Wisconsin

  We crossed the bridge into Wisconsin at La Cross stopping at the Moose Lodge for an overnighter and not an hour after we were there, hundreds of bikers started pulling in. What a sight that was! They were on their way to Lambeau Field in Green Bay WI to a Big" Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans” ceremony for Vets. A long overdue welcome.

        We had hoped to take a tour of the brewery but no tours are offered.                                                                                            

       The following morning we again headed down the back roads towards our destination Baraboo WI.  Unlike MN we were in lush green rolling hills. We drove through an Amish area. Got so excited when we came around a curve and there was a buggy in front of us. We later stopped at this little cluster of gift shops down a country road which sold Amish wears along with other local crafts. Wonderful stuff. Good thing I’m in a small camper, sure did want to buy stuff. We also couldn’t resist the Carr Valley Cheese Factory. That we’ll eat!

 

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For those of you who don’t know it Jim is a big Circus Fan. He was in a Youth Circus  from age 12 to 16 . And has wanted to come Baraboo  to the Circus World Museum for a very long time. We spent an entire day enjoying the shows, they had a Tiger show, An Illusionist show and of course the Big Top Performance show, and on this day only was an added feature Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. Plus the museum were Jim read EVERYTHING!

Minnesota

Sharing the road on the back roads.  Minnesota is a land of fertile soil dotted with thousands of small lakes. As far as the eye can see, are the flat crisscross of plowed fields with clusters of shade trees scattered throughout surrounding the farm homes.

Stopping along the way for a little exercise. We found a great trail in Wilmer called the Glacial Lakes Trail. 
Of course there is the bizarre also. The World’s Largest Twine Ball in Darwin. Enjoying the drive, we visited the Schell Brewery in New Ulm, The Village of Yesteryear in Owatonna, and last but NOT least, yes Jim’s favorite food Spam!  The SPAM Museum in Austin MN. Fun Fun Fun

North Dakota

We spent the night in a small city park in New Salem ND. Just down the hill from Salem Sue “The World’s Largest Cow”  Traveling the back roads really has it’s rewards.

This is the Capital Building of North Dakota. And next door they have a fantastic Heritage Museum. We would definitely recommend this one. Well laid out with great displays. And it’s free. Can’t top that.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK

We loved this park. No where else have we seen such unique terrain. The Bad Lands are so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in color as to seem hardly to belong to this earth. The campsites in the Cottonwood campground are huge.  But you get to share it with the roaming buffalo and deer. In the southern park is a 36 mile loop drive with many outlooks and trails.  

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MONTANA

The first picture is Livingston Mt where we stopped for lunch and took a walk around town.

  The carousal and building are in Missoula, a stop we made to walk the downtown area.

 

A fun visit at Frank and Gretchen’s new home in Billings MT. We had a great weekend catching up, eating, and sight seeing. A great way to start the morning is breakfast at the Prairie Winds restaurant in Molt. From 8:00am till noon a live band plays music in a great old building that was once a hardware store. Afterwards they drove us out to Pompeys Pillar a National Monument. It’s a massive sandstone outcrop that rises 150 feet on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Hundreds of markings, petroglyphs, and inscriptions left by visitors have transformed this into a living journal of the American West.  The most notable visitor Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, arrived at Pompeys Pillar on July 25, 1806, on his return trip from the Pacific coast.

Heading East

We enjoyed a beautiful  sunny day for t raveling. It was so nice  we decided to stop in downtown Spokane to walk along the Riverfront park. It’s a wonderful place to wander along the river, some areas peaceful others full of activity.

 



 

After that we ran into some traffic at the state line into Idaho. We spotted the Centennial Trail so decided heck why not pull over and take a bike ride. Traffic was still a little crowded so we had a beer played a game(bananagram) and had our dinner. Some of us ride over state lines (it’s one way to get a picture of the state sign)


 





We could see Cabela's across the freeway. They usually allow you do park overnight. It certainly was beyond anything free we have ever seen. Not only do they have a designated area, but it comes with horse stables, dog kennels and of course a dump.   What could be better!  The other picture is inside the store, it’s fun just to walk through these stores.

 




The next day found us stopping in Kellog ID to look at the Miner Statue erected in 1972 for the 91 miners that died in the mine.




 
Next town over is a must stop. Wallace, the whole town is on the Historic Registry. Interesting place, they built the freeway right over it. Don’t miss the museum’s, one being the Bordello.

APPLE BLOSSOM WEEKEND 2010

    WHAT A FANTASTIC WEEKEND WE HAD!!! THE KIDS, BAKER’S, LEE’S, & O’DELL’S CAME OVER. WE HAD A FUN PACKED 3 DAYS. SATURDAY WAS THE APPLE BLOSSOM PARADE. TOP PHOTO OF THE MAIN STREET. AND OF COURSE WE HAD THE FAMOUS CHICKEN NOODLE DINNER AT THE CHURCH.

 

WE ALSO CELEBRATED JIM’S 65 BIRTHDAY ( WHICH IS LATER THIS WEEK)BUT THE ONLY CANDLES WE HAD WERE A 1 & 0 &0. OH WELL DID YOU EVER TRY TO LIGHT 65 CANDLES?  WE ALSO HAD A DELISIOUS BRUNCH AT THE CASINO ON MOTHER’S DAY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENISE

We also had the pleasure of being with Diane’s daughter Denise for her Birthday. It started with husband Dennis going out for fresh donuts in the morning. Then at 4:00 we went for dinner at Chuckanut Manor  on Chuckanut Drive overlooking Samish Bay and the San Juan Islands. The food here is delicious with excellent service. Dennis’s brother and family were there along with Denise’s nephews wife Megan and baby. Dennis had also special ordered a Lemon meringue pie for his sweetie. And if that was not enough he had an ice cream cake waiting at home to be enjoyed all week long. And we won’t even mention the pretty earrings  he bought in Italy for her. Way to go Dennis. Way to score Denise!