Posts Tagged ‘baraboo’

Time to reserve campground reservations for peak weekends is slipping by, or has already.  This is a message we can’t hammer home enough. You simply have to reserve now for most weekends at Devil’s Lake and many other state parks to have a sporting chance at getting a weekend spot.  Yes, there is the whole drive in and play “campsite lotto” approach but don’t count on it.  Back when I worked in the reservation office at Devil’s Lake State Park I spent every Friday evening it seems telling visitor after visitor that we were full  and that they just have to reserve WAY in advance!!   I’m not sure it ever helped much.  Some things never change.

These days, the way to reserve a campsite at our area state parks is simply to head on over to Reserve America which handles most SP reservations in our area.  (We are a Reserve America Partner by the way.) To check availablity and reserve a campsite at Devil’s Lake State Park just click here.   To check availability at other regional state parks just follow a link below.

• Check Mirror Lake State Park Reservations – Between Baraboo & Wisconsin Dells
  
• Check Rocky Arbor State Park Reservations – Wisconsin Dells
• Check Buckhorn State Park – 25 miles north of Wisconsin Dells
  
• Check Roche-A-Cri State Park – 30 miles north of Wisconsin Dells
• Check Governor Dodge State Park – Near Spring Green
• Check Wyalusing State Park – 2.5 hours west on the Mississippi River.

Tower Hill near Spring Green is another possibility but only has 11 first come/first serve sites.

For Private Campgrounds near Devil’s Lake State Park Click Here.

For Hotels & Motels in our area browse the Skillet Creek Reservation Service.  You’ll find amenities, maps, guest ratings, reviews and more.  A hotel room is not quite as hard to come by as a campsite in the area, but still reserving now for peak weekends is a pretty good plan.

• Click here to start with Baraboo area lodging options. (Including Wisconsin Dells)
• Click here for other cities around the state.

In 1973 Wisconsin established the Rustic Roads program to assist local communities and residents to protect what is left of Wisconsin’s scenic country roads.  Designated Rustic Roads wind their way through areas noted for their special qualities.  They may include wide open agricultural views, untouched forests & natural areas, places where wildlife are known to gather or simply a slice of untouched Wisconsin landscape.

Rustic roads may be dirt, gravel or paved and are certainly not the first roads to be plowed in winter.  While the routes are perfect for a scenic weekend drive you shouldn’t overlook them for cycling or even a relaxing day hike.

Here in Baraboo we have 2 designated rustic roads nearby,  RR 21 & RR 49.  Of course in this area one could argue that any country road from here to the Mississippi could be a rustic road selection. For the moment though, let’s stick to the official ones.

Walking atop the levee on Rustic Road 49. (Levee Rd.)

Rustic Road 49 is located along the Wisconsin River connecting Sauk & Columbia county. We know it as Levee Road.  You can get on Levee Road from an intersection north of Baraboo on County Highway T.  Levee Road follows the path of a levee built up along the banks of the Wisconsin river. Along the way travelers will see forests, prairie lands, marsh and river flood plains.  Levee Road also travels past the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center and through the Pine Island Wildlife Reserve. The route travels about 10 miles before joining Highway 33 near Portage, WI.

Natural Bridge State Park

Road 21 is south-west of Baraboo near the town of Denzer & Natural Bridge State Park.  RR21 includes portions of 4 roads; Slotty Rd, Orchard Dr., Schara Rd. & Ruff Rd. This is a perfect area for cyclists. You will travel through rugged and rolling terrain, passed the remains of an old farm and along a ridge of old forest including oak, maple & hickory trees.

There are Rustic Roads in almost every county in the state that put on display everything rural and natural Wisconsin have to offer. Amazingly more often than not, you’ll have them all to yourselves.  You can learn more about Wisconsin’s Rustic Roads on their Website.  Now’s the time to explore the maps and start marking out those summer drives through beautiful rural Wisconsin.

I really tried to let this one go but the more I think about it, the more silly it becomes.  The News Republic should have just apologized. (In my opinion of course.)

You may remember that a local (Reedsburg) 13 year old, autistic child shot and killed his father recently.  It’s a sad situation no matter how you look at it. The Baraboo News Republic has been taking some heat for posting pictures of the sobbing child in court the very next morning. People are asking, Why show the pictures so quickly and what benefit did it serve?  Fair question, especially given that we are talking about putting on display an autistic minor child before anyone really had a handle of what was going on.  Well, the defense in today’s paper is that they were simply acting on YOUR right to know.  Really?

