Rumble In The Jungle 2010

It was a beautiful, sunshiny day. One would never have guessed it was -4F at 9:00 am!!! Thankfully, it warmed up a tad bit more before the races began at 10:45.

The Swiss Miss Rumble in the Jungle was held at Lowes Creek County Park in Eau Claire, WI. This was the fourth annual race, which is now held in memory of Tim Dusick, the race's founder. Paula (Tim's widow), along with Mark and Emily Blaskey, have been keeping Tim's dream alive. Rumble in the Jungle is now a qualifying event for the 2010 Snowshoe Nationals.

First up were the children's race. Trax of the Eau Claire Express, Fazoli's Tomato, as well as a kind-hearted Turtle joined in on the fun. The 5K race began! The 10K started shortly thereafter. Racers began filtering through down the Ridgeline Trail, headed toward Skull.

Racers--and walkers--along Fence. The finish line was near at hand!!!Three lads clad in kilts

Kelly Mortenson of St. Paul, MN with fellow recipient Andrea Mueller of Edgar, WI each won as the overall male and female of the 10K Swiss Miss Rumble in the Jungle snowshoe race.

In the dead of winter, this is a very welcomed event! --LKR

Yesterday...

The snow kept coming down, yesterday, so I ventured out into the woods to check it out.

The trails were both mud and snowFall color everywhere!!! This year, at least in our neck of the woods, fall has been less than spectacular. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of leaves that haven't even begun to change color. And lately, we're having temps in the 30's which is unseasonably cold for this time of year! While this may not harm the trees, it's dampened many a hope for a warmer autumn! --LKR

Retracing Steps For A Worthy Cause

This is a baby hognose snake playing dead. Two hours earlier, my friend and I found him in the middle of a narrow bike path. Something compelled me to go back and check for it. You know how it is when you get that nagging feeling. So after picking my son up from soccer two hours later, we drove on over to Lowes Creek County Park. Carefully, I retraced my steps.

The snake was almost in the same spot I had left him after moving him off of the narrow pine trail. I could tell now it had been bleeding as I carefully placed his tiny body onto a paper towel and brought him back to the van.

Sadly, every year we find several young snakes that have perished in their youth. Thankfully, this one has a fighting chance! --LKR

Update: This morning, he's all curled up and looks pretty normal. White Pine Wildlife Rehab Center is still going to take him in.

Update 9/26/09: White Pine called to tell us the snake didn't make it. :-{

Adventures in Mud, Muck, and Slush

Hi, it's me, Mister Poochie! What a beautiful day we had, today! It was in the 60's, it was!

Ice and the white fluffy fun stuff were melting fast. Yesterday, too, was warm! Hurray!

We did not have a really long walk, today, oh, no. Mud and slippery slush kept us from going too far. For cyclists, too!

I helped Mom up this one, I did!

Some trails we had to cross over... .

Mom caught me picking up on scents, she did!

We didn't take this path, oh no!

Nor go down this trail, for sure!

Mom sunk deep into mud right here, she did!

This path is called Bump. I wanted to explore, but Mom said, "No, we go home."

I got to play wild dog on the way back, I did! I lead Mom off trails and into fields where we ran and Mom laughed.

I found a "leave it" running through the grass, I did. Mom wouldn't let me make nice. These are holes where the "leave it" live and travel. We had fun! --Mister Poochie

Woodland Wonders

Let's take a quite walk through the woods, shall we?

--LKR

A Tick Trip

Hi, it's me, Mister Poochie!

Mom and I were out at Lowes Creek County Park, today. It was fun fun fun! As Mom pointed out, everything is coming back to life after a very long cold winter, it is. There were buds on trees and bushes, and plenty of green along some of the trails.

We saw a dragonfly, oh, and a mourning cloak butterfly! It took a liking to me and followed after us, it did! Mom said we were probably in its territory and was checking me out, it was.

On Ridgeline Trail, we saw a turkey, we did. It flew over the creek right toward us! I wanted to make nice to it, but Mom told me to "leave it", she did. I'm a good boy, so I left it, I did.

Mom decided to lead along a less traveled trail you need a machete to walk through during the summer months. This path follows along the water's edge before stopping at a bend in the winding creek. I got a nice long drink of cool cool water, I did, and splashed around. This was while Mom took pictures of what I thought were funny looking insects. I pulled her, and she pulled me. I need a longer leash, I do!

There were also lots and lots of deer tracks all over, there were. It must be a popular place for them to cross over to the other side, Mom said. I sniff sniff sniffed. No one I recognized, this time! I know many deer that come through our yard, I do--at least by scent!

