By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
It’s New Year’s Eve and, rather than making a list of resolutions, I’d like to share a list of wishes that I have for you (and for me). So here goes…
I wish you strength and longevity. And, like an old one-room schoolhouse, I wish you the ability to withstand the storms of life and to be thought of fondly by those who have gained knowledge in your presence.
I wish you inner knowing and courage, like the first wildflowers to push through the snow and leaf litter after a long, cold winter.
I wish you ease and flow in your life. Like water when it encounters a boulder in its path, may you relax and flow around your obstacles rather than push against them.
I wish you happiness and confidence….even on bad hair days. 😊
As you travel the paths of your life, I wish you time for contemplation and the ability to notice all the beautiful things that surround you.
If you’re feeling trapped or a prisoner of the negativity that surrounds you, I wish you freedom.
Today and every day, I wish you playfulness and unconditional love.
If you’ve been holding back your talents, your ideas, or your dreams, my wish for you is that you allow yourself to blossom in all your glory.
Most of all, I wish you transformation. Let the new year be the year that you emerge from your cocoon to be all that you were born to be, to remember that change is good, and that life is a dance. Like a butterfly that appears to dance as it lights upon a flower, let’s awaken to a sense of lightness and joy.
May the coming year bring you unexpected blessings and miracles, big and small.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
A Christmas Ride
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
A couple years ago, we published a blog post about a Halloween Truck that we were lucky enough to find. And we were even more blessed to meet the owners of this truck, who were very kind to us. They told us to come back at Christmas time to see the truck decorated for Christmas.
Weather conditions that Christmas weren’t ideal, so we didn’t make it there until January 3rd, but we were lucky to find the truck with a lighted tree in the back. The Halloween truck had been driven by a ghoulish-looking man. If you look closely at the back window of the Christmas truck, you’ll get a hint of who was driving then.
Well, it was none other than dear old Santa Claus. And I almost thought I heard him singing, “Oh what fun it is to ride in an antique pickup truck!”
Wherever, whenever, and however you celebrate the holiday season, I wish you love and joy!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Holidays and Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
A couple years ago, we published a blog post about a Halloween Truck that we were lucky enough to find. And we were even more blessed to meet the owners of this truck, who were very kind to us. They told us to come back at Christmas time to see the truck decorated for Christmas.
Weather conditions that Christmas weren’t ideal, so we didn’t make it there until January 3rd, but we were lucky to find the truck with a lighted tree in the back. The Halloween truck had been driven by a ghoulish-looking man. If you look closely at the back window of the Christmas truck, you’ll get a hint of who was driving then.
Well, it was none other than dear old Santa Claus. And I almost thought I heard him singing, “Oh what fun it is to ride in an antique pickup truck!”
Wherever, whenever, and however you celebrate the holiday season, I wish you love and joy!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Holidays and Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
The Town That Time Forgot – Cooksville, Wisconsin
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
This past summer, the town of Cooksville celebrated their 175th anniversary. The whole town is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the second district in Wisconsin to be listed. (The first was Mineral Point.)
One of the main buildings in the historic district is the General Store that was built circa 1846. It is believed to be the oldest general store in Wisconsin.
The store building was built, and is owned, by Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90, which meets on the second floor above the retail space. In all the years we’ve visited the store, we were unaware of this fact, and never noticed the globe light with the faded masonic symbol on it.
Cooksville and Waucoma were two towns adjacent to each other. The two villages were settled by people from New England, New York, the British Isles, and later, Norway. The combined villages became known as Cooksville because of the post office’s location. The planned railroad bypassed the town and instead went to Edgerton and Stoughton, and Cooksville became “the town that time forgot.”
The town was set up like a traditional New England town with a public square or commons. The original one-room school was built about 1850 and was made of brick. It sat on the commons but because of structural problems and its small size, it was replaced by the current wood frame building, with its bell tower and two entry doors. The two doors, one for girls and one for boys, were a traditional New England-Puritanical design.
When all of the rural schools were consolidated in 1961, the Cooksville School closed. The following year, the Cooksville Community Center was organized, and still uses the building today.
Behind the school, the old witch’s hat merry-go-round still stands.
The town also includes two churches. The first is the Cooksville Congregational Church, which no longer has an active congregation but can be used for weddings and events. The architecture of the church, including the cupola and spires, had been altered over the years, but were restored to their original glory. It is “the little brown church on the corner,” since it sits at the intersection of highways 59 and 138.
The second church is the Cooksville Lutheran Church, which still has an active congregation and recently celebrated their 125th anniversary.
