August 5th

I woke up and could not get back to sleep. I had gone to bed with an idea crawling around in my brain.

AND it did not involve the news or Facebook .. or any Social Media.

Get up and figure out if I can get to the ponds before sunrise.

The Ponds are 23 minutes by car. Hmmm and a 30 minute walk.

On a whim I decided to head out. Ahhh, but 49 degrees? It made for some heavy fog along the river.

My drive was slower due to the valley fog. I wasn't concerned and decided I'd just keep on going and enjoy the time driving.

As a last moment's decision, I decided to drive up to the KVR Dam site and park.

The fog was hovering right over the river which is probably 50 feet below where I was standing.

I left and took a back road.

 

It was a good call. That white foggy spot is the river. 

This route was one I considered for our bicycle adventures.

I took a leisurely drive and dropped down into the valley....

It was pleasant. Buckeye Ridge Road. It was almost wide enough for two vehicles.

~~~ It's sort of funny how things go.

When I got home it was not long after the sun actually came up. I fed the mules took out Sven and Little Richard and put them in their places for the day.

I picked tomatoes and sweet corn.

All before 8AM.

I made coffee....

I checked my email and had my WOD from the coach. Uffdah. More weight lifting! 

Some days I just don't think I am going to have any energy. And then there are those other days that it is boundless.

I got Rich situated and just before lunch, Charlie and I left for an adventure.

I thought I'd try our State Park called Wildcat Mountain.

It had been a while since I'd hiked the Old Settler's Trail and I thought it would be a good one to take Charlie on. The temperatures were cooler and he had been nagging me for a LONG walk.

We actually had a very good time. However.

How...ever.

I am awfully spoiled by the reserve and other local places that are not as well known as this state park.

Dogs, kids, people.

Campers galore.

Of course! Camping may be the one safe way to avoid an infected motel room and to socially distance. It does make sense.

But the park felt crowded.

Charlie and I struck out anyway. We headed down a steep trail and met a grandmother and a grandchild with their dog 'Charlie'. We exchanged pleasantries. Grandma and child wore a mask. I flipped mine on when I saw them walking up towards me.

I passed them and took an unmarked trail. I call these trails the sneaky doodle trails.

They exist but aren't maintained. 

But sometimes they have little surprises. 

Charlie and I followed this unused trail and I could tell by the voices echoing through the woods that we were just below the proper trail.

There was a pink ribbon and an orange ribbon tied in a few different spots. This park allows bow hunting in the fall. I was on a hunter trail. 

I loved it. Charlie and I had the privacy we so craved in these Covid Times.

I just love the rocks. Rocks.

Rocks.

It appears as though a giant just tossed these here.

We joined up with the main trail and had it to ourselves. Most of the campers weren't going to hike this trail. It is a challenge. The notes on the brochure do caution that even though the loop is only 2.5 miles it has some steep inclines.

I live in this area, so I am used to the hills and steep trails.

Charlie took this incline like a trooper, pulling at his leash. 

So not all the trails are steep nor demanding.

Here are some shots.

It is a bit different looking since my first adventure along this trail in 2015.

The trail was less used and less popular. The link will take you to my very first hike along this trail which was just after sunrise....

The bridges had to be rebuilt after the 2016 and 2018 flash floods. 

The rest of my day is boring. However, I did figure out the quickest way to The Ponds!

It is do-able!

And the sweet corn is blanched and frozen.

The tomatoes are eaten.

And I was tired!

A very busy week...

There is Morel Hunting.
It has been a tough year. The south hillsides were so dry that there were nearly none.
My mornings have been starting with Morel Hunting and Charlie hiking.

The best time for me to do CrossFit is around 8AM. Rich is generally still asleep and I am ready to do something other than read the news.

Most of the chores are pretty simple, I rotate the mules and check their water.
[I am hoping to have the 4 wheeler issue resolved before I start riding the trails again. So I am waiting.]

Below is a photo of me doing my Home Virtual CrossFit workout for Friday. I thought it would make an interesting shot. Handy to have a smart phone that puts the little camera on a timer!

Yesterda was a pretty nice cardio workout. My 800 yard run included a very steep hill! No matter, once I get back to the nice flat streets of the gym it will be easy peasy!

Charlie.
Still supervising most things from his perch on the bench. I can work in the veggie garden or flower garden and he always ends back up on the bench just watching over his yard and pasture.

I did get my hike in with Bill last Thursday. I took him to Black Hawk Rock.
I think Bill loved this hike the best so far, I think I can tell by the number of Wows, I kept hearing.

Bill took a photo of me leading him up the trail.

Nice of him to take these with his cell phone.

