Return to Duck Egg

First, a morning walk with Charlie to enjoy the morning sunrise and colors.

Below the view at the mailbox on the ridge.

After our walk and breakfast for Rich, I proceeded to wash the siding on the north side of the house and discovered that a broom dipped in Murphy's Oil soap totally cleaned off the moldy green colors with almost no effort.

Next came the gutters once again and then a scrub of the back step which has lichen and green ick growing on it from being in the shade all year.

Then, I left Charlie to watch over Rich during his nap time.

Now this is funny! 
Rich takes a nap right after lunch. I may lay down to read for a bit and during that hour of quiet time Charlie is allowed on the bed and snuggles in and lays as still as can be.

When I left for Duck Egg, Charlie whined and cried when Rich laid down. He said he lifted Charlie up on the bed and gave him a blanket. Charlie slid under the blanket and never moved again until Rich got up from his nap.
OH, I think Charlie has HIS number! 

Our temperatures were supposed to hit 80 degrees and I figured it would be a bit too hot for Charlie to enjoy the hard hike I had planned.

Duck Egg Trail drops into a very steep valley.

The colors were incredible even with a hazy and overcast sky. I got to the valley and came around to the back of the dam.

I don't recall which year it was that where I am walking was under water. The water was to the top of the dam in front of me. It may not look like much from this vantage point, but it is.

The other side of the dam. 
I stopped at the picnic table under the oak tree not far from the horse tie rail. I ate a snack and an apple before moving on.

I headed across the foot bridge. Horses have a path alongside the bridge. The water runs rather fast and after a hard rain it does run hard enough to sweep a dog away.

I headed along the valley and over the foot bridges before taking on the trail that went back up to the ridge. It was hot in the valley and I was happy that I hadn't brought Charlie. 

I'd passed a couple heading the other way and we talked for a moment. They were headed to the old oak and picnic table for a picnic. The gent thought I was taking the steepest and hardest trail. 

I smiled and said that I had intended to do that.

The trail was steep and had a few switchbacks. I tromped on up it to the Lookout. I think all the leg work and workouts I have been doing helped tremendously. It didn't feel so hard.

See that hand? It is pointing to the Oak Tree at the bottom of the dam. The horse tie rail is next to the tree.

Isn't that quite the view?

In this photo, the green is the west end of the dam.

Here is a shot of the valley flooded so you can get an idea why the dam was put into place.

Impressive isn't it?

August 20, 2007. 

The rest of my hike was quiet but enjoyable. I walked along the ridge top prairie and back to the parking area.

MapMyHike said I'd hiked 2.47 miles and changed altitude of 429 feet. I don't know if that was 200 ft up and down? I think it was. All I know is that it was fun and I can't wait to do it again in cooler weather with Charlie.

Duck Egg. What an odd name, but cool place.

Hunting colors

These are the colors in the valley as I was walking around during midday. The colors tend to be washed out in the midday sun so they aren't as striking as they would be early morning or late evening.

So, I decided to change things up and use the Infared Camera. What would the fall colors look like in the blasting sunlight?

Well. Hands down.

Simply amazing.

I think the Infrared shot of the pond vs the regular color shot is pretty telling.

One of the more interesting things is seeing light in different colors.

I used the IRChrome filter which actually produces a blue sky and generally will produce white clouds and red foliage.

I figured out how to tweak the orange/red/yellow hues to bring out the differences in the colors of the changing leaves.

Most IR filters will not reflect the subtle color differences in the changing leaves.

Nothing however beats the light at sunrise in color...

After our recent rain and warm days I have gone out to hunt cool tiny fungi and something called slime mold.

I'm a curious person, so I like to find the little things on the forest floor.

Wake up early

I wasn't going to go, but the Rooster alarm on my Smarty Phone woke me up. Fumbling to shut it off, I knocked my glasses off the stand and they landed somewhere in the dark with a clunk.

Oh great, I thought, now my glasses are trapped by the Dust Bison under the bed. Ah, well I'd rounded up those bad little Bison the other day so maybe not. I slid out of bed to try and find the glasses. 

Damn that Rooster. But it was pretty funny. I located the glasses and grabbed the phone finally silenced the Rooster. Well. 

Now I was awake. I hit the button on the coffee maker while I checked the weather in the valley. Cold with warmer air on the ridge. The little icon showed a car with foggy headlights.

Perfect!

That was exactly what I was hoping for a bit of valley fog and no winds to blow it away. The coffee burbled while I grabbed a pair of leggings to put on under my cargo pants. Charlie peered at me from under the blanket on the couch. I patted him on the head as I passed by to grab my to go cup and shut off the coffee maker.

And there I was. Off on a predawn adventure. I was glad I'd done a trial run in the daylight and knew about how long it would take me to drive there and park. 

I was feeling pretty optimistic I halfway there my dashboard computer dinged and gave me a message that I had a 'low' tire. Well, if that didn't beat all! I pulled over and checked the tire pressure dashboard gauge and the tire was down 3 pounds. I looked at the rear tire and decided I was safe to drive.

That icon on the dash board was irritating as all get out. I find the new sensors wonderful tools but almost too sensitive.

I parked, grabbed my over the shoulder bag and turned on the headlamp. I was glad I'd also brought a small but bright flash light. The start of the trail is wide but it was nice to see more of what I was getting into than less. 

It was an 8 minute cardio pounding hike to the final trail. I stopped there and caught my breath. The forest was still silent around me. No bird calls, just the sound of the trees and rocks. I know ... trees and rocks don't make noises. 
But they do.

And then I reached my goal and I was stunned. I sat down on the rock and pulled out my gear. I took a drink of water and waited and watched.

The lighting was tricky looking northeast but the shadows and light were amazing.
I turned southwest, the predawn light lit up the valley below...

I sat and watched the valley fog rise and move. It looked as if it were alive with a mind of its own. 

I had the whole place to myself and I felt as if Mother Nature was putting on a show just for me. Oh I know that is not true, but it felt like I was the only person in the universe to see this. 

And I felt very humbled.

Before the sun came over the horizon, I packed up and left. If I timed everything right, I'd be back home before Rich even woke up.

One more glance over my shoulder.

Amazing.

I didn't need a light to negotiate the trail back down and some birds started to rustle in the forest.

I hurried to the main trail but stopped by the huge oak tree.

The sun was making its appearance through the leaves. I thought perhaps that one time I would have enough time on my hands to stay and watch the light change in the forest below.

I felt I could have stayed for hours.

Perhaps some day I can.

Back to the car and that damned tire icon. 

I got home safely and finished making coffee. 

How calm yet excited and renewed I felt after seeing something so incredible.

And that is why I like to wake up early.

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!