Pride Rock? NO! Blackhawk Rock!

It had been a week of brutally hot weather and finally it had broken. I was so pleased.

Sunday loomed in front of me. I stood at Bridge M and watched the swallows light up the sunrise as they flitted about.

I decided then that I wasn't going to let this beautiful day with NO appointments go to waste.

I enjoyed the sunrise and headed home. I did laundry and hung out sheets while Rich slept. Swept the floors and picked up dog hair, tidied up the bathroom and then at 6:30 went for groceries.
When I got back....

I looked on FB and the Kickapoo Valley Reserve was asking for hikers to report back on certain trails. Well, well. I'd wanted to 'do' Blackhawk again in the summer and this seemed like a perfect excuse. I grabbed the large backpack and began to arrange it.
Hmm. What about Charlie? He'd been cooped up in the heat too. And I know he could do most of the 5+ miles of trail...but...did I want his distraction along? I decided that indeed I did.

When Rich woke up I told him that I was going hiking. He made a face. I pointed to this week's schedule where I was driving him to PT three times, to LaCrosse, to Onalaska, and to Madison. I finally said, "I deserve this."

And so.

My very willing little 'low rider' partner seemed rather happy to get out of the house too.
By the way, he no longer gets drooly, slobbery, or sick while riding. He just whines loudly every time I slow down as if to say..."Are we there yet?"

He waited patiently in the back of the 'Ru while I rearranged some items in my back pack and put the little IR camera in a pouch on my belt.

Indian Creek covered bridge:

Yes, I had the Infrared pocket camera

Kickapoo River in IR:

We took the long way and going through this meadow was nearly unbearably hot. I gave Charlie a lift for a good part of the way.

The meadow was full of beautiful wild flowers, insects, butterflies, and horrid Deer Flies. However we survived and got into the woods.

And we started climbing from the valley up the switchbacks.

Soon we were at the trail that led up to the rock.
It is easy to find and a section of it has a lot of growth on each side. I wasn't bothered by that at all.
I noted the poison ivy alongside the trail that was as tall as Charlie and was once again reminded why I hike in long pants and boots.

There is a group called Wisconsin Explorer that has done this trail and calls it difficult. I don't think it is, but then again I am used to difficult terrain.

We made it. To the top of Blackhawk Rock.

I grabbed the IR camera ... when I didn't mean to. But I caught the moment I think...when Charlie broke into the chant from the opening scene in The Lion King.

Okay. He didn't really. But it did come to mind.

The view is inspiring.

So we sat down and had some more water and doggy treats.

I knew the rest of the trail back towards where we'd started would be in deep woods.

Charlie DOES not like deer flies. Nope. After one bite he was climbing my legs to get a ride. I plucked a fern and stuck it in his harness to flap at the darned things. I carried a blown down branch of maple leaves to keep them off my head.

We made it out to the road and walked along County P.  There was a long stretch that had been covered by the Kickapoo River and it still had mud, gravel, and small branches on it.

People who are not from around here sorely underestimate how quickly the 'Poo rises in a torrential down pour.
We don't.

We live with the river and love/hate it.

Our adventure was a success.
Charlie did so well for such a little guy.

Taking him was a very good choice. I had someone to talk to.

I like Jersey Valley

Jersey Valley is one of our local county parks. It had an earthen dam that failed during the extremely heavy rains last August.

The park had a nice little lake stocked with fish and a wonderful hiking trail that went around it with new trails being developed.

This is a view a few years ago that I took on an early morning walk with Morris. I am standing on the dam looking across the lake as the sun comes up on my right.

I don't really have good before and after photos as I just went out this week to check it out. The steep entrance road to this park gets closed often in the winter.

Morris and I went there after his first brush with death and the diagnosis of Kidney Failure. I wanted to take him to his favorite hiking area.

I went out there on Wednesday afternoon with Charlie after bringing Rich home from our 'adventure' to Vernon Memorial Hospital.

I took this photo to show Rich the change in the little man made lake since the spill way had been breached last August.

I am standing where there was a fishing dock at one time. I looked around and decided to go see where the flood waters broke through the dam.

