#23 The Farmer In The Dell

Got Ya Singin’ That Old Kid’s Song, Didn’t We?

Baraboo

I did not make this up. We actually spent a couple nights in a place called Baraboo, Wisconsin, population 12,556. But do not make fun of this little town. There was so much to do and so much we missed that we will need to return to explore the rest.

We parked our camper at Skillet Creek Campground. It was a huge place. But the roominess between the campsites and the way the camping loops were designed, Skillet felt smaller and more personal. We arrived on a Saturday to Skillet Creek Campground and within the first turn into the park it was visibly and auditorily apparent that Skillet Creek was designed for families.

To the left, right and forward of where we turned into the campground, children and adults were swimming, floating and sliding down a water slide into a big open pond. They were jumping on a giant blow up pad and screeching around the roads on trikes, bikes and scooters. The crowd was having an absolutely uproariously, great time. It was a fun park surrounded by the sounds of screams, shouts and laughter.

Since we weren’t going to swim, jump or screech, we decided to park the camper, hop in the truck and do a little winery/distillery research. It was the better choice for us and somebody has to do it. Within the first five minutes outside the campsite, we passed right by 2 wineries and continued on to Driftless Glen Distillery. We read that they had food and we were hungry (always looking for food and a beverage).

This was new for us. Pam does not like bourbon and neither do I for that matter. Pam ordered an Old Fashioned. Huh? Yup, The Driftless Old Fashioned. Take a look at how it’s made and you might want one too.

At Driftless (and I love the name, by the way) all the liquors are made on the property. The Driftless Old Fashioned was made with their brand of brandy, instead of bourbon, and it was delicious. It was so good, on our last night in Baraboo, Pam requested a come back, come back for another old fashioned. And we did. I had a lemon drop the first night and an Oaken Margarita the last night. Pam’s Driftless beat them both out for taste.

On our way back to the camper we could not in good conscience pass by both of those wineries again. Our big honkin’ truck guided us right into the parking so we could take a peek at Balanced Rock Brewery. Well looky there, that’s live rock and roll music. We found 2 empty, comfortable chairs on the outside patio and enjoyed an evening of music. When we got back to camp, all was quiet. I guess everyone was worn out. There were a few pit fires but the only loud noise was… wait for it… The Train, of course.

Wollensheim For Lunch

The next day we hung around the campsite drinking our coffee and watching the weekend campers pack up to leave. It’s one of the things we love about camping. Most of the happy campers are set up for the weekend. Come Sunday morning they aren’t so happy, it’s pack up time. Before we retired, we used to be like that too. This time we had 3 nights scheduled in Baraboo which gave us a little relaxing and breathing room time.

Eventually, we got our butts off the couch and coaxed Lucca to go to yet another winery. We left Skillet for an afternoon at the Wollensheim Vineyard, Winery and Distillery which included lunch at their bistro.

We sat outside in the shade and enjoyed the superb weather. Doesn’t that salad look amazing? It tasted even more delicious than it looked. The glass of Riesling was a wonderful complement to the salad. After lunch we walked into the tasting room for a quick wine sample or four. I mean, we were there, why not?

My my, look who bought some wine. As you can see, the Wollensheim Property is huge. It went on and on. At this vantage point you can’t see the vineyards. Let me see if I can find a vineyard photo.

Sorry, no vineyard picture but look who was out for a walk. That tail was showing extreme joy. I can’t say the same for Pam but you make up your own mind about that.

The Wollensheim property was full of meadows, vineyards and gardens. As you can see, the yellow flowers were haphazardly interspersed throughout the greenery and just overhead was a pop of autumn color. It was a delight to spend the afternoon at Wollensheim. The red wine was okay. We preferred the white and bought two bottles.

Not The Farmer In The Dell, Just The Dells

Many times I get ideas for trip activities through RV Trip Wizard, the app I rely on to help me plan our route, choose our campgrounds and provide directions to the next location. The app also includes a place for previous campers to leave tips about favorite things to see or restaurants that scored big. Several people wrote tips about the Wisconsin Dells. “The Wisconsin Dells are a must see.” I had no idea what a dell is or was. I looked online to get some answers but the information was very confusing. You’ll see why later in the blog.

After some challenging searching, I found that Wisconsin Dells is a city and it is also a park that can be seen by boat. You can take a boat ride through the upper dells or the lower dells. You can take a high speed boat ride, a ghost tour boat or a dinner boat. I read reviews, looked at pictures and finally bought 2 tickets for a boat ride through the Upper Dells.

Since reviews were mixed, I had no idea what to expect from this delly of a boat ride. Pam and I were on an expedition that could have been either fantastic or as mom would have said, “A bust”.

I think we really lucked out with our pilot and crew. They were a husband and wife team who lived in the Dells most of their lives. The husband started giving tours 40 years ago while he was still in college. They knew a lot about the history of the area and colorfully narrated stories as we navigated the waters through the dells. There’s that word again, dells.

So What Are Dells?

Here is the answer to the best of my recollection. The Wisconsin Dells are sandstone cliffs of flat layered rock. You can clearly see the rock layers in the photo. They are so clear, you can almost count them. But they aren’t like trees where you can count the rings to identify how old they are. You can’t tell the age of these rocks by counting the layers.

