Any of you who travel to the Northwoods of Wisconsin know what I am talking about. There is nothing like the gin-clear lakes and listening to the wind whispering through the pine boughs as you inhale the smell of damp pine in the air. Loons sing their mournful songs as the sun glistens on the lake that has tiny ripples from the subdued breeze being blocked by the thick pine growth around the lake hollow. Occasionally the surface breaks with a bass looking for a quick meal. This is a truly beautiful area where the real meaning of what life was to be is realized. We drive on backwoods roads that are still made of sand with trees in places forming an almost complete canopy. White birch stands in stark contrast to the darker foliage. Although not in full fall color some of the hardwoods are starting to show the deep yellows and blazing oranges and reds. True beauty.
We traveled through the “blow down” areas where a few weeks ago winds of up to 100 miles per hour felled massive amounts of pines like pick-up sticks. Loggers have already started harvesting the lumber. That is sad to see but it is nature and it will recover. Everything has a purpose and the woods has amazing recuperative powers.
The post below has a few pictures showing the power of the wind and the beauty of the area including the Namekogan River. I hope you will all someday see it for yourselves. Please ignore the date on the pictures. As usual I forgot to set the camera date.
Ken Dillenburg