Here is a photo from the breach point looking up at the park Pavilion and playground area.

I turned around and took a shot of a gent and his grandson walking through what used to be the spillway and following the stream as it now flows through here.

The 'new' look is pretty interesting. Charlie and I headed down the stream to explore the rock debris field.

We found this little falls falling into a deep rock pond.

Just above this water falls is where I took the photo of Mr. Morris on our last hike there together.

I followed the debris field and was able to walk along the West Fork of the Kickapoo River.  This stream empties into the watershed that flooded Readstown. Hard to believe, but if one looks at a map and follows the downward flow of water it is pretty obvious.

The dam was put in place for flood control.
The big question now is will the dam be replaced?

From visiting there a lot of the people are finding the re-modeled Jersey Valley quite interesting. The rock field is fascinating with its mix of rocks.

I found the fishing dock wedged up against trees. Amazingly, it actually held together fairly well.

This wasn't the first time it had gotten loose from its moorings, but it was certainly the first and only time it had left the man made lake.

I met some folks who were sorely disappointed in the lack of repair which I found interesting. The repair will be expensive and with more harsh rains? Would it even hold?
I liked the lake too. I like the hiking trails around it.

Some folks think the county ought to just redo the trails and leave well enough alone. Though I must admit I am conflicted. So many people enjoyed the nice little beach and most days in the warm season there would be canoeing, kayaking, and fishing occurring on any given day.

In a couple of years the rock debris field will be overgrown as Mother Nature remodels yet again.

But for now, I'm going to keep going back to one of my favorite places in Vernon County.

Back to Tainter Land in the Moon light

I was prepared this morning. I woke up by accident at 2AM and decided not to get up.
I really did decide to sleep more.
That is until I looked out the window.

I knew that the weather was supposed to starkly change between Sunday evening and Monday evening. Cold, windy, and rain was forecast. Then a plunge back into December weather.
I wouldn't have a change at another full moon night for quite a while.
I also knew that the next moon shooting opportunities would not be until New Years almost.

I sighed. The moon won.
I heated up some coffee and checked the weather on my smart phone. 24 degrees and calm.
Hand warmers. Check.
Extra batteries. Check.
Flash light. Got it.
I used the remote to start the Subaru [dang I love that thing!].
Headlamp. Check.
Note to self, change batteries in the older headlamp.

I drove to Tainter Land. The moon was brilliant.

I finally got a good shot of the tree I wanted and decided to explore the other bridge.

And I was very happy that I did.

What a beautiful night in such an isolated area.

And my hands stayed....oh, so warm in the combination mitten gloves with hand warmers.

It was a wonderful morning.

Sidie Hollow in the Morning

I went to OT [Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy] Friday morning and had an hour and a half to kill before my hair cut appointment. I was way over due for a hair trim!

I followed the foot path from the boat landing and walked out to the floating fishing dock.
I was pretty happy to see the morning mists rising off the water.

I didn't have much time to really explore. But for the 45 minutes I was there, I did find some beautiful things to try out the Tamron lens.

At full zoom it was a bit soft in the low light, but I was able to catch some almost decent shots of some Canada Geese taking off in the shadows across the small bay.

It was a beautiful 45 minutes and I'd really wished I'd had the day to explore.

Sigh.
Now it is the Brown Season. But I think I will see if will challenge myself and see what interesting things I can find.

Mules, Pigs, Apples, and Stars

Here is to hoping that Rich and Mica stay out of semi retirement from mule riding. Mica is about 21 years old and has always been a 'hard' keeper. However she had a hard job in her younger years. She was a 'heeler' and a trail mule. After we acquired her she was used for trail riding and team penning.

The view from Mica is different than any other mule I have ridden.

I could really like this view...a lot!
Mica gets a little grain in the morning and a little bit at night. None of our other mules really need grain. They can stare at a piece of grass or some hay and gain weight.

I plan on riding Mica much more this fall. She is tall enough to get me through those thick weeds in the valley. After she and I break open a trail, I'll rotate with Sunshine and Siera. Fred gets a break after all of his hard work training youngsters this summer. Although he will put up a huge fuss if he is left behind.