Included in the historic district are many of the old brick houses in town. Outside one of these old brick houses we found this gate with bells on it. We had never seen this before and thought it was cute.
Over the years, Cooksville had many blacksmith shops. The only one remaining is the William Graves Blacksmith Shop. It was built around 1886 and was attached to the Blackman-Graves house. By the 1960’s the house was in ruins and finally collapsed in 2000, and the attached pink-cream brick blacksmith shop was also badly deteriorated.
But in 2010, the mostly collapsed building was faithfully reconstructed on the original site using the salvaged original pink-cream brick. It is now the only historic “blacksmith shop” in the village.
If you find yourself near Stoughton or Edgerton, it’s worth the short drive to Cooksville to check out this historic town. And don’t forget to stop at the general store for a cool drink, an ice cream cone, or some baking supplies.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
This past summer, the town of Cooksville celebrated their 175th anniversary. The whole town is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the second district in Wisconsin to be listed. (The first was Mineral Point.)
One of the main buildings in the historic district is the General Store that was built circa 1846. It is believed to be the oldest general store in Wisconsin.
The store building was built, and is owned, by Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90, which meets on the second floor above the retail space. In all the years we’ve visited the store, we were unaware of this fact, and never noticed the globe light with the faded masonic symbol on it.
Cooksville and Waucoma were two towns adjacent to each other. The two villages were settled by people from New England, New York, the British Isles, and later, Norway. The combined villages became known as Cooksville because of the post office’s location. The planned railroad bypassed the town and instead went to Edgerton and Stoughton, and Cooksville became “the town that time forgot.”
The town was set up like a traditional New England town with a public square or commons. The original one-room school was built about 1850 and was made of brick. It sat on the commons but because of structural problems and its small size, it was replaced by the current wood frame building, with its bell tower and two entry doors. The two doors, one for girls and one for boys, were a traditional New England-Puritanical design.
When all of the rural schools were consolidated in 1961, the Cooksville School closed. The following year, the Cooksville Community Center was organized, and still uses the building today.
Behind the school, the old witch’s hat merry-go-round still stands.
The town also includes two churches. The first is the Cooksville Congregational Church, which no longer has an active congregation but can be used for weddings and events. The architecture of the church, including the cupola and spires, had been altered over the years, but were restored to their original glory. It is “the little brown church on the corner,” since it sits at the intersection of highways 59 and 138.
The second church is the Cooksville Lutheran Church, which still has an active congregation and recently celebrated their 125th anniversary.
Included in the historic district are many of the old brick houses in town. Outside one of these old brick houses we found this gate with bells on it. We had never seen this before and thought it was cute.
Over the years, Cooksville had many blacksmith shops. The only one remaining is the William Graves Blacksmith Shop. It was built around 1886 and was attached to the Blackman-Graves house. By the 1960’s the house was in ruins and finally collapsed in 2000, and the attached pink-cream brick blacksmith shop was also badly deteriorated.
But in 2010, the mostly collapsed building was faithfully reconstructed on the original site using the salvaged original pink-cream brick. It is now the only historic “blacksmith shop” in the village.
If you find yourself near Stoughton or Edgerton, it’s worth the short drive to Cooksville to check out this historic town. And don’t forget to stop at the general store for a cool drink, an ice cream cone, or some baking supplies.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Monday, November 20, 2017
Happy Thanksgiving, 2017
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
In the fall of 2014, Joann and I were heading west to look for fall color. We hadn’t driven the Farm Art DTour route before, so we thought we would drive a piece of it to see what it was like.
The Farm/Art DTour is a celebration of art, food, and farming that takes place along a 50-mile route, winding through scenic working farmland of central Sauk County, Wisconsin. We really enjoyed the rural creativity and humor that we found that first day, so a few days later on our way home, we decided to drive the rest of the route.
One of the things we found was a large round hay bale turkey sculpture with an invitational sign. The sign read “A Thanksgiving Invitation & Discussion by Dr. Tom Turkeyweiler: 'Let's talk about the health benefits of beef!!!'”
The chairs were there for us to sit a spell and Dr. Tom Turkeyweiler was waiting to give anyone who would listen his reasons for recommending eating beef instead of turkey.
The display was made by Aspen Sunset Farm, which raises grass-finished beef.
The Farm/Art DTour has switched to an every other year schedule, and will return in 2018. If you haven’t driven it before, you might want to put it on your calendar for early next October to see what the artists and farmers come up with to entertain us.
For Thanksgiving this week, we’ll travel to our youngest sister’s house and she’ll have a gorgeous roast turkey on the table. Sorry Dr. Tom, but we do love our turkey on Thanksgiving!