The garden is just about all set. I even planted acorn squash in one of the winter pens. Seems they like to grow there anyway even with a mule walking around them. Last year I had squash growing from an old soft squash I'd tossed out in the pasture the winter before!

Mother Nature sure is interesting.

My hair. Hmm. Guess it is in the messy stage of growing out and no one is around to look at it besides Rich and I.
Warm weather has hit and it was muggy and foggy the past two mornings when I went out to check on the mules.

Tourism has hit our town and our town is doing its best it can. It needs visitors and tourism to survive. There is a whole 'thing' going on about Social Distancing and Masking. 

Rich's concentrator quit over night and thankfully the company had someone on call who brought one out and swapped it. The fellow came from Iowa. He did NOT wear a mask entering the house. He did have gloves on. I wore a mask and sent Rich out on the porch to stay out of the 'air'. 

Am I being paranoid? 

I opened up the house and let the warm muggy breeze air things out for a bit before I let Rich back in.

Tsk tsk, I said something and the tech said that they don't have to wear masks in Iowa. 

Well.

That is where I am ending this catch up. 

I will email the company and inquire about their use of masks and protocols for visiting patients they supply oxygen supplies to. I mean, really? 

I guess I know that it is inevitable that one day this virus will knock on my door.

Today is full of phone calls and other things to sort out. Rich has an appointment this week for a Nuclear Bone Scan.

I imagine I will be left out in the parking lot for the duration.

Public Lands...

I went hiking....

with a friend and we practiced being 'distant' and hiking at the same time. Charlie led us and led the way most of the time.

This photo is from the top edge of this rock...points down....

and then since my friend is afraid of heights, Charlie and I went to admire the view and do a little dance!

After weeks in 'solitary' it felt like I had the whole world at my feet.
It was amazing how it felt.

There were actually quite a few vehicles parked at the trail head when we got back. 40 State Parks and Natural Areas have been closed by the Governor because of vandalism and trash.

I hope that our areas don't suffer the same consequences as we are far more rural. However I got messages from others saying they wanted to come...and I noted that if it was further than 30 miles or a half hour drive ...they really are NOT supposed to travel.

Now there is the issue. I feel for those trapped in cities and suburban areas with no outlet. Overcrowding, vandals, and general disrespect are awful things to do to your own natural areas and state parks. At one time this year I was considering myself too isolated from the rest of the world and thought about how nice it would be to be nearer my son in a more city like setting.

And today I wonder if our part of the state will see its public lands closed. Our County is taking it day by day. We have 4 county parks that are amazing for hiking, all it takes is a few bad apples.

I am ever so MORE grateful that I am not in the city or suburbs. I can walk out the back door and have peaceful moments in our creek bottom and hike a fairly large swath of unpopulated land. In the 20+ years I have lived here, I've only run across people twice. Both times it was because I 'let' them see me.

We must respect our lands for what else will we have left???

Perrot State Park

Not pronounced Parrot...but think of the French Perroooo....

I could hardly believe it.
I had a full day to myself.
No one to answer to but Charlie.
I'd planned on a day of doing some exploring.  What I didn't want to have to say is...
I'll be back by 'such and such' a time.

I packed myself a lunch and some apples. Packed 3 bottles of water and a small Gatorade.'

I figured I knew how to get there, it couldn't be hard at all as Highway 35 went nearly right to it.
Well. I got that sort of wrong. I did take a wrong turn but after a little 'whoops, mistake' and a turn around. I got it right.

I headed to the trails...

Terrain trail difficult at times....

Well, I like trails like that. It tends to be less crowded.
I decided to try going to the Perrot's Peak first.

This part of the trail was a bit rough and not groomed like the other more popular trails. I could see that there was on going work in a few sections. 

I liked it though, it reminded me of the trails in our woods.

I only know that I started at about the same elevation as the river and ended up about 450 feet above it when I stood on the rock out crop.

 This is looking southwest down on the Mississippi River

This was looking North a bit to my next climb, Brady's Bluff. This would be the back side of the bluff.

And then a look down to the spot I was standing on.

My thought at this time was that it would be fun to sit here on a nice fall afternoon or morning and take in the colors of the forest below. A sunset view would be incredible from here also.
Since it isn't an easy hike up this trail, it wouldn't be crowded.

Even a foggy morning would be neat.

I stayed a bit before moving on, to catch a breather and some air movement. My little thermometer was reading about 86 degrees and it was humid.

