Racine

I did my soundwalk in Racine, not Milwaukee, because Racine is my hometown. I know where everything is and I also think Racine truly represents me. I picked River Bend Nature Center, Batten Field, the Root River Parkway above the Horlick Dam, the lower Horlick Dam area and Quarry Lake Park. These are my favorite places to go in Racine. They are all beautiful places to visit and, for the most part, they are peaceful places to unwind (aside from the airport, that is).    



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STRATEGY

My strategy was to walk to my favorite places in Racine.  It may not be the typical right, left, left, right, but I really enjoyed the walk in the crisp, cool fall weather.  I hope you also enjoy the areas I picked for my sounds.  If you haven't visited Racine yet, the fall is a beautiful time to be there.   From my starting point, I turned left and proceeded down Ivan Rd till I got to N. Green Bay Road, then I turned right.  I proceeded till I got to the entrance to the H. Batten Field (airport) and turned left.  After I got my sounds from the airport, I turned left onto N. Green Bay Road.  I continued going south, until I turned right onto Rapids Ct.  Then I turned right and walked straight till I got to my third sound spot. When I got  out of the Root River Parkway, I turned right onto Rapids Ct.  I cut through to Northwestern Ave, and headed north till I got to the parking lot of Days Inn Riverside, where I turned right and walked to the side of the hotel which overlooks the bottom of the dam.  That is where  I recorded my fourth sound spot. When done, I crossed Old Mill Dr.  and turned left onto Northwestern Ave and continued going southeast till I got to the entrance of Quarry Lake Park and turned right.  Then I turned right onto Northwestern Ct. and that was the location of my fifth and final sound spot.  

River Bend Nature Center

SOUND 1

River Bend is where I used to go in my free time. It's a beautiful place to be "one with nature." The day I recorded my sounds at River Bend, it was about 65 degrees with very little wind and few people. River Bend is an 80 acre natural preserve along the banks of the Root River. There are forests, fields and wetlands throughout the area. I placed the mics at the same levels; one on the far left and the other on the right. There were some cars driving into the park if you're wondering what the strange sound is.

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H. Batten Field

SOUND 2

Batten Field is a privately owned airport that services primarily corporate, business and individual aircraft owners. My neighbor who is active in the Young Eagles program took me there for the first time when I was about 11 and he gave me my first flying lesson. The day I recorded sounds, it wasn't busy at all. No planes arrived or took off so I don't have the typical sounds you'd expect from an airport. I placed the mics on the grass in front of a parked car. One was nearer the road and the other near the main EAA building.

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Root River Parkway, above the Horlick Dam

SOUND 3

I thought it would be rather interesting to get a sound above the Horlick Dam and later from below the Dam. This one is the top of the Dam. A man was exercising his dog in the area and you can hear him get out of his car. I put both of the mics right next to each other. One was facing the water and the other facing the dry brush on the river bank. Ironically, you can hear planes flying overhead leaving Batten Field.

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Bottom of Horlick Dam

SOUND 4

This is the sound at the bottom of the Dam. It was quite windy at the bottom compared with the Parkway above. I placed one mic around the fence rail over looking the water and the other one at the bottom of the overlook. The mic on the rail was closer to the road so there is some traffic sound heard over the rush of the water. The sounds blend in with each other.

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Quarry Lake Park

SOUND 5

I chose this spot because I worked there over the summer and used to swim there when I was younger. It is a large, county park with walking trails and a deep, spring-fed lake that has filled in an old limestone quarry. I walked down one of the trails above the quarry. One of the mics was placed on a small tree facing the busy highway. The other mic was placed closer to the water, on a bush just above the ground. There were very few people in the park on the day I did my soundwalk.

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