Leash Hike: White Water Park

Barker-Stewart Island

Due to Charlie's blatant disregard for recall commands during yesterday's hike, I decided we would do a leash-walk along the Wisconsin River's River Edge Parkway today. We headed out toward downtown Wausau around 11:30am, merged onto the River Edge Parkway behind the Eye Clinic and went across the foot bridge to Barker-Stewart Island to do a lap around the trail and take a moment to watch the river as it lazily flowed past.

Remnants of original saw mill on island.

 

Train bridge on West side of island.

View of pedestrian bridge and downtown Wausau from East side of island.

After our lap around the island, we headed back to the River Edge Parkway and continued under the Scott St. bridge and behind the Marathon County Public Library where the dam for the White Water Park is located.

 

River Edge Parkway under Scott St. - hydro dam to the right.

Once we got behind the library, there's a short set of stairs that take you below the dam where kayakers enter the water at the top of the course.

 

Descending the stairs to the kayak launch platform below dam.

 

On the kayak launch platform looking upriver towards dam.

Charlie especially enjoys this spot to take a break, get a drink and explore along the shore. From here we crossed the street and headed down towards the White Water Park.

 

 



The River Edge Parkway continues along behind the seating area for the White Water Park and all the way down to Isle of Ferns Park. The picture below shows the beginning of the white water course as well as distant Rib Mountain and Granite Peak Ski Area in the background - with snow still on the slopes!

 

 

Ground seating along white water course.



Newly remodeled viewing area along course.

Here's a short video of the babbling water flowing over the boulders, followed by an impatient *BARK* from Charlie:

 



 

We got a little further down the trail when "nature called" and apparently the bathrooms are not open for the season yet, so we turned back and headed towards home, taking the Parkway through the undeveloped gap where it reconnects under Bridge Street. I had to steer Charlie around piles of broken glass, garbage and boards with nails sticking out of them... tempted to let her off-leash to run but too worried that she'd hurt herself on something.

 

Abandoned buildings along future expansion of parkway trail.

Once back on the trail, I started watching for river otters. I had spotted a pair of otters in this part of the river last year and am always on the lookout for them. Instead, I saw a dead deer in the water. What is it with finding death on all our walks?! Just a part of nature, I guess.

 

 

Charlie was really tired after two hours of walking. I was ready to go longer and just might go out again this evening by myself. It's been awhile since I've been on a solo walk (without dog) and think it might do me some good to have time to myself, untethered.





Snake!

Charlie came upon a snake sunning itself on the blacktop path tonight. This isn't the first snake she's seen, but she showed more curiosity toward it than she has in the past. Don't worry - they're completely harmless (garter snake).

The Wisconsin River is still high, making pretty swirls in the water as it flows past quickly. Charlie wasn't much in the mood for swimming tonight; just wanted to play with the grass and twigs submerged along the shore. And of course, the bouncy ball...

Such a sweetheart.

Errand Walk: Marathon Park

I noticed splotches of sun behind the blinds in my bedroom as I awoke this morning. I immediately raised the blinds and crawled back into bed so I could watch the sun rise in warm comfort while snuggling with Charlie. It was short-lived... the sun was blotted out by clouds soon after rising. I got up, made coffee and hooked Charlie to her leash so we could get a quick walk in. We headed down to the River Edge Parkway to enjoy the sounds of the marsh birds now that the river is open and flowing. It was peaceful, but chilly and windy. The snowstorm with the winter weather advisory attached to it was on its way here.

I decided we'd better run errands right away before the weather turned ugly. So after breakfast, we headed over to Kohl's to pay my charge bill from the last shopping trip and check out new spring arrivals. Shopping for shoes and clothing for spring seems like wishful thinking at this point, but what the hell.

Since the nasty weather hadn't arrived yet, we stopped at Marathon Park on our way to the grocery store to take a quick walk through the towering pines. This park is obviously used by A LOT of dog-walking people because Charlie had to stop and sniff every tree. And there are a lot of trees! A few other people were also walking dogs - presumably trying to beat the weather as well.

*(Side Note: don't let the promise of a "dog exercise area" lure you to this park just for that - it's a joke and no one uses it. Just use the paved paths like everyone else and keep your dog on-leash).

On the opposite end of the park we found a 50-foot pine tree had broken off near its base and crashed into some other trees... quite a mess! I wish I'd had my camera along to take some photos of that. Luckily it didn't land on the nearby playground equipment. This is a great park to walk in the summer because the constant shade keeps it a few degrees cooler. Plus the paved pathways loop around so you can keep walking and walking without ever having to cross streets or wait for stoplights. The sweet smell of pine is worth putting up with the constant drone of traffic that surrounds the park. I always wonder why anyone would want to camp in this park... camping just isn't right when you can hear cars and people all around you!

