Tag Archives: Wisconsin

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100 Miles of something


http://www.mississippi-river.org has a great website with information on where to stay, eat, shop, and things to do – all around Lake Pepin.  There are several 100 Miles of… links: vistas, boating, birding, fishing, history and even garage sales.

The big big big 100 miles of garage sales was May 2-4 this year.  Cyn & I didn’t get out for a drive until Sunday and by that time most sales where over and done.  We found some stragglers still open though.  I was more interested in the drive, but the potential for an awesome find is always around every corner.  The super-find of the trip was an old produce crate in the dumpster outside of Reads Landing Brewing Company.  I spied the little treasure as we sat on the patio sipping our fire-hot bloody marrys.

entrance
to very spicy bloddys coming up
Interior view of the river
firey
outside patio

Prior to landing for refreshments we spent a significant amount of time roaming around the little river town of Stockholm, WI.  There are several unique shops to wander through.  Among them is a fantastic bakery – Bogus Creek Cafe & Bakery.  The cranberry walnut bread is out of this world.  You may have noticed in past posts…if there is a bakery in the vicinity  I’ll be sampling the local fare.

Stockholm is great small town to spend a few hours just walking around.  There is no shortage of interesting art.  Be sure to check out Adobe Stockholm.  Juno & Me has some of the best candies I’ve had is awhile and their pet product are worth browsing.  For more information on additional shops, see Stockholm’s official website.

Here are a few other shot I took around town before we got on our way to the next town.

There is so much to see and do around Lake Pepin.  Hwy 35 on the Wisconsin side boasts some spectacular views as does Hwy 61 on the Minnesota side.  You are never board around here – take a drive around the lake!

LakePepin

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Weekend Afternoon Drive


This Winter weather is holding fast even though we have had a couple of warm-ish snaps.  Any day now the big melt will begin; I can’t wait.  I’ve had enough of Winter, snow, cold, ice, shoveling, lengthy commutes, etc.

Despite all I listed above, Winter is one of my favorites times of year to shoot.  Creating black and white images during this time of year can be both challenging and rewarding.  It is a time of the year to really focus on composition, detail and light.  Some days, like today, the light is really flat.  Overcast skies and no glint of sunlight poking through anywhere.

Cyn and I went for an afternoon drive last weekend.  We did a loop from Red Wing to Lake City and back again.  Frontenac State Park has some wonderful views of the bluffs in Wisconsin towering over Hwy 35.  I really like the detail in the trees against the snow-covered bluff as a backdrop.  You can really make out the contours of the valley slopes.

River Buoy
lone ice fisherman
WI Bluffs from Frontenac State Park
Maiden Rock Sand Mine Pano
Maiden Rock Sand Mine – Single Frame
Rush River Valley, Maiden Rock, WI
Village of Maiden Rock, WI
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Dells Mill 1864


In our recent travels to the Augusta area in Eau Claire County, WI, we found another historic flour and grist mill.  Dells Mill, built in 1864,  is situated on the banks of Bridge Creek just off Hwy 27 North of Augusta. The overshot waterwheel is just for looks as far as I can tell as this mill was turbine powered in its day.

The number of mills in Wisconsin [& Minnesota] grew tremendously between the mid to late 1800′s.  In 1840 there were 33 flour and grist mills in Wisconsin; by 1880 there were just under 1000.  By 1900 milling was the second largest industry in Wisconsin, second only to lumber.  By 1920, record wheat harvests had taken its toll and depleted the soils ability to produce wheat crops.  Abandoned mills became a common fixture on Wisconsin’s landscape as the industry experienced a steep decline in the region from that point forward.  Several of these mills have been preserved. Dells Mill was converted to a museum in 1968, but still grinds on special occasions.

*Other mill sites in the WI/MN region Pickwick Mill (MN) & Schech’s Mill (MN)

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Foggy Fall Morning


A lovely Fall morning indeed.  I love waking up any morning and seeing fog.  I am especially fond of the moody and atmospheric feel that fog can bring to a scene.

Cyndie and I went for a drive this morning to take in all the misty wonderful.  We stumbled upon a wonderful driveway lined with trees on either side; they held some beautiful color even in the fog.

Spooky tree was a great scene as well.  I wish we had made it there a bit sooner though.  We know exactly where it is as now and will be able to go directly to it on the next fog day.

The fog held in there until just before noon and gave us plenty of opportunities.  It was time to head back to Red Wing and hit the farmer’s market.  The Grateful Bread was calling.  A few delicious yum yums every Saturday for multiple weeks in a row now; it’s officially a habit.

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Rice Lake, WI to Red Wing, MN


We were in Rice Lake at a 60th birthday celebration last weekend.  I very much enjoy that area of Wisconsin and the areas surrounding Hwy 48 West of Rice Lake (which I have photographed a few times now).  We took the opportunity this trip to further investigate the abandoned site with the wooden silo.  The farm/greenhouse that used old rusty cars as flower planters was interesting as well.

True to form and with almost every experience we have out on the country back roads - we found another site; this one was in the middle of a cornfield.  Cyndie spotted the lone silo in the middle of the cornfield and noticed the road leading to it.  I’ve come to recognize the non-audible signals she offers – there wasn’t any mistaking the signal at this moment and a minute later we were in the middle of a cornfield in the high grass.  The number of grasshoppers were amazing as we took a little break in our new-found solitude from the already calming country road.  It seemed as good a time as any to let the wiener’s stretch their little legs and perhaps fire up the Tootsie roll machine.

