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Waupaca Country Club in Falls Spendor

Waupaca Country Club and its unique course have close ties to the rich history of golf in America. “The course was designed in 1923 by Jack Burns, a superintendent at an Appleton, Wis., country club, and a golf lover who is believed to have been strongly influenced by Donald Ross. Ross believed in fitting the course to the land he found and that’s true of how our course fits its knolls and valleys in Waupaca. Almost all the holes on this course have water in play. You’re also going to find an impeccably maintained course lined with 200 year old Oaks and 150 year old Pines, mighty trees that glow with color in fall and burst with greenery in spring. Bentgrass rolls across the tees and makes for a smooth quick surface on the tour quality greens. The Waupaca River divides the course, and golfers have to cross the river four times during their rounds of play. The course is 9 holes but set up to play 18 if you wish.

The day I was there Scott gave me the keys to a golf cart and sent me on my way. It was a glorious day, the fall trees were on fire and the grass was perfect. Here are some of the pic's I took that day. Enjoy!

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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Weyauwega - Home for the Holidays

Now that its getting close to the Holidays - Thanksgiving being really close....everyone starts to think about home or your hometown where you grew up and....Weyauwega is where I grew up. If you've never heard of it...that's ok...most people in Wisconsin haven't....its home to Horse and Buggy Days and a very quite little berg about 25 minutes West of Appleton. It literally means "Here We Rest".

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Caroline Colorama - Caroline, Wisconsin

Caroline Lions Colorama - 25th year of Wisconsin's Largest Trail Ride

I spent a very interesting day with some of the friendliest people in the State of Wisconsin @ the Largest Trail Ride in the town of Caroline, WI, for the 25th Lions Colorama Event. It was a beautiful weekend long event, with camping, trail rides, vendors and even a large tent dance and lots of good food!

I've been trying to contact organizers to find out more information and if I can will update this blog. But I was really impressed with what I saw. The campground stretched on and on and street signs were categorized by breeds of horses. Many of the people we talked to had been coming to the event for years. The ride ends up taking about 4 hours and mid-way through the organizers have very smartly set-up a break point complete with lunch for the riders and a rest stop for the horses in the trees. There are multiple road crossings which have friendly "guides" to help with traffic
and the trail also crosses a small stream....the perfect trail ride for those who want a leisurely jaunt.

All along the trail we had people waving and cheering...and really enjoying themselves. And although we had initially only intended on taking pictures for our daughter (because she was riding) we ended up taking photos of a lot of people in the long lines coming off the trail or going on to another section of it. So I've dedicated this Blog to them....and hope they enjoy the pictures too.

As previously mentioned I would like more information about the event and will try to update this entry soon with how many people and horses actually registered. If you have a horse and of course a trailer...this would be an beautiful weekend event I would recommend.

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http://www.pixoto.com/caroltoepke

For More Information About the Event:
http://www.carolinelionscolorama.com

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Carins and Cave Point County Park

Answer: Hikers do it, bikers do it, religious people do it, they do it for luck or to drive bad luck or misfortune away, they do it for fun, they do it for relaxation, they do it to learn about balance in architecture or about balance starting within themselves, they learn it to lose weight, to get past a bad habit like alcoholism, they do it just to mark the path or to leave their mark, or just because someone else did, they do it to create an alter, to mark a grave, to commemorate something to someone like celebrating a wedding or a spiritual experience, they do it for exercise or for learning patience....