While in the check-out line at the grocery store, I noticed that the snow had just begun and people were huddled and snow-covered as they entered the store. Great. And I still had to stop at the gas station to fill up. Charlie patiently watched me as I loaded the groceries in the back of the Jeep and then again while I filled up the tank at the gas station, huddled as close to the Jeep as possible to keep the snow out of my face. It was really starting to come down.

View from the front porch.

I can't believe it's April 14th and we're still dealing with this shit. Seriously, I've had enough.

Charlie in the backyard - on squirrel duty.

Even Charlie looks a little pissed off about the weather. Oh well, nothing to be done about it except turn the oven on and start baking. I've got ingredients for molasses cookies and lasagna - that should warm up the house nicely!

Happy Something. Grrrr.

Spring Noise

As the weather warms and people emerge from winter's hibernation, the neighborhood noise increases. There is loud music blasting from a house down the street with skateboarders on their sidewalk doing jumps - landing loudly on the pavement and making banging noises. Whoops and hollers all up and down the street. Cars with windows down, music blaring. High school cross-country runners pounding the pavement and dogs barking from every backyard.

All this noise and we haven't even reached 50 degrees yet! I guess it's only natural to celebrate the change of season by getting outside.

After working on my taxes all morning (and finally finishing them!), Charlie and I walked downtown to enjoy what was left of the day. I wanted to walk across the bridge to Barker-Stewart Island, part of the River Edge Parkway, but I could tell from the bridge that the path was still snowy-slushy and I wasn't wearing proper shoes for that terrain. We turned back and continued walking the Parkway instead. The river is still encased in snow and ice, but there are little spots where water has opened up. The sounds of geese, red-winged blackbirds, finches and robins are everywhere.

There's still plenty of snow piled up everywhere, but it's receding little by little. Which I guess is a good thing for Charlie. You see, Charlie was born in the fall and was technically potty-trained on snow. So when spring rolls around and the snow starts disappearing, it's harder for her to find a "good spot" to go. We had to step off-path quite a few times so she could find a snow-pile to pee on. This is her third spring, and she still insists on doing this. Eventually she'll give in and go pee on the grass, but as long as there is snow left, that remains to be "the good spot."

Funny girl.

Errand Hike: Downtown Wausau

Charlie waiting for me at the book return.

It's been awhile since we walked downtown. During the holiday months, we frequently walked down the well-lit Third Street to the mall, where Katzenbarkers had a temporary holiday location; Charlie would get to dog-browse the store and I'd buy her a duck foot or bully stick while we were there. But since the pet store closed for the season, we hadn't been back that way.

I figured since I had some library books that needed to be returned and it was still wonderfully light out after work, we'd take a walk downtown and kill two birds with one stone:  return my books and get Charlie's evening walk done!

There's something really rewarding about running your errands on foot and taking your time. I could have just as easily loaded Charlie in the back of the Jeep and drove the mile to the library and been home in 10 minutes.

Instead, we got an hour's worth of exercise, Charlie had a chance to sniff the new smells in the neighborhood, breathe in fresh air, and bond with me while we worked on some leash-training and street-crossing exercises... all the while I talk to her and tell her when she's being a "smart girl" or doing a "good walk" and then reinforcing these words with her dinner kibble in a baggie in my pocket as reward.

We took the deserted River Edge Parkway home and worked on her recall command while off-leash. I alternated leash-time with off-leash time and we splashed our way through some pretty muddy puddles.

I spotted another tiny bird nest in the trees along the Wisconsin River and heard plenty of bird-chirping during our walk... a sure sign of spring!

When we got home, I realized Charlie was WAY too muddy and dirty... time for another bath night! Now I have a clean, fluffy, lavender-smelling puppy and can't wait to snuggle up with her for the night. Sweet dreams...

Monday Night Blahs

I really didn't feel like going for a walk tonight. I had a long day at work and am just plain tired. Charlie seemed like she was going to let me off the hook and just chill with me, but I guilt-tripped myself into going anyway. You see, it's a balmy 35 degrees today but going to get much colder for the next couple of days, so this might be our only chance to enjoy some *nice* weather. Plus it was starting to snow those big fluffy slow snowflakes that I love so much.

I was reading #2 on one of my favorite blogs today, 1000 Awesome Things. His quote, "You will never be as young as you are right now." is so true and got me thinking that even though I'm tired and don't feel like going for a walk, I have to take advantage of the time I have. Today, Charlie and I are as young as we're ever going to be and I want her to enjoy every minute of it. Some day she's going to be old and incapable of running or maybe even walking.