This passageway is called the Jaws of the Dells. It’s the opening to the rest of the Upper Dells. Romance Cliff is on the left. It is 65 feet high. The cliff was a special proposal spot. I wonder how many diamond rings are shining at the river bottom. “No, you don’t want to marry me? What do you mean no?” Plop!!

On the right is Sunset Point. If we were floating through the jaws at sunset, you might see a more vibrant look to those rocks. The water is 90 feet deep at this location. There’s no getting that ring back. The river used to be lower and the cliffs higher until a dam was built and raised the water level 17 feet.

Above is Signal Rock. The flat ledge at the top of that rock is where the indians, who lived in this area, sent smoke signals to communicate to others. “Help, I’ve climbed up here and I can’t get down.” The rock in the Dells is made of rare Cambrian sandstone. It’s only found in 3 places in the world. If you look at the top of the rock, you’ll note that trees are living prominently up there. The sandstone rock is so soft the roots of plants, grasses and trees grow right through it and they live happily together.

Witches Gulch

Signal Rock signifies the entry to Witches Gulch. Many of the rock formations and passageways were named by the indians. If they did not know why something occurred in nature, they would name it from a place of the supernatural. A famous photographer named Bennett photographed this area long before there were any trails. He also named some of what we saw on our boat tour.

We disembarked from the Marquette and took a hike through Witches Gulch. That’s our captain standing on the dock. If Witches Gulch is where they do the ghost tour, I’m sure it would be a spooky walk in the dark of night. Let’s go for a walk now while it’s still light. Put on your eerie music.

We made it out safely. No attacks by ghoulish goblins or wild witches. Whew!! Safe.

The Big Jump

After Witches Gulch, we continued by boat through the Dells to a second hiking spot. This was a very significant location. It’s where a famous photo was taken.

In 1886, Henry Hamilton Bennett, the photographer, captured the perfect photo of his 10 year old son, Ashley, Jumping across the 5 foot chasm that stretches between those 2 flat rocks. At the bottom of the photo and to the left of our tour guide you can see a replica of his original jumper photo. Put on your glasses and you’ll be able to see the boy in mid jump.

On our tour, they did a reenactment of that famous jump. The jumper was not a 10 year old boy but a golden retriever. The photo above was my attempt at photographing the reenactment. I know, you don’t see a dog. No, it isn’t that the dog was too tiny to see. I missed him. He jumped twice and all I have are about 15 shots without a dog.

The rock formations that rimmed the edges of both sides of the river are called the Palisades. You can see our boat at the dock. The upper deck is where we sat for the tour. It was another beautiful day in Baraboo or Wisconsin Dells, especially for a boat ride.

Look up. Isn’t that a curious way for the rock to form? That thin, awkward looking ledge that sticks straight out from the top is called the Devil’s Visor. To return to the boat we had to walk under that ledge. EEK!!

This rock formation was named Black Hawk after a famous warrior who led the indians during the Black Hawk War. You can easily see the prominent nose, mouth and the trees above the nose form the headdress. The Black Hawk Helicopter was named after Black Hawk the warrior.

In the 1900’s corporations began to exploit the dells. They mowed down the trees and built hotels, restaurants and changed the dells from natural, geological beauty to an overrun river with little charm.

Little by little a man named George Crandall began to buy up the commercial enterprises. He knocked them all down and reforested 1200 acres of the Dells. He donated the land with the stipulation that it could never be developed. Thank you George.

Wisconsin Dells, The Town

I am so grateful to George Crandall and his vision of geologic preservation. I often worry about the natural beauty of Sarasota and how it is being exploited for commercial purposes. I understand that it’s progress but the landscape has changed and in my opinion not in a well managed way. Although I’m sad about losing the Sarasota charm, after today I am reminded that development could be worse. Here’s what I mean.

Imagine driving down a four lane highway and on both sides are miles and miles of side by side vast, multi colored, 5 story octopus-like water slides, huge, expansive roller coasters, gargantuan, miniature golf courses. Imagine Kissimmee’s International Drive on steroids. Do you have a picture in your head?

On the outskirts of the gorgeous Wisconsin Dells boating area is the portion of the Wisconsin Dells the Crandall family did not preserve. To reach the river dells, You must drive down the highway on steroids, the touristy water park town of Wisconsin Dells.

I could hear the disappointment in the voice of our boat captain as he talked about the severe change to the town of Wisconsin Dells, where he grew up as a boy. Many tourists never make it to the picturesque Dells along the river. They believe the commercialized water park town is the Wisconsin Dells and that’s not a wrong assumption, hence the confusion when I tried to do my research. Luckily, I figured it out.

Tippecanoe

After a super sparkling day on the water, we left the Dells and made our way back to camp. We took Lucca for a walk and drove to the Driftless Glen Distillery for that 2nd Old Fashioned. According to Pam it was just as good as the first.

Tomorrow we are traveling to Battle Ground, Indiana and Prophetstown State Park. We hear there is a great bike path and lots of history. I may even share the story about Tippecanoe and Tyler too. So get out your bike helmet and come along…