Friday, March 11, 2016

Barron County Roads and How They're Named

 Red Cedar River

Happy Friday everyone! Today I'm posting photos I took not far from our house on our way home from Wausau last weekend. All photos were taken in the same general area, which is west of Sand Creek on 1 1/2 Avenue or from Barron Dunn Avenue. Our area is full of natural beauty. It's a wonderful place to visit during the spring, summer, and fall. and the perfect place to visit in the winter if you like depressing darkness, bitter cold, and skiing. :-) But I'll have to admit, even in the winter time, it's beautiful here - mostly if you've got a good fire going in the stove, a hefty stash of popcorn, a stack of books, and dark chocolate. A couple nice big dogs would help too.

With Mr. C's ability to whip up a great morning fry, I sometimes think it would be fun to turn our home into a B&B, except that we'd probably get no takers. Even when people say they want to get out to the countryside for some peace and quiet, they're not usually talking about the very literal peace and quiet that we have here. We could offer good food, beautiful scenery, and lots of good books, but no traffic, no shopping, and no noise.



Since there were a few furrowed brows about the name of the road, 1 1/2 Avenue, in Wednesday's blog post, I thought I'd take a minute to explain how Barron County names its roads. Unlike Dunn County to our south, which seems to have absolutely no rhyme nor reason to their road names, Barron County is laid out on a grid with every street being named according to its distance north/south and east/west of the southwest corner of the [perfectly square] county. If you know this, you need never get lost in Barron County. Everything is measured from that southwest corner.

For example, if the address 320 27th street is where you want to go (I just made that up, but I suspect it actually is someone's address!), that location is 3 1/5 miles north of the south county line and 27 miles east of the west county line - so on a grid it's 27x, 3.20 y.  It makes so much sense.  And if you know your own address and can read the road signs, you can figure out how many miles you are from home. :-) That's always handy. 

Of course, once you enter a town, there are names like Oak, Maple, and Wisconsin. But out in the countryside, you'll find numbers.  And now you know the rest of the story!
 There were well over a hundred whitetail deer in this cornfield
and the one across the road. By the time we stopped
so I could get the photo, several had already bolted.

 Awwwww.
'Can they see us?? Stand perfectly still and maybe they'll go away.'


 Barron Dunn Avenue
Barron County is on the left;
Dunn County is on the right.



Did I mention that all streets run north and south and all avenues run east and west?


The stop sign is facing Sioux Creek Township






Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  I'll be gone to Texas for a week, so I won't be blogging, but will probably post the occasional photo on Instagram @cranberrymorning. Please make sure that the springtime app is fully installed in Barron County by the time I return. Thank you. :-)


Linked to Weekend Reflections
and Eileen's Saturday's Critters
and Deb's Friday Foto Friends




 ***

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We'll be in Texas, y'all! 
Our son will be tending to things at home while we're gone, bless him.

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Have a wonderful weekend!


Judy

48 comments:

  1. Beautiful photo's Judy, love all the deer!
    Your should link to Deb's Friday Foto Friends link party.

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  2. I love all your photos this am Judy. And you are right about people not appreciating some peace and quiet!! What is your name on Instagram? I am nanaland55...lok for me and I will follow you!! Have fun in TX.

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  3. What a beautiful post. I just love your pictures!! Hope that you have a wonderful and safe trip to Texas.
    xoxo
    Michelle

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  4. Lovely photos! Detroit's main roads are also a grid and called Mile Roads. So if you are at 8 Mile Road and need to go to 10 Mile Road you know you are 2 miles away. Very easy to navigate :-)

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  5. Wait, you're coming to TX? I'd better get the guest room ready! ;)

    Can't wait to see you and Dad TOMORROW!

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  6. How interesting, so unlike England.

