pixley and crowley dam~

Thought I'd take a little drive, quarter mile down the road from my house is the first stop ... then five miles down the road to the next.  I thought I'd stop by the dams and see if anyone is sturgeon fishing ... but as luck would have it ... there wasn't.  It was still a nice day to take a little drive and take some pics. 

I've spent a LOT of time fishing by both of these dams.  The first one, the Pixley Dam, which is only a quarter mile from our house and only a mile from where I grew up as a kid I spent hours upon hours fishing and exploring up the creek and along the banks of the river with my brother, Randy and sister, Colleen.

 Pixley Dam ~

looking downstream from Pixley

Then, after Slim and I married and he started working in the paper mill in town ~ one of his jobs for around 8 years was being a spare dam tender at three of the dams on the Flambeau River.  Two of those dams that he was tender at were the Pixley and the Crowley Dams.  The other is called the Lower Dam, which is just south of the town of Park Falls.  Fortunately, for me, I was able to tag along with him to work and do more exploring as an adult and more fishing!  We never lacked for meals of fresh fish when he had that job.

Crowley Dam ~

looking downstream from Crowley

I have taken countless river trips in canoes and in river boats down the Flambeau River in my life time.  I have a great love and a great respect for this river.  It looks quite harmless in these photos; but if you go way upstream to it's head waters by the Turtle Flambeau Flowage to the north of us and travel the north fork down ~ there are some top class white water rapids that can total a canoe in the twist of seconds if you're not careful.  Trust me... I've done it.   

On the drive home from Crowley ...  had to slow up for some juvenile turkeys ~  run fast ... or you're gonna get hit by a car you goofy birds.  Boy, we have a lot of turkeys around here.  When I was a kid we never had wild turkeys ... but apparently they have populated themselves so much that they are wandering north and establishing themselves here now in northern Wisconsin.  Personally, I'm not too crazy about those birds.  They're good enough eating; but I'd rather have a domesticated turkey with ButterBall stamped on it's butt to eat.  Sorry for the blur ...

 

Looking up ~

looking down ~

more river shots ~

Until next time...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel