August 23, 2009: Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells, and Lodi, Wisconsin

I worked at chores all day on Saturday of this weekend so I would have all of Sunday free to go somewhere. It was not until Saturday night that I started to develop an outline of a plan, which I firmed up early Sunday morning. I had been watching a geocache for many months called "Jeepers Creepers" nearby Baraboo, but was not sure if it was something I wanted to do. It promised some off-road driving access to the cache hiding spot. When I checked again this weekend, I discovered that the person who placed that geocache had since placed several others in the area with the same theme of off-road vehicle access to the caches. There were also some virtual geocaches and an Earthcache I had been noticing for some time in the same general area too, so I chose to try for them also. All in all, not a typical geocaching trip for me.

I hit the road shortly after 9am, arrived at my first location just before 10am. Had a bit of a scare on I-90/94 along the way. I heard a loud crash/bang to the left of me as I drove in the center lane. I looked in my mirror and saw a car behind and left of me missing a fender and throwing tire tread rubber all over the road. Glad I was in front of all this. The first stop was at a historical marker along Hwy 33 east of Baraboo. I know the spot well, having actually stopped here more than a couple of times over the years to eat lunch while working over the years. This is an "Earthcache", which means that there is no physical container located here. To satisfy the requirements for logging it, I must email some answers to questions in the Earthcache description that I find by visiting the site. My answers were to be found at this marker.



Here is the obligatory blurry photo of the gorge with my gps receiver in the frame. Required to get credit for the log.


Had to log that Earthcache with 3 other muggles in the parking spot. That's the beauty of an Earthcache, you don't need to conceal anything.

I then motored on to the first of the "Jeepers Creepers" series, the very one I had on my watch list for months. The trail is really a marked road on all the maps I refereneced, but it sure looks like an off-road trail. Followed it up a bluff and stopped here, arriving at 10:15.


That would be ground zero just to my right.


Been some dumping goin' on here.


This looks like it might be holding the geocache container. If not it's the sleeping place of a redneck vampire. (Eek!)


Whew! Just the geocache.


Signed the log at 10:20, time to dash off to the next geocache location.


Here is what it looked like driving on this "road".


I stopped to take photos out the side a couple of times. Going in I was reading my gps receiver so I mostly took my photos leaving places.





OK, took a couple of left turns on the road and coming up is the next geocache spot...


Yes, that is the geocache. This one is a "virtual" cache, with no container or log to sign. I email the description of what I see at the location to get credit for the log.


Down the road and another left turn, and a couple of miles is the next location. This too is a virtual geocache. In this case I must email an answer to be found in these placques at this park for credit.





And here is the Man-Mound. Harder to see in the 2-dimmensional canvas of photography. This is the view looking down the "legs" Notice how the mound was amputated by the road here, and how they painted where the legs should on the pavement. Funny. I think the feet should be in that pasture across the road, but also appears to have been destroyed by farming.


Just turned around to get this view of an arm to the left, torso-legs to the right.


Looking straight down from above the head.


Looking off one of the "horns" on the head.


Better view of the double-amputation.


It's a little park, but the scenery is pretty. I can see why prehistoric indians would choose this as a special place to make this effigy.


The cows across the street only had a passing interest in my activity.


I marked that geocache as logged at 10:48 on my reference sheet. Started driving back to Highway 33 and just had to stop and admire this scene also.


Next Jeepers Creepers cache was in the city of Baraboo proper. This one in a non-descript place along the south shore of the Baraboo river, across the river from Circus World Museum. The off-road part was barely 150', but I drove it anyhow. This also appears to be a dumping ground. I'm not caching-in, trashing-out that mattress set.


The gps says it's less than 70 feet that way.


This was only my second spot I guessed to be where it was hidden.





Signed that log at 11:20am.


This would be a pretty view of the river if less foliage were here. I think this is a local teen party spot judging from the general cover and concealment.


Back to the Jeep and Y-turn right over that old mattress.


Next place is North and West of Baraboo not too far off of Highway 23. Have to go about 1/3 mile back in the woods using this trail. There are a couple of forks in the road to make you stop and decide.


Stopped and dismounted when I could not get any closer through the trees. It becomes more ATV type trail around 90 feet from the hiding spot. At 60 feet, I could immediately see where the cache should be hiding. Can you guess from the photo below?


Yeah it's in that stump with the big cavity.


Signed this log at 12 noon.


The stump with my Jeep way back there. Was really having fun so far, so I made a judgement call to do one more I had saved in Wisconsin Dells. Wasn't so sure before leaving home if I wanted to try that one, but now I really did want to go get it.


A couple of photos while I drove back out.





Next Jeepers Creepers cache, just by the I-90/94 and Hwy 13 interchange. I should have read this description better, I entered the trail from the wrong place entirely. Judging from where I did enter, I think I chose the quieter and more discreet way.


This one was kind of challenging. I was looking all around the posts, searching a nearby pine tree, then finally noticed something that was out of place in the environment.


Electrical control boxes are normally mounted all together on a panel. One sitting around the corner just ain't right.


That's the container all right!





Does this angle help show where this spot is? Signed this log at 12:30pm


This land is all for sale if you are interested in buying. I actually chose to explore the multiple, marked off-road trails on the land here. Fun driving.








Now it's early afternoon, I've logged 7 geocaches, and have barely done any walking at all. Now I'm thinking hard about where I might visit to get in 3 miles or so of hiking. I'm very near Mirror Lake State Park, and it's been several years since I visited there last. Alas, I don't have a state park visitor sticker this year, I would need to buy one at the ranger station. Then I got to thinking, about how much cash I actually had in the wallet today, and that I would need some gas before returning home.... need another plan. I remembered a segment of the Ice Age Trail south of Lodi, sort of on the way home. I last visited there 2 years ago, and logged a pair of geocaches then. I know that there are no new ones, but I was after some hiking activity now. There was a bunch of trail I didn't explore there the first time.

Driving on the last bit of road to the trailhead, I had to stop for a deer in the road. I didn't quite get the camera out fast enough to capture the doe when she was standing in the middle.


Nice grouping of shots on this sign at the trailhead. Looks like it was all from the same weapon to me, or at least all the same caliber bullet from the same distance.





This is a very scenic location.


This is a 180 degree panorama put together from multiple exposures.


I actually remembered each geocache general location as I walked by them. They were still on my gps too. I managed to walk to within 60 feet of this one from memory then used the gps to find the exact place.





I was just curious to read my log from 2 years ago.


Then I added a new log for this day. I posted a note for this geocache at geocaching.com also.


I starting to get an urge to return very late some afternoon and photograph a sunset from this place. I could bring a tripod, do it all the right way... hike 1/3 mile back out in the dark...


There is close to 300 feet of elevation change walking up and down the bluffs.


There is a prairie environment at the top.





I crossed from Dane into Columbia county.


Survived the deadly electric fields


Walked by the expensive home.


Then I turned around after just over 1.5 miles to come back. Not enough time or energy to walk all the way to Lodi and back. One more photo of that valley as I returned.


That same small bluff from the trailhead.


Now I'll just drop the top and drive on home. Got back to my house after 4pm.


The walking portion of this trip was just over 3 miles total. I marked the turn-around point with the flag. A very good day by any measure. 7 new geocaches, revisited another, and still got in a nice hike.


I hope you stayed with me to the end of this long story. :)