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  7. have fun on your week away... i love the two cold looking river shots. i know i would love your peace and quiet but the average b and b person might not... i would be totally lost with those streets because math is what i came near to failing in high school. i do like numbered streets. St Petersburg has the easiest way to do address of any where i ever lived.
    the bay is on one side the gulf on the other. starting counting 1 going up from the bay to the gulf. central ave splits the city. start counting 1 and up from centrail and add N and the same for S. there is no way to get lost. it was so big when i moved there and i was afraid i would get lost, i took one look at the map and said everyone should do this.

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  8. Oh, what gorgeous pictures...especially, the sky and deer. I'm quite partial to sky pictures. Thanks so much for linking up with me. I so enjoy visiting others from all over our great big world. HOPE you have a great weekend!!!

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  9. The street names make sense but still 23 3/4 is a stitch. I guess you don't need maps (showing my age) or GPS (also my age) or phones to get anywhere there. As long as the streets are numbered. Have a good weekend!

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  10. I grew up in the country and love the silence (other than nature's sounds) that it provides. I seldom turn on a radio or TV in my home "just for noise" because I love the silence.

    The road numbering system is genius.

    Enjoy your trip.

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  11. Good morning, beautiful sights to see! Speaking of B& B's which I love going to, and could see myself (hubby and me) running one ourselves. It's like a long time dream! Your deer are just adorable, and for country road names, too funny. Around here most of them have like three names. Everyone has their own favorite, but once you live here you get to know which ones go together. My street has a number and a name! Enjoy your weekend, and springing forward too.

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  12. Hello Judy, such gorgeous photos. i never tire at looking at deer. We have quite a few here, with rabbits, turkeys, squirrels and more. Thank you for your sweet comment. I would like you to share your posts at our link party on Sundays, Dishing it & Digging it. Have a lovely weekend.

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  13. Have fun in Texas!. The weather is supposed to be nice. Maybe you'll even find a few bluebonnets blooming.

    I'm birdie_batch on Instagram. I just started following you.

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  14. Hellq!:) Street names can be amusing. Our street has the same names as my husband,..
    christian, and surname!! Love your deer shots. Have a lovely weekend away.:)

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  15. i couldn't live in a an area that did not have seasons. each so special, each so different and beautiful. natures gift to us!!!

    your images are really lovely!!!!

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  16. Really great shots, Judy. Fascinating detail about the road names - so much more logical than things like Old Codswallop Lane' etc - so logical, in fact, that I read it several times and still didn't get it. Mind you, grid systems fool me every time. Love the Instagram slide show - you are right, it is really good. Something else to look into. Have a great time in Texas (what's happening about their independence, by the way?) and take care of yourselves.

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  17. Lovely images, my favourite is of the two deer!

    Have a wonderful week away

    All the best Jan

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  18. beautiful deer! hope the weather in texas is good by the time you arrive!

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  19. Judy, I think I'd be a taker at you B&B! No shopping, no traffic, no noise...sounds like heaven to me! Your first photo is chillingly gorgeous. Have a great trip! ♥

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  20. Thank you for the information about how your roads in the countryside in your area are mostly given numbers rather than names. I think I would miss that as names can tell you so much about the history of a place. The quiet of the countryside would be bliss. Your photos are beautiful. I love the subdued colours of browns and blues with a touch of green especially the one of the two deer and your header. Have a lovely time in Texas!

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  21. Judy, It still looks cold there. I love the photo of all the deer...amazing. The most I have seen in my area , at once, was 11...but since the coyotes have taken over that woods...I no longer see the deer. Blessings, for a great weekend. xoxo,Susie

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  22. Lovely photos. The Deer are so beautiful. I don't think I could ever bring myself to shoot one unless I was desperate for food. I've always said to my wife that if I had to kill my own meat I'd probably be a vegetarian as I love animals too much

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  23. Oh, Judy....These photos are wonderful. The snow shots and those deer. Buddy and I have never been able to get such wonderful closeups as yours. Please have a safe trip to Texas and back. We just got from from Asheville where I visited my friend in the nursing home. It was a wonderful short trip. Also.....I will never be able to figure out how you all name your street. It is so confusing to me...but then I am old. hehehe. Take care, my friend. genie

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  24. Well, I for one would LOVE the peace and solitude your neck of the woods have to offer. I am sure there would be quite a few takers if you did decide to do the B & B thing. If Wisconsin wasn't so from NC, I'd be there in a heartbeat! You probably know from my posts that I crave out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere places :) I think it is very cool how the roads and avenues are named. Makes sense to me! As always, your photos are just stunning. Have a great weekend!

