Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

Before heading up to Chippewa Falls for my niece’s wedding, I stopped in Baraboo, WI and stayed at Devil’s Lake State Park.  While there I hiked a few of there trails.  One of these was the Tumbling Rocks trail.

You can see why it is called Tumbling Rocks.  Along the trail, I ran into some wildlife.

I think they are Northern Water snakes.  Several types of wildflowers were blooming, one of them is below. 

It rained a good bit while I was in Baraboo.  I’m not much of a campfire person, but many people think it is a requirement when they camp regardless of the weather.

I just don’t think sitting by the fire in the rain would be fun, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

While in Baraboo, I visited the International  Crane Foundation.  According to their brochure, this is the only place in the world to see all 15 species of Cranes.  Of course it rained while I was there.  Below is a picture of our tour guide in the rain.

I hope I got the names of these right --

Black Crowned Crane -

Blue Crane -

Wattled Crane-

Whopping Crane sitting in nest-

I liked the gates to the parking lot-

I had been to Wisconsin Dells one time before, but I wanted to ride the Wisconsin Ducks.  These are the boats with wheels or trucks that float.  When I got there, I was the second one on the boat and got what I thought was the best seat.  At least I thought that until it started raining and I got wetter than anyone else.

This trip was ok.  If you go to the Dells and want to see scenery, I would suggest another trip.   When I was here several years ago I went on the Wisconsin Dells Upper River boat cruise and enjoyed it.  But if you are curious about these strange vehicles, then this trip is for you.  

 

Heading from the water to the road

Some of the scenery was good!  And I would have probably enjoyed it better if it wasn’t raining.  The picture below came from a brochure just so you can see the vehicle.

From Baraboo, I headed to Alma Center, WI.  This stop was mainly just to dump the tanks and refill the water.  But I stayed here a couple of days to take care of chores and relax.  The nearby town of Black River Falls has a great biking/walking trail that I took advantage of. 

My next stop will be Lake Wissota State Park in Chippewa Falls, WI.