We are happily nestled here in Rapid City, comfortable in our motorhome, while the outside temperatures have been hitting close to 100 degrees. We've often heard joking reference made to 'dry' heat; but the truth is, that's what we're experiencing. It's hot, but with little humidity - and it truthfully doesn't seem too bad. Then again, maybe we're just getting used to it. Good thing, because from what we can discern, we're in for a few weeks of hot weather as we trek further west.
It's been awhile, and so it's time to bring everyone up to date on the past couple of weeks. Although it might seem logical to create this blog in smaller installments, that method just doesn't seem to work for us. With a busy schedule, and unreliable access to the internet, the only practical way for us to update the blog is when all moons align and we have the time and the means to bring everything current. With that in mind, and for readers who have a short attention span (or relatively short boredom threshold) we will place a marker or two in the text along the way - at logical break points - so that you can take a breather, and then return to continue at your leisure. Look for
X-X-X-X-Xas your sign that it's OK to go away for awhile. Take a nap, enjoy a glass or cup of your favorite beverage, go for a short drive, or just catch your breath.
This edition of our blog will cover our stay in Wisconsin, both Milwaukee and Madison. The time period covered is July 17 - July 30. In our next posting we'll cover the drive to South Dakota and our stay in Rapid City. (By the time you finish this posting, you should be winded, and happy to take a rest with us until our next posting!)
We left Minnesota on Thursday morning July 17, with plans to stop for the night at the HoChunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells, WI. But after several 'casino' stops in Minnesota the previous week, we decided that a quiet night would suit us better - and so we opted for the Wal-Mart in Baraboo, WI. After moving the motorhome several times in the parking lot, to get away from large refrigerated trucks that seemed to park right next to us (refrigerators creating a din that could rival that of a jet engine) we finally found the quiet spot we were looking for.
Friday morning we revved up the Bounder and headed for West Bend, WI, our base for a week of Milwaukee and Racine visits with friends and family. The RV park in West Bend was located on a small private lake, and the setting was really quite nice. The only damper on our stay there were the 'rules'. Upon registering we were handed a two page list of rules for the park, and we were required to sign these before completing the check-in process. There was a second set of rules (also requiring signature) that covered 'appropriate' internet usage for the park's wi-fi system. This was the first time in four years as full timers in our motorhome (and staying at numerous RV parks) that we've ever encountered such rigorous stipulations. Although the rules were by-and-large common sense, and not too onerous, the overall impression that we were left with was that we had entered a police state.
Truthfully, the only rules we ended up having a problem with were those relating to visitors. Let's just say that as reasonable adults, we found it objectionable that the owners insisted (and I mean insisted!!!) that all guests must depart the park no later than 7:30pm. (We were just pleased that there were no 'lights out' rules, or bed checks for us!!)
Anyway, after signing all of the necessary papers, we were finally registered at Lake Lenwood Campground. We hooked up the Bounder, tidied everything up (including ourselves), and headed to Pewaukee Lake, WI for an overnight visit with Glen's brother Dale (and Cheryl). Glen's Sister Kathy (and Al) were already at Dale & Cheryl’s lovely condo, as were friends Jan & Dan. After a couple of 'spiked' lemonades, we headed to Okauchee Lake and an 'old-fashioned' Wisconsin fish-fry. (Well, it wasn't actually as old fashioned as we both remember these regular Friday night rituals in Wisconsin -the restaurant was 'fine dining'... and the fish was Walleye instead of perch.) But the net result was a great evening of good food and great conversation, followed by a night's sleep in Dale & Cheryl's comfortable guest accommodations.
Saturday started out with a great home-cooked breakfast, and then a drive back to West Bend to catch up on a few chores. (Laundry and house cleaning primarily. It seems that the Bounder is able to pick up quite a bit of dirt and grime while on the road; and for that matter, so do we.) Later in the day we navigated our way to Mequon, WI where Kathy's daughter Sue (and Bob) and family have a beautiful home. About thirty people, mostly family, were on hand to help us celebrate our 'homecoming' with a sumptuous barbecue (and a few beers).
(I don't think we've mentioned it yet in these blog postings, but since starting our adventure in May, we have yet to require a change of plans because of weather. For the most part, other than a bit hot at times, we've enjoyed nearly perfect weather. So if we don't mention that the weather was beautiful on a particular day, you'll just have to take it for granted.)
