Dells of Eau Claire

I woke up at 5:30 am. Motel rooms aren't the best places to get a lot of sleep. I suppose some folks can sleep in but I can't.

I had to be at work at midnight and I had a four hour drive home yet. I read the weather report and noted the time of sunrise.
Then I decided to see how far away the Dells of Eau Claire were from where I was staying.

I'd have to drive 30 minutes north east to get there. I sat for a moment and then went for a coffee in the motel lounge. The gentleman at the check in desk and I talked for a few moments. He told me that his son's Boy Scout group work on the Yellow Trail each summer. He said I should go to the 'Dells'.

Off I went. It is fairly rare for me to go somewhere like the Dells, so I thought, why not?

I was not disappointed.

And this sign is not kidding.

I found a place to park. I was the only person in the area. I thought I'd best stay with the well traveled areas as no one knew where I'd gone.
I followed the worn trail through the snow...

And... was wowed.
These shots were taken with my cheap little cell phone camera.
I felt like I'd hit the mother lode of coolness and ice.
Indeed and I was there all alone to enjoy it.

I'd been here this past August and it had been so crowded with people that I really didn't get a good shot of the Eau Claire River. However, at dawn with the temperatures hovering about 19 degrees above the water, there was not another soul to be found.

A note here. Rivers and Ice are dangerous. Wandering around on ice that has fast running water under it is not a smart thing to do. I stuck to safe areas only. If I fell in, no one would be there to rescue me or call for help.

I had a hard time deciding which lens to use. I wanted to get the full scope of the place, yet wanted to get the fantastic details of the ice formations also.

I was so delighted with what I was seeing that I wanted to jump up and down and do a little dance.
I found myself holding my breath and enjoying the pounding noise of the river.

Okay.
I did do a Happy Dance.
And no one saw it.

Then the sun came through the clouds and hit the water on the other side of the bridge.

Stunning.

It was magic.
And yes there was another little Happy Dance.

I was not going to regret any loss of sleep or extra travel time.

I decided to cross the bridge and take a quick look at the other side.

I was not disappointed at all. However I knew that I was running out of time and had to head towards the south west pretty soon.
I really did not want to leave.
I wanted to see what the day would bring here.