Kickapoo Redo

 Last February I took a friend of mine on a hike. 

At one of those turns which are deep in the woods, I took a right instead of a left at junction.

Luckily after that journey, Bill decided to continue hiking with me. So we went back to explore the trail that I meant to take him on.

Instead of the above...we, had the below...

The signs can be confusing especially if you are not paying strict attention. Bill checked his map and I checked mine even though I was pretty sure as to how we should go to accomplish this "lollipop" trail.

Our fearless leader took a break with us and had some water. Charlie drinks water out of a peanut butter lid. If I forget one, he'll drink from the bottle itself.

The hike looks pretty docile and it isn't extremely hard. However, it is a bit over 5 miles to do what we did. The MapMyWalk app said we had an elevation gain of 503 ft. I think that is cumulative over the whole hike.

To say the least, the trail looks flat but isn't. It winds its way along a ridge and dips down to the river and back up with the trail skirting 'ice caves' and unique land formations.

So the terrain we covered looks like the following.

It isn't flat but it has a wonderful green canopy in the summer. In the winter it has some amazing views of the river and of the ice caves that are in those steep folds of land.

And this time!

No one took a wrong turn!

It was a great hike. Charlie even thought so.

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!

Dinosaurs and Unicorns.

There is a certain risk that is taken when Charlie comes along for when I do a 'toy' shoot for the grandkids or just for fun.

My youngest grand daughter, Elena...well she goes by Nonny, I guess... loves, and adores Unicorns and My Little Ponies.

Of course she does!

Buddy likes his dinosaurs.

So I decided to take some photos to create a story to mix them all up in some sort of quest.

Not sure how it will all go yet. Not even sure of the story line.

But it comes to me in bits and pieces.

Here is two more fun shots:

I'm getting an idea that is muddling about in my head.

I just need to get some more photos and then start to put things together.

I think I needed this distraction.

Get funky!

I thought I'd revisit some fun and odd looking 'art' generated by Deep Dream Generator. It has been argued that it is NOT art as it uses Artificial Intelligence to merge a pattern into your photo.

At first I had no clue of what I was doing. Some of the generations turned out simply awful and made no sense. 

Then as I experimented and looked at what others were doing and how they were using patterns,...it started to slightly click...just a bit.

Still.

You can end up with nonsense or something quite beautiful.

Original [actually I added a texture in DxOElite with this photo]

Um. Teddy Bear run through a painting texture and then another colorful texture then combined into this final image.

Original:

Next some just for fun. I don't recall what the originals were.

I really do enjoy doing this as a wonderful distraction to all the other things going on.

I posted an album of these on Facebook and it was shared --- another person asked where I 'sold' them.

Nah, I don't sell them. Selling items are so much work!

However, I will probably put them in an 'art' book in print just to keep around and page through occasionally. I have an idea or two also that I might see if I can print this following image to hang on the wall. I think it is so uplifting.

It feels so happy!

I think I will finally get serious on finishing up my photo book I was going to call The Creek. I've been photographing it for a few years to sort of see how it changed through the seasons and with flash floods.

It will be like my other two self made books 

The Enchanted Forest

and...

The Sleeping Forest

I have quite a few files to back up now and save along with some thoughts to get written down.

I'm thinking of creating a few designs with winter scenes for Christmas Cards.

It appears that with being so Isolated, it may be a good thing to sit down and write out many cards?

At least I could have fun designing them.

Get Funky.

Have a good week and stay well.

Lighten Up

This bear looked how I felt

yesterday!

In some ways this has been a real rough week. 

What a start though! Fantastic mornings, runs, glorious rides, and bicycling along with the usual mundane but necessary things.

My house became spotless.

Ever Anger-Clean? Or Stress-Clean?

I did that! Charlie hid on the porch and tried to bury himself under the rugs and blankets I tossed outside to hang in the sun.

The smell of vinegar and furniture spray permeated the living room.

I'm a CareGiver. Some days my giving takes its toll in trying to make another person understand things.

Sometimes I am met with an attitude of a 3 year old.

It goes with the territory.

Up and down.

I got frustrated. And sometimes when I get frustrated and don't have a way to release it. Well.

I keep it quiet because yelling and throwing things don't really work.

I shrug. 

Finally I finished my daily chores and skipped my work out. It didn't suit me to do it.

I attached Charlie's collar to him and we skipped out the door. I jammed some toy Dinosaur skeletons in my bag that I'd ordered. My intent is to share the bag of dinosaurs with my Grandson. I get to play with them first.

I almost left them behind because I was still in that bad place.

I got the 90 questions. Where are you going? When will you be back? What's for supper? What do you have in your bag? Are you taking Charlie? Does he have his collar? I can't find anything to watch. Do you have your phone?

Where ARE you going? Why?...

Wow.

I stomped ahead and got through the first pasture gate before I felt like I could suddenly breath again. Charlie trotted ahead of me while I monkeyed around with my old Olympus Camera. Parts of it are having a slow death. Aperture and Shutter keep flicking back and forth as if the tiny computer chip inside can't figure out where it wants to be. I can only use it on Program or Manual. 

Now the LCD monitor is having its fits. Sometimes it is so dull I can't see to use it. I switch to the EVF and everything looks great. However, I rather like using the monitor, especially while doing low to the ground shots. 

I give it this...the camera is a 2012 model. It has put up with my extreme abuse for 8 years.

I finally got the EVF to work properly and then just stuck it back in the bag. I wasn't going to mess with it much. 

I'd brought the little Red Tough Camera.

When I reached our destination: The Creek, my phone gave off an alarm letting me know I was literally in a Dead Zone.

Perfect.