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  25. Very interesting discussion of streets and avenues and how they are named. I live on an avenue and it does run east-west. Main Street runs north-south and after that things rather fall apart in my little town. I would have a difficult time remembering the road names and I imagine that you do as well. For that reason, I'd prefer the more romantic ones like Tanglewood Drive, Mequier Hill, and Pleasantview Lane. For practicality purposes (especially 911), your system is best. I'd very much enjoy time spent at your restful and relaxing B&B. Park me by the fire with my books and blogs and I'd be most content.

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  26. Very pretty and I sure would visit you....smiles---have a safe trip friend.

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  27. You lost me at the measurements for knowing the streets and how far you are from home. :-( Our rural area has lines running east and west, side roads north and south. When I give the crossroads closest to our home it is the 20th side road and 8th line and the village streets do have names derived from the early settlers.

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  28. Fabulous snow scenes and refelction shot. Love the Deer. Enjoy your week ahead.

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  29. Hello, I love the peaceful rural areas much more than city living. Pretty sanowy scenes and I love the deer. Enjoy your trip to Texas. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Sunday, enjoy your week ahead!

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  30. What beautiful scenes and a great one of the deer! Enjoy your week! HAVE FUN!!!

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  31. Wow, these are places I would love...

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  32. I enjoyed the rest of the story and it is possible even I would not get lost in your County (though I can do that in a large closet).* Beautiful scenery and if you open that B&B, do let me know. I get tired of noise and confusion pretty easily. We used to love camping out in remote areas, but kind of too old for that stuff now. I never got tired of the 'no noise'.


    *Raised in a very small town that was laid out in a perfect square -- numbered streets in order running one way, streets named after trees running the other. You really couldn't get lost, back then there were no silly circles or one ways etc.... Really my life has never been the same since we grew up ;>)!!!

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  33. Beautiful photos! I have never been to Wisconsin and probably never will but love seeing it through your photos! Enjoy your time in Texas!

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  34. That's exactly how deer behave (I know because we have regularly deer visiting our backyard! Am looking at your wintery views - with awe about the stillness in winter that is not in any other season.

    Oh, before I forget, loved your thumbnail pic of your stove a few weeks ago for SEASONS. Hope you'll join the fun this Mon-Wed till 7pm Pacific time. Have you thought of sharing a photo about the soap you make? That would be wonderful! Hope to see you there:)

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  35. Sounds like everything was planned out perfectly and I love your scenic winter pictures. I also hope that you are having safe travels due to all of the rain and flooding in the south.

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  36. Hard to believe you still have snow!! It was foretasted that we would have another hard winter - but turned out warm and spring has already sprung!!
    Lovely - but know you're ready for the warmth!!

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  37. Hi Judy! Great pics!! Enjoy your time in Texas
    Blessings to you.

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  38. I love the deer picture! Looks very quiet and peaceful your way! Is spring coming in yet?

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  39. Wow, Judy, you've outdone yourself this time. Gorgeous photos, and not too much peace and quiet for me!

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  40. Your snowy scene photos are beautiful. Have a great trip and I look forward to the pics when you return.

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  41. Nice photos, Judy. Hope you're enjoying this first day of spring!

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  42. I happen to love old barren country roads. We had tons of them in Kentucky where I grew up. I love these photos :)

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  43. Interesting to learn about the roads. Must make it easier for the deer to get around.
    Amalia
    xo

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  44. Oh! that was a cool post.I like it.

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