I am about to embark on another short fishing trip to the backwoods of Wisconsin. During my last jaunt it dawned upon me how nearly every scenic natural area is owned by the government. This is something I knew since I was young, but I never thought about it too much in depth. I was dreaming about someday when I might have enough money to purchase my own little paradise, maybe 10 acres in the country, in the forest, or in the mountains. Like most of you, I like to day-dream big. The best place to purchase would of course be some piece of land with a view or something special about it.

Rocks at Rib Mountain

In Wisconsin, there are always plenty of little parcels available but you will never be able to buy the “prime” spots because they are public property, either at the state or national level. Almost every waterfall in Wisconsin is in a state park, state forest, or national forest. I cannot think of one substantial waterfall in WI that is in private hands. No one will ever “own” land around a big waterfall. Almost all of the tallest hills with the widest views are in state parks of forests (Rib Mountain, Timms Hill, St. Peters Dome, etc…) The grander the view, the more likely it is off limits to own. This is even more true on the national stage with the national parks and monuments. Just last week Chimney Rock was named a National Monument. Don’t get me wrong, I would be happy with almost any flat land with productive soil (for a garden), but this is an experiment in day-dreaming.

Yosemite Valley

So I was just wondering, is it good to put all of the most beautiful places under public control? Are we putting too many eggs in one basket? Will common people forever be confined to live in bland neighborhoods in flat land with not much view? Maybe I am over-stating the case, as there are plenty of locations with nice views in the U.S., just not the ones with the MOST grandeur. Maybe it is the best way for an oversized population to enjoy the most beautiful places. This way, people in the city can travel and see nature’s beauty. If most of it was in private hands, not all of it would be accessible. Also, I know a lot of people would not trust natural wonders in private hands, even though direct government action and indirect effects of government policies have transformed, polluted, and destroyed plenty of pristine tracts of land through the years.

Given the size of the population, and the track record of protecting National and State Parks, I think the policy has worked thus far, giving many more people (like me) access to areas they might not otherwise have or would have to maybe pay a bit more to see. I think the real key here is the population. There are too many people and too few grand scenic areas. If there were only 5 people in the country (for an extreme thought experiment), each person would easily have their choice of a little tract of paradise (like Yosemite) and there probably would not be much conflict. What do you think? Does almost every area of natural wonder/scenery have to be publicly owned? Have we protected enough areas?

Have a fine Tuesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Nature, Trails, Travel

The sunny and mild days of September sure seem to make people want to get out and travel and see the sights, whether it be by car, bike, motorcycle, or boat.  With that in mind maybe you need to freshen up on your Wisconsin geography knowledge a bit.  Perhaps you will come across some of the items in the questions below in your trips!  By the way, don’t feel bad if you don’t get them all right.  After all Wisconsin is a fairly diverse state with many different landforms and such to consider.  The answers are on the bottom of the page.  These questions were compiled by Kristen Visser in the book “Wisconsin Trivia”.   Good luck!

1. Which of the 22 Apostle Islands is the largest?
2. Where was Wisconsin’s first nuclear power plant?
3. What canal was built to shorten the time required to travel from Milwaukee to Green Bay?
4. How long is the Wisconsin River?
5. What Wisconsin town calls itself “Home of the Hamburger”?
6. How many national forests are in Wisconsin?
7. From its source to its mouth, how far does the Wisconsin River drop in altitude?
8. Which Wisconsin County produces the most corn?
9. Which city in eastern Wisconsin is nicknamed the “Sawdust City”?
10. Where is the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame?
11. Big Manitou Falls is Wisconsin’s highest waterfall.  How far does the water plunge?
12. How many acres of land does Wisconsin contain?
13. What is the largest lake in Wisconsin?
14. What town is situated in the geographic center of Wisconsin?
15. What is the smallest Wisconsin County in terms of land area?
16. Where was the ice cream sundae invented?
17. How many counties does Wisconsin have?
18. What city in Wisconsin has the world’s largest ore docks?
19. Which county covers the largest area in Wisconsin?
20. Which county has Wisconsin’s highest sand dunes?
21. Which Wisconsin county has the most lakes?
22. What is the highest point in Wisconsin?
23. What three rivers flow through Milwaukee?
24. Which Wisconsin community is birthplace of the snowmobile?
25. How deep is the deepest point in Lake Michigan?  How about Lake Superior?
26. What is Wisconsin’s largest state Park?
27. Which Wisconsin county has the fewest lakes?
28. When and where did Wisconsin’s first stretch of interstate highway open?
29. Where was the nation’s first school forest?
30. Where is the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame?

