Posts Tagged ‘baraboo river’

A Flash Flood Watch continues in Sauk County through this afternoon into tomorrow morning. Thunderstorms will again roll across the area through tonight bringing an additional 1-3 inches of rain.  Currently the Baraboo river while still higher than normal, is staying below flood stage at both the Rock Springs & West Baraboo gauges. The river is above flood stage and continues to rise near the County Hwy X gauge a few miles east of town.  Standing water can be seen in some low-lying areas along the river in that area and along both sides of Co. Rd. W a few miles east of Baraboo. Clark creek (see above picture) on Hwy 113 was still within it’s banks last evening but fast and turbulent.  Skillet Creek is flooding on the south-west corner of town including near the corner of Hwy 12 and Hwy 159. The creek is flooding into nearby fields but not impeading traffic.  Read the rest of this entry »

We were just leaving the Coffee Bean Connection in Downtown Baraboo when the rain began to fall.   Sure, there were flash flood warnings in Sauk County, but we were still hoping to get in an afternoon of paddling at Devil’s Lake State Park.

Now we know why the lake has flooded so often in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »

Memorial weekend is the first big holiday weekend of the summer season and rarely is it relaxing.  Well, if you and your family are looking for a peaceful escape, I have one for you.  Take a paddle down the the Baraboo river.   Much of the river is shallow and slow moving as it winds it’s way through the rural central Wisconsin country side.  It’s virtually in accessible to any sort of power craft which makes it an ideal spot for paddlers. Read the rest of this entry »

“Expanded opportunities for recreation for locals and tourists will result from removal of the dams. The free-flowing “Baraboo Rapids” will be a significant attraction for people seeking more challenging canoeing or kayaking. ” – John Exo, UW-Extention, April 2006.

Commentary – You don’t hear much in the Baraboo area about expanded opportunities for canoeing and kayaking these days.  Now that all the hubbub around the removal of the Baraboo Dams has settled it seems we’re happy to pave a trail and put up some office buildings. In fact since the floods in 2008, it’s become even harder to actually get a canoe or kayak through the “Baraboo Rapids” unless the river is high.  Paddlers of course are a very small portion of a community’s population and are easily lost behind the glow of riverfront real estate profit potential. The focus on a restored Baraboo river is for most part, not actually the about the river, but what you can build upon its banks and how a quick profit can be ingested with a bit of  long term tax revenues for seasoning.  It seems everyone involved in the river restoration at this point has been caught up in the economic party line and completely forgotten the bit about “expanded opportunities for recreation”.

Realizing that the Baraboo hills are dead center of a massive tourism hotspot focused on nature and outdoor recreation (Not to mention Wisconsin Dells), and as a paddler and coach, I have been calling for another option for the Baraboo river,  A paddle park.  Once again my quixotic ideas seem to have windmills putting up their dukes on the county courthouse lawn.  The idea apparently is so crazy that it can’t find 10 minutes consideration.  Of course when it comes to ideas, outright rejection is often a really good sign!

Now the Baraboo river does not have the sort of flow that would support a world class whitewater park.  It could, however support a smaller, less impactful, and less expensive paddle play area perfect for folks looking to learn in class II-III conditions not to mention a quick rush for passing paddlers as well. There is already a section of the Baraboo river through the city in dire need of care as it is, if for no other reason than to allow a canoe passage in mid-July.

The arguments against of course boil down to two main issues.  Economic and environmental.  At this point neither is a real augment because no one as of yet has taken the idea seriously.  That’s where I come in.  I’m not going to fight or play games with local politicians and self-appointed experts.  I’m not going to bang my head against old schoolers who think office complexes & box stores are always the impetus of growth.  What I will do is say that our community may be missing an opportunity simply because we’re not thinking outside-the-box as the cliché goes.   So let’s at least give a paddle play area a serious hearing.  Why not?

Whitewater Play parks have been popping up all over the US and Europe over the last decade and have proven themselves to be a draw to people in the area hungry for white water. (Translation: Tourism dollars.) The environmental research has been done over and over again and continues to show no real  documented negative effects on the ecosystem. In fact there is a real positive effect as the deep water pools created for the park provide a good habitat for fish and another hot spot for area fisherman.

Economically we are in the right place at the right time.   A steady rise in environmental awareness and solid growth in the outdoor recreation industry offer bankable odds to such an endeavor.  Given our location between Devil’s Lake State Park & Wisconsin Dells, and the continual expansion of parklands, preserves and trails around the Baraboo hills, a paddle play area is puzzle piece made to fit.  Once in place, opportunities for business go well beyond such unimaginative and limited goals as simply taxing more “office space.”  Creative investors could bring in new business, outfitters, retail outlets, a shopping plaza, restaurants with an overlook to the park and on and on. Such a plan would actually revitalize the river district, and not simply put up a bunch of glass overlooking a lone paved trail.  Office buildings will not bring more visitors to Circus World Museum or bring more shoppers to Downtown Baraboo.  A paddle park may. We are not talking about reinventing the wheel.  It’s been done. Repeatedly.

