Not Niagara

When camping last week my spouse and I took part of a day to look at some waterfalls in Marinette County that we had not before visited.  Marinette County bills itself as the waterfall capital of Wisconsin; a total of twelve waterfalls are contained within its borders.  The title of this blog may, by some, be interpreted as negative to the falls in Marinette County, but that is far from the situation.  I view these falls, and their respective setting, in a positive manner.  While Niagara Falls is massive in its width, and amount of water that flows over the rock (as four of the five Great Lakes feed over Niagara Falls) it has some massive development, particularly on the Canadian side that is associated with the falls. Last week I wrote a post about how my wife and I are rainmakers, that is, rain seems to pop up where we camp.  In that post, I said I would follow up with a post on why we camp.  This is that post.  It will begin with our visit to some waterfalls last week, and then identify other reasons why we camp, even when we have to put up with rain.

Smalley Falls

Local natural attractions, such as waterfalls play a role in why we camp.  Long ago I realized that to get the better camping experience you had to travel at least three hours distant (meaning north).  Travelling and additional hour or more gets us to areas that contain waterfalls.  Not that we seek out places with waterfalls, but a good outdoor experience and waterfalls often seem to go hand-in-hand.

Part of Dave's Falls

The waterfalls we saw this past week were not the highest, widest, or most rural that we have visited.  We  visited three waterfalls, all within an easy drive of Highway 141.  Smalley, and Long Slide falls are relatively close to each other, only one-half mile by stream, although longer by car, and both are on the North Branch of the Pemebonwon River.  Dave's Falls is about a 20 miles south and is on the Pike River.  All are served by the Marinette County Park system.  Rural, with some wilderness, would describe their setting.  While Dave's Falls has some playground equipment and a picnic area, they are of sufficient distance, both geographically and topographically, from the falls so as not hinder the viewing experience.  Unlike Niagara Falls, these falls were not overcrowded with people.  When we were at Smalley Falls, one group was just leaving as we arrived, and no others arrived during our short visit. Long Slide falls is taller than Smalley, but not necessarily more impressive.  My wife's favorite was Dave's Falls and not even the two main falls, but the downstream part that drops through a narrow gorge.  Dave's Falls is named for a man who died in the 1800's freeing  trapped logs from the falls.  Logs would be floated downstream to sawmills, and men would be placed at critical points where the mass of logs could be trapped to keep the logs moving.  Waterfalls are an obvious place of constriction.

Waterfalls provide the interaction between geology and water, two strong forces that have shaped the world in which we live.  Geologists Robert Dott, Jr. and John Attig (2004, Roadside Geology of Wisconsin) note that these falls are located in exposure of metamorphosed volcanic and associated sedimentary rocks.  The rock formations, they go on, were steeply sheered and tilted by the Niagara fault zone.  Niagara Falls has dolomite, like the Niagara formation that runs through Door County along the east side of Wisconsin--all being part of Niagara escarpment in rock type.   While these falls have volcanic rock, the formations apparently were created by the same fault from which Niagara Falls was created.  I doubt that we would take a vacation trip to visit these smaller Wisconsin falls, and other, small falls if we were not camping in the area.  There are some falls, in the past, which we attempted to visit, but could not find.  

Long Slide Falls

Creation, the good earth freely given by God for us to wisely care and enjoy is the overarching reason for camping.  There are experiences, beyond waterfalls, that guide us to camping.  First, imagine yourself sitting by the shore of a relatively small lake just as the sun rises above the trees on the opposite shore.  The sun, even though not very high in the sky, casts a dappled shade given the trees sitting around you, and this provides an  interplay of experience as the sun moves and a gentle breeze blows among the trees.  There is something soothing about the quiet of an early morning experience of sitting and reading by the shore of a small lake as the rising sun warms you from the early morning cold experienced in the shade.   

