For the most current outdoor recreational & community information please visit The Skillet Creek Journal at www.skilletcreekjournal.com.   We also have a pretty darn active Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/skilletcreek and Facebook page as well.  So while we won’t be blogging here at WisDells.net any longer, it’s simply because we’ve got stuff going on all over the place!!   Did I mention the Devil’s Lake State Park Blog?

Being the “outdoorsy” type, when I’m planning a vacation I’m always looking for the best spots to hike, bike, paddle or whatever when I get to my destination.  The thing is, I always know I’m missing something.  Maps and Chamber of  Commerce websites rarely do a good job showing you where the best best trails are.  With that in mind I’ve added a new section to WisDells.net called “Where We Go“.  The “Where We Go” section will tell you about the places we enjoy right here in the Wisconsin Dells area.  Each article will include a general overview, directions and observations that we hope will give you some new ideas when exploring the area. 

Starting off I’ve got two activites for you.. Hiking the South Face of the East Bluff at Devil’s Lake State Park & Paddling the Baraboo River.  Check the new “Where We Go” section every week or so as I will be posting more of our favorite outdoor spots as soon as I can write them up!  Also for a more general look at Natural Areas around the Dells go to our Natural Areas section.

As we’ve begun our new focus on outdoor recreation we realized we need to get out and take new pictures for the Natural Areas section. Yesterday we managed to get out to Baxter’s Hollow about 20 miles south of the Dells, Natural Bridge State Park (even further south), and the Dells of the Wisconsin river right here in Wisconsin Dells. It was a great day for a road trip and a hike. The DOWR Natural Area opens officially on May 15th of each year. Click here for more.

Yep, there are lots of you out there that almost cringe at the mention of Wisconsin Dells.  For some it’s certainly become the anti-vacation.  A weekend full of running around, stress, unhealthy food, kids on sugar highs, traffic and well, you know…  Well,  there is another side to Wisconsin Dells of course.  It’s just getting hard and harder to find.   As a paddler, hiker and general outdoorsy type myself  I could’nt help thinking that there are lots of us out there who actually want to relax on our vacation and not just run from crowded spot to crowded spot being separated from our money.   It was that thought that encoraged me to take a bit of a right turn here at WisDells.net.  I decided to get out of the “rat race” as it were, and focus on building this site around outdoor enthusiasts, families who want to play together, and actually relax.   So with that in mind let’s see where 2009 takes us.  There will be lots of new content coming under the heading of  “Outdoor Guide” soon.  Feel free to post here. Suggestions & comments are welcome.

On thing about being a photographer, I still get to see what the rooms look like in Wisconsin Dells Hotels.  Well, occasionally anyway.  I thought I’d share this shot from the Atlantis.

I’m making a few changes here at WisDells.net for the new year mostly to bring WisDells.net in line with the rest of the guides in the network (BarabooNow.com, DevilsLakeWisconsin.net, MirrorLakeWisconsin.com). After the way 2008 was going what with the floods and the sudden disappearance of Lake Delton it just seemed like it was time for a little “Out with the Old” treatment.  Like many of us in the Wisconsin Dells area, I’m just looking forward to a new season.  This year we are going to head just a be more off the beaten path and focus on the natural beauty of the area.  Nature offers so many benifits to a family vacation it’s hard to name them all.  One thing that comes to mind this year more than most is that exploring the great outdoors is often much less expensive.  Anyway, we’ll talk more about that as the 2009 progresses.  As always, thank you choosing WisDells.net, “My little dells guide”.

]]> http://wisdells.net/2009/02/15/changes/feed/ 0 http://wisdells.net/2008/06/14/come-on-come-on/ http://wisdells.net/2008/06/14/come-on-come-on/#comments Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:01:39 +0000 derrick http://wisdells.net/2008/06/14/come-on-come-on/ Ok, so with all this talk of flooding or draining away as the case my be it’s also worth telling you a little story. I grew up here in Baraboo just a few miles south of Wisconsin Dells. Of course when you live so close to something you don’t see it the same [...]]]>

Ok, so with all this talk of flooding or draining away as the case my be it’s also worth telling you a little story. I grew up here in Baraboo just a few miles south of Wisconsin Dells. Of course when you live so close to something you don’t see it the same way as occasional visitors will. But one interesting thing is that for the many, many years that I was growing up here I didn’t even know there WAS a Lake Delton. As a kid I did not grow up in a family of boaters, or swimmers for that matter. When you went to the Wisconsin Dells it was for all the other stuff, the super slides (gone now), to ride the ducks, eat fudge, or get shot at by Black Bart. It was not until years later that I knew there was a little lake just a few blocks of the Wisconsin Dells parkway. That comes to mind now, when I’m getting so many emails asking things like, “should I still come to Wisconsin Dells?”. Well, the answer is “Of course!”. For the folks along Lake Delton the loss of the lake has been a major disaster. However, almost everything you come to Wisconsin Dells for has been totally unaffected. Just like when I was young, most visitors will never even see the empty lake bed unless they go a bit out of their way. That’s just the way it is. So unless you planned to do some fishing buzzing around on Jet Skis you’re vacation will probably go off without a hitch.

