Sunday, August 2, 2015

Last Night, Last Day Up North, Day 4

Our last night in Black River Falls Forest was spent enjoying grilled burgers, hashbrowns, and a campfire.
 This picture shows you just how thick the forest was...see the moon and the fire?


 Day 4:  We woke up, ate breakfast, cleaned up, and said goodbye to our cozy cabin.  It was a great home away from home!
 We went stopped in Black River Falls to try and find souvenirs.  Shae wanted a t-shirt, but we didn't find any.  We did, however, find this quaint general store with antiques, old-time candy, and bottles of pop!
 Next up: Castle Mound in the state forest.  This was about a mile and a half hike.
 The camera is a bit blurry because it was humid and HOT!!
There is a lookout tower on top of this rock.
 How did they ever build these steps and put this cement at the top of this rock rising 180 feet above the ground??  I'm so grateful for those nice sturdy steps and railing!!
 We were way up there.  To fully appreciate just how high up we were, consider that we're overlooking tree tops here.  Very TALL tree tops!  180 acres of Black River Falls forest!  This used to be a lookout tower for fires.

Red pine, white pine, jack pine, oak, birch, maple, and aspen trees everywhere.
Huge columns of sandstone.

Another look at where we were just standing!
And now on to Wazee Lake!  The kids wanted to swim here because it  is clean, clear, and has a very large beach area.  Wazee Lake is the clearest, deepest inland lake in Wisconsin (355 feet deep in some areas).  It is manmade, formerly a quarry for taconite (steel) mining from the 1960s to 80s.  Once it closed in 1983, the quarry filled up with water and is now the most popular scuba diving site in the Midwest.  It's also a great fishing spot, but it is non-motorized to ensure protection of the "pristine water quality".  Jackson County has so many great parks, including this one!
This picture reminds me that our kids are getting too big. :(
There they are, all 5 of them!  As you can tell, the water isn't very deep in this portion of the lake.  It's a perfect beach for swimming!

Gotta build another sandcastle!
Ally - 16, Paige - 12, Cy - 14, Wynne - 9, Shae - 12...enjoying their last few hours of vacation!  It was a short reprieve from everyday work, but a good time to be together as a family.  We are so lucky!
"and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

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