Road Trip - Washington Cty

Lucas Lake
Originally uploaded by WheretogoWisconsin

Ridge Run Cty Park, West Bend

See that building off in the distance? That is the lodge for the Girl Scout Camp, which is a no trespassing zone, as noted by the plethora of signs posted above a heavily traveled path right into it.

A gorgeous day, and I dragged my kids with me. Didn't see or experience anything out of the ordinary. Skipped stones, caught frogs, and made them pose for me.

We also stopped at Riveredge Nature Center in Newburg, which was closed, so we did not spend that much time there. Then the kids were complaining of being bored. They were sick of being around nature and wanted to head home. So after a short battle with pinecones, we nursed our scratches and scrapes and headed to Canton House to get a quick meal to take back home in Oshkosh.

to be continued...

Hoping to develop a hiking group - any interest?

On a whim, I posted a query on a few Wisc Flickr groups to see if a potential hiking/photography group could be developed. Thankfully, I received some responses.

So now I am throwing out another line to see who bites. It's like fly fishing for Wisconsinites. I have no real format decided upon, but I came to the conclusion that my kids won't always be around to be my hiking partner forever, and if I have a desire to share the places I go to, perhaps others do as well.

There are a lot of places I still have never gone to, but can't seem to get the family to actually want to go on a trip (to wherever), because they know my trips are with nature and they seem to have gotten their fill already.

For those who may be interested and are looking for what to expect with this kind of group (a reasonable request I believe), my vision for this kind of group will travel to a planned area and spend the afternoon walking around, snapping photos and enjoying the day. Afternoon could just as easily be mornings (I am a morning person, and oftentimes wake up at 5 am with an itch to go somewhere, anywhere).

Personally, I try to avoid schedules because I know that things should ebb and flow naturally, but I am aware that a timeframe is needed for most people.

Places on my wannagoto list right now are: Door County, Devil's Lake/Palfrey's Glen, Lake Geneva (Lake Path, Big Foot Beach area), Holy Hill/Glacier Blue Hills.

Places on my wannashare list are: Ridge Run Cty Park/Cedar Valley Retreat Center(Washington Cty), Horicon Ledge (Dodge Cty), Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Brown Cty).

*UPDATED 09/06/08*

Most people I have talked to about starting a hiking group agrees that a reasonable travel distance is 1-1.5 hours max.

What would really help me is to get an idea on where you want to go - since you can see where I've been :) -

I am thrilled to show off the places that I've been to and my only concern is to make the trip worthwhile and to always have a backup plan.

Would it make more sense to start a yahoo group on this? Obviously it would be moderated and approved memberships to avoid the spamalot that happens. Something worth pondering, I think....

Abandoned Homes

Have you ever walked/driven past a home that is abandoned that you cannot get out of your head? I have reserved this post for when I snap a photo of this place that is in Fond du Lac (Fond du Lac Cty). This home is on Cty Hwy K off of Hwy 23 east out of Fondy (abbrv.), which incidentally is on the way to Rienzi Cemetery.

Sadly, the town/city has been developing the land around it and it stands defiantly, daring to even think about touching the property.

This home has been abandoned for at least 25+ years. I will contact the local historical/geneology group and see what I can find out. It may take awhile as they are moving their offices, so worst case I will head down and research it myself when/if I have time. I am guessing that the owners are not local members of the community.

I am absolutely entranced by this house, and I can't say that I really want to know why it was left to rot. Standing next to an abandoned home there is a sense of waiting, a substantive lack of spirit and.....something else that I cannot put my finger on at the moment. You know you are trespassing on someone's property and in normal circumstances it would be an act of voyeurism, but at an abandoned home there is no such confrontation. You are just peeping into a shell of a home. It is the oddest sensation.

**Update**
Sally from the Fond du Lac Historical Society sent me a letter with an article regarding this house, and she was willing to dig this out for me even in the midst of a huge move to a new location. The 1910 article was about the Ledge Homestead regarding the restoration of the old farmhouse and newspapers dated 1885 were found under a rug. This is actually a long standing carpetlaying tradition, my husband informed me. Always the front page, left under one of the corners. How else can these craftsmen stamp their mark in history? I found the practice fascinating and am curious to know if it is still being used and if this is purely an American trait or was this passed from our English settlers.

***Update***

The photo above was taken the last Saturday of March,2008 and from that trip I created my own Flickr account and placed those photos in a set called Death Watch. When I first saw this home I believed there was still hope for this house, and that was eight years already. Now when I visit this home I grieve that it is still standing while the city of Fond du Lac grows around it. At some point this old homestead will be taken down, and I am interested to know if the city has held off from taking it due to it's historical value (which is what I suspect), or if the current owners are still paying the taxes on the property. Sadly I probably won't know until I pass by one afternoon to find it gone. Will the elders of Fond du Lac swoop down to take the eaves and pick through the carcass for historical souvenirs?

The final chapter of this home is not quite ready to be told.