Today, George Athoff, publisher of the News Republic, published a piece defending or at least addressing the decision to post the pictures of 13 year old, accused murderer Michael Chisafulli the very next morning. I don’t envy the task, and I can’t say I agree with the conclusions either. The defense could be broken down into these simple ideas; Good judgment, test of critical thinking, everyone has their own opinion, others did it, they covered the story in more detail later, the public has a right to know, and they have a responsibility.  I think I covered it.

Obviously many of us lack such critical thinking abilities when it seems pretty apparent that the rush to publish caused a lack of good judgment in this case. The fact that there can be multiple opinions is not exactly a defense of good judgment either.  I’m also not sure how the public’s right to know even enters into it in this situation.

To clarify the point, the people “given pause”, are telling the press that the pictures have no bearing on their right to know. The point is that publishing them before the facts came to light was simply an act unnecessary sensationalism.  Good judgment should have caused the press to, well, “pause.”  They had a minor child, possibly autistic, and rumors of other problems.  In essence they had everything they needed to tell them to approach this story with caution.  Report yes, but with prudence.

What is even more troubling in today’s defense is the thought that even if this case is brought to juvenile court, the reasoning  becomes something like (paragraph 5 of the article),  ”Since we already let the horse out of the barn, his rights are toast, and that means it’s ok that we let the horse out of the barn in the first place… Did I read that right?

But in the end it’s this whole “Public’s right to know” thing that has me confused. I probably need a professional journalist to enlighten me.  In what way exactly is not showing a picture robbing citizens of the right to know?  Doesn’t this suggest that the written word is not adequate? Is reporting now lacking critical substance if not accompanied by a picture of a sobbing minor? Is he saying the press is simply defending our right to know what a young autistic boy looks like?  How is the public not served by simply holding troubling images of a minor back until more details (both factual & legal) are known?

For the exact reasons Mr. Althoff mentions in his article; good judgment and critical thinking, some citizens find publishing the photos to be a total fail.  The press should have understood that publishing the photos before a full telling of the story, and determination of the child’s status could create a backlash.  Instead of wrapping themselves up in such a convoluted justification they should have just stepped forward and said, “bad call. We’re sorry”.  Then the whole thing would have blown over.

The new roundabouts have been up on the intersections of Moon Rd., and Highway 12 near Wisconsin Dells for a while now.  How are you feeling about them?  Opinions seem to be quite mixed.  I’ve heard everything from love to indifference, to flat out hatred.  Regardless of taste however,  roundabouts have been shown to be more efficient and safer than standard intersections in most instances. Chances are we’ll be seeing more in the very near future.

Roundabouts have been around in the UK since the 1960s and have been gaining popularity here in the states as well.  For good reason. According to studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, roundabouts provide a 90% reduction in fatal crashes and 76% reduction in injury crashes.  They also reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes as well.  That’s not 50% or 10% but 90%!  You have to take a moment to let that soak in.

Right now the biggest problem with our new roundabouts is that they are not intended for highway traffic. The moon road roundabouts are intended to be part of bypass but are currently taking all Highway 12 traffic into and out of Wisconsin Dells while the multi-lane highway is being completed. Given that, they seem to be performing quite well.  Once construction on the new highway is completed, the roundabouts won’t see nearly as much traffic as they are shuffling right now.

Another issue causing some delay is that many folks in the area are simply not familiar with roundabouts. Often  “newbies” will stop for a moment to get their bearings before proceeding, especially if there is heavy truck traffic.  In time drivers will simply take them in their stride. A few might even find them kinda fun!

If you’ve never driven a roundabout before here’s a nice video introduction to driving through them.

Get The Facts!

• Roundabout info from the Wisconsin DOT
• Roundabout Question & Answer
• Local News Article reference

What do you think of the new roundabouts?  Share your comments!

Yesterday CackleTV of Wales, UK  released the preview clip for their upcoming DVD entitled, “This is Canoeing“, a highly anticipated celebration of the sport (Addiction?) showcasing some of the world’s top paddlers in  some of the most stunning locations our planet has to offer.  Paddlesports enthusiasts everywhere  are pretty excited.  What you may not know is that CackleTV has a Wisconsin connection that begins right in here Baraboo.

It was over 5 years ago now when Justine Curgenven, owner of CackleTV and I first met thanks to the internet, a love of kayaking and a few mouse clicks.  At that time Justine Curgenven & CackleTV had just released their first ground breaking sea kayaking adventure video called, “This Is The Sea”. The DVD documented her adventures and those of paddlers from around the world as they explored the far reaches of the earth by sea kayak. That first award winning DVD has since blossomed into a highly regarded series and has won numerous awards around the planet. It was about that same time, Skillet Creek here in Baraboo became involved in the web development and graphic design side of of the project.

