Council Grounds State (WI) Park

 I am seldom without wifi or cell service, but this was the case for Council Grounds State Park. The name comes from the park's reputation as a location in which Native American leaders used the river to reach a common location for a meeting and social gathering. Both state parks we enjoyed were located on man-made lakes / rivers that were created years ago to drive small hydroelectric generating stations.

We spend a lot of time at our lake place in the woods of Wisconsin, but these parks offer some new experiences. The trails here were a great experience and I was able to get some unique photos.

Even though we are familiar with the general area and spend time in the woods parks offer some unique experiences. The northern woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin were early an opportunity of lumber barons. Logging is till a big deal, but the trees that were the basis for the early logging are mostly gone or at least not as common and certainly not as large. The parks have some large white pines. 

Our trip is over and it was short by our usual standards. It was nice to be able to spend some time in the rPod and we hope next season will allow some longer adventures. Here are a few random images to end.

The cone in coneflower

 I have taken many wildflower photos on our trips and likely several of the purple coneflower (Echinacea). The purple part of the name is easy enough to understand, but I had never given much thought to why it is called a coneflower. I took this picture today and the cone shape is obvious. Earlier in the growing season the shape is not this obvious and I have been time traveling in the Fall only recently.

Now

Earlier

Selfie Shelf

 

It has rained since we arrived so we are waiting to try the trails. Driving around we did find something new.

I take very few selfies, but I thought this effort by the Park crew was kind of interesting. It is located on the back of a sign explaining what you see from a scenic view. There are even instructions. Put your camera here. Set the timer. Stand back. Smile. Pretty neat.

Lake Wissota State Park, WI

 Finally, we are going to try a little traveling. We skipped two trips to Europe because of the pandemic and have been reluctant to take our rPod on the road. Lots of folks are camping and campers have been selling very well. We wanted to find campsites within driving distance that did not require we stop at rest areas. We also had to be assured that we could be self-contained. It would be great if we could take full advantage of our rPod and use full hook-ups (electricity, water, and sewer). The popularity of camping means you have to reserve spots ahead of time and the liberal cancellation policy (two days before your registration) means it is very difficult to find a location even though school has started and most folks are back at work. We have reserved spots in a couple of State Parks and we will see from there.

We encountered minor difficulties in getting fully setup and have not had an opportunity to explore. The bridge was out a couple of miles from our destination and we had to drive around another half hour or so trying to find a way to get to our destination. Setup usually goes very well, but we had to insert a "core" in the water heater. It looks simple - just screw it in. It took about an hour because of corrosion or worn threads, but Cindy finally had the touch. Tomorrow we explore. This is a pretty area on the edge of a Wisconsin lake. We drove from our lake place in the forest to a park on a lake in the forest. I took a photo before I left that looks nearly identical to this photo. It is the principle of the thing. A little early for colorful leaves, but it just feels great to be on the road.