Wild Weather

We had a lot of wild weather this summer in Wisconsin.  Once it started raining it just didn't stop.

Not a lake...

Flooding was common from the west to east and north to south.  In August alone the damage was estimated at more than a quarter-billion dollars and the governor had to ask FEMA for aid.  The wet weather lasted into the fall, making it hard for the farmers to get in the crops that weren't destroyed.

Sandbags along the freeway to hold back the Baraboo River

My job was a little interesting this summer with roads and bridges closed due to flood waters or erosion.  The Baraboo River was flooded so high for so many weeks that it looked more like a new lake than a river.

North Unit of Kettle Moraine near Dundee

Heavy thunderstorms that spawned 16 tornadoes tore through Central Wisconsin late in August, making it hard to find a place to hike.

When I finally found a spot to pull over and attempt a hike I was hopeful...until I came to the first set of downed trees.

It was late enough in the year that I wasn't worried about ticks so I crawled on through, thinking it would be fine once I got past it.

But the trail was obviously right in the path of the devastation and ten minutes later I tired of climbing over and under all the blowdowns.

It was a good start to a workout, but just a few miles down the road the Zilmer trail was wide open and free from tornado damage.  The ground was quite spongy from all the rain, and 2 months later the ground was just as spongy when I went for a hike in nearby Williams Bay.  Hope it dries up before it all turns to ice!

Warmer days gone by!