Today it’s storming and raining again.  We are under flash flood warnings for most of the day.  This will not affect Wisconsin Dells as much as it does the rest of the area.  Baraboo, Devil’s Lake, North Freedom (home of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum) Reedsburg and other communities in the area are taking the brunt of the high water.

I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of explaining to do over this story. . . .

- Lake Delton Officials Didn’t Renew FEMA Flood Insurance. from Channel3000.

Thing is bickering over such things seems like a wise thing to do if you don’t think anything will ever happen to you.  Opps!

Here are some new photos of Lake Delton taken on June 10th, 2008

[Show as slideshow]

Lake Delton??

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.

Flooding in Baraboo, just south of Wisconsin Dells

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
 

Wow, what a busy Holiday weekend.  Now that I’m back in the swing of things I thought I’d share with you this video from the Princess Kay

Here’s how "yours truly" Mr. Webguy often sees Wisconsin Dells. . . on the water.  When not planted in front of the computer I’m also a kayak guide and coach.  Last weekend we took a group on the Upper Dells and through the famous "Narrows".  The Narrows is a section of the Wisconsin river where the whole of the river is squished into a passage only 58 feet wide!  You can see from the photo above that this means we have to be a bit careful when sharing the space with tour boats!  In days past this part of the river was a potential nightmare for the loggers who would escort their lumber down the river.  Often when the river is high this section can become a liquid tempest with high raging waves, swirling currents and deep drops.  To see the narrows along with the beautiful sandstone formations along the Upper Dells it’s worth spending a couple hours on one of the many tour boats such as the Mark Twain shown above.  If you’re into the paddling experience you can take a tour with Vertical Illusions in the Dells. 

Meanwhile here at WisDells.net we’re happy to welcome some new lodging properties to our ever-growing list.  In Wisconsin Dells we welcome: Spring Brook Vacation Homes & The Mayflower Motel & Suites and in Portage which is right on the interstate just a few miles from Wisconsin Dells we welcome; The Ridge Motor Inn& The Best Western Resort Hotel & Conference Center.  You can find out more about these folks and many other choices in our lodging section right here at WisDells.net.

 It’s just the nature of a new layout!  I’ve added more content here and there and shuffled some other stuff around.  You’ll see we now have a "Business" link in our menu which will take you to various listings for Shopping, Real Estate, and other business services.  That means that "More Resources" can focus on Travel stuff, thus the change there to "Travel Resources".  Isn’t this fun?!  Just another day in the life!

Oh, and by the way if you’ve not checked out our ADVANTAGE RATES partner for online lodging reservations please do!  Booking your rooms through IHS works is great for everyone.  You get some decent rates and of course it helps us to support the website as well.  We’ve been working with IHS for online reservations for about 3 years now and had a great experience with them. I’m sure you will too. (Hey, we’re not too proud to ask!! )

Now here’s something interesting!  I was talking to the owner of the Dells Army Ducks the other day and she told me they bought a bit of history.  So since it was a rainy ole’ day anyway I took a drive over to have a look.  That’s a big chopper! Just something else a bit unique to see when you’re in Wisconsin Dells.  Even on a gray day like today folks were loading up for a ride on the Army Ducks. . .

rental boats at Mirror Lake State Park

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!!