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| Cascade Falls Osceola, WI | |
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| | Cascade Falls Osceola, WI | | | |
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Cascade Falls Osceola, WI
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| Hiking | 5.00 Miles |
200 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.00 Miles | 4 Hrs | | 1.25 mph |
| 200 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Yesterday's weather forecast said brief, but possibly severe thunderstorms  occurring around 0400 tomorrow so what better excuse to take a break from my work on the house and yard. I had been researching some interesting hiking areas around Osceola, WI and figured that the storms would be past by the time I got there 
Yeah sure!  As I left home around 0500, there was lightning, thunder and it was pouring down buckets of rain (we ended up with 3/4" in half an hour). But I was determined to check out this area so I continued on, driving into rain that almost obliterated my view of the road  When I arrived in Osceola it was still raining but not as hard and still dark from the heavy overcast so I drove around until I found the area I had researched.
I drove down a muddy, pothole strewn dirt road through heavy brush until I came to the Soo Line RR tracks, parked the Explorer and grabbed my rain coat for an exploratory hike down the tracks. It was raining too hard to bring my camera along but I found the old Railroad swing bridge that crosses the St. Croix river leading into Minnesota...... This is for a future outing.
Got back to the Explorer and ditched the rain gear in the back then drove back out on the same road until I found a parking area for Standing Cedars. It was still raining (so much for a brief rainstorm)  as I grabbed the rain gear again and headed down a well beaten path through a field of tall wet WET grass. The path led alongside a field then branched off with one trail heading into a patch of woods where I came across a foot bridge crossing a small flowing stream a few feet below me. A short distance past the bridge, the trail was blocked by a large fallen tree where I turned around and retraced my steps back to the main trail.
I continued on the main trail until it entered the woods winding through tall Pines and Oaks and finally came to a small clearing where I was on a ridge about 80 feet above that same flowing creek. I could see the RR tracks through the woods so I cautiously slipped and slid down the embankment to the tracks (still raining). Satisfied that I knew approximately where I was now, I headed back to the parking lot and a dry vehicle.
I drove back to Osceola where I parked on Main Street close to the stairway leading down to Cascade Falls where I could hear the sounds of rushing water all the way up here. The rains had let up a bit so I chanced taking my camera and tripod down for some shots of the falls. These falls are so incredibly scenic and to think I'm almost in downtown Osceola. I spent several minutes down there, in the creek, behind the falling water and on the foot bridge shooting the falls from several angles, and yes, it's still lightly raining 
Once back on Main Street, I could see the sun beginning to peak through the dark clouds and in other places I could see patches of blue sky. OK, it's still to early to head home so I drove back out to Standing Cedars, parked in the lot, grabbed the camera and tripod and headed down that path again. About a half mile out, YEP, it started to rain again......CRAP, enough of this, time to head for home and some dry clothes 
Except for getting really wet today  this was still a successful outing cause now I have some really exciting places to go when the trees begin to turn in a couple of months.... If only this darn summer would dry out. |
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| On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip. |
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