Wyalusing. Knocking off another two trails.

When I did get home on Thursday morning my furred friends were very annoyed that I'd left without them. I did chores and decided that the yard wasn't shaggy enough and other indoor things could wait until I couldn't be outside.

We headed to Wyalusing State Park to chip away at two more trails that I/we haven't done. 

I wanted to go and do the southern trails called Mississippi Ridge Trail and see the Cathedral Tree Drive/Trail.

I'll have to do the Sugar Maple Trail without dogs as they are not allowed in the Pictured Rocks area.

The Mississippi Ridge Trail was pleasant and tree covered. It was actually a pretty wide trail that meandered through the forest. It was wide and not difficult like many of the other trails. When I checked the map it made sense, it is a biking/hiking trail. In the winter the trail is groomed for x-country skiing.

One has to pay attention to the trail usage come winter. Snowshoes are not allowed on ski trails nor is hiking. [unless of course ... there is no snow...]

That aside, it was a pleasant but rather undemanding trail.

It was pretty, it was easy, and the dogs had the best time enjoying the hike.

I'd driven down the Cathedral Tree Dr to park at the picnic area and make the loop. The plan was to walk down the mile and a half tree lined drive and enjoy the light and shadows along the way. 

Boy, was it ever gorgeous. We didn't hurry, we dawdled along [Okay, I made the dogs dawdle because I held the leashes!]. 

There sure is something about a trail or a road that twists through a tree lined forest in the fall. The two photos below look like they are the same part of the road.

They aren't. I just must have loved the same curvature I saw.

I must really like roads that curve to the right? Right?

We really took our time. It is unreal to feel 'unrushed' these days. For so many years any adventures or hikes I went on were on a 'time' limit. I had to be back to make something for hubby or check on him. I still went, but I rushed always.

It feels very strange to take my time and not worry. It seems that my previous life had been on a tight schedule. I am discovering the freedom of doing things on my own time.

A predawn morning on a bluff to start the day and a relaxing afternoon hike with the dogs for the late afternoon.

We saw one truck on the Cathedral Tree Drive and that was it. Of course having the ability to go hiking in the middle of the week is an advantage to avoiding crowds.

Seeing the burial mounds along the way was unexpected. The Park keeps the burial mounds mowed and clean. 

The things one can learn while just hiking along.

We stopped at the picnic shelter and I forgot to take a shot of the sign explaining why the area was called Henneger Point. 

The area was named after Rick Henneger a DNR attorney who dedicated his career in securing thousands of acres for state conservation. 

I used to ignore the signs and the plaques I'd find, but now I find it interesting to see the history behind the places I hike.

We sat in the shade of the shelter and gazed down towards the Mississippi while we had snacks before heading home.

My supervisors in the back seat were silent. I think that meant they were happy campers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next up?

Hannah and toilet paper. Honestly, it won't be what you think.

Tonight I am meeting up with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy to go on a 'star walk'. Those leading the hike will be talking about stars on this New Moon night hike.

See? 

I'm actually trying something I'd never would have done before.

Went for a drive

 Oh that sounds so darned silly doesn't it? 

I went for a drive because. Well. Just because. I had a destination in mind and thought I'd take some back roads on the way just for something different to do.

My two trouble makers came along for the ride. My destination was a small State Park called Mill Bluff. Now I could have used my GPS in the vehicle to do the route but I decided to 'wing it'. 

Charlie is not a great dog to travel with. He is nervous all the time and loves to whine and whine and whine. He even gets a bit hysterical when I stop for a stop sign or he hears the turn signal going. Hannah on the other hand is mostly silent and listens if I tell her to be quiet.

When Charlie has a meltdown, she hops out of her car seat and tries to get in his. If she is not tethered she will actually get in with him. That makes for one very crowded spot. 

Charlie has been this way for 8 years. I have at times put a vibration collar on him and sometimes that helps keep him quieter. I think he actually calms down faster with Hannah as company. We are still working on that issue.

Any....way...

I got way off track while driving, but I got to see quite a bit of scenery on the narrow back roads. There were plenty of times I wanted to pull over and just take in the sights. But I was on twisted narrow roads so I just kept going.

We eventually made it to the park. 

I had intended on taking the dogs to the far side of the 'beach' for a dip, but it was crammed with people so we went straight to the Bluff Trail. [no dogs allowed anyway]

This trail of a stone stairway is steep and long. I don't know how many steps one has to take to get to the top of the bluff but it is not for the faint of heart.
One can rest along the way.

Charlie didn't find it that hard going up and we did stop a couple of times. I wanted to get some shots of the stone stairs. I stopped and tied the dogs to the railing so they wouldn't run up or down the stairs. I had to think about what might happen on that terrain if they got excited by seeing another hiker. 

We climbed 120 feet up to the top of the Bluff.

When I first read this sign I thought we were standing on the Long Bluff. What you can't tell is that the sign has been there for quite a few years. I'm supposed to be looking across the way at Long Bluff. It had been so many years since this sign was posted that the trees on this bluff have grown up hiding the view.

The sign says:
Long Bluff which is named for its shape, is one of the many bluffs found in this area. It is approximately 199 feet tall. You are standing on Mill Bluff which is approximately 120 feet tall.

A portion of land visible is an abandoned cranberry marsh. Cranberry farming is an important industry in the Warrens area.

The rest of the sign disappears into old age and water damage.

