La Crosse, WI Day 2: A Pretty Garden and a Trip up the Old Man

Today, my 2nd day on vacation in La Crosse, Wisconsin, was both magical and profound.  I woke to the news that Muhammad Ali, a proponent of peace, was laid to rest in Louisville, Kentucky.  But the best part of the day was spent on the La Crosse Queen, a riverboat tour of the Mississippi River.  Before I boarded this incredible riverboat, I explore La Crosse's International Garden which was one of the most magnificent gardens I've ever seen.

The most incredible part of the day was when I took the La Crosse Queen riverboat tour up the Mississippi river to Winona, Minnesota.  The lakefront houses, the bluffs, and the Amtrack bridge were quite a sight to see.

I have to say that today was the greatest day I could have spent in La Crosse.  Although it was hot, it was gorgeous.  The weather was good, the scenery magnificent, and the hospitality amazing!

On the Waterfront: Port Washington, Wisconsin

It has been gorgeous here in Southeastern Wisconsin lately.  Like, insanely gorgeous!  Normally by December 1, we have at least half a foot of snow on the ground and everyone is either digging out their snowshoes and gassing up their snowmobiles or stocking up for a long hibernation (sometimes until May).  But last Friday it was sunny and 50 degrees outside, so I decided to head up to Port Washington, a charming city 30 minutes north of Milwaukee right on Lake Michigan.  It was my first time there, and it was even better than I expected.

Port Washington is the closest I've seen to a New England town that I've been able to find in Wisconsin.  I love the rocky shoreline and the long piers jetting into the water.  When I got there, I headed right to the lakeshore and had a quick lunch of a very tasty fish sandwich at Smith Bros. Coffee Shop, located in the Duluth Trading Co. building, which used to be Smith Bros. Fish Shanty (you can see their original sign above).

One of the reasons I've been wanting to visit Port Washington is because of its new Port Exploreum, a maritime museum.  For many decades, starting in the 1840's, the port was used to export wood, wheat & rye flour, bricks and fish, and was a well-known place for commercial fishing.  However, both shipping and commercial fishing have seen a rapid decline in recent years.  The museum's current exhibit highlights these industries and, subsequently, some of Lake Michigan's most notable shipwrecks.

The lower level of the museum has a lot of interactive games for families, and a video where you can experience what it looks like to take a boat ride on the lake.

The most famous landmark in Port Washington is the Pierhead Light (also known as the Breakwater Light), which gets photographed often, including earlier this fall when hurricane-like winds pounded Lake Michigan and caused waves as high as the lighthouse itself.  I spent most of my time down at the lakefront taking photos of the lighthouse from all different angles as well as the city itself from a long pier over the water.

 

 

The lake shore has a lot of interesting statues including this one that pays tribute to fishermen lost in one of the lake's shipwrecks.

 

The day was so beautiful, I saw a lot of people out walking, biking and, of course, fishing:

Port Washington is a city I would love to go back to again and again.  Not only does the city celebrate its shipping and fishing history, it also has a great shopping district of unique shops & restaurants, fun summer festivals (all revolving around fish) and the largest number of surviving Pre-Civil War buildings in Wisconsin.  I would go back just to see those.  And now that I know how easy it is to drive up there, it may become one of my go-to road trip destinations!

First Snow of Fall 2015

Southern Wisconsin received its first accumulation of snow this weekend.  Although it's rare for us to get snow before Thanksgiving, it's not unheard of.  I went out this morning and took advantage of the sun and freshly laid snow to get some landscape photos around Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa, not far from where I live.

 

The interesting thing about having snow this time of year is the juxtaposition of the remaining fall color and the wintery dusting.

 



I don't know how long this round of snow will last since the temperature is supposed to go back up into the 50's again later this week.  And, I'm sure we will all be sick of the snow by February, but for right now, it sure is pretty.

Not Quite Fall in Wauwatosa

Normally at this time in October, we residents of Southeastern Wisconsin, are enjoying the palette of golds, reds and yellows that fall presents.  But this year, autumn is a little shy, and we still have many areas, including my city of Wauwatosa, mostly in the green.  However, I've been stuck at home for the last three days with a head (and now) chest cold, and was desperate to get out today and take some photos now that I'm feeling better.  So, I went to one of our local parks, Hoyt Park, home of the city pool, to try and get some shots of any fall color I could find.

The most popular place to take photos in Hoyt Park is its bridge across the Menomonee River.  In fact, while I was trying to get a good photo of the bridge (which was difficult so late in the day), I witnessed a wedding party, complete with Pomeranians, and two high school seniors getting their photos taken on the bridge.

There was at least some color to break up the green trees on the long walking path that borders the Menomonee River Parkway.

I had to try to get one last good photo of Hoyt Park's bridge before I left.  But, I think I'll try to go back early in the day next weekend for a better photo.  Hopefully, there will be more colors on the trees!

Into The Woods: Retzer Nature Center

Last Sunday, I joined a group of friends for a walk through Retzer Nature Center, a state trail located in Waukesha.  I have been there a few times in the past to take photos, but it was great to see the park through the eyes of some friends who hadn't been there yet. 

One of our favorite places in the park was the path into the woods shown below.

This part of the park had a great old tree with different angled branches that looked like something from a stage set.

Another first for me was seeing the vistas you can only get to by climbing hills in the trail that I had always avoided.  But the scenery was beautiful.

My main goal was to get different compositions than I had shot before.  Using this approach made me see things on the trails I had never seen before.

I kind of liked walking Retzer's trails in late summer since the last time I was there was mid-fall and most of the leaves had turned.  This has given me a great set of photos from this region from throughout the year.

Mini-Landscapes: Mitchell Park Domes "Steampunk Railroad" Exhibit

Well, I have to say this has been a winter for the record books in Milwaukee, and not in a good way.  It has either been snowy or freezing cold since late November, which has really put a damper on my photography.  But, I found an excuse to bring my camera out of storage from when I moved and use it again.  Even though the high today is 10, I went out to my favorite indoor botanical garden, The Mitchell Park Domes for the last day of their annual model train show.  This year's theme was "Steampunk" which I only know about through a couple of friends who do this type of art work.  If you don't know what Steampunk is, the Domes provided this nice sign as a description:

 



The exhibit seemed to focus on the Old West, complete with little industrial towns, bridges, tunnels and a train depot.  The way they planted the featured winter flowers was interesting, too, making them look like pink, red and purple trees dotting the landscape.

I started out taking photos with my 35 mm standard-length lens, which showed off the Old West design nicely.  But then I decided to switch lenses to my 200 mm telephoto lens, just to see if it made a difference.  It really did!  I was able to get close enough to make each area of the setup look like mini-landscapes and that's when the real fun began:

In addition to the train set-up, they had little vignettes around the perimeter of the Show Dome displaying the arts and crafts examples of Steampunk:

I'm glad I forced myself to get out into the cold to head to downtown Milwaukee and see this exhibit.  The Domes always has such great displays, every season, and this was one of their best yet.