The trail coming off the peak was much nicer but quite long. I dropped back to the valley floor and followed a hiking/cross country ski trail that was flat and wide. I opened my strides and covered ground quickly.

Covering ground quickly was important here. The bugs were out in full force. I passed by some older people that were walking slowly swatting and sweating. I said hello with a big grin on my face.

I think they picked up their pace when they saw the crazy ol' lady with baggy hiking pants, a backpack, with purple and teal colored streaks in her hair, hiking like she'd just stolen something!

When I got back to the junction I could have chosen to walk out to where my Subaru was parked and then head up to the short trail, or take this trail which was longer and take the short trail down from Brady's Bluff and walk back to the car on the road.

I decided to take the longer trail up.

I'm glad I did, it was mostly shady and fascinating as the Conservation Corps had done such a neat job of making a trail.

I found a bench that may have been about halfway up the bluff and was still in the shade so I stopped for a snack and a selfie...
I may look miserable, but actually I felt great.

Stairs and railing to the goat prairie...
I saw no goats.

The heat was on in the Goat Prairie and I paused only slightly to catch my breath and look at the wild flowers.
On the second Goat Prairie I did take a 3 shot hand held panoramic of the river.

Note the haze. Some of the haze I heard an expert weatherman say was due to the heat. Plants give off moisture to keep cool and that creates a blue haze. I wondered if the rest of the haze was humidity and smoke from the wildfires.

I made it to the shelter and set up my camera [which really was not co-operating well] to try some infrared shots.

It isn't perfectly clear as I was shooting sort of blind. The light was so bright and I was trying to avoid the people climbing up to the shelter.
I popped a few shots off and then sat down in the shelter in the shade to finish my water.

A young couple came into the shelter after the other folks had left. I told them not to sit on the other side of the shelter as we had company peeking out from the cracks in the logs.

Yes I used a long lens. It could have been a rattle snake, although I am no snake expert.
From what I understand these snakes do inhabit the bluffs of the Mississippi but aren't often seen as they are very shy.

I talked with the young couple a bit and they handed me a bottle of water as they saw me putting away two empties. I was grateful. Even if I took the short way down, I had a long walk on the park road to get back to the Subaru.

Here is the view that everyone hikes up for. Trempeleau Mountain. I was more impressed by the boardwalk/trail that was built for the short trail.

Would I go back? Yes.

I hit the park road and power walked back to the Subaru. I grabbed out my sandwhich and a Gatorade and sat at a picnic table and had a picnic and thought about my
Big
Adventure.

What a great day.

4th Annual Ice Hike~ Parfrey's Glen

Well, it was that time of year again. The Annual Ice Hike.

It started a few years ago when my friends took me to Parfrey's Glen just outside of Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo.

Last year I drove in a rain/snow/sleet event to get to our annual "Ice Hike". This year? Well, I followed the events of a snow event that dropped about 4 or 5 inches of snow on my travel route. It made the drive a bit more interesting, but it wasn't too bad.

We went to Parfrey's Glen as our first stop in hopes of seeing Skillet Creek running over the rocks or some magnificent ice formations.

Well that wasn't to exactly 'be'.

As I slugged through the roughened snow trail, I thought how nice it would have been to have my snow shoes on.

This area never really is disappointing and it is always in a state of change with the weather. In places the creek was solid with snow covering the ice. I could hear the water running underneath us.

We probably shouldn't have come to the Glen so late in the day. But there we were, making our way upstream to the water falls.

However I thought it would be a good idea...

well, that didn't really pan out. 

I should have known how quickly it gets dark in these areas. After all, when I am at home I know it gets dark quickly in the deep valleys.

Things get quite tricky after you leave the "maintained" trail. 

It became obvious to me that my snow shoes although very handy for part of the trail would have been a real pain in the rocky boulders.

We reached the water falls at the end of the trail and did some exploring. It was obvious that the day light was fading fast.

The light in the gorge was fading but above us it was still sunny and bright.

We didn't want to have to scramble over the icy and snowy boulders in the dark so we headed back.

But not until we had some fun of course...

The danger of having another photographer around is that they will 

get that shot of you...that you don't want shown to the world.

Aren't those gloves just precious? 

And then, with the light fading, we headed back to the Subaru.

Oh yes. Waterproof boots are a great idea on this hike.

Saturday was going to be a busy day. We were going to see how many of the State Natural Areas we could explore.
We had one place in particular that we wanted to check out.