ANSWERS:

1. Madeline.  2. Genoa (on the Mississippi River).  3. Stugeon Bay Ship Canal.  4.  430 miles.  5.  Seymour.   6.  two (Nicolet and Chequamegon).  7.  1, 071 feet.  8.  Dane.   9.  Oshkosh.   10.  UW-Stevens Point.   11.  165 feet.   12.  35.8 million.   13.  Lake Winnebago (215 square miles).   14.  Pittsville.     15.  Ozaukee.     16.  Two Rivers.    17.  seventy-two      18.  Superior.     19.  Marathon.    20.  Door      21.  Vilas.    22.  Timm’s Hill in Price County (1951.8 feet above sea level).    23.  The Kinnickinnic, The Menomonee, and The Milwaukee.    24.    Sayner.      25.  923 feet, 1, 330 feet.   26.  Devil’s Lake State Park.    27.  Crawford.     28.  1958 in Waukesha County.   29.  Laona, Forest County in 1928.    30.   Hayward

Posted under Trails, Travel, Weather History

If you enjoy the outdoors, hiking, and checking out important landforms and geological sites in our area, the press release below will interest you.   A major project is sheduled for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail near Aniwa this month.  It is so intensive that a local National Guard Unit has been called in to get it started.  Please read the press release below for full details.  Sounds like it will awesome when this segment is complete!

National Guard to Help Prepare Ice Age Trail for Construction

Marathon County, WI — The Plover River Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail is about to get a little help from the Alpha Company of the US Army National Guard.

Eighty members of the Merrill-based Alpha Company will be assisting Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) staff and volunteers at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 8th, in preparation for an event IATA Executive Director Mike Wollmer described as “the most physcially and logistically challenging (trail building) project in our history.”

The project site is located within a superb Marathon County natural resource: the Plover River State Fishery Area, near Aniwa. The trail, once built, will lie atop an end moraine — a hill of dirt and debris — left behind by a continental glacier. Work will take place starting at Highway 52 and Highland Drive and push north and east toward the Marathon/Langlade county line.

The Guard’s role will be to get a running start for the large-scale trail building event that is scheduled for September 18-23. The setup work alone will be prodigious. Troops will help clear 2.7 miles of trail corridor; stage the materials for over a thousand feet of elevated boardwalk; and haul over 18 tons of lumber, hardware, and custom galvanized steel for the September 18th event.

“We’re getting help, confidence and inspiration in magnificent form,” said Wollmer.

On Saturday, Guard members will work under the direction of highly skilled IATA crew leaders trained in trail construction techniques, chainsaw safety and First Aid/CPR as well as crew leadership skills. The pre-event labor is expected to be a tremendous asset in an environment scientifically described as “cathro muck, 6-40 feet deep” — in other words, difficult conditions.

 The Alpha Company has proven its mettle in previous trail building ventures. In May 2011, Alpha Company members were part of a group of over 100 National Guard volunteers working on the Tuscobia Segment near Birchwood.

 The Ice Age Trail Alliance is a non-profit volunteer- and member-based organization established in 1958 that works to create, support and protect the Ice Age Trail. Visit www.iceagetrail.org for more information.

Posted under Ecology, Environment, Recreation & Sports, Trails

WATCH THE VIDEO: Wandering Wisconsin: Dells of the Eau Claire

Dells of the Eau Claire

Our state has a very interesting geologic history. 

Though you wouldn’t know it when driving through the rolling Wisconsin hills dotted with dairy farms, at one point a long time ago things looked a little different. 

Geologists believe that about two billion years ago massive volcanoes were centered in what we know today as Marathon County!  Why do they think that?  The Dells of the Eau Claire. 

When the lava from these ancient volcanoes hardened into rhyolite–some of the hardest rocks on the planet–millions of years of tectonic shifting tilted that horizontal rock vertically.  That’s how today we see those beautiful chunks of rocks bolt from the ground seemingly soaring toward the sky.   

But wait…where did the volcanoes go then?  

The glaciers steamrolled those volcanoes when they retreated northward, whittling them down to smooth rolling hills.  Glacial melting provided the water needed to erode away sections into the Eau Claire River, giving us what we see today.  Few places on earth can you see naturally occuring square rock formations paried with smooth circular edges because of sand and water erosion. 

For more information on Dells of the Eau Claire and the other parks in the Marathon County Parks family, visit them online here.

Posted under Community, Earthquake, Environment, Geology, Nature, Science, Summer, Trails

Interested in keeping Marathon County’s beautiful parks system clean and green?  Well, here’s your chance!

