Pike’s Peak in Iowa – Camping at Wyalusing, Blog post #4

For a couple days back in August, Hubby and I camped at Wyalusing State Park in the southwest corner of Wisconsin.

Across the river from there is Pike’s Peak State Park in MacGregor, Iowa. Not quite the same as the Pike’s Peak I’ve been to in Colorado, but the view was still stunning here in the upper Midwest.

I don’t know if you can read the plaque on the rock, but this is where the Wisconsin River empties into the Mississippi. The first white men set foot in this area in 1673. Just a few years ago.

Back on the Wisconsin side at Wyalusing, there is a sad memorial –  

-        extinction of the passenger pigeon. 

How horribly tragic and senseless.   

The next morning, we packed up camp and headed home. Last camping trip of the summer. 

Bring Back Justice

You say that God is with you, so you should do good things, not evil. Then you will live, and the Lord God All-Powerful will be with you. Hate evil and love goodness. Bring justice back into the courts. Maybe then the Lord God All-Powerful will be kind to the survivors from Joseph’s family. (Amos 5:14-15, Easy-to-Read Version)

I had a different Bible passage picked out for today; in fact, it was an entire chapter from the book of Psalms. Psalms has a lot of beautiful and moving verses. But what about the book of Amos? We never hear much about the prophet Amos or the book he penned.  

Seventeen books of the Old Testament are written by men considered the “prophets”. Most of these books are painful to read in their entirety. You need to know and understand much of the history of the Jewish people for these books to make sense to you. I would love to delve into them, but it can make my head spin.

So, we pluck out a few verses that sound good. We may not know what the words mean from the perspective of the ancient Jews, but we use what we can. Doesn’t it make sense to us all to “hate evil and love goodness”?

And sometimes, sentences such as “bring justice back into the courts” are so fitting to this time period that we have to believe that the word of God is as prevalent today as it was millennia ago.

Historic St. Feriole Island – Camping at Wyalusing, Blog post #3

 St. Feriole Island is the site of the earliest activities in Prairie du Chien. It was the center of the fur trade, home of the first Fort Crawford, site of the Battle of Prairie du Chien in 1814, and home to Villa Louis.

While we were camping at nearby Wyalusing State Park, we spent an afternoon visiting the Island.

Currently named the Dousman House and used as an event venue, this grand building was originally a hotel. Built in the mid-1860s, it served railroad passengers traveling through the area.

This is the Depot Bar and Grill. I’m not sure if it’s the original depot from the 1800s, but it sits along the old railroad tracks.

The Mississippi River flows across from the Depot and Dousman House.

Lawler Park Interpretive Rock Building.

The Brisbois House. I don’t know where my head was that day – oh, yeah, I was just whining about my back ache. Anyway, that whole area has a massive amount of history and each of the many 1800s buildings has a long story to tell. Unfortunately, I was too hazy that day to put it all together.

Here’s a good website which lists most of the buildings on the island: https://www.prairieduchien.org/historical-sites/#:~:text=St.,the%20Chicago%2C%20Milwaukee%20%26%20St.

The original Fort Crawford.

Villa Louis is the chocolate chips in the chocolate chip cookies on St. Feriole Island.

Unfortunately, it was closed the day we were there, but with all the road construction around it, I’m not sure it would have been open all week.

But I’ve been in lots of old houses. The sculpture park nearby was just as fascinating, I thought.

But I’m not gonna lie.

I thought these guys playing Frisbee golf were the most fascinating. I never in a million years imagined that they would have different sizes of Frisbees for each “hole”. I lead such a sheltered life.

Ultimate Surge Protector

 

 I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter. (Psalm 62:5-7, Good News Translation)

If you thought last Sunday’s post about my hardwood floors was a stretch, hold on to your stocking caps. Here I go again.

On December 15, 2021, the power went out in our house during a winter storm. We’ve survived many a Wisconsin winter, so we fired up the generator outside and made due. The electricity came on two days later. Fleetingly. Something sparked and snapped and the power went out again. Apparently, it was some sort of power surge and the lights were out this time until the wee hours of December 19.

During that time, we ran a gas lantern in the bedroom for heat and light, during the daytime only, when we hoped we’d notice carbon monoxide poisoning before we passed out. I thought the burning odor I continued to smell was from that.

Come Sunday morning, when the power was back on, we discovered that the power surge a few days before had fried both our garage door openers, several light bulbs, and all of our surge protectors. The one in the bedroom actually burned a spot in the hard wood floor. That was the burning odor I kept smelling.

And every time I vacuum that spot in the floor, I still see that tiny cross.

Thinking about the beauty of my floors last week, it dawned on me how beautiful that particular mark is. Those power strips saved many of our electrical devices from being destroyed. When there is a power surge, those strips sacrifice themselves for your benefit.

Just like Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. I guess He is the ultimate surge protector.

Another Back Update

It’s been 166 days since I blew out my back. As you all know, I’ve had many miserable times during that stretch, but I have had just as my mediocre days. Days when I could at least take a comfortable walk down my road or lay in the sun on my deck. I can’t say the totally pain-free days were greater than a dozen, but they were still there, somewhere throughout the summer.

Yesterday, I had my steroid injection at L-2 to L-3 (if that means anything to any of you). It wasn’t very painful, and my back hasn’t hurt at all since I left the room. Of course, they tell me that is just the effects of the local anesthetic they numbed my back with before putting in the spinal needle, and that within 24 hours, that will wear off, at which time my nerve endings will go, “what in the name of all things bright and beautiful did you do?” Meaning, the pain will most likely return with a vengeance, until those nerves figure it out and settle down in any where from seven to fourteen days.