For vacationers there is even a bit of a benefit. There is a good chance you can get discounted lodging up to 50% at some resorts near the lake. Which more than being a great deal will of course, give you a front row seat to a very rare moment in Wisconsin Dells history. Something I’m sure your kids will tell their kids in years to come.

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By the way, if you are interested in seeing more pictures of the lake and County Highway A, the News Directory of Fox News Chicago sent us this link.  Thanks for that!    I’ve also got some video of the flooding in Baraboo that I will be posting in the next day or so as well.
 

We took a stroll on what used to be a lake bed. Assorted junk, antiques, an old sled and timber that looks to have been an old bridge were just some of the things that we found that were once hidden below the water.  Sections of the lake bed are like quicksand so it’s not really all that safe to be out there.  I will post more pictures in the coming days.

I’ve also talked to some of the property owners and most are still open for business, their beaches are just a bit bigger now.  Some have been having phone issues which should resolve in the next 24 hours.

I’m sure you’ve heard we’ve had a bit of rain in the area of the last few days.  A real disaster hit Wisconsin Dells when Lake Delton drained away into the Wisconsin River. Yes, Lake Delton is at least for the time being. .  gone.  Businesses on the Lake are left wondering what to do next.  Suddenly the lake front, isn’t the lake front anymore.  Many of these folks are clients and friends that I have known for quite a number of years and all my hopes go out to them.  If you have lodging reservations at one of the many lake side hotels, condos, or resorts you may want to check in as to what conditions to expect. 

Tommy Bartlett’s Ski, Sky, & Stage show is also located right on Lake Delton and will certainly be affected as well.  According to the local news, owners say the show will go on, albeit without the "Ski" part for the time being.

Devil’s Lake State Park is also dealing with high water which has covered the beaches all summer.  Now there is high water in most of the North Shore picnic area and some roads are under water as well.  The campgrounds are away from the lake and are fine for the most part.

Boaters should be a bit leery of the rivers at the moment.  Fast currents and debris are just some of the dangers of rivers in flood.  The Baraboo river is now flowing just an inch or two under the Manchester st. bridge.  This would be a death trap for paddlers. 

More News Stories:

Lake Delton nearly empties – Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

Destruction & Devastation On Lake Delton – WYOW

Rain-Swollen Lake Delton Floods, Destroying Homes, Highway
- lots of coverage, video & photos from Channel3000.com

Our Devil’s Lake State Park Blog
-devilslakewisconsin.com
 

Remember when we were told technology would give us more free time?
(Insert Laugh-track here!!).

After we redesigned the site we had to go through a bunch of hoops to keep our place in all the major search engines. With a little fiddling that was resolved and chances are if you are reading this, that’s why.

We had an issue yesterday with links out to all the various businesses listed. Our little counter which tells our advertisers that you guys actually do use the site got overwhelmed. Which is sort of a good thing, but you don’t want it giving up the ghost! That meant of course that they lowly webguy got to pull an all-nighter installing more robust software to handle all the clicks.

We’ve added a couple new Wisconsin Dells businesses as well;

Skyline Motel which is another family owned property that emphasizes “hometown hospitality”. It’s certainly worth checking them out for their nice romantic suites.

Lake Delton Water Sports is also on board. Lake Delton Water Sports was founded 27 years ago by Steve and Kathy Zowin. Steve and Kathy currently operate Water Sports with the help of their 3 sons: Steven, Nick, James and an extended family of 16 employees. During the boating season their Full Service Marina Department is open 7 days a week and is staffed with three trained marine technicians. They carry a wide assortment of marine supplies for all of your boating needs, boat rentals of all sorts and more. These folks also offer canoe and kayak rentals right at Mirror Lake State Park as well.

Oh, Gotta Run! The Internet after all is a harsh mistress!!
 

Hi all,

It’s Wednesday already!  Boy how the week is flying by!  We’re still finding little glitches with the new site here and there, but not too much.  It’s sort of like breaking in a new car.  The first 10,000 miles or so you have to keep an eye on things.

I want to take a moment to share with you some of the new folks we’ve added this week as well:

First off there is Sidwinders which is the new Bistro located at Antiqua Bay.  I was over there last week taking pictures and all the new stuff looks great!

Circus World Museum is getting ready for a new season and is now featured over on our "More Attractions" page.

We also welcome the Dells Comedy Club.  I noticed they have some videos up on Youtube.com. We may have to post one here in a few days!

If you are into camping you’ll want to check out Stand Rock Campground.  I had a chance to walk around their place last year and was really impressed with their facilities. Not to mention the natural beauty of the area. You can visit their website here.

Also in Lodging there are some new choices as well;

Sandrift Resort – A family Oriented resort right on the beach.

Fizgeralds – Which has a good reputation for their "homey" atmosphere.

River Road Motel – located right across from the new Wisconsin Dells River walk.

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I think that’s it for the moment.  Well, I better get back to whatever it is webguys do!!