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Perrot State Park Fall Colors Camping

13 October, 2011 10:00 CST6CDT

Perrot State Park in Trempeleau Wisconsin is amazingly beautiful during the fall season.  I had the opportunity to camp there for 8 nights and 9 days, October 1st through the 9th, 2011.

I arrived on a Saturday to an abundance of outdoor scenic outlooks and a busy park with visitors from all over Wisconsin and the US taking advantage of one of the State Park gems of the area.  Arriving about noon, myself and my camping mate took advantage of the first campsite we could find of our liking that was available for 8 nights, picked up firewood to last a couple of nights, ate our Subway sandwich, and then only after lunch did we set up camp.

Perrot State Park now offers a choice of soft or hardwood for camp fires.  The hardwood is well worth the $4.00 price tag as it burned hot for most of the night.  I do not recall having a choice earlier in the year, or in the years past.

All 8 nights we had a clear night sky with unhindered view of our existence with bright stars and constellations.  Google Sky Map got a workout on several of the nights along with Opera with a constant exercise of looking into star systems, constellations, and new and exciting bright stars that summer does not always make available in my home city.

I am blessed to literally watch the fall colors change with only minimal plant color abstractions when I arrived.  Below are two pictures taken - the first picture was taken a couple of days after arrival, and the second fall colors picture was taken a day before departure.

Perrot State Park Fall Colors  Perrot State Park Fall Colors

The trail systems at Perrot State Park are very large.  During the Winter, some trails are only open to cross country skiing, though many remain open for short or long vigorous bluff treks. 

Before I left the park I placed a Geocache on the Perrot Ridge Trail.  Taking the long way you may need an hour of your leisure time, though taking the shortcut will only cost you about 10 minutes of uphill climbing.  I called it 'Sunset Tree'.  After filling out the DNR cache placement form, getting it approved, and submitting it to geocaching.com, it became available shortly after I returned home.  It is an easy 1.5/2.5 regular container size.

I had the opportunity to stay one more week, but I hesitated thankfully and packed up the gear and hit the road for my home bed after 9 days.  It is good to be home.

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Implanted 9/11 Revisited - Forever Brave

11 September, 2011 18:14 CST6CDT

Ten years ago today I woke up to a pot of coffee, turned on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR/NPR/PRI/BBC) when the programming was quickly interrupted with a foggy description of an unknown event in New York.  I was still a bit sluggish, though I soon tuned in to my CRT TV on ABC and started to watch the events occur across the country.

I believe like many others, I was a bit mesmerized by the information I was trying to take in at first.  It was not until the second plane hit the Twin Towers that I became awakened with panic.

I was attending college at this time.  I was taking my general classes for the program I was to enter.  I do remembering still at the time when I needed to catch the bus to school that the awakened panic of its type had still not let my body organize all of the incoming information.  After 3 hours of watching the news, I headed out the door to class - I turned back, headed back up to my apartment after only a few meters, probably thinking along the lines of "what the fuck"; or so it would be appropriate.

It was not until mid afternoon that I realized that I had been standing straight up, not sitting down once, while the world was still reacting to the Pentagon attack, World Trade Center, and the attempted attack of a 3rd plane that was downed before its suggested destination.  What strikes me today is as I watch memorials and archived reports of the events that occurred on September 11th, 2001 is I can replay every minute of that morning, every picture beamed to the tube, every speculation, and most importantly all the forever brave souls that I had been contemplating for safety and sanity.

For all the forever brave souls directly or indirectly impacted by 9/11 (includes any decent human being in our entirety), you all will always be in my heart.

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Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-2 Satellite Launched

17 July, 2011 12:41 CST6CDT

At 2:41 a.m EDT, Saturday the United States Air Force launched our next generation IIF-2 GPS satellite into orbit by a Alliance Delta IV rocket.  The Global Positioning Satellite left Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and entered orbit approximately 11,000 miles above Earth.  This launch marks the 50'th successful GPS systems transportation by a Delta Rocket.

The IIF-2 GPS satellite named the space vehicle number 63 will aid other position satellites currently in commission to better help the GPS network which many rely on daily, both government and civilian population, to get directions to a destination, climb out of the backwoods after a long and complicated hike, and for the betterment of Geocaching (http://geocaching.com/).

