with those attack rocks and roots. I've never used them. 

I tried a walking stick for a while but in true Val Fashion. I see something I want to photograph, drop the stick and then have to backtrack to pick up the stick I forgot.

The sign at the start of the Loop says that the trail takes 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. 

I told Charlie, I thought that was a good challenge. With all of our sniffing and dawdling, we did it in 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

I think these 'stairs' were probably the hardest part. They are on steep hillsides alongside bluffs and are not spaced like a normal person would walk. Charlie handled it fine. I was a bit more careful. These stairs went around a bluff called Taylor Hollow Outlook. I wish they'd cut down the brush at the outlook point so one could see better into the valleys.

Yet, the rock formations remain very impressive.

I will admit to climbing around on those rocks when hiking with my young neighbors a couple of years ago.

I don't do that when hiking solo.

Charlie seemed tireless and kept the pace going except for when he found a good scent or a perfect tree that he could pee on.

Charlie and I have hiked 151 miles since the first of October. My Garmin shows only 148, but one day I didn't have my watch along so I used MapMyWalk. I get too restless if I am stuck at home going through stuff, so I need a break and fresh air often.

I leave things right here as I don't want to charge off on other topics that have been on my mind.

Have a day.

Orange, Chairs, and Bears.

Waking up very early has its benefits.

I can use candles to light up my gourds and pumpkin display inside. The warm orange light is comforting as is the flickering from the candles.

 Then there is that advantage of getting out the door before the sun gets up.

It seemed that this day's theme was Orange. Orange and red sunrise, orange reflections on Bridge M, outside of Readstown, and orange reflections through the fog coming off from Blackbottom Creek at the bridge on Riley Road.

So on our morning walk we continued the theme.  In this shot there looks like a tiny dragon fly stuck in some sort of gossamer thread. You may have to click and enlarge the photo to see it.

Back inside I just had to take a shot of my Grumpy Planter. He never became a planter, I like his facial expression too much to stick a plant in him.

Perhaps in the future I will.

The only downside to waking up very early is on these shorter days, I feel like going to bed much earlier.

Evening hours are spent on my chair project. I like taking my time with it and enjoying the process.

Here is the chair and what it looked like after some sanding and cleaning.

So I started it. The colors were okay-ish but not quite what I wanted. I was using Chalk Paint as it is supposed to go on easier.

I checked into my acrylic paints and tried something different. I kind of liked the purple, but then I didn't.

I found my Brilliant Blue and tried it out on one of the rungs. I liked that.

The Linen White was much nicer and it looked cleaner.

I had some really fun colors in my acrylic collection so I added Lime Green to the lower legs. I liked it.  Fun and bright colors always make me happy.

I mixed two paints to come up with another color for the back legs. That utterly failed for the effect I wanted.

I wanted a warmish color for the back legs.  Hmmm. I wanted a more gold-ish tone, but this might have to do unless I can locate a soft gold color to layer over the yellow. 

Or...I'll keep the wild yellow just because it is unusual. 

It can be a reminder that days can be bright and full of light.

Here is Rich's ancient Teddy bear. I'd love to know exactly how old it was.

However his parents are gone and his sister in not in the picture.

The bear currently resides on the old Christmas Chair which may be my next paint victim. I might color it in a brilliant Christmas Theme.

I did use Google Lens on  photo of this Bear and it is a 1950's era Bear. 

I saw prices from $50 to $200 for this Bear. Not that I thought it was a beautiful bear, but it does let me know that my husband loved his childhood Teddy Bear enough to stick in his trunk of keepsakes for years.

 

He made mention that he thought he got it when he was about 6 yrs old.

That makes this bear around 70 years old?