Perrot State Park

Perrot State Park lies just outside the little river town of Trempealeau (pronounced "TRUMP-a-low") in western Wisconsin. The name "Trempealeau Mountain" is a corruption of the French "La Montagne Qui Trempe a Leau" which means "the mountain whose foot is bathed by water". Can you spot which set of pictures below represents Trempealeau Mountain ? If not, that's OK. French is a difficult language !

For many years, I have come here in late October to camp, hike along the Mississippi River bluffs, have a few beers at the historic Hotel Trempealeau, and take in the spectacular Fall colors. More recently, I've discovered that Spring is also a great time to visit. You can see the same vistas in a whole different light. Spring is a kind of color-negative image of Autumn, which, because oak trees dominate here, is about the infinite varieties of copper and gold.

Springtime, of course, is all about the color green.

So how many subtle shades of green exist and can be seen by the human eye ? As the late Carl Sagan might have said, "billions and billions !"
Certainly there is one distinct shade for each species of tree, and there are more than the usual number of these along this stretch of the Mississippi River...

Here are some before-and-after, Spring-vs-Fall views of various features in Perrot State Park, taken in the same year. What a difference 6 months makes ! Or even, two weeks ! Aren't we lucky to live in a place like Wisconsin where we can experience four completely different climates//landscapes//ecosystems each and every year without ever leaving home ?

Pick a season:

Spring

Mid October

November 1st