Sun Rise over Laura Lake burning off the mist of fog

If the quiet is broken it may be by the loons who provide a distraction as we read and drink our morning tea.  When we first began our camping trip last week the first day or two my wife became concerned that she had not seen the baby loons that we had seen the prior week. The young loons did show up later in the trip.  We think they are now at the size where they are learning some skills on their own.  As I went to the lake shore of our campsite last week Thursday morning (the morning we departed) I could see a loon perhaps 15' to 20' from shore.  I called for my wife to come down, but the loon began making its way further from shore.  Unfortunately, I did not have the camera with me.  She claims the loon departed because of my loud voice, but I suspect if I had walked up to get her they still would have carried on that course and been farther from the shore than when I first saw them.  She still blames my mouth. The prior day a man was out fishing and the loons actually swam very close to him.  I wonder if they were looking for some released fish.  

Loon in the early morning mist on Laura Lake

Loons are not the only wildlife we see.  We did hear the bull frog, but it was not near as annoying as it was a year ago, when I wrote about here in July of 2017.  We saw an eagle, although not as prevalent as viewed in past years.  This year for the first time, I saw a large turtle, and some ducks.  We have seen deer, but not too often as I think the area is sufficiently rural that they have many places to hide.  Of course, there is always some unwanted wildlife, like mosquitoes, but fortunately, they were barely noticed; not near as bad as last year. 

Loons during day

Colors are also present, yet there are times, particularly when deep in a woods that the expressed colors are shades of green and brown.  But, yet every now and then on a hike deep in those woods something may pop out to greet you.  It may be a wildflower existing where not expected as it seeks the few sun rays to pop through a dense canopy created by the tall trees which spire ever upward.  It may be an orange-colored mushroom growing on an old almost decayed log barely visible below the carpet of a soft green moss. The blue of the lake water provides a strong contrast to the  green evergreen trees lining much of the shore.

Moon set over Gordon Lake

Prior to the envelope of dark is the sunset which can enliven the mind with colors almost as varied as that in a rainbow.  The colors are produced as the sun takes its dip below a horizon lined with evergreen trees.  Add to this that the sunset is reflected in the lake which sits in front of the far shore.  The sun concludes its time in this part of the world for the day.    

Laura Lake from our Campsite

When clear, the stars pop-out at night  to give a remarkable view, and an ability to view stars not easily viewed in an urban area with all of the light pollution.  I recall camping trips on clear nights with a full moon reflecting on the lake.  This produced an soft almost blue toned light that made it seem as if red sunset of dusk had never arrived.  It was almost the type of light that one sees when the indirect light of the full moon is blazed across a fresh fallen snow that brightens the dark cold winter nights.

Campfire

When night arrives, it is the time for sleep, but if time permits, there will be a campfire.  It seems that fire pits are all the rage today.  Apartment projects and hotels have fire pits fed by natural gas so that no real log is burned.  These faux campfires, cannot replace the real experience of being enveloped by the early arrival of the darkness in a deep woods where the campfire provides light, and often times, desired heat. A true wood fire allows the flames to dance over and among the logs creating hot embers which themselves flame at irregular intervals.  

Small fish and its shadow in Laura Lake

As the day ends, the cool, or even cold night takes over, and that early morning cold just after sunrise draws you to the warm, albeit, dappled sun to be found at the lake shore.  On the shore, one can peer into the clear water.  Small fish, and the detritus of plants and trees which fell into the lake are clearly visible. It is a lake which does not have to be "mowed" (weeds cut), with no development of buildings or roads along a shoreline to take away and distract the images and memories being created.  These places are hard to find, but when found become treasured.  And because they become treasured they become more and more used and viewed. they become part of a paradox:  that which we like so much is often affected by over use.  Think Niagara Falls.

Sunset over Gordon Lake

Even though we bring rain, camping allows us to have experiences and find places we likely would  otherwise never searched out.  We have been on fire lanes or "roads" with the former Chrysler minivan that we had not a right to travel with that type of vehicle.  Knowing how to drive in snow I think helps in driving in deep mud, you don't stop. One has to weigh the long drives, rain and cold to the benefits.  There is a certain solitude, and quiet (hopefully), and relaxation that a trip to the north woods can bring.  It brings experience and memories.  Your body, and mind can decompress in a place that is not Niagara.  

Fall comes early to the Northwoods

Author photos, July or August 2018