Apples.
After juicing the wild apples the old fashioned way.

I took the left over pulp and ran it through a food mill.

And viola! I had the makings of apple sauce or apple butter.
I put the apple sauce in the crock pot with some cinnamon and sugar to slow cook while I canned 4 quarts of apple juice.
Now common sense would say that it is less work and easier just to buy apple products, but there is some sort of satisfaction in making it yourself.


Pigs.
Swine.
Vernon County Fair.

Regarding Pigs. Hmm. Well we purchase our hay from a local farmer and have for 9 years now. I met this farmer through work. Rich and Ed hit things off right away and have been friends ever since.
Ed's daughters started to show swine at the Fair along with other projects.

This year Rich and I actually went to the Fair specifically to watch the Swine judging. Rich has not been to a Fair in a very long time.

I'd forgotten how intense showing an animal at the fair can be. Months of work are then judged in an arena with a lot of people watching. The judge looks over the animals and places them.

Learning how to walk a pig and show off your pig is really quite the task. Just say I was very impressed. I'd seen the farmer's girls raise these pigs and train them.

Stars.
Last summer Lily asked me if we could see the Milky Way. So I've done a bit of studying including using a program that would show me the location of the Milky Way on any given day.
I studied and practiced in taking photos of it too.

I wanted Lily to know that indeed the Milky Way does shine right above "Grandma and Grandpa's" house.

I obviously need more practice for 'shooting' stars, but as always, ... I love a challenge.

Soft Pastel Mornings

It has gotten to be a routine the last month or so. I check the weather before going to bed to see if we will have skies worth looking at during the night hours or at dawn.

I would like to get a shot the works out of the Milky Way before it leaves the hemisphere this year. However I find that it is awful hard to get up and go look on the clear nights.

I got a free app for my Smart Phone that lets me know where the moon will rise and set from wherever I am at, the same with the sun. I find it quite handy! When I start going to Jersey Valley or Sidie Hollow for fall sunrises or sunsets I'll know the exact place and time for them!

So I got up on the morning of August 2nd and glanced outside. The morning didn't look like it would be a spectacular sunrise, however I was awake and the weather for the rest of the week predicted clouds and rain.

At 5:15 am, I left with my travel cup of coffee and started up the driveway. As I passed my neighbor's house, I glanced at her office window. She was up and at work as she is every day. She teaches English to Chinese students on line. She adores her job. The time difference between our countries can be a challenge, but she has worked that out.

I've gotten used to seeing that light on in the mornings when I go for my excursions. I lift my hand in a wave that I am pretty sure she couldn't see anyway.

When I got to the ridge I was sort of surprised by the fog I could see way off in the distance. I shouldn't have been. It hovers over the Kickapoo River Valley and from my high spot on the ridge, I can see pretty far.

I pulled over and parked on our little gravel road. There was not going to be a spectacular blaze of colors this morning. I was a bit disappointing but thought perhaps this would be a challenge to come up with something more interesting.

I included our road with the cropland. Getting the focus and the light right was a huge challenge. But I liked the way it came out.

The skies gave off a beautiful pastel glow.

And then, in just a few moments, it was gone.

I swatted the bugs and watched the fog in the distance. Then I drove over to 'fog' island and got a quick shot.

I took the gravel road down into the valley and got surrounded by fog. The sky turned gray and everything was steeped in murky fog.
I thought about taking a shot of Black Bottom but the fog was so dense, I didn't feel like the effort would be worth it, so I turned around and headed back home.

I went past the Harless place and snapped a quick shot of some of his latest acquisitions. Not sure why he bought them or why he moved all of these broken down mobile homes onto his land, but there you go. He had old cars and other items he is collecting also.

With my coffee finished and the fog moving in, I headed home. I'd put a fresh pot of coffee to brew on when I left.

The pastel morning and fog had been worth it.
Mornings are definitely my time of day.

I had stood alone next to my Subaru on the ridge watching the sun glow on the horizon while coyotes barked and sang their farewells to the night. I'd witnessed night turn to day in that magical time of twilight.
I was refreshed and ready to go start my day.