And Sunday was no exception. We had a busy day planned, and another sunny day was at hand. First we wanted to visit parents and grandparents. We don't get to Milwaukee often, but when we do, we always try to make a stop at the cemeteries where our parents are buried - and while we are there, we pay a visit to as many other relatives as we can find. (Donna's family and Glen's family plots are located quite close to each other in Milwaukee.) These visits always bring back a lot of memories, and we are happy for the opportunity to stop in and say 'hello' and remember our loved ones.
We then drove down to Milwaukee's beautiful lakefront. For many years, when we had our cruising sailboat, the 'Donna Lee', McKinley Marina was one of our favorite stops. Now, as landlubbers, we still enjoy visiting the Lake Michigan shoreline in Milwaukee. This Sunday was perfect for sailing, and so we were happy to see lots of sailboat activity in the harbor area. Donna had packed a lunch for us, and so we spent several enjoyable hours watching the boat traffic along with the many other visitors to the park. In the early evening we headed out to the northwest corner of the city to have dinner at Kathy and Al's son Steve (and Dolly)'s home. Homemade pizza and a wonderful salad (and a couple of cold beers) - as well as family conversation that included Steve & Dolly's son Sean and fiancé Isabel, helped to create a perfect end to a perfect day.
Monday was an 'open' day, with no planned activities - and so we headed to Hubertus, WI, just a short drive from West Bend, for a visit to Holy Hill. This well-known Wisconsin landmark, holds lots of fond memories from childhood visits. Rather than attempting to describe Holy Hill, we'll just provide a link to the web site where all questions can be answered:
http://www.holyhill.com/. We arrived back at the bounder before sunset, and decided to make an early night of it.
It's been more than two years since we've seen our friend Harvey in Chicago, and so we'd made plans to meet him halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago (at Racine, WI) on Tuesday. We'd had several recommendations of where to eat, and as it turned out we made a good choice with The Chancery, right on Racine's newly rebuilt harbor.
(Actually, the harbor has been under improvement for years, but we still remember the day that we first sailed from there in a Catalina sailboat. A friend of Glen's who worked with him at United Airlines in Chicago had a Catalina '22 harbored at Racine, and invited Glen & Donna to come for a sail to help them finalize their choice for their own boat. The day of the planned excursion saw 30 knot winds 'ruffling' the lake to between 10 and 12 foot waves. At that time there were few slips in Racine’s harbor, and so Glen & Donna boarded a tiny dinghy for the row out to the moored sailboat. After a fair amount of jostling, we were all able to climb aboard and set sail. We can't say that the voyage was perfectly comfortable; but no one ‘lost their lunch’, and at no time did if feel like the boat was foundering. So within a few weeks Glen flew out to Woodland Hills, CA where the Catalina Yachts are manufactured, met with the boat's designer - who was also company president - and the deal was made for our own 'Donna Lee'. So you can see why Racine Harbor will always hold a fond place in our hearts.)
It was good to spend a few hours with Harvey at The Chancery, and by the end of lunch we'd caught up to present day. Hopefully we'll not have to wait another two years to get together again. Following lunch we met Debbie, Dave's girlfriend's mom (who also lives in Racine – and who we’d contacted earlier). She picked us up at the harbor in order to show us the sights of Racine. Debbie is an artist who specializes in metal sculpture, and we were quite impressed by her gallery, and by several pieces of her work that are placed in public buildings in Racine. Later she took us to a delightful lighthouse at Windy Point, north of the city. The lighthouse has been in operation since 1880, and is in a great location amidst garden and beach. Then we picked up our own car and followed Debbie to where she and husband Marc live. Debbie had promised a light snack and libations, but to our surprise, a complete dinner was awaiting us. We enjoyed a pleasant evening of food, drink and conversation with the family, Marc, Jenni's sister Karissa, and Grampy Richard - Marc's father. We'd planned on arriving back at West Bend early in the evening, but when we rolled in after 10pm, we both agreed that the extra hours spent in Racine had been a wonderful addition to our Bounder Across America tour!
Wednesday we were in for more special treats. Glen's sister Kathy (& Al)'s son Chris (& Kim) had invited us over for dinner. Kathy and Al were invited as well, and so we first stopped at their place so we could all ride together. Before going to Chris & Kim’s beautiful home on Milwaukee’s suburban south side, we stopped to check out the remodeled Pottawatomie Casino in downtown Milwaukee - where we again met Debbie, who was in Milwaukee for the day. Afterwards we enjoyed a great Italian dinner with Chris & Kim and their children Laura & Charlie. What a treat!
(Just a note on family. As the family has grown, we seldom have the opportunity for one-on-one conversations and visits. Most time we get together only for special events, and that usually means a cast of 'thousands'. During this trip however we've had the opportunity to spend ‘quieter’ time with nieces and nephews and their children, and that has allowed us to get to know everyone better. We are thankful for this opportunity.)