Become an Adopt-A-Park volunteer and help monitor park maintenance by alerting the parks commission when something is wrong. 

Here’s how it works.  Choose your favorite Marathon County Park or Recreation Area.  Let the Parks Commission know you’d like to become a volunteer by giving them a call at 715-261-1550 or stopping by their offices at 212 River Drive, Suite 2 right in downtown Wausau.  They’ll give you a list of what’s in the park you choose to adopt so you’ll know what’s there (and if something’s missing what it is). 

Then, at least once every two weeks between May 1st and October 31st, stop in and take a close look around.  Is everything in ship-shape?  If something is broken or out of place, fill in your online report with details on what’s up.  Submit the report and the Parks Commission will take it from there.

That’s it!  The more people who volunteer the more sets of eyes we’ll have keeping watch over things and the cleaner our parks will be!  Plus, should any maintenance issues come up, the right people will be notified faster, meaning problems go away quicker! 

This is a great, free activity open to anyone!  Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Church Youth Groups, and everyday citizens are more than welcome!  I just adopted Sunny Vale Park down the road from where I live.  It’s a park I visit frequently anyway, now I’ll just take notes if anything seems out of place and help keep the park clean!

To learn more visit the Marathon County Park Commission’s Adopt-A-Park official website here.

Posted under Community, Environment, Nature, Spring, Summer, Trails

We are running down to the tail end of winter recreation across Wisconsin with the eventual major spring thaw certainly not more than a few weeks away.  In the meantime, maybe you want to participate or watch a fantastic snowshoe competition!  Below is a press release for the 2011 Dion Snowshoes U.S. National Snowshoe Championships-March 11-13!

[Lakewoods Resort – Cable, WI]  As the winter season comes to a close, Cable opens it arms to the Dion Snowshoes U.S. National Snowshoe Championships.  With hundreds of racers from more than 30 states, the Cable community continues its long tradition of hosting world class competition.  Racers and spectators alike will be treated to a spectacular venue for the 5 races at the Lakewoods Resort, all surrounded by the famous terrain of the Chequamegon/Nicollet National Forest.

Part of the Annual Hot Air For Hearts Balloon Rally & Snowshoe Race, the weekend is chock full of activities for racers, snowshoe enthusiasts and spectators alike.  The Hot Air Balloons benefit heart related causes in the local region through the Cable and Area Lions Club.  Watch the majestic balloons soar over Lake Namakagon in the morning and afternoon of the event.  The public can take part by helping crew the balloons and those making a charitable contribution can even take a flight with the commercially rated pilots.

With the Hot Air Citizens race/walk a prominently featured part of the National Championships, citizen racers who didn’t qualify or who want to enjoy a fun event can participate in a 5k and 10k run or walk Saturday afternoon.  Starting immediately after the Kids Kilo where future national champions of all ages get an early start, the annual Hot Air Citizens Race is in its 9^th year and has helped raise thousands of dollars for the benefit.  With many sponsors, exhibitors, and various events, visitors will be treated to an exciting weekend of spectacular scenery, exhilarating competition, and rewarding activity.

Preliminary reports are favorable as the weather has created a firm fast course through the rolling hills of Lakewoods Forest Ridges Golf Course.  Set in the varied glacial terrain and surrounded by forest, the many hills resemble a continuous roller coast ride for the racers and will forever put to rest the Midwest doesn’t have the terrain to host the national competition. 

Snowshoe events start Friday with registration and course preview all day and a racers reception with vendor displays in the evening. Saturday is the big event with 5 races. Starting with the Junior 5k at 9 AM, races will run throughout the day with the last event being the Hot Air Citizens 5k & 10k run/walk starting at 1PM.  The Nationals Banquet that night is open to the public and will feature a hot air balloon glow where the balloons get lit up like giant luminaries.  The event finishes on Sunday with a 2.5k four person relay starting at 10 AM and closing ceremonies at 11:30. 

The National Championships are sponsored by Dion Snowshoes and the United States Snow Shoe Association (USSSA) the sanctioning body which selects racers from 5 regions of the U.S. to participate.  With racers currently registered from California, New York, Arizona and Alaska, representation from all regions is assured for the hundreds of snowshoe enthusiasts in our region.  And the racers from around our nation can be assured hundreds of spectators and citizen racers surrounding the Cable Area will be there to cheer them on. 