There was only one outbuilding and a small barn left of this farmstead.  The small barn was barely visible through the overgrowth of trees and tall grass.  Its contents were typical – old window frames, a stove and a plethora of various animal droppings.  What I love most about these buildings is the character of the wood and the interesting light that seeps in through windows, doorways and the cracks in the wood along the sides and ceiling.

We actually ran into some real and very alive swans.  On an outing this past April we thought we had spotted some swans on a small pond until after several frames and closer proximity revealed to us that they were decoys.  That was a hilarious realization.  I can’t seem to locate the photos of that blunder; perhaps I deleted them out of embarrassment.

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Eau Claire County, WI – Amish Country


It was a beautiful day for a “Sunday Drive.” Our sights were set on Amish country; this time in Wisconsin.

Augusta is two hours nearly straight East of St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN. Amish farmsteads dot the landscape from Augusta in the North to Osseo to the Southwest and Fairchild to the Southeast. This Amish settlement was founded in 1978 and consists of six church districts. Seventy-five percent of Wisconsin’s forty Amish communities are one or two church district.

Augusta is home to the Yoder family. Wisconsin vs. Yoder was particularly significant in regards to Amish educations. The local conflict reached the U.S. Supreme Court which resulted in a landmark 1972 decision which granted Amish and other religious groups the right to remove their children from school upon finishing the eighth grade.

It wasn’t much of a mystery as to where the Amish might be. All you have to do is look for buggy tracks or horse poo on the road. I love driving through Amish country. Their farms are very well-kept along with everything else, including beautiful vegetable and flower gardens. They are a simple and hard-working people. For the most part, they just want to be left alone to live their way.

This settlement had several sawmills and timber processing and furniture making appeared to be their Forté. Their sawmills were not the only thing visible on this rural landscape. There was something else here; something I was not aware of – something that many communities, including the Amish would rather not see at all. Something that is significantly impacting their way of life already. More on that later…

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Chippewa River – Low & Fast.


Another 2x kayaking weekend – woohoo!  Cyndie and decided to check out the Chippewa River.  Our in/out point was off of Hwy 35 just East of Pepin, WI.  There is a nice landing just East of the bridge.  The right side of the first island up from the bridge is hardly navigable (most of the way); we quickly turned around an opted to go around the other side.   The water was very shallow which made paddling in this swift current rather difficult, hence the very short up-river paddle.  There are plenty of sandbars on this river to stop and rest at and take in the beautiful scenery.  The eagles really like these shallow tributaries to the Mississippi; at the furthest point North that we went, there were no less than a dozen eagles flying about and hanging out on the shoreline.  There were another dozen of so down by the railroad trestle.  As you can see by the map, we didn’t make if very far.  It was a lovely day with great weather and big white poofy clouds filled the sky.

I think our next trip to the Chippewa will be coordinated with Will ‘n’ Jill’s Great Adventures.  They offer a shuttle to two points up river:  Ella, WI (8 mile run) and Durand, WI (15 mile run).    They also rent tubes, kayaks and canoes.  They also offer outings on Lake Pepin.  Reservations are highly appreciated.

Will ‘n’ Jill’s Great Adventures
210 Lake Street, Suite #3
Pepin, WI 54759
715-402-0104
willnjill@yahoo.com

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Mississippi Backwaters


From the backroads to backwaters.  Kayaking is great; I can’t believe it took me 37 years before I tried it.

The Mississippi backwaters are immense; especially in the area we live.  There are so many aquatic avenues to paddle.  Here are some shots from our weekend trek from Bay City to Goose Lake.  It is a lovely stretch of water with a gentle current.  Although I liked these in color, I think black and white was a better choice to showcase the scenery of this perfect morning of paddling.

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Memorial Day Drive


The Memorial Day Holiday was another nice break from work-work and yard work (getting close to done; can see a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel now).  It was a gorgeous day with lots of big poofys in the sky.  The sun was shinning, the temperature mild, wieners hanging out the back windows and it felt great to get out for a backroadin’ shoot.  No misadventures this time around (well one minor one*); only harsh light and deep shadows to contend with.  We have exchanged the dingy browns of late Winter/early Spring for the lush greens of late Spring / early Summer.  There was lots of livestock, rolling hills and a few barns to shoot.  We stumbled upon what must be the most character-rich goat ever.  I didn’t capture him mid-chew or anything; that was his natural look.  He was a handsome fellow :-)

And true to form, Cyndie and I ran across another abandoned farmstead.  I explored the outbuildings and barn while she shot up the house.  It wasn’t as old and decrepit as I would like to see, but it was still interesting.

*Not once, but twice a wiener got into the snack stash.  Tindra ate almost 1/2 lb of the driest beef jerky I have every tasted – no loss there, except she was awful thirsty afterwards and eventually hurled it all up…in the car.  While at the farmstead she decided to tear into a bag of animal crackers – lil piggy she is.  Both times, Audrey, the angel she is, was just sitting there watching when I returned to the car.

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Driftless Area Weekend – Vernon County, Wisconsin – Day 2


This is the fourth and final post of the Driftless Area Weekend (finally :-) ).

Vernon County, similar to Monroe County, is full of rolling hills and deep valleys.  It reminded me of a continuous roller coaster ride.  It was an extremely lovely Spring day, although the scenery reminded us both of Fall with the color of the trees budding out.  The entire Autumn pallet was present and accounted for – the yellows, oranges and reds were extremely vibrant.

Our primary goal for the trip was to seek out the round barns in the area;  I think we were able to shoot most of the 13 round barns 1 of the 2 covered bridges.  It was a great 2 day trip and I look forward to a return trip soon.