Question: Why Do People Stack Rocks? What do they do and why....? The ritual is ancient and it can be referred to as either building "carins" (literally meaning: "female") they usually include from 5-10 stacked stones like seen in these photos here) or "hoodoos" after their ancient predecessors: tent rock, fair chimney or earth pyramids to resemble the tall thin spires of rocks that protrude from the earths surface consisting of relatively soft rock topped by harder rock that is less easily eroded (literally meaning: "bad luck") for example: Natural Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah (totem pole like structures that can range from 50-150 feet tall)

Cave Point County Park:

Traditionallyeach fall, over the entire growth of my now adult children, we had made annual pilgrimages to Door County to experience all that is the "Pumpkin Patch Festival" to our family, in early to mid October. Since the kids have grown and we no longer "do" that trip. I hadn't realized that my mind and soul has missed the "mini vaca" that signified "fall" for us for so many years. I also hadn't realized I had mourned the loss of these annual treks. So this fall I made sure to include one day to set aside everything else to "Do the Door". And there is no place like Cave Point County Park, especially when the wind is strong off the lake. Then you will hear the waves crashing into Cave Point before you actually see it. It may be a cloudless day, but a sound like thunder will filter through the woods. Reaching the edge of the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan you get to experience the power of the waves pounding against the shore shooting spray high above the bluff's edge. Over eons, the waves have hollowed-out caves in the point increasing both the hydrodynamics and the noise level. You can feel the rock shudder beneath your feet. Cave Point County Park is one destination on this pleasant tour of the lake-edge forest and quiet farm roads of Door County. It is often missed by many because it is a County Park and not a State or National Park. This does not mean that the view here is not spectacular because it is. It is known for its underwater caves and wave-worn limestone cliffs by fisherman, scuba divers, photographers and nature observers. It has picnic tables, cooking grills, fire rings, a well and new restrooms built in 2002. The road is blacktopped and the trails have had gravel put down for easy walking. Look for the signs on Highway 57. It is just North of Whitefish Dunes State Park.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Guckenberg-Sturm Preserve, also known as the Stroebe Island Marsh

Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust purchased the 48 acre Guckenberg-Sturm Preserve, also known as the Stroebe Island Marsh, in Menasha, Wisconsin. The Preserve is situated uniquely; it is located along the west shore of Little Lake Butte des Morts and bordered on the north by Mud Creek at the point of its convergence with the Fox River as it travels northeast into Lake Michigan’s largest bay, Green Bay. The preserve is also adjacent to, as well as on, Stroebe Island.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has classified Mud Creek, the Fox River, and Little Lake Butte des Morts as Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest (ASNRI) waters. Because of this, the Guckenberg-Sturm Preserve is recognized as important opportunity to maintain the health of the water flowing into Lake Michigan.

The marsh and surrounding floodplain forests represents one of the last remaining pristine, open cattail marshes found along the Lower Fox River drainage. This habitat type originally covered thousands of acres throughout the Fox River system, but the dramatic increases in water levels through dam construction and high speed motorized boat traffic, effectively destroyed over 99 percent of the original cattail marsh by 1965. This remaining high quality habitat is now very rare and continues to provide critical food and cover for a myriad of wetland species trying to continue their life cycles surrounded by the pressures of land development and severe habitat destruction.

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Wind Point Lighthouse - Racine, Wisconsin

Wind Point Lighthouse (or Windpoint Light Station) is a lighthouse located at the north end of the Harbor in Racine, Wisconsin. It is in the village of Wind Point, on Lighthouse Road, next to the Shoop Park golf course. The lighthouse stands 108 feet (33 m) tall. One of the oldest and tallest active lighthouses on the Great Lakes, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wind Point Lighthouse was designed by Orlando Metcalfe Poe and constructed in 1880. The beacon was originally powered by a three-wicked kerosene lanp, magnified by a third-order Fresnel lens. The light was electrified in 1924, and replaced by a DCB-24R airport beacon in 1964. The light can be seen for 19 miles. A signal house (horns removed, resonators still in place) remains on the grounds as well as a garage, two storage buildings, and an oil house. The Village of Wind Point has maintained the lighthouse and grounds since 1964, and uses the old keepers' quarters as a village hall and police headquarters.

