DriftlessWisconsin.com

One of the great pleasures offered in Driftless Wisconsin is the abundance of wildlife that make this rugged land their home. Watching a deer hurdle a fence line or a muskrat plunge into the river never gets old, and provides a privileged peek into the fleeting world of nature.

Standing on a ridge in Driftless Wisconsin with the wind in your face, you can almost imagine soaring like an eagle.  Or if you’re willing to strap a pair of skis to your feet and leave common sense behind, you might actually take flight. 

As grandparents on New Year’s Eve, the possibilities include hoisting a bottle of baby formula with our seven-month old grandchild or raising a glass of champagne at a local eatery.  Whether babysitting or celebrating, our granddaughter’s full-face smile will be lighting up the New Year.  

As the holiday pace quickens and hurls us deeper into the shopping season, Driftless Wisconsin prepares for winter’s slower tempo.  Don’t get me wrong; our calendars are full with Christmas parties, tying up loose year-ends, with time squeezed in for shopping.  Yet the landscape of Driftless Wisconsin tells a different story as it prepares for the long winter ahead. 

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Eric

If you’ve ever watched time-lapse photography, then you can appreciate the fleeting nature of wildlife caught on our game camera.  Located on a busy deer trail near Ferryville, the camera lens captured the night life of forest residents in their nocturnal routine of hunting for food.

Change is in the air and coming through our windows.  My wife opens the windows in defiance of the approaching cold.  I close them in hopes of forestalling another seasonal milestone; turning on the furnace.  A mild October beginning had us lulled into thinking the Indian summer might sleep in and stay awhile, but falling temperature and rising winds have us reaching for the comforter – and the window crank. 

To fully experience Driftless Wisconsin requires the use of all of your senses.  A drive through the Driftless landscape during fall will find you craning your necks to see the autumn colors framed outside your window.  But then it’s time to park the car and walk into the picture.

The first signs of fall in Driftless Wisconsin are literally creeping up the trees.  Virginia Creeper, an invasive vine that wraps itself around limbs, offers the first hint of color as it shoots up the trunks of trees like slow-motion fireworks.  Oak trees overlooking the river valleys oblige the approaching season by turning a few of their tinted leaves to the sun.  

The more you experience Driftless Wisconsin, the more you yearn to take part of her home with you.  Whether it’s the tranquility of a remote valley, the view from a ridge top, a new discovery along the river, or the feel of a fall afternoon, Driftless Wisconsin fills your senses.