My favorite County Park

These are two views of the wing dam area that was breached by the storms last year.
I believe there is some debate going on as to whether or not this lake and dam will be fixed again.

I can say that this has probably been one of Vernon County's most popular parks. It has a picnic pavilion and below that it had a refurbished beach that was extremely popular with the residents of the county.

The lake was stocked and the beach and the small fishing docks were almost always in use. Kayaks, canoes, and small fishing craft with electric motors were almost a constant on the lake.

There was an upper trail and lower trail that was closer to the shore for those who wished to fish from the bank. Or in my case, hike along and look for turtles.

Now parts of the trails are missing and washed out. The upper trail is mostly intact but closed in some spots as the steep banks have large cracks in them and are deemed unsafe to hike on.

I wanted to hike from the wing dam to the north side of the Valley. It used to take Morris and I almost 2 hrs to hike the 3 mile trail. This trail was probably the most popular trail all year for runners and for those who had dogs. In the winter parking is at the top of the valley and a person has to hike in from the gate.

These are photos from the trail to the north end of the lake where the south fork of the Kickapoo River comes in.

I'm happy to say that this trail is intact and one can go all the way around to the snowmobile bridge and cross the river.

I turned around here and I will have to return to try the trail from the other side and see how it held up.

Half way around the lake there is a small trail that leads down to the shore. It used to be a popular spot to hike to and fish. Now it leads to the 'new' north end of the lake.
From up above it looks rather intriguing. It is river bottom now and not a lake bottom.

This is the place I really want to explore. There are a series of tiny waterfalls and places where the river rushes over the new valley floor that look very interesting.
However I didn't have time to go down and look around.
I knew that if I did, I'd lose track of time.

I made a mental note to come back soon. Hopefully later this week.

The unexplored trails are calling to me in my favorite park!

Little get away

Last week it was Duck Egg for a quick get away.  Tuesday afternoon I used Rich's nap time to do some errands and ended up at Jersey Valley.

I had spent Monday after appointments mowing the 'hill' with the push mower. The grass hadn't been cut since I'd injured my ribs. Tuesday morning I'd mowed the bulk of the yard.
I ran the errands.
And then for whatever the reason, the Subaru drove to Jersey Valley. I got out and walked over to look at the lake and see if any of the trees had started to turn.

Here is a shot of the man made lake. You can see that the water level is at least 10 feet or so below what it used to be.

Here is the pavilion for picnics and what not...next to the playground and above what used to be the beach area.
Sorry...in Infrared!

If one turns around from facing the picnic area, you can see where the wing dam was breached by the flood waters last year.

I cannot even begin to imagine the volume of water that caused this, however there was a farmer that had a drone that did take footage of the water just after it happened. 

If you would like to watch it ... it is here:
Jersey Dam Failure

There is drone footage from before and after the storm.

Looking down from the picnic area towards the wing dam area.

...and from mid way down the rock slope...

This part of Jersey Valley is worth exploring now. The bedrock is exposed, there is a new tiny stream that flows from the lake ... and the rocks are a rockhound's dream come true.

I found a cool root to add to my collection of stick and roots.

I found gobs of neat and unusual rocks too.

I followed the new little stream which seems to be the new main attraction at JV.

This is where I found the tiny waterfalls. There actually are several along the way, but this one is about 3 feet tall and empties into a rock pool.

At this angle the pavillion doesn't look as high up as it really is and things are pretty deceptive looking. Only those with good balance and goat like skills should climb up and down the hill. Lots of loose stuff to trip you up.
Walking in the boulder field would be a challenge to those with weak ankles.

However, it is worth the hike to see some of the sights.

Like I said, the place is interesting!

If you take the time to look around, you find odd things, neat rocks, and unexpected things.

Jersey Valley, September 27th 2015.

I quickly wrapped up my quick little get away and headed back home.

After all, I had some more work to be done.
I'm finding that if I break my work up into two hour increments with a 'choice time' each day, I am a lot more efficient at getting things done.

My choice time can involve a nap, reading, walking, hiking, or visiting a close by county park.

I call them my little mental get aways.

This along with my return to CrossFit has been a good thing.

Now for my next project.
Cleaning the...shed...

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.