Horicon Ledge County Park

Horicon Ledge County Park, Horicon/Mayville (Dodge Cty)

Also goes by Dodge Cty Ledge Park. Not a place for small kids. Wear good,sturdy shoes. The main attraction to this park are the trails that take you around and through the rocky outcroppings. There is also a trail (see map) that run the edge where the Overlook is and winds around wooded camp area.

What to expect: Cliffs, ledges, mossy crags,slippery hills and rocks. This park is a popular campground, but one of the bennies to this park are the public picnic areas on the upper level that has its own firepit, one large, and 2-3 smaller sites. NOTE FIREWOOD BAN NOTICE.This park is ranger controlled and visitors not camping have to leave at closing (7pm?). I recommend calling first: (920) 387-5450.

Lake Geneva - Geneva Lake

The lake of Geneva is Geneva Lake.

This is where my wanderlust was awakened, and I would be remiss if I didn't note it somewhere. The 70's was the best time to be a kid. Early summer mornings would start when the front screen door slams and I was gone til suppertime, barefoot and pine sap in my hair. We lived in this summer home year round for four years. Rent back then was $150/mo. There was no basement and I know there was no furnace but a large unit that sat in our living room and a wood burning stove we put in ourselves. I really don't know how we didn't freeze to death in that home as a few of the chickens we raised had.

Heading down Linn Rd there is a small boat ramp, pier and grassy spots and one of the entrances to the Lake Path, such as the one I mentioned in cemeteries. Several years ago I took my kids down to show them where I used to live, and made it down to the lake path entrance and my oldest,then 14 would not go. He was worried about trespassing, and at the time I knew the lake path was well worn from use but did not know that the city owns a sidewalk-size strip around the lake until I looked it up after coming home. To be honest, trespassing is a moral grey area for me. I'd like to think that God and I have struck a bargain, but I really won't know until we meet I suppose.

Old Red Mill

Waupaca (Waupaca Cty)

I literally wandered into this place at 6 am in the morning many,many years ago while looking for a place to pee and directions to Twin Lakes Camp Ground for my son's Cub Scouts day camp.

Along the front you will find the entrance to the back and this is what I found, the most beautiful secret garden I had ever accidentally trespassed onto. It had led me to search for other secret gardens in Wisconsin but really have not found anything that had captured my fancy as The Old Red Mill.

What to expect: Roses, covered bridge, Crystal River, occasional canoers, gift shop, house cat, tiny chapel with pet cemetery. Beauty, splendor. Not the easiest to find, here is the best map I could find-- I wouldn't trust the Google Map, something does not look right with their map.
The address: N2190 County Road K Waupaca, WI 54981. ph:715-258-7385

Letterboxing

I have never heard of this before, but in reading up on it I realized that something of this nature had to exist before geocaching. The history of letterboxing begins in Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England approx 150 years ago, and it's only been since 1998 that America has been involved. The main supplies you need is a compass, logbook, pencil, and your own personal stamp and inkpad.

Letterboxing appeals to me because instead of writing your name/date in the caches' logbook, you use the letterbox stamp in your own logbook, as well as stamping the one within the cache. If you've never really read up on geocaching, there is a logbook and pencil, and you take with you the knowledge of a newfound cache but no souvenirs. What also appeals to me about letterboxing is the history, which begins with a gentleman leaving his card within a bottle on the shores of a pond in Dartmoor. This seems so much like something I would have done just for the sake of curiosity.

My fear was that since letterboxing had such a late start, that there would not be much available, at least in our state, but I should have known better. At the rate that fads travel in this great country I was pleased to find a plethora of drops in Wisconsin. 'Tis not a huge plethora, but enough to get a person started.

Screenshot

Here is a screenshot of my new character, currently a lvl 13 Warlock, looking somewhat transparent at the moment. This is her typical state, though usually not posing for a camera, but looking forlornly at her dead body, which she is standing next to.

I chose her name as Theodora, and once I almost named one of my kids after her. She really was a remarkable woman, at least that's how the wiki has written about her. When I was quite young, I think I was a tween, but my uncle gave me a book on powerful women in history. The link is not what I had gotten, but it was similar enough. Speaking of books and tweens here is another book I received from my other uncle, I Am Not A Short Adult. I have to wonder if that book was more a hint to my parents than it was for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am pleased it is still available. Maybe I should get it before their uncle gift's it to one of my kids.

Personally Speaking

I am trying to come up with a clever title and after several tries am giving up. Every one looked tired and vapid (or vapid and tired).

I hereby designate this tiny corner of my blog to mention things nonwheretogoish, where I confess my more-than-just-minor interest in World of Warcraft, and to discuss the social ills of the day.

This morning, like I did yesterday, I sit in front of this glass teat and switch between leveling my new character and obsessing over my blog, and getting frustrated at my inability to decide on how my husband's band's new website is supposed to look. I think a blog site is fine for the band, but he wants full hosting so there is enough room to put their tracks and videos on, which I agree is a good thing, but people are commenting on the blog so I have to find a way to marry the two ideas.

I thought Moveable Type was a possibility, but somehow there is less spam security on that format, but that was years ago, and perhaps they have improved their mods to better combat this problem.

Then I am back on the design problem. All my creative juices seem to fizzle when it comes to design, because I seem to be more of a left brained creative. So I will play WoW, continue to obsess over generating interest in this blog.