07/26/2017

2017 Summer Travels – the start in Wisconsin


How can we possibly write about all that we did while in Wisconsin, from June 15 to July 13, 2017? We were so active, we just didn’t have time to regularly write posts of our travels for this month. I’m sad as we are already losing some memories we were making that we try to capture in our posts. So we’ll start with some summaries and see how it goes.  First, let’s learn a little about Wisconsin.

We decided to tour Wisconsin after Bill “noticed” it was directly above Illinois – where we visited family. After our family visit, we needed a route back to Virginia, where we will spend August. It seemed natural to go to Wisconsin rather than Michigan, our original plan….more about that route later!

First, we decided to go “north” for the summer, for cooler weather. If you know us, you know we love HOT weather. It was never hot enough for us in Florida, our 12 years we lived there. We nearly died from the heat last summer in Kentucky. We met our match – the heat of the midwest in the summer is brutal! Wisconsin was perfect – well, nearly. We did hit a few mosquitos habitats, but we didn’t let that spoil our fun. We just learned to repel…

I don’t know how Bill does it, but he likes to discover the best things to see and do where ever we go – that fits us both. He was excited as he began to read off to me the “jaw dropping” sites to see and places to visit. That became our quest – to see things to make our jaws drop! And I’m happy to report, we were successful. BUT how could we do it in a month as he looked at the map, knowing we don’t like to move our Tiffany (motorhome) every three or four days?  We had to narrow the list down. And then pick “regional” areas to stay for a week and just do the best we could.

The next thing was to figure out where to park our Tiffany.  Fortunately, after he selected Wisconsin, we spent an afternoon visiting with a sweet couple from La Crosse, Wisconsin, that had an identical motorhome to ours. They were 80 years old and had been full timing for 15 years. They were so inspiring! And they gave us some great pointers – mainly to not stay in any state parks in our big rig! Most only have 30 amps, no sewer but some had water.

So we pulled out our HUGE Good Sam catalog of campgrounds and the search began. It took us a few days to get everything lined up. KNOWING it was summer and we had the 4th of July holiday to think about, we had to make reservations – something we don’t like to do! But thankfully, our plans just fell into place. The main thing we learned was that full hook up campground were rare. Because of the severe winters, putting in sewer hook ups was just too expensive to dig “deep” we were told. Thankfully, we managed to find mostly all full hook up sites!

Now, let’s get to know a little about this beautiful state: Wisconsin became the 30th state in the United States on May 29, 1848. It “is a midwestern U.S. state with coastlines on 2 Great Lakes (Michigan and Superior) and an interior of forests and farms. Milwaukee, the largest city, is known for the Milwaukee Public Museum, with its numerous re-created international villages, and the Harley-Davidson Museum, displaying classic motorcycles….” Uh oh, as former Harley Davidson owners, how did we not go there??? Our focus is so different now….

Back to details about this fabulous state! It’s population as of the 2015 census was 5,771,337, a 1.47% increase since the 2010 census. The capital is Madison, which we did visit! WOW! Now we are sorry we haven’t made a better effort to visit every capitol in each state we have visited….so that’ll be on our agenda in the future

Here is a quick map of our campground stays. Click on the picture to go to the “live” map for specific info on each campground. We’ll provide more details as we write

Click on the map to go to the “live” map. Then you can click on each location for details.

The campgrounds were all pretty basic. We were happy four of the seven had full hookups: #2 K & L Campground (we were visited the Wisconsin Dells), #4 Northland Camping and RV Park (in Superior and on Lake Superior), #5 Dorchester City Park (we only stayed one night to keep from such a long driving day) and #7 Beantown Campground in Door County. Beantown was more of a resort, having a swimming pool, really nice playground area, and very nice recently remodeled bathhouse. The rest did have 50 amp hook ups and all except the US Army Corps of Engineers had water.

Here is a quick summary of where we visited – details will be in future blogs. Or you can visit my flickr page to browse through our albums. I’m still trying to write this first blog, upload our pictures let alone to pick out the best pictures of our hikes and other adventures….

We’ve hiked in 13 Wisconsin State Parks. Wow, Wisconsin knows how to take care of their State Parks (SP) and hiking trails. They were all well marked and easy to maneuver around. But we visited a 14th one, Split Rock State Park in Minnesota and that was our favorite hike. Sorry Wisconsin….

