Surfin' Bird

Well everybody knows that the bird is the word. . . .

- Frazier/White/Harris/Wilson


Black River Falls, Wisconsin is about an hour's easy drive on I-94 from a very cool place known as Wisconsin Dells. "The Dells" is known as a huge tourist attraction for a couple of reasons. First and foremost are the outstanding geologic formations along the Wisconsin River. The area has also developed into the midwest's premier water park mecca - a Disneyland with a water-based theme. One fine day this summer, my mother, niece, nephew, and two of their friends, went there. We had decided that the day would be split into two parts; first we'd go see the lower dells on a "duck", and then we'd visit a water park.

People who know me know that I'm a world war 2 nut. I like to say that I "study" the war. I also like to build scale WW2 ground-based equipment as a hobby. Seeing the real thing, whether a rebuild or a reproduction, provides me with a major thrill. Wisconsin Dells is famous for its rebuilt WW2-era DUKWs, or "ducks". Needless to be said, a trip there (for me) was something I'd planned on a long while back - hence the first part of our day there.

During world war 2, the GMC corporation modified it's CCKW 353 6x6 truck (the infamous "deuce-and-a-half") into an amphibious version. This became the DUKW. The DUKWs were needed by U.S. military forces because of the requirement of putting troops and equipment ashore (and inland) from troop and supply ships in both the European and Pacific theatres. From what I've read and seen, the "ducks" performed this function admirably. By the end of the war, 21,000 DUKWs had been produced; and the U.S. military forces also acquired more of them post-war before cancelling the contracted builds.

After the war ended, it was realized that it was too expensive to re-deploy the overseas-employed ducks back to the U.S.A. Many of them were sold to the countries they were in, many others "given" to those countries. The DUKWs still left in the states were sold as surplus and/or scrapped. Shortly after the end of WW2, an enterprising entrepreneur from Wisconsin Dells bought some surplus machines and started giving tours on them. Thusly were the "Wisconsin Ducks" hatched. :)

Okay, now that the background information is done, on to the fun part. :)

When we got to the duck-ride area, we were pretty early. We had to wait for about 45 minutes before the first ride went out. We knew which machine we would be riding, so I took the opportunity to talk to the guys getting it ready to go out. One of them was our driver. I must have conveyed a keen interest, because he let me sit at the very front during the trip; and he also "popped the hood" (hey, I just asked for shits and grins) to let me see the original engine. He also answered the myriad of questions I hit him up with during the trip. The first three photos below are of the duck we rode, the third being the in-line 6 cylinder petrol engine in its compartment.

The round-trip tour itself lasts about an hour. It goes through part of town, then into Lake Delton. After that, it travels overland again to the Wisconsin River to see the lower part of the dells. Then, it goes overland back into town to where it started. All-in-all, it's very scenic. People in town wave at you. Ducks (the feathered type that goes "quack") swim by. The engine roars, the gears grind, and the damn thing shakes like a mofo at better than 35 mph - on land. In the water, the ride is smooth as silk at about 5-6 mph.

Some things about the DUKW that I didn't know until the trip: It is a chore to drive this thing. Like I wrote above, I sat up front, right next to the driver - he worked pretty hard. Each axle can be engaged or disengaged as desired for the various amphibious terrain (there are three driven axles - it's still a 6x6). The 3-bladed screw is 45 inches high. Fully-loaded, the DUKW can come out of or go into water at a 45 degree angle, even towing a trailer! On land top speed is just a little under 40 mph.

This is a photo taken just after entering the Wisconsin River. Only the 2 orange lights (required by Wisconsin traffic laws) are not part of the original DUKW build.




These next two photos were taken from the duck while we were in the Wisconsin River. This area is known as the "lower dells". The sandstone formation is Cambrian-era, known as the Potsdam formation. Note, in both photos, how the lower part of the formation is not flat-bedded, but angled, compared to the upper parts.

After our duck ride, we all got into the car and drove a few blocks away to a place called "Noah's Ark". The kids were very excited to go there, and I could see why. The place is chock-full of rides, water-slides, and other fun stuff. We spent the better part of 5 hours there, and everybody had fun (and I had the sunburn to prove it). Noah's Ark is a good family venue. For a family of 5, it'll cost a c-note; but, imo, it's well worth it. You can stay all day, or come and go as you please (they give you a wrist band at the gate). In the 5 hours we were there, not even the kids went on all the rides that they have there. I went on about half of them, because some are a little too tall for my acrophobia to handle. The place was full of people the entire time.

The place is huge, also. There are places to buy food there, and a bar or two. In short, it's got EVERYTHING. Two wave pools. More water-slides than you can shake a wet stick at. The roller coaster gets EVERYBODY wet. Floating bumper cars! You name it, if it can have water in it, on it, or through it, it's there. Quite the fun day, even for this 40-plus year-old who came to ride a duck. :)

These next three photos show what I mean. I put the camera back in the car after about 10 minutes (that's why there are so few photos of Noah's Ark) because I wanted to have some fun in the water, too. The first is one of the 2 wave pools. The next shows one of the many water-slide rides (many of which have more than one chute). The last photo shows the up-ramp for the 4-person rafts used on that particular water-slide (I got halfway up the stairs for that one before deciding it was too high for me). :) :)

My goodness what a fun day we all had!! I know that the kids sure enjoyed Noah's Ark (they couldn't wait to get there and didn't want to leave) and so did my mom and I. What a thrill it was for me to be riding in that fine summer Wisconsin breeze to the tune of that roaring DUKW engine!! The smile on my face couldn't have been bigger. The rides at Noah's Ark, for me, where merely gravy on an already fantastic day. Would I go back? In a heartbeat, and another trip is already planned. Stay tuned! I'll keep you all posted.