Charlie and I wandered up to our favorite spot and I sat down on a rock.

The water rolled over the rocks and we were in a deep green lush forest.

And like magic, I felt this dark cloud leaving my body.

Charlie hung around while I set things up and explored a bit.

I took these with my cell phone so I could send them to my youngest son and Buddy.

Then I just couldn't resist.

They are fun little toys. 

I can't name what sort of dinosaurs they are supposed to be, but as I set them up in different places I chuckled a bit.

I sat near the stream and watched Charlie wander around checking out all of the smells.

He'd stop and look over at me then continue investigating scents.

I knelt down and studied some moss on a rock.

Moss is neat. So tiny and unassuming. Yet when looked at closely the mosses are different.

The color is pretty neat too. When all else fades, the moss keeps its green colors.

When I got home I felt very relaxed. I'd found some odd fungi along with some Indian Pipes.

I was doing better.

I had an inspiration for a project while sitting on a mossy rock...

more later...

Oh the Mask Thing!

This photo was taken last February during one 

of those wicked cold spells. 

I was going for a walk. 

I did not have trouble breathing, 

I did not have any issues at all.

Let's begin with the news ...

The Mask Mandate has been issued by our Wisconsin Governor. 

It didn't take very long before Facebook locals began copying and pasting anti mask movement memes and snippets.

My question is, IF you are so against protecting others and have reasons, don't use a meme, don't copy and past.

Write it out in words, make others understand how hard it is to wear a mask....how your not wearing one makes sense. 

I want to know.

Is it hard to breathe if you have asthma? Rich has severe COPD. He wears a mask, he has gotten used to it after those first times of wearing it and feeling uncomfortable.

And guess what?

He can even fit a nose cannula under it! Yup.

But perhaps there is a good reason and I am all for that.

If a person is so health compromised that they cannot wear a mask, what can we do instead?

Wear a bandanna?

My Grandson visiting on 4th of July

the bandanna enables him to

chat and even

look like a little villan!

Is it against your religion? 

Is it against your morals?

Is it too difficult to remember to wear one?

What rights are being infringed upon?

Or

this...

are people retaliating against someone telling us what to do?

But wait. Here is another issue being tossed around. 

This virus is a hoax. Only a few people die from it.

And you know what? 

My answer to that is simple.

I guess it doesn't matter unless you or someone close to you dies from Covid-19.

Or gets very ill.

Funny.

I can remember the time when I went somewhere and a friend would tell me that they couldn't meet up with me because they had a cold and didn't want to spread it.

Yup. Remember when we were considerate to each other?

This mask thing? It is no different.

Because truly each person walking around near another does not necessarily know if they have this virus.

I'm not going to yell or try to shame people into wearing a mask, or following a mandate.

But I am going to follow all reasonable steps to try and keep Covid-19 out of our house.

The other night I awakened with a heart pounding start.

What would my life feel like without my husband?

What happens if I die from this? Who takes care of him?

The animals?

And then as I watched the sun rise this morning and thought about life and death...I realized that when I die, how I die...it will only be a blip on the tiny radar of life.

I think I'll put a mask on and do my shopping for the next two weeks. 

This winter could be long.

All in a day

It started out on a whim before dawn. I don't even know why I decided to just grab my Nikon and head up the hill. I expected to be disappointed because it looked like the clouds were going to fill up the sky and we would have a dreary morning.

The surprise wasn't the pretty colors in the east, it was the stunning colors emerging in the south and west.

I stood there for a long time taking photos as the colors and hues kept changing.

And when I got home just before 6, the day was starting. I watered and checked the mules. Moved Lil' Richard and Sven to some nice grazing spots, and came inside to check on Charlie and Rich.

Both were sound asleep so I picked green beans as the sun peeked over the tree tops. I got soaked with the morning dew but had a pretty good haul of green and yellow beans. I found some ripe tomatoes, pulled most of the onions, and sat on the porch to wash everything and prep it.

I got an email from my CrossFit Coach telling me that my WOD [workout of the day] was a 5K! Now understand, many of my workout friends can't run due to needing a new hip, a new knee, or even other assorted issues. We are not all Olympic athletes. So a cardio workout is taylored for them. They get to ride a stationary bike or use a rower. 

I'm not going back into a gym situation at this time. I am still Virtual.

I was so tickled to have an ALL run/jog workout, that I stopped everything I was doing and changed to go run.

I had to take my smart phone as I'd never really measured out what 3.1 miles would be if I ran it on foot! 

And I ran it. Well, perhaps I looked like an old lady shuffling down a gravel road. However I felt like I was Nike, the goddess of speed, strength, and victory flying over the road with my Covidhair blowing in the breeze.

My phone kept track of my route, my time per mile, and gave me an accurate run.

[my running route includes wide open spaces with no humans in sight]

All that aside.

When I finished, I still felt energized.

So much so that after freezing and putting produce in the dehydrator, I went out and found a willing mule.

Okay, maybe Siera wasn't willing at first.

But she proved again what an incredible animal she is. We rode nearly 4 miles around the neighbor's wild wood. Here we stop to watch a doe and her twins run through the woods below us.

My mules wear a bell. This way I never walk up on top of a deer or other form of wildlife. It works well. It isn't obtrusive and I think the bell makes a nice sound.

After getting back home, Siera got a treat.

Some grain and some yard grazing.

This after a ride pretty much assures that she will meet me at the gate next time too.

After supper, I caught up Mica. I haven't ridden her in over a year.

We went for a sunset ride along the backroads that I'd gone running on.

When I went to bed that night, I felt so calm and complete.

Something powerful reawakened me on that 5k. I hadn't run in years. I had tried to start up again, but never really did well. It just felt good.