For more information or to register for the 2011 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships or the Hot Air For Hearts Balloon Rally and Citizens Snowshoe Race visit http://www.lakewoodsresort.com or http://www.snowshoeracing.com or call P.C. Rasmussen, Race Director and 4^th Generation owner at Lakewoods Resort – 715.794.2561. 

###

Details: 2011 Dion Snowshoes U.S. National Snowshoe Championships
Location:  Cable, Wisconsin – Lakewoods Resort
When:  March 11-13^th, 2011
Contact:  P.C. Rasmussen
Race Director and 4^th Generation Owner / General Manager
Lakewoods Resort – On Lake Namakagon – Cable, WI
715.794.2561

Cable Area Chamber of Commerce
www.cable4fun.com ~ info@cable4fun.com
800.533.7454 or 715.798.3833

Posted under Nature, Seasonal Items, Trails, Travel, Winter Weather

Alright so the groomer info is up on our website.  Here is the exclusive on what a groomer is and how it works!

Here is the actual package that aired last night.

Alight since we are already talking about snow, lets take a look at the next time we may actually see a nice dosing in our area.  We saw a fairly quiet pattern this week.  No major storms moved through and besides a few degree drop we really didn’t seen a major temperature change.  It looks like we are going to start the week with a similar trend but there are some changes that could play out by the end….

What does that mean?

Right now it looks like by early next weekend or the beginning of next week ( not this week!) we could see a few storms roll through the area.  This is because our pattern will be come more amplified and allow for stronger disturbances to push through.  This could bring accumulating snow to our area and the possibility of the coldest air of the season.  The models have been fairly in consistent with the snow chances and timing but the cold is starting to become more noticeable in the runs. We are talking about major cold.  Looking at the 850 temps, which tell us the temp just above the surface, models are showing – 24 to – 30.  Just to give a reference today we were about -15.  In other words we will be watching this cold spell closely to see if it plays out.    Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Trails, Travel, Weather History, Weather NEws, Weather Safety, Winter Weather

Besides the 35 degree high that we hit on January 1st ( and that was just after Midnight!) every high temp has been below average so far this week.  This will continue into the weekend so the first week of 2011 will be below normal and it looks like we may not hit a normal temp even into next week.  To top it off the middle of the month could be even colder than where we are right now….details to come.

I wanted to talk about my story that will be coming up tomorrow night.  If you have ever read any of my blogs you probably know I enjoy skiing and try and head to the hit the hill once a week.  I actually started skiing at Granite Peak, or Rib Mountain as it was named then, when I was in grade school.  My family and I would meet my relatives from Rochester here in Wausau.  Needless to say, the ski hill has been a part of my life for almost 20 years and something that reminds me of the good ol’ days. 

Last night I saw a side of the hill I never saw….the grooming side.  As a skier or snowboarder, I get so in the mode I don’t think about all the work that goes into making the hill safe for the visitors.  My photog and I rode up in the groomer and actually took a ride around the west side of the mountain.  It was really neat looking at the jagged, heavily ”used” snow in front and then seeing the smooth ripples, or corduroy effect as it is often called, after it gets tilled.  One of the most impressive tools was how they roll the snow instead of pushing it ( pushing is what city plows do).  This puts air in the snow to make it fluffy.  This is done by a curved plow in the front.  The tiller in the back is used to break up compact snow, reduce ice chunks and to mix new and old snow.  All in all, it is quite a process.  It is an on going and constant job done on holidays, evenings and overnights.  I sure have gained respect and will be more careful when I see them around.  Thank you so much to Rick Wolfe for giving me the inside scoop and letting us enjoy his cab for an hour!

 I will never forget going down a diamond hill in the groomer compared to the feeling of skiing.  Both give me quite a rush!  

I couldn’t get the pics to post tonight so I will have to add them in tomorrow…

Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Seasonal Items, Trails, Travel, Uncategorized, Weather NEws, Weather Safety, Winter Weather

Today was the everything weather day! It rained hard overnight, then it was dark, gloomy with heavy mist through most of the late morning. By early afternoon the clouds broke and sunshine came out and it felt warm.  Tonight we are seeing mainly clear skies and them temps are already dropping.  I tell you, if today didn’t make everyone somewhat happy then I don’t know what could.

Speaking of today we had the 9 Iron challenge.  It is a tournament played by most people who work at Channel 9 and other folks from the community.  It is different from most golf tournaments because you are only allowed to use your 9 iron, a wedge and a putter!  Just imagine how many strokes it takes to get down a par 5 fairway with a 9 iron.  We had a blast playing and I have to say was an easy golf game for me because my hardest decision on the course is which club to use ( I need a catty!)!  I played with Sean in Jayson in sports and with Mike in news and I think we all enjoyed playing even if the weather started out on the crumy side.   