December 1993, GPS achieved initial operational capability (IOC), indicating a full constellation (24 satellites) was available and providing the Standard Positioning Service (SPS). - [WikipediA]

GPS Signal Lost on TomTomThe new GPS satellite will use more precise atomic based clocks for better accuracy of location and GPS time services and is expected to have a longer commission life than most of the position satellites currently in use.  The SVN-63 is joining its only satellite of its kind currently in orbit, the SVN-62.  According to Your Space Reference, "SVN-62 is performing its navigation mission well with the best atomic clock performance ever seen on-orbit".

The GPS signal spectrum being of a more distinct brand from this satellite should be heavily regarded as invaluable to commercial aviation and safety of life applications such as third civil signals (L5).

L5 is the third civilian GPS signal, designed to meet demanding requirements for safety-of-life transportation and other high-performance applications.

L5 is broadcast in a radio band reserved exclusively for aviation safety services. It features higher power, greater bandwidth, and an advanced signal design.

- [Third Civil Signal: L5]

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Perrot State Park, Trempealeau Wisconsin - Walk-In Group Campsites

06 June, 2011 07:06 CST6CDT

A friend and myself decided to go camping at Perrot State Park in Trempealeau Wisconsin last weekend (June 3rd - 5th, 2011).  It is a beautiful park with many hiking trails, biking trails, and canoe rental if you would like to brave the water or hike on Perrot Mountain.

Perrot State Park - Walk In Campsite Fire Pit AreaWe wanted a more private campsite for this trip.  Perrot offers four walk-in, group campsites that caught my eye (A, B, C, & D).  I chose the walk-in campsite B as it has full shade throughout the day.

The walk-in campsites are quite a bit more expensive than a standard site, in which Perrot has over a hundred available.  The walk-in site, B, was $40.00 per night with a $10.00 reservation fee.

The walk-in sites are somewhat of a gated community, however, a trail system does go through the area though does not hinder on privacy.

There is a Privy available with electric light and a water source just a few hops from the area.  Showers are just a short hike away with of course running water and other useful amenities.

Perrot State Park - Walk In Campsite Tent AreaI wasn't so sure if it was worth it when reserving the site (2 days), though it turned out to be a great deal offering great night time sky scenery and various wildlife to keep us company.

On my next visit I would probably rent a regular tent site for the arrival night, and a group walk-in site while we keep our days busy and for the hours we keep lazy.  Reserve early as these 4 sites go fast.

[Perrot State Park Trempealeau Wisconsin June 2011 Pictures]

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La Crosse Wisconsin Tornado

29 May, 2011 21:33 CST6CDT

La Crosse Wisconsin Gundersen Lutheran Hospital Residential Units Tornado Damage.On May 22nd, 2011 an EF2 rated tornado made it's way 2.3 miles in the south side of La Crosse.  The tornado touched ground and is estimated to have remained active for four minutes with a width of 150 yards.  The tornado made its way from the Green Island Park area in La Crosse to the east bluffs of the city after the tornado originating in Hokah Minnesota then crossing the Mississippi River, showed the city its first tornado in 50 years (an EF2 in 1966).  The tornado first touched down in Hokah Minnesota as an EF0 or possibly an EF1 before gaining strength to an EF2 class tornado with estimated wind speed of 115 to 120 miles per hour shortly after entering Wisconsin.

Scott Walker and state representative Jennifer Shilling made a visit to tour the damaged areas with expected costs to come to millions of dollars, estimated around 15 million dollars.  Scott Walker promises financial aid for the city utilities to perform public clean-up, however resources for individual loss will not be made available from the State, though funding from the city of La Crosse for individuals may be considered.

An estimated 130 homes and 9 businesses have severe damage.  Several homes have been condemned as a result of unrepairable tornado damage.  Luckily no one was injured as a result of this storm in La Crosse.

Gundersen Lutheran hospital on the south side of La Crosse, near the originating Green Island Park area where the tornado entered the city, was without power for 2 days and was relying on backup diesel generators.  The clinic, emergency, and in-patient hospital buildings were restored with utility power, however the founders building remained on emergency power until late Monday after the storm.

You may view pictures of the La Crosse Wisconsin tornado here: La Crosse Area Storm & Tornado Aftermath - May 22nd, 2011

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