Ashland (more rain)

When I looked at the forecast last night, rain was predicted for the early morning hours, but was supposed to move out by about 9 AM. As so often happens, the front stalled over the area. Every time I looked, it would be pushed out another hour. I finally went out anyway, planning to work around it. I retrospect. I should have been more patient. After waiting in my car for an hour in the wind and pouring rain, I finally went into town to get a cup of soup, a cup of coffee and a warm dry respite. I ended up crossing over to Michigan to visit the highly rated Suffolk Street Eatery in Ironwood. I have to say, the food and service were very good. And by the time I left, around 1 PM, the rain was finally letting up.

I stopped first at Upson Falls , located at the campground of the same name. Before walking down to the falls, I chatted with Stacy and Ryan who were camping in the area, but taking the opportunity to dry off in the campground shelter after the rain. Like the two falls I visited yesterday, Upson Falls required a bit more effort. The falls here in WI are smaller and more wild than the falls in the MI UP. The trails, if they exist at all, are frequently a scramble, and you have to work to get into position. That’s fine, it discourages the civilians. I went two pools deep into Upton Falls, then the footing, already wet and muddy, got a bit too rough for my liking. And I wanted to get to at least one other falls today.

There is a lot of road work, likely because they are trying to get it done before winter arrives. This introduced some delays on the roads. By the time I arrived at Foster falls , down a three mile gravel road, it was already 4 PM. Again, it was a scramble down to where I could photograph the falls, really no trail at all. And I had to navigate unstable rocks in the water, but it was doable. The falls themselves were not that interesting, but I was rewarded by some nice foliage.

Tomorrow, bright sun is predicted, which brings its own set of problems, at least for photography. Regardless, I hope to capture more falls and fFall color.

(I'm so excited to finally have Fall color that I am including more images than usual in the blog, rather than relegating them to a gallery)