It was a sunny day until we left the restaurant, and then the drizzling began. We drove to the marina and watched the boaters panic and bring their boats in from the water, which was scenic itself, but the storm was small and you could see the clear sky in the distance. It seemed a lot of effort to stop sailing just because of a little rain.
Soon the harbor was packed.
We left town and drove a couple miles to the Redcliff Indian Reservation, where we visited a gift shop and spoke with the proprietor about the area. The reservation near Ashland, Wisconsin called Bad River had actually halted their annual wild rice harvest because of the severity of the drought. The concern was that harvesting the grains now would permanently damage the plants and ruin not just one year of yield, but all future years. Never before had a drought been so bad that it resulted in canceling the wild rice season. Very sad.
From there, we went to Cornucopia, where the village is as quaint as it is small. Next to the used book store, I found a hummingbird hovering at some flowers.
For a former fishing village, the buildings seemed to display quite a bit of feminine influence.
It seemed to me that sailboats in Cornucopia were attracted to the small harbor and quieter setting, compared with the very touristy town of Bayfield.
After Cornucopia, we found a wayside to stop at and we hiked a short way along a path that wound down to the lake. All along the trail and all over the area there were tansies like this one.
Boyfriend Extraordinaire found some scat on the pathway and announced that it was predator poop. From the consistency, it was clear that the animal who left these droppings ate another hairy animal because it was full of fur. We deduced that due to the size of the poops and the amount of hair inside, it could have been left by a wolf. Yay!
The view just from the wayside in this area is fabulous!
While B.E. explored the rocks near the shore, I took some macro shots of this cute little flower. Is it just me, or is it perfect that these little yellow flowers so prevalent in Wisconsin seem to resemble cows?
A short side trip was necessary to visit Amnicon Falls, which we'd seen just two years ago at the highest it's been, and we were curious to compare with what we guessed was its lowest in history. Quite a contrast. The last time we were here, you couldn't even see the rocks from all the water rushing over the edge. Every rock in the scene below was under water the last time. Now, there was hardly a flow at all.
One of the few benefits of a drought is that you can see more of the ancient rocks and all the plantlife that lives in the falls, which is beautiful too.
Amnicon Falls is surrounded by a gorgeous forest of red pines -- my favorites!
The red sandstone cliffs surrounding the river are fragile and pretty in and of themselves.
The suspended bridge over the river was hardly necessary. With little water below, it's easy just to walk across the base.
So, we stomped around the river bed, viewing the falls from the water below.
Upstream, the dry river's bed was just as jagged and scenic as the falls.
We eventually made it to Superior, Wisconsin for the night, where we again crashed and crashed hard. What a day!
1 comment:
Only you would take pics of poo!!!
Post a Comment