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"Waterfest" - Oshkosh, Wisconsin - REO Speedwagon

"Waterfest" is a celebration of the quality of life enjoyed in the Fox Valley Area and the name was chosen to draw attention to our most valuable, unique and recognizable resource, our waterways. The "Leach Ampitheater", where this event is held, is located at the mouth of the historic Fox River in downtown Oshkosh, and is home to the weekly "Waterfest Concerts" held each Thursday evening Memorial Day through Labor Day on the shores of the historic Fox River in Downtown Oshkosh. The City of Oshkosh is nestled between and on Lakes Butte des Morts and Winnebago. The recreational assets of these bodies of water provide great value and sense of pride to area residents, businesses and visitors. Opened in May 2005, the Leach Amphitheater can accommodate up to 7,500 visitors. And on August 30th, was host to 4 bands including REO Speedwagon. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and over the course of its career, the band has sold more than 40 million records and has charted thirteen Top 40 Hits, including the number ones "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling". ( Go to www.waterfest.org for more information.)

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Olbrich Gardens - Madison - Wisconsin

OlbrichBotanical Gardens is located

in Madison, Wisconsin. Named for its founder, Michael Olbrich, the gardens are owned and operated jointly by the City of Madison Parks and the non-profit Olbrich Botanical Society. The gardens were officially established in 1952. Noteworthy additions to the gardens were the Bolz Conservatory in 1991 and a Thai pavilion or sala, a gift to the University of Wisconsin Madison from the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the government of Thailand through its king. Opened in 2002, it is one of only four sala outside of Thailand and one of two in the United States (the other is located in Hawaii). Stroll 16 acres of outdoor gardens featuring stunning landscapes and Midwest-hardy plants. Visit the tropics in the Bolz Conservatory, filled with exotic plants, flowers, orchids, birds, and a waterfall. Outdoor Gardens are free and open daily. Voted one of the top ten most inspiring gardens in North America by Horticulture Magazine. The gardens are made up of several separate garden areas. The Sunken Garden is in the form of a traditional English Garden. Surrounded by limestone terraces and hedges, it contains an 80-foot long reflecting pool – designed to connect the garden thematically with nearby Lake Monona. The Thai Garden contains the sala and is joined to the gardens proper by a 155-foot arched footbridge crossing Starkweather Creek. This garden has a shallow reflecting pool near the pavilion and is littered with small examples of Thai sculpture. The plants in this garden were carefully selected to give a tropical appearance to the garden in the summer, while choosing plants capable of surviving Wisconsin winters. A Rock Garden is constructed of a rocky hill, designed to simulate a mountain slope. Plants here are mostly conifers or alpine and two streams flow through it, forming a waterfall and small pond. Here again, a wooden footbridge crosses the stream. A Meadow Garden combines perennial grasses, wildflowers, and plants grown from bulbs. The grass in the meadow garden is mowed only once or twice a year. The small Wildflower Garden contains wildflowers, ferns, berries and native trees and shrubs. An Herb Garden is a collection of smaller gardens of herbs separated by use; they include medical, dye, and kitchen (spice) herbs, as well as 'touch' and 'smell' gardens. A perennial garden displays perennials and three ponds, with a waterfall. Aquatic plants are displayed in the ponds. The Rose Garden is an ongoing project featuring more than 700 varieties and 125 rose cultivars, including hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, and hardy shrub roses. The Starkweather Creek and Atrium Shade Gardens features a semicircular atrium and plants such as astilbes, hostas, lungwort, bishops' caps and ferns. The Eunice Fisher Hosta Garden features hostas hybridized by Wisconsin-native, Eunice Fisher. The Bolz Conservatory is a greenhouse housing over 750 plants representing over 70 families and over 550 different species and cultivars. The plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions. The structure itself is a glass pyramid measuring 100 by 100 ft and rising to 50 ft at the apex. The temperature is maintained between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, although the sun may warm it to 95 °F in the summer. The relative humidity is maintained at 60% or above. In addition to the tropical plants, the conservatory is home to species of birds including canaries, waxbills and coturnix. There is also a koi pond, featuring koi and goldfish, frogs, toads, and geckos are also present.

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