Ridge Run Fawn

Taken May 2016

©2016 Dawn Braun

Last weekend  I went hiking with my brother in law at Ridge Run Park and the Kettle Moraine Ice Age Trail that runs along the west side of the park.

Of course we trespassed through the Girl Scout Camp  In all honesty it's the only way to make the trip worthwhile.

Twenty years ago it was a well maintained county park with a ranger and his tastefully painted log cabin style home. Well groomed paths lead to private picnic areas with a fire ring. I recall one of the main shelters had a pay phone of all things.

Over the course of time the landscape has been drastically changed and in January 2016 Ridge Run was made into a city park, the only to accept dogs. Leashed of course.

In earlier days this was where I attempted to teach self reliance to my kids, from how to find the car, to peeing in the woods and avoiding poison ivy.   We leapt after frogs, caught tadpoles, skipped stones, and whistled through a grass reed.

You know, the stuff that country folk do to while the time.

Also at Ridge Run there is a good chance that you will see a deer and it's even more rare to come across a fawn.  This little guy was just off the ice age trail, very well tucked in between fallen tree limbs.  My brother in law, who was in front, completely missed him. It just so happens that vision between women and men are completely different and I'm sure I spotted the fawn by sheer biology.

Speaking of the Ice Age Trail, would you like to see the online map?  There is an effort to have a continuous trail throughout Wisconsin and so far they have done pretty good at keeping their promise as best as they can.

Wheretofind:

There are 2 entrances to Ridge Run (map): 

Back of Ridge Run:   Travel Hwy 41 to Hwy 33 East and turn right at the first set of lights which is N.Scenic Drive W until you get to a severe curve where Wheat Ridge Lane is and turn left down the single lane road (Wheat Ridge Road) and follow it to the parking lot.   Ahead of you is a newly constructed subdivision with retirement condos.  Just note that Wheat Ridge Lane Road ends at the parking lot - the connecting road through the park is a walking trail only.

Front of Ridge Run:     Travel Hwy 41 to Hwy 33 East through 2 lighted intersections.  Turn right onto University Drive where the Mobil Gas station is and the entrance to Ridge Run is just before UW-Washington County entrance is.  Driving ahead there is a playground - continue and the road will wind down to the main parking lot.

Ice Age Trail Parking:  From Hwy 45, exit on Paradise and head West through a pretty busy shopping district, even through the 4 way stop at 18th Avenue which is the corner of Aurora Clinic,
West Bend Mutual Insurance and the West Bend Cemetery.  Continue heading west on Paradise and just after you pass the cemetery grounds the parking lot is on your right

What to expect: A pretty busy park and lots of great trails.  This park is large enough where you can find a quiet trail.  There are modern bathrooms now on both sides of the park. LETTERBOXING LOCATION!

Tough Day for Photography - Hobbs Woods

© 2015 by Dawn Braun

If you need a place to escape and feel like you have been dropped into a scene from Legend, this is where you want to go. When I allow my gaze to drift up the creek there is always an intriguing bend that I have to follow that could possibly have a unicorn on the other side.
My daughter had agreed to come with me to Hobbs Woods on July 1st as I wanted to experiment with some ideas. Let's just say I have a LOT to learn and she was the perfect model and had the patience of a saint.

On this fateful day we discovered it was too buggy to take any real serious shots and the canopy of trees made any actions scenes impossible. Did I mention it was buggy? It was. What made it bearable was the discovery of a few kittens that greeted a few hikers. You can barely see the calico kitten on the upper left picture, but he/she followed us for about a half hour or so. Really just adorable.

So what you may not recall, Dear Reader, is that Hobbs Woods is across the way from a very large farm, therefore it is a reasonable conclusion that the cats came from there. I hoped I have assuaged your concerns for the cats as I continue with this story as the tale of the kittens does not end here. The calico/tiger kitten had approached us and our plans for actions scenes were focusing on including our new friend. I have about 100 shots with this cat but there is only a few usable ones due to the slow shutter speed.  We spent maybe an hour here before driven back to our car to escape the mosquitoes, vowing another trip the next day.

© 2015 by Dawn Braun

Fast forwarding to tomorrow, the mosquitoes were still just as bad, but we at least had a plan, and a tripod. Here is a sample of what kind of scenes I am developing. When I have a chance, I'll be headed back to Hobbs Woods with my model and costumes in tow. Who knows what will come out of that photoshoot. All I know is that I need to seriously step out of my comfort zone. My next scenes may be similar to the movie Legend or it might be a zombie.

Or both.