On September 8, 2003, we were on our way home from Charles Mound, the Illinois State High Point. I realized that the Winona County High Point was just off I-90, and thought I could spare the detour. Being new to County Highpointing, I had not carefully read Andy Martin's description of this county, and thought that he was referring to 4 areas within the large, irregularly-shaped 1360-foot contour line one-half mile Northeast of the townhall. I looked around the area, walking to candidate high points. A few looked higher than the intersection, suggesting that there were some very close to 1370 feet.
I came back to this area on November 6, 2004, and picked up two more of the four areas. I finally finished it on March 14, 2005.
I knocked on the door at the nearby house, but there was no response.
Since these areas are so close to I-90, it is easiest to come from the west (Wilson exit) or east (Witoka exit), then along County Road 12, turning north on Blackberry Road to the intersection at Spot Elevation 1365.
We parked at the SE 1365 intersection
The east side of the road was planted to corn; the west side was more of a meadow--maybe clover.
Just a 100 yards or so from the intersection is a radio tower, one of the 1365+ feet areas.
I identified 4 areas that were higher than the others. Next time I go there, I will use my hand level to check the candidates better, and to visit the other three areas, all of which are much smaller.
I had just completed Wabasha County, and was eager to complete Winona which has been partially completed since September, 2003. I drove past the large area first, just to see what it looked like. It was just as I remembered it, then I turned around and parked in a steep approach for the short walk to the second area. It was a trivial walk over there and back through a cornfield.
When I got back into my truck and started to back out, I realized that I was just spinning my wheels. I kept sliding down further toward the corn field, spinning each time I tried to back up, also rotating toward the north. I was eventually in the ditch between the field and the steep road. I was able to drive north for a ways and tried gunning it up the embankment but was unable to achieve the road. I kept at it, eventually ending up pointing toward the road at a right angle. There was plenty of back-up room at that point, between that corn field and the land to the north. I got a running start at the road, and got part-way up, then I allowed the truck to roll back as far as it could, then tried again. On the fourth time, I got a good enough start to get out. I'll have to remember not to park in steep approaches in the future. I then drove toward the third candidate high point.
From the angle I was getting, I could see that the field was still standing corn. The coordinates I entered for Winona County the previous night were consistent with one another, but were fifty miles out of place. I didn't feel like wandering around the field without a good feeling about where the midlle of the high point was, so I kept driving toward the fourth area on the other side of I-90.
From the area near the second high point area, I continued on County Road 12 for 3.2 miles, then turned right on C.R. 17, which went under I-90, for 0.2 miles, then right onto Headwaters Drive, which ended at 2.3 miles. I parked near a storage barn, and walked around the area.
It was at that point when I looked across the freeway and noticed the harvesting activity right on the high point itself. Had I come a few hours later, it would have been a simple task to cover. Oh, well. Another time. Next stop for me was Houston County.
No other trip reports have been posted.
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http://www.topozone.com
Minnesota Atlas & Gazeteer by Delorme, 3rd Edition, 2001.
| File Name: | |
| Written by: | Mark Ness |
| Last Revised by: | Mark Ness |
| on: |