O'Hauser Park - Menasha

Neenah-Menasha (Winnebago Cty)

O'Hauser Park
Originally uploaded by WheretogoWisconsin

This is where I eat my lunch when the day is fair.

Just looking at this brings me peace. Some days it's pretty tough to see the beauty in anything, and when I arrive I know it will be a quiet place to reflect.

Today it was pretty buggy. Imagine a small swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitoes following me in their haphazard way. I left my sweater on for the added protection, but my face and neck didn't fare so well.

There seems to be some misunderstanding as to whose park this belongs to, and the winner is the Town of Menasha (not the city, and not the county as I've experienced).

You may or may not have read other posts of mine, but to reiterate: my main resource to the parks I have gone is by thumbing through the city's phone book. I used to live in West Bend, so I have gotten to know that area quite well, and now in the past decade it's been the Fox Valley that I have been exploring.

Just a light warning, this is not the kind of park to visit if you live more than 15 minutes away. If you are willing to do some park-hopping, then I would indeed have suggestions to plan an afternoon.

The reason I like this park has to do with the 'come hither' quality in so many areas. I fell in love with the bench swings, I have followed the wooded trails and have found little hidden alcoves and traversed a small brook. It somehow has stuck a balance between a public park and a private escape.

Wheretogo: O'Hauser is on 1987 O'Leary Rd, which is located off of Irish Rd and is between Winchester (Cty Hwy II) and Jacobsen Rd (map). Note: Entrance to park is found when travelling down Irish, go over the tracks and the first left is O'Leary and you will follow that to the stop sign. Go left and you will find the start of their 18-hole Disc Gold Course, go straight and the entrance to either North and South is right past it.

What to expect: There is a South and a North O'Hauser Park. South is the cool park, and the North is where the big fancy playground is. Not to worry, they are right across the street from each other.

1000 Islands Environmental Center - Kaukauna

1000 Islands
Originally uploaded by WheretogoWisconsin

Kaukauna (Outagamie Cty)

The title of this really should be 'Looking for those #@$%! Pelicans' and my search has taken me to KAK-Kawna. I have to laugh when I say that town's name; sounds like someone's choking. Who knows what the town's real name was.

Anyhoo....the Fox River has overrun her banks as you can clearly see at the 1000 Islands Environmental Center due to last weeks storm, the very same storm that days before ripped through a boy scout camp in Iowa. The riverbank trails are the wooded plank type (seen in other pics), and several of those trails were blocked off.

Unfortunately, that barricade didn't stop me, though I have no real desire to gamble my life I couldn't help but try see why the trail was closed. If it didn't stop me imagine a couple of kids or drunken college students.

My review of this park was somewhat handicapped due to the amount of mud I had to navigate when hiking the upper woods portion of the park, which lie across the highway. However, there was much more activity on the main section, experiences which have imprinted itself upon my memory of this place. Like this fawn, for instance. He/she scampered towards me, bleating. I could go on, explaining every detail, but I grieve that it will not be able to convey the wonder I felt. It was a rare occurrance and I believed I was honored by its grace.

HOW TO FIND: The nature center is found on Dodge Street, tucked between the baseball and football park. The easiest way to take Hwy 41 North all the way round Appleton, Little Chute, to Cty J exit. You are coming into Kaukauna from the north on Hwy 55 and this will turn into Lawe, which you will follow into town, over the bridge and when you see Dodge, turn Left and watch for the sports park. You can also come up from Hwy 57, taking Cty Hwy Z west, which turns into Dodge in Kaukauna. Easy Peazy.

What to expect: A better review. Frankly I did not stay long enough to go into the nature center itself. This park has some nice winding trails along the Fox River. There are connecting trails from the main section to the upper wooded one. There is an eagle's nest there somewhere.

Oh, and there's Pelicans.