Even the most sensible plan for a community’s future calls for fresh ideas and recognizing your strengths. So here’s one.  Take it, or leave it.  Thing is sitting here in the Baraboo hills of all places, it seems as if we’d be pretty dumb not to be willing to at least do a feasibility study.  I mean, do you really think a few more offices are making the best use of our river front?  What are we missing here? Are a few new leases actually going to bring vibrant healthy growth to our area for years to come?  Really?

Read About Paddle Parks Around The Country

• The Truckee River Whitewater Park
• Brennan’s Wave Missoula
• Proposed Stonycreek Whitewater Park
• Lyons Play Park
• Mississippi Whitewater Park Development Corporation

More articles

• Waves of the Future
• Whitewater Rafting Park Site Surfaces
• White Water Park on Iowa River in Talks

I know it’s tough.  Once the holiday season has past, winter seems to suck the life out of many of us. The days are short, it’s too cold to go outside and inside.. Well, is there anything more life-sucking than another car commercial?  There are days when winter just makes you want to scream!!

The answer to that pent up winter frustration is simple and you’ve heard it before. Get outside!!  What? You’re ready to skip the rest of this post?  Fine, go back to your car commercial then.. But you don’t really want to do THAT do you?  The thing is we already know the answer. The problem is getting motivated to do it.  That’s what winter can do to you.  It magnifies the reasons not to be active.  In the summer we’re too this and too that. In the winter we’re too this and too that.. AND it’s freaking cold outside!!  I can’t tell you how to beat that.  We each have to find our way.  But if you really want to get those winter cobwebs out of your head, you’ve just gotta get out.  It’s cold.  It is.  But if you get active, you’ll hardly notice… for awhile.  I promise!

Staying warm involves a few things, the right food & hydration, warm breathable clothing and the main bit… You have to keep moving.  Our bodies are made for out-of-doors activity.  That’s just how we go.  Once you get moving, you’re heart will start pumping and your body will start producing the heat you need to stay warm.  If all you have to base your winter feelings on is ice fishing or snowmobiling, it’s time for some fresh data. Movement keeps you warm.  Most of us have stories from childhood about being outside for hours. (Well, the old ones among us anyway!).  Sometimes it seemed as if we never got cold.  You know why right?  We were running around being crazy. Childhood is wonderful!  As adults we tend to frown upon activity.  I’m not sure where that came from.  It’s bad for us and we know it.  Thing is, maybe you have to ease back into it slowly.

Now of course you can get into winter sports.  Cross country skiing & snowshoeing always come up in these “get out doors” articles.  Here in Baraboo you can rent cross country skis or snowshoes at Wildside for just $15 bucks a day, but I’m not sure that’s easing in.  If you are not usually an outdoor person, the idea of winter “sports” may not be what you are looking for… yet. Maybe you just need to go for a brisk walk.  The “brisk” bit is how you keep warm remember.  Too slow and you’ll simply freeze out there.

Yesterday we did just that.  We, like many folks yesterday, had planned some time sitting around the television watching the football playoffs. Yet the thought of just passing time until the snack tray arrived seemed a bit well… “yuk”!  Instead we packed everyone up and went walking on the Baraboo river walk below Oschner’s park.  We spent a couple hours traipsing through the snow, chasing the dog and just taking in the fresh air and sunlight.  It was only about four degrees when in the morning and even dressed in all our winter gear the cold did slowly start to seep though.  Feeling a bit tired and with frozen noses we jumped back into the Jeep to head home.   Yeah, we still sat around watching football games. But we felt much happier doing it.

The way the press over reacts to snow storms these days it almost makes you feel dirty to write about it!  I’m not sure what the word is for “more than hype” but that’s the word I want.  Well, if you don’t spend too much time watching the news and simply get outside it’s actually much nicer than you are lead to believe.  The trick to enjoying a good snow storm is to wear the right clothing and to get away from any sort of traffic noise.  If you can’t hear the snowflakes hitting the water, you’ve got to get further from home.  Well, to be fair a snowstorm in New York City has it’s charms as well!

Thankful for old Jeep we took a drive down around the part of the Baraboo river where the Bald Eagles have been hanging out. One poor guy sat like a stature in a branch that overhung the river while the wind lifted and twisted the feathers off the back of his head.  Occasionally he’d shake off the snow before settling back into his fate. The horses that live along Old Lake Road did their best to ignore the snow as they dug into their morning meal.  One seemed to have had enough and pushed against the wind to walk back toward the barn only to find the gate was closed.  He turned back and joined the rest.  Cold weather does keep people, and horses, close.

I have a few pictures from yesterday’s snowstorm road trip posted up on our flickr.  Just click here.

The cold winter nights are hard upon us here in Wisconsin.  For quite a few evenings I’ve driven across the bridge down by the old “Boo Canoe” here in Baraboo.  Looking off to the east there is a wonderfully picturesque view of the city.  The new River walk and gazebo are visible along the frozen river that leads the eye off to a church steeple off in the distance.  Classic.  At least for a moment here and there winter does seem worth it.