So we went. And we had a GREAT time! I brought along her spiky, fluorescent green bouncy ball and a bag of treats. We had an awesome* walk down to the River Edge Parkway and I threw the ball all along the path while we walked. Charlie got to "go find it" when the ball landed in the deep snow ~ one of her favorite games and I got to quietly contemplate all the things I'm grateful for while watching the snow fall in the light from the street lamps. There was a quiet moment where all I could hear was the tinkling of the snow as it landed on my coat.

Ahhhh. <insert smile here>

*We had a bit of a leash-walking breakthrough tonight. I've been reading up on different harnesses that are supposed to help with leash-pullers and one of them that I'm particularly interested in has the leash clip ring on the front (chest part) of the harness ~ supposedly reducing the pull-effect of top ring harnesses. Anyway, in adapting this theory of the front ring, I looped the leash around my hands and kept them behind my back, stepping in front of Charlie every time she tried to walk in front of me. Eventually she gave up and trotted along happily behind me, looking up occasionally (making eye contact with me!) to make sure she was doing it right. I was so impressed and my shoulders were grateful for not having to deal with the leash-pulling! I can't tell you how proud I am of both of us... me for figuring out how to *lead* my dog instead of letting her be the leader, and of Charlie for cooperating. Good girl, Charlie.

Fern Island Repeat (with Charlie)

Charlie didn't come along on my previous excursion to Isle of Ferns Park since I went on my lunch break, so this morning she joined me for a repeat hike! We started out on the River Edge Parkway behind the VFW and walked down to the park, all the way around the island, and then back up the Parkway. She had so much fun!  Here's a photo recap of our hike today:

Happy Hiking!

Lunch Break Excursion - Isle of Ferns

I couldn't resist taking an excursion to the Isle of Ferns Park on the tail-end of an extended lunch break from work yesterday. We had gotten 5 inches of wet snow and it was clinging to all the tree branches enticing the photographer inside me; I had to get some pictures of this!

Snow slid from the heavy branches in *splats* on the path below while big snow-blobs continued to fall from the sky. No one had been on the path yet... just a fresh blanket of new snow. I ran along snapping as many pictures as I could while keeping in mind that I needed to get back to work soon. Oh how I wish I could have called in sick yesterday to spend the day out photographing and hiking instead!

Wausau is so lucky to have these little "island" parks along the banks of the Wisconsin River throughout the downtown area. It's a nice break from the hustle and bustle and an awesome place to take a lunch break while getting in a quick walk!

Aerial view of Isle of Ferns Park

This particular island has stone bridges scattered throughout the trail and a big open area in the middle for picnics or playing frisbee, etc. There's a boat launch that will give you access to Lake Wausau and the park connects to the River Edge Parkway for even more walking pleasure. The adjoining park, Oak Island, has a playground for kids, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, picnic shelters and plenty of riverfront footage for fishing. The Wausau Farmer's Market is also held in the open space near the park on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the summer. For dog owners, there's a small section dedicated to off-leash dogs from 6-9am and 6-9pm.

Urban Hike: Wausau River Edge Parkway

I am totally wiped out this weekend. Charlie let me sleep in a little bit this morning and even snuggled on the couch with me while I sipped my coffee and watched the CBS Sunday Morning show. But I have a ton of office work to do today and I know she won't let me get anything done unless I get her some decent exercise. Since I'm totally sick of driving, I decided we'd just walk down to the River Edge Parkway today.

I have to admit, I feel pretty lucky to live just a few blocks from the Wisconsin River and have access to this beautiful walking trail. The trail is not completely finished yet, and the segment by my neighborhood is seldom used because of this. Charlie and I typically take a daily walk on this trail ~ rain or shine! There is a newly installed kayak/canoe launch that we use in the summer and Divepoint Scuba opened a paddle shop at the entrance to the walkway last year. I have a feeling this section of the trail is going to start attracting a lot of paddle enthusiasts ~ and I'm one of them.

The path is well-lit with street lamps that always make me feel like I'm in the land of Narnia this time of year. When the snow is slowly drifting down in the lamplight and there's that muted sound that fresh snow makes, you can literally be transported away from the here and now. A few benches scattered along the trail make great spots to take a break and enjoy the riverfront scenery.

While I appreciate all the frozen, wintery brilliance of the walkway this time of year, mostly I'm day-dreaming of all the fun we'll have once the days start getting longer. I'm looking foward to our morning walks when we can watch the sun rise and listen to the birds sing. When Charlie can play in the water, rather than standing on the ice. When we can watch the carp splashing and slurping the surface of the water at sundown. So much to look foward to!