1. Blue Mound SP
2. Governor Dodge SP (2 X)
3. Devils Lake SP
4. Willow River SP
5. Amicon Falls SP
6. Pattison SP
7. Split Rock SP
8. High Cliff SP
9. Peninsula SP (2 X)
10. White Fish Dunes SP
11. Potawami SP
12. Newport SP
13. Rock Island SP
Then we visited a number of historic places/museums and took “tours” of various kinds, in order:
  1. Cave of the Mounds
  2. House on the Rock
  3. Pendarvis in Mineral Point
  4. Olbrich Park Botanical Gardens, Madison
  5. Madison Capitol Building
  6. Wisconsin Dells – boat tour of both the upper and lower Dells
  7. Menomonie History Museum
  8. Fairlawn Mansion and Museum (an authentically restored 1890 Victorian House Museum)
  9. Glensheen Historic Estate (1900’s Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota)
  10. Duluth/Superior Harbor (self guided and we went for the long walk)
  11. Personal and guided tour around Menasha City, Neenah, Oshkosh and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA AirVenture Oshkosh)
  12. Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve (trail)
  13. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
  14. Toured Rock Island (also hiked in the State Park)
  15. Cana Island Lighthouse
  16. Alexander Noble House

And we missed a few other places we originally wanted to see! The main one we missed was the Apostle Islands.  While writing this, we are reminiscing and have decided this was our best month of travel ever! So now what to write? We’re now heading back to our “home” base in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Our time will be devoted to our family – so no sightseeing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write a blog post about each location we stayed with a few photos. At least we now have an outline of our adventures!

I asked Bill to pick one picture to summarize our visit. He said, “From the homespun landscape of Door County, to the bucolic farms and rolling hills in Dodgeville, to Lake Superior, the sandstone cliffs of the Dells….oh I have to pick a favorite???

So here is one of my favorites, from the top of the Cana Island Lighthouse in Door County:

Not the best photographer but here is a panoramic view from the top of Cana Island Lighthouse.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy….” Psalm 96:11-12

27 thoughts on “2017 Summer Travels – the start in Wisconsin”

  1. 07/26/2017 at 4:09 pm
    usathroughoureyes

    Awesome you guys. We wondered where you have been. We hadn’t seen you checking in at our site and when we signed on yours there was nothing. Great seeing you busy enjoying Gods wonderful garden of delights.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • 07/26/2017 at 6:46 pm
      Debbie L

      LOL, I guess you missed us! I’ve tried to stay up with a few other bloggers, but every time, I’d read someone else’s blog, I felt I needed to work on ours! WOW, we had such a fabulous month, we’re still reeling at all the jaw-dropping experiences! We needed two months there!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • 07/27/2017 at 8:32 am
        usathroughoureyes

        Sure we did miss you. Us traveling bloggers need to keep on top of what each other is doing. We share the roads and trails and learn from each others adventures. Our and your adventures would just be empty post without followers reading and commenting. The “likes” are nice but its the time that people make commenting that is of value.

        Liked by 1 person

      • 07/27/2017 at 8:56 pm
        Debbie L

        Absolutely! And hopefully our paths will cross sometime!
        Yes, sure do love the connecting comments!

        Liked by 1 person

      • 07/28/2017 at 9:06 am
        usathroughoureyes

        One never knows but it may happen. We’ll all know each other by the smiles on our faces of having stepped out beyond our zip codes. Our logo/gravatar is on our van for all to see.

        Liked by 1 person

      • 07/28/2017 at 4:01 pm
        Debbie L

        How cool is that?! Are you also on RVillage? That’s how we’ve connect with virtual friends. Finally we were checked into the same campground in Franklin, Kentucky after being close by in the Biloxi area. But not close enough to meet in person. 😳

        Liked by 1 person

      • 07/28/2017 at 6:54 pm
        usathroughoureyes

        We’ve never heard of “RVillage”? We’ll have to check it out. Isn’t that something to be so close. With so many developing blog sites now we’re sure there are many we see along the way that are on-line. We all need to have our gravatar’s in site. We have started doing this.