Whatever you do to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, may the day be happy, the food delicious, and your travels safe.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
In the fall of 2014, Joann and I were heading west to look for fall color. We hadn’t driven the Farm Art DTour route before, so we thought we would drive a piece of it to see what it was like.
The Farm/Art DTour is a celebration of art, food, and farming that takes place along a 50-mile route, winding through scenic working farmland of central Sauk County, Wisconsin. We really enjoyed the rural creativity and humor that we found that first day, so a few days later on our way home, we decided to drive the rest of the route.
One of the things we found was a large round hay bale turkey sculpture with an invitational sign. The sign read “A Thanksgiving Invitation & Discussion by Dr. Tom Turkeyweiler: 'Let's talk about the health benefits of beef!!!'”
The chairs were there for us to sit a spell and Dr. Tom Turkeyweiler was waiting to give anyone who would listen his reasons for recommending eating beef instead of turkey.
The display was made by Aspen Sunset Farm, which raises grass-finished beef.
The Farm/Art DTour has switched to an every other year schedule, and will return in 2018. If you haven’t driven it before, you might want to put it on your calendar for early next October to see what the artists and farmers come up with to entertain us.
For Thanksgiving this week, we’ll travel to our youngest sister’s house and she’ll have a gorgeous roast turkey on the table. Sorry Dr. Tom, but we do love our turkey on Thanksgiving!
Whatever you do to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, may the day be happy, the food delicious, and your travels safe.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Friday, November 10, 2017
Richland County Veterans Memorial
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
On October 15th of this year, Ruth and I started our day of photography at first light in the city of Richland Center, Wisconsin. After photographing several old buildings, we decided to stop at the Richland County Veterans Memorial for the first time. This memorial is sandwiched between Highway 14 and the edge of a commercial area, so we didn’t think it was going to be much of a photo opportunity. But we were wrong!
The mission of the Richland County Veteran’s Memorial Committee, formed in 2003, is “to honor Veterans of Richland County, Wisconsin…those who have served, those who are serving, and those who will serve.”
According to their website, the memorial “lists names of individuals who have been military personnel of a war, conflict, or in peacetime, a resident of Richland County at some period in their life and who have been honorably discharged by the military.”
I was happy to see that it also honors war dogs.
This veterans memorial is very unique and it is one of the nicest memorials I’ve ever seen. There are 11 granite monuments arranged in chronological order by date and war, starting with the War of 1812.
Each monument has a unique design and each one causes you to stop and reflect, such as this monument honoring World War I veterans.
Or this one honoring Vietnam War veterans.
I didn’t know the story behind this veterans memorial until I had spent a half-hour among the monuments and was heading back through the arched entrance on my way back to the car. It was then that I noticed a plaque honoring Mariel Beeman Kepler, who was a Richland County resident for her entire life.
During World War II, Mariel attended Richland Center High School and collected all the local newspaper articles about Richland County servicemen, which she put in scrapbooks. Years later, her husband, Downing, who had served in World War II, urged her to organize and share her scrapbook information.
In 2004, Mariel’s book, entitled “World War II – News of Our Men and Women in Service, Richland County, Wisconsin: A Scrapbook Collection,” was accepted into the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. And the sales of this book contributed to the creation of the Richland County Veterans Memorial.
In October, 2014, at the age of 89, Mariel saw her dream for a Richland County veterans memorial fulfilled when she visited the newly completed Richland County Veterans Honor Roll, traveling its paved walkways in her wheelchair. Unfortunately, Mariel passed away in January, 2015, just five months prior to the final dedication of this very special memorial.
This memorial honors over 8,300 Richland County Veterans, including those in the National Guard Reserves. When I think about that number for just one county in one state, it makes my head spin to think of the number of veterans across the country. And as I write this on the eve of Veterans Day, it also makes me even more grateful for the service to our country of all veterans, past, present, and future.
The Richland County Veterans Memorial is located at 450 S Main Street in Richland Center, Wisconsin.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
On October 15th of this year, Ruth and I started our day of photography at first light in the city of Richland Center, Wisconsin. After photographing several old buildings, we decided to stop at the Richland County Veterans Memorial for the first time. This memorial is sandwiched between Highway 14 and the edge of a commercial area, so we didn’t think it was going to be much of a photo opportunity. But we were wrong!
The mission of the Richland County Veteran’s Memorial Committee, formed in 2003, is “to honor Veterans of Richland County, Wisconsin…those who have served, those who are serving, and those who will serve.”