Over the years Justine has explored the coast of Kamchataka in Russia, lead the first all female team to circumnavigate Tasmania, circumnavigated the south island of New Zealand  and more all from the seat of a 17 foot boat.  Along the way she has continued to document her adventures and those of fellow paddlers around the world bringing the “This is The Sea” series to 4 volumes.

Justine has also been here in the great lakes region several times to explore both Lake Superior & Lake Michigan. In 2007  the world premiere of  “This is the Sea 3″  was held at Canoecopia in Madison, WI. Canoecopia  is after all, the largest paddlesports tradeshow in the world.

Now of course even living here in central Wisconsin it wouldn’t feel right to simply “design stuff” for such a project.  No, paddling is a personal passion of my own as well.  Over the same period of time I have become a paddling instructor and have paddled around the country, as well as in the UK, Puerto Rico and Israel. In fact, in 2007 I and my paddling partner became the first folks (in modern history anyway)  to circumnavigate the island of Puerto Rico by sea kayak in just under 30 days.

Baraboo has even hosted a rather impromptu gathering of other world class paddlers including Freya Hoffmeister of Germany & Greg Stamer of Florida. Freya recently became the first woman to circumnavigate the continent of Australia by sea kayak, taking just over a year to do it. Greg Stamer has participated in two Greenland National Kayaking Championships in 2000 and in 2002, winning two gold and two bronze medals. Freya, Justine, Greg, myself and others lead an evening training session here at the Baraboo Middle-School pool for paddling enthusiasts from around the mid-west.  Never before or since has the local pool seen so many kayaks!

This year Justine Curgenven will once again premiere her latest work for the first time here in Wisconsin at the 2010 Canoecopia event  March  12-14.  I personally am looking forward to having Justine over in our part of the world again. (Btw, I think I have to do a kayak rolling demonstration as well! Yikes!)  If you are interested in paddling or any sort of outdoor adventure, I certainly invite you to visit www.Cackletv.com where you can see a variety of clips from Justine’s films and learn more about her adventures around the world.  You can also find my sea kayaking adventures, kayak rolling clips and more on www.KayakQuixotica.com.

Baraboo may seem about as far away from the sea as one can get.. funny thing though.. it’s closer than you think.

2011 will mark the centennial for Devil’s Lake State Park. This hundred year anniversary is not just a celebration of nature or conservation, but a reminder of the economic value of land left un-scarred by privatization, greed and self-interest. The Baraboo hills area is blessed with innumerable acres of public lands, protected natural areas and private conservation areas open to public use. In fact, Wisconsin’s first designated natural area, Parfrey’s Glen is just a couple miles east of Devil’s Lake. It’s fair to say that the Baraboo hills have long been recognized as a special place demanding thoughtful use with an eye toward preservation.

In our part of the state the land itself leads us toward an economy heavily supported by tourism and outdoor recreation. Although this should be obvious to everyone living within the walls of the Baraboo valley, it often is not. The idea that land is without value if it cannot be owned, paved,  taxed, plowed, or built upon, still has deep roots in the minds of many and will be hard to remove. There are no chasms between preservation and profit, but it does take a clear mind to envision the possibilities.  It is my hope that this centennial celebration will help to open a few more eyes to what should have always been terribly obvious. Devil’s Lake State Park is the anchor of our local economy. Not the factories, or some new office complex on the riverfront, and certainly not the leftovers of passersby on their way to Wisconsin Dells. No, what Baraboo is, is the center of a thriving outdoor recreational destination waiting almost 100 years for many in the business community to fully understand the potential. The Devil’s Lake State Park centennial offers an opportunity to bring this point home to everyone. The first planning meeting for the 2011 celebration will be held at the Devil’s Lake State Park office at 10 am on Jan 28th. 2 days from now.

—

For more related Links visit our bookmarks on delicious (keywords: nature, outdoors).

If the Town of Baraboo board has their way it will undoubtedly be the end of wonderful natural areas like Baxter’s Hollow in Sauk County.  This time it’s not so much liability gone mad, but tax collectors gone mad.

There was an interesting article in the Baraboo News Republic today stating that the Baraboo Town Board wants to come up with a way to bill non-profit organizations for what they call “unusual costs” in response to local emergencies on their land. This of course is a response to the Nature Conservancy, who owns around 10,000 acres of land in Sauk county, taking about 9000 acres of that land off the tax rolls. To be fair of course, they are tax exempt and were not required to pay anyway. They did. To be good neighbors. Even now they donate at 2007 tax levels and continue to pay the equivalent of the current tax bills for another 960 working acres according to the BNR.  But that doesn’t satisfy some town board members.