Walking back to the trail we strayed from, Mom stopped to flick a tick from her shoulder. Then she looked down at her legs, she did. I did too, and uh oh! A steady stream of ticks was crawling up both her legs, they were! Quickly and calmly she flick flick flicked them off one by one. Through it all, she seemed strangely amused, she did, but that is Mom. I lost count after 30, I did. I would not want that many on me, oh no!

We went home and Mom started dinner, she did. Many times she stopped, plucked off, and drowned even more ticks. Mom later told Alpha she found a dozen more on her after we got home. Thankfully Mom only found two on me! --Mister Poochie

Let's Go for a Ride!

Several of you wanted to know what the area around us is like. Well, I thought you might like to go for a ride! These were taken while I was driving..., so they are not as clear, clean, or straight as they could be.

We're in a subdivision out in the country. This is the (non-functioning) farm right down the street.

Lowes Creek Road

My beloved Lowes Creek County Park

Another non-functioning farm. This one used to have Llamas. Unfortunately, that was long before we ever moved here!

This is a new development in town near South Middle School. Several are for sale. Any takers?

--LKR

Albino Squirrels

I've never seen so many albino squirrels in one town, before. Just on the west side of Eau Claire, there are at least five that I see on a regular basis as I'm driving through residential areas. Often, I see this little one near South Middle School.

We also have at least one back in Lowes Creek County Park. It's technically part of the town of Washington, but is considered a part of Eau Claire.

Coming home from Church near the new "turn around" [a small circle], I saw one that had met the grim reaper at the side of the road. Yes, I do mourn the loss of little creatures along the sides of roads. When my hubby's with me, he'll say, "Wow! look at that!", pointing in the opposite direction to divert my attention. Amazingly, after 17 years of this, I still usually fall for this line! --LKR

A Walk in the Woods and Wetlands

"Mom! Hey, Mom! This way, this way! Let's go this way!" Oh, I forgot, I did. She has an agenda, today, she does. We're going onto trails she's never walked before, we are! An adventure we're off to, what fun! What fun!

We'll start off on the usual paths, we will. And be linking unexplored trails to the ones we know well, too, Mom said. Lowes Creek County Park has many trails for bikes, "leave it joggers", hikers, and us poochies on leashes. I love to come back here, I do!


We've walked for quite a while, we have. We usually don't walk this fast. There's always too much to smell and see, so we usually stop a lot, we do. But, not today!

I love walking through this part of the park, I do. It's so peaceful and tranquil. The leaves are pretty too,they are. Mom likes it too, she does.


By now we are out passed the trail "Red Flint". It turns into lots of other trails, it does. Mom's figuring out which is what and where they lead. But she knows exactly were we are, she does. If we go further east, we will be out by 93! See that blue in the top left corner? That building is on 93!


Remember Mom's blog on Waste Research and Reclamation Environmental Services? This is the back of WRR that was on fire, it is. That big black tower had huge flames coming from it, it did, and was on tv. It made really big news!

I remember it well, I do. It's not that often Mom takes me out before 7AM! But this day she did for sure, she did!

I got to see those thick black clouds of smoke, but mainly just sniffed the air. I doubt one of you would have smelled it where we lived, but Alpha sure did, he said.

He had been on 93 and got to see the huge balls of fire pouring from that tower right over there, he did.

Mom believes we are now where the polluted wetlands are. They got even more toxic after this fire, they did.


I got a drink back here. From standing water, uh oh. We just had rain, we did, but Mom was not too happy. Neither was my vet when he found out, he wasn't. "Deer ticks and toxic water--not very good", he said, shaking his head.

But pretty things still grow here, they do. We saw lots and lots of late blooming wildflowers and weeds back here! And pretty yellow butterflies and bees, too!


Look! See?! Take a peek at this, please do! Mom saw this and took two blurry pictures, she did! She said it freaked her out, it did. I did not smell what she saw. I was busy watching what Mom calls "leave it joggers", I was. But it does look like a man by the door, doesn't it, you think?

We're heading back now, we are.
Mom and I bring home little deer tick from here, we do. They are small and hard to find, even when they get bigger this time of year.

Mom forgot to put natural tick repellent on us both. She makes it with essential oils in olive oil, and it's always worked well for us, it has.


We're back to where we started from, we are. This is one of the paths us locals take to enjoy these trails. Many bicyclists ride these trails and can get in at several places.

I need another drink, I do! I can't wait to get home, I can't! We've been out here for three fun hours!

We're almost to the van! We're almost to the van, we are! I can't wait to go bye-bye in the van! We live only one block away, but Mom drives us here, she does. I don't stay in my yard, I don't, so she drives us to this local's entrance. I do think she's right, I do. If I smell my scent walking here, this would become part of my big backyard too, it would! --Mister Poochie