Shrouded Shore: The Many Musings of Thom Singleton

  Everything So Green, For Now A carpet of green in the meadow, a ceiling of green in the woods. So green is the world, one can almost conjure a taste of mint, Or little green men of Mars painting our planet in their likeness. But wait! There’s hints of other colors in the verdant trees, reds and yellows. After all, it is September.  The Sun’s arc is headed south, and leaves behind its brilliance in the greenery, A radiance that soon will prevail in a fiery Fall climax. But the grasses and trees remember, and will welcome the Sun back again. Back again in Spring.

  Upper Dells This is a boat trip on the Wisconsin River, the highlights of which are walks, walks into Witch’s Gulch and Stand Rock. Witch’s is a very narrow, deep, dark rend in the rock, a canyon almost cave-like in places, where you had to be careful or you’d run into enclosing walls. A witch would have to take off her tall hat to make it through. A stream courses through it bridged by a boardwalk. The boat landed there as well as at Stand Rock. There a short walk inland brings you to a tall, stories-high column of rock with a flat crown way larger in circumference than its supporting column. For the amazement of us spectators, a dog, trained to do so, jumped from a nearby cliff top to the top of Stand Rock and back. Witch’s Gulch and Stand Rock, icons of  Wisconsin Dells. 

  Copper Falls  A series of waterfalls in a rugged rock canyon  at the confluence of the Tyler Forks and Bad Rivers Watery cascades thunder as they have for centuries through ancient lava rock, echoes of its volcanic origin A sight and sound not to be missed The rivers not navigable but spectacular to experience from the canyon-top hike Copper Falls State Park, a northern Wisconsin gem

  The Apostles Not 12, 21 Not the biblical ones, islands Forested islands, some with sea caves Sea caves cut from rock by relentless waves Waves of Lake Superior, largest lake in the world Reminisced on a boat tour A boat that would dwarf our sea kayak Our kayak that we paddled in the islands years ago And camped on two, Oak and Otter This year, the grand tour took us all the way to Devils Island An odd name for an Apostle, but also the northernmost land in Wisconsin It’s north shore is riddled with sea caves, the evidence of Lake Superior’s power The power to erode rock The tour was filled with moments of beauty, and memories of kayak camping days Thank you, Apostles, and their Great Lake