To justify their pursuit of some form of non-profit land owner liability, the town seems to be using the rescue last fall of a hiker on the Nature Conservancy’s Baxter’s Hollow land west of Devil’s Lake State Park. You may remember that she spent the night in the woods and was located the next day cold, but alive and well. The town is taking  a unique approach to the issue of who should pay.  To the best of my knowledge, in most other cases around the country when a hiker, climber, or paddler gets into trouble the costs are covered by the tax payers or the individual themselves. Any one even slightly familiar with outdoor recreation is well aware of this debate. “Who gets the bill for the helicopter?”, is a reasonable question and it usually comes down to the individual who we must agree is ultimately responsible for their choices. The town of Baraboo board’s solution is nothing if not novel. Bill the land owner.  Not all land owners, just the non-profits of course. Great. What better way to close more land off to public use and further damage Sauk County’s economy?

I could also ask where normal rescue ends and “unusual” begins. If someone jams a foot in a crack between the sidewalk and the old church foundation who gets the bill? The Church? Heart attack in the Pews?  Who pays?  Again, we already know who gets the bill for public services on non-profit property.  The trick is in the word “unusual” which I only assume means, “Place with trees”. I’ve always believed society should do what they can to cover some rescue costs if possible. I mean, an emergency is traumatic enough without sending an virtually unpayable bill to the victim. Still, I can’t find fault with the concept. As a sea kayaker who’s paddled around the planet a bit, I know if I get in trouble out there, it’s my choice. My responsibility. The Baraboo Board in this case really seems to be saying it’s not about personal responsibility, it’s about the property owner’s tax status.  At a glance it seems as if the town  is pursuing a vendetta against the Nature Conservancy, more than simply trying to recoup costs. Maybe I’m wrong, but I doubt it.   It’s just so amazingly un-thought out. In the end this approach will only hurt residents, hunters, school groups, outdoor enthusiasts and business owners who are now using the land for for a variety of pursuits or profiting from the tourism dollars these lands bring in.

We need to stand with the Nature Conservancy here. We need to point out that if anyone is responsible for a rescue, it’s the person rescued, and that must be determined on a case by case basis as well.  If some new “Bill the Non-Profit” ordinance is passed, the Nature Conservancy will simply close the land to the public.  For a land owner risking liability, it would be the smart thing to do. Then of course the land will become off limits to everyone. Holding non-profit land owners liable, when they are freely opening that land to the public will hurt our community and stymie the growth of eco-tourism in Sauk County.   This proposal by the town of Baraboo seems to be simply short-sighted and possibly a bit vindictive politics by those who wish the Nature Conservancy would just get out of the way.

For More Information

Read – ” Town of Baraboo targets tax-exempt owners: Nature Conservancy would pay emergency costs.” – Baraboo News Republic

Nature Conservancy

Baxter’s Hollow Natural Area Slide Show from Skillet Creek

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 Baraboo train station as it was.

There is nothing more amazing to me than the passing of time captured on a bit of old card. I’ve always found old post cards fascinating. I wonder at the power of a photograph back when photographs were not so common. When one oddly colored, low resolution image could arrive in the mail and capture the imagination for days on end.  A time when people take time to contemplate every detail and grasp for just a sense of what it would be like to be right there, inside that image.

Today old post cards, especially those that feature local landscapes, tell us about change.  We can compare the spot down through time. We can judge ourselves and our communities.  Have we improved things since then or have we just made a mess of it?  The answers are almost always as interesting as they are complex.

The Baraboo train station as it is.

The post card above features the old Baraboo Train Station located on the south side of town.  (Yes, we do have a “South Side” and an “Across the tracks”..)  This railway station in it’s day roared with the bustle of daily life. At that time the rail ruled the world.  Today, the rail is simply doing well to be maintained or converted to bike paths.  The Baraboo railway station  is simply a shell of it’s former self used as a warehouse.  The windows are blocked up. All the finery and woodwork have long be tossed out or rotted away.  Personally I always felt we would be wise to renovate the old beast and turn it into restaurants and shops, something many more visionary communities around the state and around the country have done with great results.  There’s always hope!

Here are a few more historic area postcards from Baraboo & Devil’s Lake State Park.  Enjoy.

See More Pictures of  the Historic Baraboo Railway Station on our Flickr. Click here.