Kettle Moraine State Park, Wisconsin
I‘ve been in Wisconsin for aboot a month, and I think I know which geographic area that it resembles. Mostly flat areas with occassional hills. Calm cool streams flowing through tall grass prairies, surrounded by densely wooded areas.
It isn’t like anything in the United States, but then it hit me. It bears a striking resemblence to Southern Germany… which is probably why the area was populated by Germans beginning 150 years ago.
I’ve been exploring the area now that it’s just the mighty squirrel hunter and me. We spent a day driving down by the lakefront, and the next day hiking at Kettle Moraine State Park. Kettle Moraine State Park was formed by a receding glacier. In its place is left rolling hills, streams, prairies and marshes. The Southern Unit, where we were hiking, is about 67 miles long and goes from the Southwest to the Northeast.
This was actually the second trip Gus and I had made to Kettle Moraine. The first, immediately one week earlier, also featured great scenery. However, these new digital cameras require the memory chips be placed within the cameras, and not just in immediate proximity, to record the photos. It’s a design flaw on Nikon’s part that I rectified by revisiting the area, but I digress..
The road out to Kettle Moraine goes through idyllic Wisconsin farming land. Hosteins grazing in grassy meadows near large hay barns. Country roads lined with grand old trees that are likely remnants of soil conservation programs from the Great Depression. In the field to the right of the road were wild turkeys spanning their wings to soak up the warmth of the sun. On the other side of the road (left) was a mix of old and new, an old red barn with a modern addition.
I continued down this road not more than a half mile and came across this stream cutting through the fields. There is something very tranquil about this spot. I’ve driven by the spot at least a half dozen times now. I’ve got it marked on my TomTom as a favorite location. I know it reminds me of someplace I’ve been. It’s quiet. You can hear the stream slowly passing by, making churning and swishing sounds as eddys are formed in the bends. There is a bend in the road, causing the cars to slow down leaving the sound of their tires grinding in the asphalt and a low rumble of their engines accelerating after the curve. When I tire of the corporate life, I may come back to make an offer to the owner and become a farmer.
We made the headquarters of Kettle Moraine State Park around noon. The HQ is located in the center of the Southern portion of the park. If that’s confusing, it’s one of another oddities of Wisconsin. All signs seem to point in one location in a loop. You can stand directly East of the park headquarters, but the signs to the headquarters will point East in a loop. I think it has something to do with the German background, where they identify one way of doing something and don’t consider any further possibilities.
We registered, got our little blue sticker, and headed down to a hiking area the park ranger recommended. I asked for scenic vistas, meadows, and lakes. I was provided hilly paths in wooded areas, with one meadow. Scenic, no, but it was an enjoyable hike.
There are these little purple flowers that appear all over the area. I find them amazing. We have some purple flowers back in Nebraska, but none as vibrant as these. They stand out from the surrounding grasses and tress. In all, the flowers seem darker in this climate. it must have something to do with the cold weather and chlorophyl.
It was warm out. 80 something degrees and at least 80 percent humidity. Gus was shaggy, having not had a haircut in 2 months. At the mile in point, he started walking from one spot of shade to the next piece of shade, even if it was on the other side of the trail. We stopped for frequent water breaks, but about another half mile in he stopped to rest in the shade at the top of a hill. We decided that was a good resting point, and sat down to watch the scenery and share an apple. After some more water and the energy from the apple, Gus was a little more energetic. We turned around and took our time coming back, and were both appreciative of the powerful air conditioning in the truck.
Just as we made it back to the parking lot, the tornado sirens sounded. I don’t know if Gus saw it coming – that whole animal instinct – or he was just sucking air because of the heat. Either way, he saved us from a lot of rain and potentially worse.
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