I also went to Dells of the Eau Claire for the first time this past week and was so bummed I had never went in two years of living here!  It is a gorgeous place and a perfect place to take a hike or a walk.  I highly suggest going there if you haven’t been.  It is not to far outside of Wausau, probably 20 min, and it is well worth the drive. 

I am sure it will be even prettier in the Fall!  This year should also be a good one for fall colors.  If you will remember last year was not so good.  We had a very warm Sept and then Oct it was wet and cool so the leaves either fell off or didn’t change before the drastic change in weather.

In the tropics we have Igor which is almost at hurricane strength. There is also an area in the Caribbean that could strengthening.  So far the Caribbean has been quite this year, only once storm has tracked that way.   The area in the Caribbean has a 60% chance of forming and if it does could be something we keep a close I on.  For now it looks like Igor could take a similar track to recent storms, especially Earl and turn towards the north and brush the eastern seaboard.  This is still many days out though and could change.

Last year I blogged about the weather on 9/11 and how it impacted the attacks on US soil.  Of course since  weather and flying go hand in hand it played a big roll in weather the terrorists could execute their attack.  Check out this link for it.

Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Fall Color, Science, Summer, Trails, Travel, Tropics, Uncategorized, Weather NEws

My wife and I just got back from a short camping vacation in the UP of Michigan and I have to tell you about the most awesome thing I have done in a long time. First, the trip was to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a nice area if you like to see beautiful natural scenery and hiking. There are several road accessible waterfalls and scenic overlooks, however the best scenery takes a little (sometimes a lot of) hiking.

Pictured Rocks Scenery

It is about a 4.5 to 5 hour drive from Wausau, is free to visit, but hard to get a campsite this time of year (August). The weather was great, even though we were tenting it and it rained a bit both nights we camped. During the day, the sun was out enough to warm things up nicely and provide good light for taking pictures. Due to the lack of rainfall last year and the beginning of this year, there were not many bugs out. Of course, for me, not many bugs means 10 mosquito bites a day and a handful of black fly attacks.

Grand Sable Banks

Overall, the biting insects were way down from previous years I have camped around Lake Superior. If you want to avoid bugs completely, then travel around mid to late September, after the first frost but before we get really cool Fall weather.

So what was the most awesome thing? It was a place called the Log Slide. I believe it is a place where loggers would slide timber down into Lake Superior during the lumber rush of the late 1800s. The logs would then be floated to Grand Marais or Munising. It is part of the Grand Sable Dunes which are at least 300 feet tall. The Log Slide is about 500 feet long. It is steep enough and high enough to look scary, but not so steep that you would fall careening down to the lake.

Me Climbing Back Up the Log Slide

I have included a couple of my pictures but there are also a couple of videos of the log slide on YouTube: Video 1, Video 2. The second video is of a fellow running down the slide. This is what I did, however, I went a lot faster. Instead of just running down the dune I did it in “leap-n-bounds”. I should have gotten video. Maybe next time. Each leap I took was about 20 feet or so. It was the closest thing to “natural” flying as I think I have experienced. I guess you could call it a controlled free-fall. It was thrilling, fun, and exhilarating all at the same time. The only drawback is that it only takes about 15 to 20 seconds to get to the bottom, if you go fast. The sand is soft enough that each time you land after a leap, you end up sinking about 6 to 12 inches into the sand – so it is a manageable soft landing. There are few rocks and the ones there are fairly small – so not much danger in that regard. If you can image leaping down some of the steeper slopes at the Granite Peak ski area 20 or more feet at a time, that was what it would be like.

Another Hiker on the Log Slide.

Of course, at Granite Peak, you would kill or injure yourself because of the hard ground and rocks. At the log slide, even if you did trip and fall, you would just roll down over soft sand. The interesting thing is that I could have leapt even greater distances, but then I think I would have risked twisting an ankle or knee, or causing some other stress-related injury. I can’t wait to do it again sometimes in the future – as long as it stays open to the public. My wife and I were a little amazed that such an area was open to be “hiked” – given the ultra sanitized nanny culture that has developed in recent years. There are warnings at the site, but only related to health. They warn people of poor health or bad physical shape to not attempt going down and back up. Back-up is of course a tremendous work-out. Also, you should have good balance and be in relatively good shape if you want to attempt the “leaps-n-bounds” method that I did.

Have a nice Tuesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Trails, Travel, Viewer pictures