According to their website, the memorial “lists names of individuals who have been military personnel of a war, conflict, or in peacetime, a resident of Richland County at some period in their life and who have been honorably discharged by the military.”
I was happy to see that it also honors war dogs.
This veterans memorial is very unique and it is one of the nicest memorials I’ve ever seen. There are 11 granite monuments arranged in chronological order by date and war, starting with the War of 1812.
Each monument has a unique design and each one causes you to stop and reflect, such as this monument honoring World War I veterans.
Or this one honoring Vietnam War veterans.
I didn’t know the story behind this veterans memorial until I had spent a half-hour among the monuments and was heading back through the arched entrance on my way back to the car. It was then that I noticed a plaque honoring Mariel Beeman Kepler, who was a Richland County resident for her entire life.
During World War II, Mariel attended Richland Center High School and collected all the local newspaper articles about Richland County servicemen, which she put in scrapbooks. Years later, her husband, Downing, who had served in World War II, urged her to organize and share her scrapbook information.
In 2004, Mariel’s book, entitled “World War II – News of Our Men and Women in Service, Richland County, Wisconsin: A Scrapbook Collection,” was accepted into the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. And the sales of this book contributed to the creation of the Richland County Veterans Memorial.
In October, 2014, at the age of 89, Mariel saw her dream for a Richland County veterans memorial fulfilled when she visited the newly completed Richland County Veterans Honor Roll, traveling its paved walkways in her wheelchair. Unfortunately, Mariel passed away in January, 2015, just five months prior to the final dedication of this very special memorial.
This memorial honors over 8,300 Richland County Veterans, including those in the National Guard Reserves. When I think about that number for just one county in one state, it makes my head spin to think of the number of veterans across the country. And as I write this on the eve of Veterans Day, it also makes me even more grateful for the service to our country of all veterans, past, present, and future.
The Richland County Veterans Memorial is located at 450 S Main Street in Richland Center, Wisconsin.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Thursday, November 2, 2017
The End of Autumn
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
Early on the morning of October 23, Joann and I left her house shortly before dawn. We had a first stop in mind, but we barely made it half way there before Joann was pulling over on the shoulder for a colorful, foggy farm scene.
Since the fog was shifting around in the hills, we quickly changed our plan and headed to Indian Lake County Park to see what the lake and the park offered for fall color and fog scenes. The park has a boat launch parking area, which we came to first, so we decided to start there.
Fog is a funny thing, and when you’re sitting still, you can see it shifting and moving around in the hills. From the boat ramp, you can look out over the lake, or look away from the lake across a prairie to an old farmstead.
Considering how the fall had begun, with much of the sumac changing color in early September, we were pleasantly surprised to still see some bright splashes of red around the lake.
The park was full of various fall colors, and as we drove to the main parking area, we could see the reds of some late sumac and the yellows, golds, and browns of the late autumn prairie. But we thought the best color was from the highway, where there was already too much morning work traffic.
So we pulled into the main area of the park and assessed the color as we circled around the parking lot. I commented to Joann that it was too bad we couldn’t really see much of the beautiful prairie from there that we had seen from the highway. But then Joann got an idea. She parked the car and walked up a rising hillside until she was high enough to look out over the prairie, with the remains of an old stone house and barn in the distance.
As we turned around and were driving back out of the park, we could see more color again, so Joann pulled over. By the time she came back to the car, she was very happy with the photographs she was able to capture, but she also had wet feet from walking around in the tall grasses.
After Indian Lake, we checked on a few more sites we’d been to before, and then ended up along the Wisconsin River. There didn’t appear to be a lot of color, but the fog was still hanging over the river enhancing the views.
A little further along, we passed the Mazomanie Oak Barrens. Neither of us could remember having been there before, so Joann turned around and we drove in. By this time, the fog was starting to lift, but Joann managed to move around enough to catch it as it rolled across the hillside.
We crossed the river into Sauk County with a couple of places in mind to check out for remaining color As we headed to one location, we glanced over to see one of our favorite old merry-go-rounds under a yellow maple tree. Sometimes we drive quite a ways down the road before one or the other of us says that we have to go back, but this time there was no question. Joann immediately found a spot to turn around to visit the merry-go-round.
Another favorite thing to find is a nice fall display. How cute is the one below with crows sitting on the scarecrow?
If you love rock formations, you definitely should spend some time along the roads in Sauk and Richland counties. They are easiest to see in the winter when all the leaves are off the trees, but they are at their prettiest in the fall when yellow leaves or orange and red sumac enhance their beauty.
