Canyon Park Cabin

Just ran across this Wisconsin County Bike Map that shows the bike trails to Governor Dodge & Blue Mounds State Park.

The woodpeckers were busy everywhere. I spotted a pair of Downy woodpeckers, what I think was a Red Bellied Woodpecker, and a Flicker. We also saw where a Pileated Woodpecker had been at work, but never got a glimpse of the shy bird.

The hepaticas are the second wildflower we see; clusters of white and purple flowers everywhere, catching every breeze. They bloom before their leaves emerge.

We saw 6 mallard ducks at the pond. If I’m very quiet, I can watch them from the top of the bluff, as they swim and chatter amongst themselves. The slightest noise will send them flying off.

Topo Map of Canyon Park

The Red Dot is where the driveway turns left off Canyon Park Road. The Canyon is shown in green, as it angles from the center of the map to the upper right corner (North East).

As you drive down the driveway to the Cabin, you will drop 83 feet from the top of the ridge. Then observe the level area that is the top of the bluffs all around canyon is at 1050 feet above sea level. This is where the cabin stands, and then the bottom flood plain level of the canyon is 950 feet above sea level. The bluffs drop 100 feet all along the sides of the canyon.

Aerial Photo of Canyon Park

Madison Environmental has some good links about the frogs

We hear the spring peepers in late March and it’s such a welcome sound!

Recycling. Customers are responsible for all recyclable containers that are brought on site. This includes glass, aluminum, tin and plastic. We recommend that you follow your local guidelines for recycling. Please bag and transport your items accordingly. It’s appreciated.
Composting. We compost all kitchen plant material scraps since there is no garbage disposal in the kitchen and it’s good for the garden. (Food products in the septic system are not a good thing!) This may be somewhat different for some of you, but it’s a minor task if you keep it in mind while you are preparing meals. After kitchen compost materials have been gathered they should be placed in the composter located in the garden. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s a large black container in the southwest corner of the garden. Just take off the top and drop in the plant material. A small amount of plain paper may be included as well. For instance, you may collect scraps in a paper bag and the entire bag may tossed in to the composter. Or you may want to wrap your material in newsprint, likewise a small amount of newsprint is acceptable. Or you may just take a bowl of scraps to the garden and dump them in the composter.
Trash. All trash must be disposed of properly. That is, placed in appropriate containers in the cabin or in the trash cans near the front shed. There is also a trash can provided near the outhouse in the canyon. Utilize plastic bags for all trash. Trash will be disposed weekly by Canyon Park.

These photos were taken from the pond, in a little boat. You can’t quite tell from this shot but that thing was huge. It was growing out of pure rock, it went up 60ft. then there was a crook in it. And what you see in the sunlight is the top forty or fifty feet. It was really kinda hangin’ out over the pond. It was eery when you were on the water.

Then one day………… I was in town and when I got back, Lynn was like “you gotta go check this out”. It had tipped over! She was on the deck and heard it go down.

The stump is still there, on the cliff into the pond, all 10 foot of stump. The rest of it was in the pond and on the road. It had to be at least one hundred feet long. Check it out when you near the dam. Imagine the top of the tree in the road. You’ll see what I’m talkin’ about.

It took all summer to get it out. The first day we were lucky and had a crowd of people show up. We had a fire as big as a truck and threw stuff in it all afternoon. Then we still had the log in the pond. Mike Martin brought his tractor by and we fished out the forty foot log. Parts of it can still be seen. There is one big part being used for guiding runoff, and another part preventing driving into a swampy area.

Here’s a photo of the sign that used to be on the highway, when there was a highway. The road is now Cty. YZ. This sign was at the corner of Canyon Park Road and Highway 151. It’s one sided and was placed on the roadside, only visible heading east from Dodgeville.

There is part of an old rusty door off a Model T. It’s lying just west of the road, just beyond the cave on the swamp side. It’s hard to see, in fact, you’d never know it was there unless you look.

Here’s the story; It was spring time and Mr. Woerpel was out picking up rocks. He had the old Model T pickup up on the loop and was throwing the rocks onto the truck. As he went around the loop he would stop the truck, load the rocks that were in the way and move to another spot and do the same.

After a couple of hours, he gets near the spot we call “Four Oaks”. It’s an outcrop, about 100 feet, straight down, at the apex and just big enough for a Model T pickup. There must have been rocks in the area that needed to be hauled. The truck was maneuvered onto the top of the cliff, or at least, the access area to the cliff. The path needed to be kept clear!

In a Model T, you need to use the parking brake. As the brake was set it became clear that it was not operational. And Mr. Woerpel had to sit with his foot on the brake and wait. And wait. Finally he devised a plan. He had located a rock that he thought he could grab and stick under the wheel. Thereby keeping the truck in place. So after quite a bit of deliberation he decided to go for it.

He planned his jump out of the truck, his grabbing of the rock and the stuffing of it under the wheel. He also thought that he had enough time to accomplish those tasks. Things went fairly well, the rock was in place and the truck had hardly moved. But it was pretty heavy, with the load of rocks and all. The truck just rolled over the rock. The tire squished a bit and the inertia and the weight all conspired. It just rolled over the rock.

It must have been something….. it HAD to have gone right off the end, right off the apex! Because there are trees all around this cliff and down the side. The trees would prevent a truck, even old Model T from going all the way down. For the truck parts to be in the swamp, it HAD to have gone right of the end! 100 feet, straight down. Then bounce. Right in the swamp.
Sheesh.

The story goes on. Earlier in the day the boys had decided to go to the cave. The cave is at the bottom of the Four Oaks cliff. No kidding. The cave is on the south side of the giant rock and is tucked under a bit of a rock shelf above it. Luckily, the Model T went off the end of cliff, which has a northern orientation. The boys said that they must have been in the cave at the right time, they didn’t hear a thing.

The cave is located just north of the clearing in the canyon, it’s on the right side about 30 feet up the hill. Check it out.

As you go past the cave keep your eye on the swampy area to your left, there are three springs there. And an old rusty door off a Model T.

It was Blustery. A spring evening, cool and real windy.

There are giant trees all around and the sounds are awesome. It seems that the trees create a bigger sound when there are no leaves. When the wind blows in a certain direction the huge poplars along the driveway roar. It sounds like a train is coming down the drive. The wind changes and the giant white pines make a new sound, a different pitch, a higher note. And almost as loud as the poplars.

A front moves in, some stuff flies across the yard - the winds are now sustained. A little lightning and one big roll of thunder.

It’s exciting but does make a person a little bit jumpy.