The state put up a chain link fence around the top of the bluff. I'm guessing to keep fools from trying to climb up or down its steep sides. However, you can see where those fools have gone over. 

I found the fence convenient to tie the dogs to while I took a few shots. We did meet another hiker who was from Pennsylvania. The dogs went nuts as he was a dog lover and cooed over the both of them. 

The second time we saw him, I was able to make both dogs sit in front of me while I used the magic of 'treats' to hold their attention.

At the south end of the bluff we found another old sign.

Sign: 
Volk Field Air Strip
The air filed lying east of Mill Bluff is part of the Volk Field National Guard Training Site located adjacent to the Village of Camp Douglas. 

The airplane runway you see is oriented due east to west.
It is 9000 feet long and 150 feet wide with a 1000 feet overrun on each end. It is capable of receiving and sized air craft presently made.

The farm field in the foreground has been partially drained and is used as pasture land. Most of the land in this immediate area is either very dry or wet and has marginal use for agriculture.

Once again. There is no view here but there it is. Trees grow even on the sides of bluffs.

We decided to go to the other end. 

There was a view! 

You can see for quite the distance from this spot. It is obvious that people have climbed over the viewing area fence to go out to the tip. Mill Bluff sits between WI Hwy 12 and interstate 90-94. As a kid we traveled Hwy 12 and then later the interstate to go to spend the whole summer where our grandparents lived.

We'd stopped at Castle Rock Wayside to have a lunch and a break from travelling. It isn't far from where Mill Bluff.

At the overlook there is a bench and ... this!!!

A selfie stand?

Of course, why not!

After the 'selfie', I set down the dogs on the bench so I could grab a shot at the sign behind me....but....

but...

an older lady was coming up to the overlook and she was tottering along with two walking sticks. She gave me a 'look' when I grabbed my dogs' leashes. They bounced up and down and of course wanted to go see her.

I didn't let them, but made sure we gave the woman space to enjoy what we had been looking at. I'm disappointed that I didn't get a photo of what the sign said.

However, we took the stairs down which were actually harder than going up. I used the handrail for one hand and the leashes in the other. My balance is pretty darned good, but it was a slight challenge. Charlie had a harder time going down than up. I even stepped on his tail one time.

When I got to the car I thought about the lady I'd met at top and wondered how she'd negotiate the stairs coming down.

I considered doing the interpretive trail around the bluff, but the skeeters convinced me to come back after a hard frost.

I grabbed a map/brochure and realized that the park was much bigger than I thought and had another whole section to explore. 

The Ice Age Reserve National Scientific Reserve. There is a trail that goes around 3 more formations.

Cleopatra's Needle
Devils Monument
Camels Bluff

It appears that we will have to go back this fall to check it out.

Rocks and bluffs fascinate me so I'll put this down for a return trip.

Perhaps I'll actually take a shorter way next time. The trip home was much much shorter. I let Google Maps help me.

My intentions this year were to explore more and check out many of our State Parks as day trips before I ever started any overnight trips.

A walk

 You could technically call it a hike, but we weren't putting a lot of effort into it. The hardest part was the mosquito-y portion right by the river with a muddy path flanked by waist high weeds. 

The new management has had a shortage of people working for them in this year and it shows in places where they used to do some weed management. I imagine with the 69+ miles of trails, it is not an easy job to keep things trimmed back.

Anyway, we made it out to the first set of ponds and there really wasn't much going on in the ponds themselves. 

Charlie chose little trail that heads off to the bird blind area. I wasn't going to take it as I was sure I'd be carried off by giant skeeters.

But in the end, Charlie made the best decision. Sometimes you just need to follow the dog!

There was a pair of swans at the other end of the pond where I'd take a photo of a pair this spring. I think they may have nested there, I can't be sure since I couldn't get back to this part of the reserve for the past 6 months.

The surprise however was this! Is it a young mute swan? I don't know. I will look it up. However, I didn't get a close up shot so I could see its face. It was too far off. 

It just means I'll have to come back one morning without Charlie so as not to alarm them. Yes, he is small but his dog tags alert birds to his presence.

We walked along the paved bike/hike/cross country ski trail and admired the fall beauties we found. I think these are white prairie asters. The bees were having a great time with all the fall wild flower choices.

We stopped after a couple of miles and decided to hang out on the floating dock that has a bench to sit on. Charlie needed the rest and a big drink from my water bottle.

I think we sat there a good long time just watching the scenery around us and the changing light and the moving duck weed.

Charlie had a great time. He sat quietly next to me in his 'car seat' and rested up on the way home. All afternoon we worked on weeding out my flower patch to the outhouse.

Some things I have decided to get done to assist myself with the empty house syndrome.

I started to look up state parks in my general part of the state. I've actually found 3 places I have been to long ago but want to go back and explore to them intimately.

Governor Dodge, Perot State Park, and Wyalusing State Park are all about an hours drive from my house. State Natural Areas are also on my list.

I checked out what the cost would be to camp in my car or get a room (dog friendly).

Now, instead of listening to the roaring silence in the house, I have some goals for exploring.

This week I am adding a little dog tailer to my bicycle. I think Charlie would like to go with me when I am biking on those nice flat railroad bed trails.

Cheap affordable hiking is what I need to do to start feeling like myself again, I think. It feels weird to expand my hiking area to an hour travel time away. Once I conquer that, I could go futher!

Charlie this evening, we've been getting rain for hours along with nonstop thundering [which he hates].