We were a little late for our first visit to Seeley Creek Dam, as a lot of the color was gone already, but it was the first I had become aware of it. This is another case of being very close to something multiple times, but being unaware, and driving right by. We’re not even surprised anymore when we find out about things like this.
By now it was getting late in the day, and we were heading for home, but I asked Joann if she wanted to drive through Hoot Owl Valley on the way back to Baraboo and the highway home. I wasn’t surprised when she agreed, and we drove through the valley backwards of our normal route. The road is very narrow and hilly, but it was beautiful, in spite of most of the leaves having already fallen.
Almost every time we return to Joann’s house in the daylight, we pass by the church below. We’ve taken pictures from the highway in front of the church, but it is never as picturesque as when you come up to the church from the back.
And of course, we had to pull off as far as we could and get some photographs. This may have been the best year for maple color in the trees next to the church. And the golden cornfield still standing behind it only added to an already beautiful scene.
We hope you’ve had a wonderful fall season and have gotten to experience all the hues of autumn. We certainly enjoyed ourselves!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
Early on the morning of October 23, Joann and I left her house shortly before dawn. We had a first stop in mind, but we barely made it half way there before Joann was pulling over on the shoulder for a colorful, foggy farm scene.
Since the fog was shifting around in the hills, we quickly changed our plan and headed to Indian Lake County Park to see what the lake and the park offered for fall color and fog scenes. The park has a boat launch parking area, which we came to first, so we decided to start there.
Fog is a funny thing, and when you’re sitting still, you can see it shifting and moving around in the hills. From the boat ramp, you can look out over the lake, or look away from the lake across a prairie to an old farmstead.
Considering how the fall had begun, with much of the sumac changing color in early September, we were pleasantly surprised to still see some bright splashes of red around the lake.
The park was full of various fall colors, and as we drove to the main parking area, we could see the reds of some late sumac and the yellows, golds, and browns of the late autumn prairie. But we thought the best color was from the highway, where there was already too much morning work traffic.
So we pulled into the main area of the park and assessed the color as we circled around the parking lot. I commented to Joann that it was too bad we couldn’t really see much of the beautiful prairie from there that we had seen from the highway. But then Joann got an idea. She parked the car and walked up a rising hillside until she was high enough to look out over the prairie, with the remains of an old stone house and barn in the distance.
As we turned around and were driving back out of the park, we could see more color again, so Joann pulled over. By the time she came back to the car, she was very happy with the photographs she was able to capture, but she also had wet feet from walking around in the tall grasses.
After Indian Lake, we checked on a few more sites we’d been to before, and then ended up along the Wisconsin River. There didn’t appear to be a lot of color, but the fog was still hanging over the river enhancing the views.
A little further along, we passed the Mazomanie Oak Barrens. Neither of us could remember having been there before, so Joann turned around and we drove in. By this time, the fog was starting to lift, but Joann managed to move around enough to catch it as it rolled across the hillside.
We crossed the river into Sauk County with a couple of places in mind to check out for remaining color As we headed to one location, we glanced over to see one of our favorite old merry-go-rounds under a yellow maple tree. Sometimes we drive quite a ways down the road before one or the other of us says that we have to go back, but this time there was no question. Joann immediately found a spot to turn around to visit the merry-go-round.
Another favorite thing to find is a nice fall display. How cute is the one below with crows sitting on the scarecrow?
If you love rock formations, you definitely should spend some time along the roads in Sauk and Richland counties. They are easiest to see in the winter when all the leaves are off the trees, but they are at their prettiest in the fall when yellow leaves or orange and red sumac enhance their beauty.
We were a little late for our first visit to Seeley Creek Dam, as a lot of the color was gone already, but it was the first I had become aware of it. This is another case of being very close to something multiple times, but being unaware, and driving right by. We’re not even surprised anymore when we find out about things like this.
By now it was getting late in the day, and we were heading for home, but I asked Joann if she wanted to drive through Hoot Owl Valley on the way back to Baraboo and the highway home. I wasn’t surprised when she agreed, and we drove through the valley backwards of our normal route. The road is very narrow and hilly, but it was beautiful, in spite of most of the leaves having already fallen.
Almost every time we return to Joann’s house in the daylight, we pass by the church below. We’ve taken pictures from the highway in front of the church, but it is never as picturesque as when you come up to the church from the back.
And of course, we had to pull off as far as we could and get some photographs. This may have been the best year for maple color in the trees next to the church. And the golden cornfield still standing behind it only added to an already beautiful scene.
We hope you’ve had a wonderful fall season and have gotten to experience all the hues of autumn. We certainly enjoyed ourselves!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)