I know, right? Did I really sign up for that?

The doctor was very nice and had a decent sense of humor, which you know I appreciate. I had never met him and the staff already had me laying on my stomach with my head in the donut pillow, when he walked in and introduced himself. I answered him, “the back of my head is glad to meet you too.”

He did mention my nice tan and I told him that was because all I could do all summer was lay on my deck in the sun. He said he thought I’d been gardening all summer, which made me chortle and reply, “yea, right.”  

Anyway, it went smoothly. And all I can do is see what happens from here. Thank you, everyone, for all the prayers over the last five and a half months. I love you all.

I always try hard not to be frosty towards new people I meet in health care - I've been where they are.
 But I will admit, I was a chicken yesterday. 

Historic Prairie du Chien - Camping at Wyalusing, Blog post #2

The first full day we camped at Wyalusing State Park, we took a drive into nearby Prairie du Chien. It is considered Wisconsin’s second oldest city. Younger only than Green Bay, it was established in 1673.

Being that old, Prairie du Chien does have a long and interesting history. Which you’ll have to look up on your own if you want to read about it. I’m mostly about the pictures.

We first toured the Fort Crawford Museum complex. It included the Fort Crawford Hospital and the Prairie du Chien Museum.    

 

Unfortunately, walking through the buildings and stopping to study all of the displays did not agree with my back. For me, I took an amazingly few pictures. We’ll have to go back another day.

There was so much more to see in the town. I’ll share more next time. 

What is Beauty Anyway?

    You should not use outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you fix your hair, or the jewelry you put on, or the dresses you wear. Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4, Good News Translation). 

I love the hardwood floors in my house. Some of them are pretty worn, and some have even endured some major abuse (before I moved in, by the way).
 

But to me, they are all beautiful, and I wouldn’t change any of them.

God sees us the same way. No matter what scars or flaws we carry on the outside, and even if we carry faults on the inside, God loves us no matter what.

But if you have a kind and caring soul, it will make is easier for others to love you too.

  My back has been exceptionally painful the last few days, and I have been feeling less than beautiful on the inside or out. More like feeling just plain ugly. That’s what got me thinking about my hardwood floors. Beauty is something different to everyone, but there is beauty in everyone, no matter how they look or feel. And there would certainly be nothing beautiful about me these days if it weren’t for God.  

Camping at Wyalusing, Blog post #1

August 6^th thru the 9^th, we took our second and final camping trip of the year. We drove all the way to the far southwest corner of the state to Wyalusing State Park. 

The park sits on 2,700-acres overlooking the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. It is one of the oldest Wisconsin State Parks, having been established in 1917.

Views from the bluffs above the two rivers are breath-taking. There are also miles of hiking trails, but with my back still causing me trouble, I wasn’t able to hike any of them. Hopefully, next time. 

Native Americans, fur-traders, miners, and some of the states earliest Europeans all passed through this area and left their influence in one form or another. The Civilian Conversation Corps built roads, trails, and shelters in the park during the Great Depression.

 Overall, Wyalusing is steeped in natural beauty and history.

Meditation?

 

          Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27, New King James Version)

If you may recall, I’ve been suffering from back pain since the first of April. I’ve tried nearly everything, and most treatments seem to help for a few days, and then pain starts acting up again. It seems like a new treatment (physical therapy, CBD salve, TENS unit, etc.) helps to a certain degree, and then I reach a plateau where I am stuck. Overall, however, I think I slowly, oh so very slowly, have been getting better.

I started thinking, and even feeling in my body, that the back is actually healed as much as it can be, but my brain keeps me stuck with the pain. I'll feel a sketchy feeling in my back, and right away, my brain is like, “Danger, Will Robinson, it’s going to be painful.” I know, it sounds crazy, but that’s where I’m at.

So, I found some guided meditation videos on YouTube, which tackle what I’m going through. And it seems to be helping. I even wrote what sounded like a meditation on my August 13 blog post. Then I ran into that brick wall which confronted me with the question – is this a Christian thing to do?

I read some thoughts on it on the internet. Yes, meditate is mentioned in the Bible, a lot, such as, "meditate on the word of the Lord." But there are also different types of mediatation. I could go into it, but I still come back to the belief that it is all where your heart and soul are. My heart and soul believe that God is always with me, that Jesus is my Savior, and that the Holy Spirit guides me. And when I relax my mind and body, and the words below run through my head, I think I’m going to be okay. No, I know I’m going to be okay.

          Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10a, New King James Version)

Challenges

Several years ago, I challenged myself to walk all of the trails in one of the state parks.

In 2021, I hiked one of the trails in Devil’s Lake State Park. It was exhilarating, but I also thought I could have killed myself. I’ll never get to all the trails in that park.

Last year, I walked all of the trails in Bewabic State Park in Michigan. And I hoped to accomplish that goal in a different state park each year. 

This year, as you can certainly guess, I didn’t come close. One day, I stopped by our nearest state park the end of July and walked a very paltry section of its trails. Okay, to be honest, most of what I hiked was on the handicap accessible path. I’m pathetic.

But guess what? It is only September 1. Maybe we will have a long, comfortable autumn, and now that my back is doing quite a bit better, I’ll be able to get out and explore before snow falls.

Hope you’ve been able to get out and enjoy all that the outdoors of your area has to offer. And if not, there is always tomorrow, or next week, or next year. Just don’t give up.

Or if you really want a challenge – well, I still can’t believe I climbed up this wall in 2015 in Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya. If I could do that, you can do anything.