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  2. 07/27/2017 at 1:29 am
    placestheygo

    You had a wonderful month in Wisconsin. Good luck with writing your catch up blogs:)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. 07/27/2017 at 2:33 am
    Invisibly Me

    I can see why Bill struggled to pic a favourite, but I like the one you chose, it looks stunning! You really have covered a lot of ground, and I love the names of some of those places like Devils Lake. x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. 07/27/2017 at 8:16 am
    Wandering Dawgs

    Nice to see what you’ve been up to. Sounds like you found some great places to explore!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. 07/27/2017 at 9:32 am
    Mary Raymond

    I really enjoyed reading your summary and look forward to your detailed accounts. Your pictures are extraordinary.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. 08/06/2017 at 10:12 am
    Freedomborn ... Aussie Christian Focus

    You have hiked Debbie in 13 Wisconsin State Parks. Wow indeed! that would take me a lifetime even in my Mobility Scooter, your both amazing.Thank you for sharing your Traveling experiences with us and with beautiful photos too, I could never doubt the beauty of your Country and yes God’s Creation is awesome.

    Christian Love Always – Anne.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • 08/06/2017 at 11:39 am
      Debbie L

      Oh Anne, it’s a record for us for sure! Just a few years ago, my husband had to drop me off at the door of the store to shop and I had to limit my steps. I injured a knee and could barely walk. Today, I can say our Lord healed that knee back to it’s youth! Counting our blessings! Stay mobile in your scooter and enjoy! 💝

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  7. 08/09/2017 at 1:50 am
    Untraveled Routes

    That’s one quirky way of summarizing one truly eventful month! Keep going… Cheers, Charu 👍👍👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • 08/09/2017 at 9:12 am
      Debbie L

      Thank you! We’ve got to fill it in now that I have the “outline!” Yes, truly an eventful month! Our best ever in terms of travel and adventure!

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      Reply
  8. 08/28/2017 at 11:14 am
    Agness of aTukTuk

    These summer festivals sound so much fun! Which one would you recommend visiting?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • 08/28/2017 at 12:45 pm
      Debbie L

      Each place has something unique. So it depends on what you prefer in your travels. We were seeking “jaw dropping” adventures, but needed areas where we could get on a good daily 3-5 mile walk/hike. We found that every where since it’s now a focus of our heart healthy lifestyle. For an exciting small town that has EVERYTHING, we did really enjoy Madison, the capital of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Dells offered the best jaw dropping boat ride, but it only lasted a few hours. Superior offered amazing sunsets but the best hike was nearby but in Minnesota! So much beauty on the drive there. And wonderful historic mansions. We got drunk on waterfalls in this area! But for our best hiking, we loved Door County!
      We’re not “foodies” so we didn’t sample any local cuisine, but everyplace offered great restaurants. My husband prefers to cook, so we missed out on lots of cheese and desserts! None were really heart healthy….❤️

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  9. 09/16/2017 at 9:37 am
    jmacindoe

    Great overview! Hope to visit Wisconsin soon!

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    • 09/16/2017 at 11:47 am
      Debbie L

      Thanks! We had hoped to do a few more detailed posts but have been very involved with our grandsons since we arrived back near them! It was a beautiful state. We do at least a post about tips…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  10. 10/05/2017 at 1:02 pm
    karasexplore

    Sounds like you have just been about everywhere in Wisconsin. I liked the detailed overview of Wisconsin also. I particularly love High Cliff State Park. If you ever decide to return to the area, I’ve blogged about a few points of interest you may want to see next time you come back. Hope you enjoyed the beer and cheese while you were here!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • 10/05/2017 at 2:33 pm
      Debbie L

      Thanks Kara! Sadly, we are trying to see everything we can when we cover a state like Wisconsin and Kentucky. We said we won’t return to either one, but yet, we did travel through Kentucky this year and stopped for a few days in Frankfurt – where we did miss last time. We did fall in love with Wisconsin and we do want to return but not sure how or when we will be able to do so….We never were near a Cheese factory to try their cheese….but it’s not exactly on the heart healthy regime nor is beer…..😳

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  11. 10/21/2017 at 7:51 pm
    clairemeindel

    thank you for representing my home in such a beautiful way!

    Liked by 1 person

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