Riggs County Park

Ripon (Fond du Lac Cty)

First stop in my Road Trip from Saturday. Fond du Lac County's largest park in the system, it spans 300 acres. I wish I could say I traversed the entire park but it was more like 2/3rds.

This is a great park for birding. Well, I suppose any open prairie land is. My favorite picture was taken within the first half hour. On a grassy path, I approached a bend when a hawk (Northern Harrier according to my Flickr query) was startled into flight. What I didn't expect was to see it come back. It took three passes at me and was at times within 4 feet of tagging me, as I was frantically snapping away. Only three pics were passable. It was probably incredibly stupid of me to be standing there, but I seem to have the tenacity of the paparazzi when all that matters is getting the shot. Side note: based on the description on this site, the hawk has to be a harrier and I was too close to its nest. Originally I thought perhaps a cooper's hawk.

Aside from a number of birds, frogs, garter snakes, curious gophers, and monarch butterflies, there were zero humans. Pondering this I often ask whether I should be out by myself. This is a bit of a problem for me. Hiking is somewhat of a spiritual pilgrimage. I try to access all of my senses and I find it difficult to to really enjoy the moment when others are with me, mainly because my concern is for their experience. This probably isn't a fair assessment, since my hiking partners tend to be one of my kids, and are not always a willing participant.

At one point, I realized that I was probably dehydrated and sunburnt when I took a short break under a shady copse and took stock of my situation. My car was a short hike away, but the shortest route was through marshland, which would've been hell on my shoes. No, I stuck to the grassy trails until I could find some drier prairie land and made my way across. Needless to say, once I arrived at the car, I was more than ready to head to my next destination: Ledge Homestead and Rienzi Cemetery.

Wheretofind: For a map, go to Fond du Lac Cty's website and print off the map page. Forget about Googling it, it's not there. Just west of Ripon on Hwy 23. At Douglas turn north and the park entrance to the right is the bridge with the Historic (yet empty)Tenant House. Second entrance is on Hwy 23, right across from that little beige motel. I came from that direction and completely missed it. The park entrance sign was placed at the trail head, not at the park entrance. Jeeeeez.

Incidentally, the man made trail spans between the two entrances, and the rest of the trails are hastily mowed, one having white markers that lead to the observation desk, which is where I found this funny looking set of four hollow markers, which doesn't seem to lead anywhere. The plant growth are really sticking out of the top.

What to expect: Wide Open Spaces. Creature and vermin. Grasses and weeds. This is typical of the new conservation parks that have been cropping up as of late.

perilous ponderings...what was the point of saying a shady copse - seeing that a regular copse is just a group of trees anyhow...

Rienzi Cemetery

Rienzi Cemetery, Fond du Lac (Fond du Lac Cty)

Note: THIS PARK HAS AN AUTOMATIC GATE AND ONLY ONE ENTRANCE.

A nondenominational cemetery, it holds all the elements of a site worth visiting. I am continually impressed with what I find during research because it illustrates our need to preserve and pass on the knowledge of our families. Fond du Lac's local genealogy site has a wealth of information including the care of copying headstone inscriptions, and a link to civil war letters.

Where to find: Outskirts of Fond du Lac. Heading east on Hwy 23, follow it halfway up hill, then take Cty Hwy K right. You will pass my Ledge Homestead haunt, and also the ginormous Lutheran Church. Continue through the 4 way stop and it will be on your left. You can't miss it. It looks like a cemetery.

What to expect: Classic tombstones of the 1800s, veteran site, pet cemetery, pauper's section and also one devoted to the Jewish Holocaust victims. A diverse collection of headstones and a parklike setting. On my Flickr site you will see some headstones that are in the language of that person's homeland, which I have never seen before. Have you?

Road Trip

Took another road trip yesterday, this time to explore some of Fond du Lac County Parks.

It did not go as planned.

My first stop was at Riggs County Park in Ripon, and I only planned to stay there a short time, not three hours. But rarely am I ever on a real schedule, and the experience is always better when I take my time. Most things are.

The hardest part was keeping my eyes on the road. My eyes were constantly scanning for Rural Decay and because of the cirrus clouds drifting above us I was hoping to get a glimpse of the rare circumhorizon arcs.

Then I traveled to Rienzi Cemetery and my old Death Watch Ledge Homestead. Rienzi was a busy place, and I witnessed at least one person wandering the grounds with camera in hand, just like I was. When I left for my Road Trip it was around 11 in the morning, and when I left Rienzi it was 5-ish. The Ledge Homestead had a surprise in store for me. Someone is mowing the lawn there. As I wandered the grounds I found the riding mower inside a decrepit barn.

Whether it is out of cowardice or presence of mind I won't explore an empty building alone. Maybe it's from watching Lassie or Little House on the Prairie, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Either way, a part of me is convinced that someone is watching from inside and is just waiting for me to turn my back. I felt this BIG TIME at this barn (pictured here).