After dinner, back to Mequon, where niece Sue was away for a few days with son Brickie. We had earlier been offered the use of the grand 'master suite' for the night. After visiting with Bob, and the girls - Margie and Katherine - we retired to the suite. Poor Bob had to bunk in Brickie's room. (Without going into too much detail, let me just say that a king size bed, two person jacuzzi, and a giant screen plasma TV make the Bounder’s comfortable amentities shrink - so to speak - by comparison.
After a great breakfast with Kathy & Al, we made our way back to West Bend early in the afternoon, where Glen's brother Dale stopped by so that he and Glen could continue their life-long cribbage competition. (Actually, 'competition' seems a bit too grandiose a word to describe Glen's dismal performance. After three losses, Glen has decided he'll have to bone up a bit before the next phase of competition, in Denver, with sister Karen.) In the evening Cheryl met up with the rest of the group for dinner at a nice 'brew-pub' in West Bend, followed by ice cream desserts at a great old 'custard stand' in town.
X-X-X-X-XAfter making preparations Friday morning for the next leg of our trip, we packed up and pointed the Bounder toward Madison, WI - for five days of 'catching up' with old friends from our days as innkeepers at our B&B in Albany (just a half hour south of the state capital). The drive was uneventful, and we arrived at the Madison KOA in suburban DeForest early in the afternoon. This early arrival gave us the opportunity to again attend to housecleaning and laundry chores before meeting up with old friends Carolyn & Gil (who were fellow innkeepers during our innkeeping days). We'd planned on a dinner out, but Carolyn surprised us with a gourmet home-prepared meal. Good food. Good conversation. Great friends!!
During our days as innkeepers, we had the wonderful opportunity to meet many people who entered our B&B as strangers - and left as friends. Two of the best friends we’ve made are Marcia & Terry from Davenport, IA. When they learned we were going to be back in the Madison area for a few days, they decided to drive up for an overnight stay and to spend the day with us on Saturday. Like we’ve come to expect during our Bounder Across America tour, the day was nearly perfect, and so Glen & Donna decided on a short driving ‘tour’ to show Terry and Marcia some favorite spots in southern Wisconsin. Our first stop was Crystal Lake - where we’d had a 'cabin' (located at the edge of a farmer’s pasture) in the seventies and eighties. Now we hardly recognized the place. A number of years back, dormant springs in the lake re-opened, and raised the water level more than four feet - changing the shoreline radically, in the process. Now the lake is clear, and a game fisherman's paradise - whereas it seems that all we caught, back in earlier days of lily pads and seaweed, were bullheads. Summer places now abound along the shore. After Crystal Lake we made our way to the dam at Prairie du Sac, WI to see how the fish were biting in the Wisconsin River. (They were practically jumping into the fishermen's creels!) From here we drove to Devil's Lake State Park, but were disappointed to learn that we couldn't progress along the road that nearly circles the lake. Spring flooding in Wisconsin (many of you have probably heard about the catastrophe at Lake Delton, WI, just a few miles away) had raised the level of the lake so that the road was impassable. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the drive. We then headed to one of our favorite spots in the Lake Wisconsin area of the Wisconsin River - Merrimac, WI. (For many years, Wisconsin Highway 113 has been without a bridge across the Wisconsin river. For as long as we can remember, the WI Department of Transportation has provided a free car ferry to make the Highway 113 crossing.) Donna and Glen have probably made this short ferry trip hundreds of times - and still never tire of it. This perfect Saturday boat ride brought back many wonderful memories from the days when our children excitedly boarded the ferry with us. Marcia and Terry also seemed pleased by the opportunity for this unique 'cruise' at Lake Wisconsin. After crossing, we enjoyed a lakeside lunch at Okee, WI, and then slowly meandered back to Madison to complete the day with ice cream at the DeForest Culver's. We'll long have fond memories of this special day with Terry & Marcia.
(Just a brief note about Culver's. Many of you have probably seen the familiar blue 'Culver's' signs - and many have also probably enjoyed a 'ButterBurger' or a 'flavor-of-the-day custard cone. But most do not know an important bit of Culver's history. When we first began going to the cabin at Crystal Lake, one of our favorite stops along the way was the A&W Root Beer stand in Sauk City. It was this location, re-opened by Craig Culver as the first 'Culver's', that began the fast food empire that now includes nearly 400 locations in 17 states. Back then, one of our favorite places for fine dining in the area was The Fire House in Sauk City - which now serves as Culver's corporate headquarters.)
This brings us up to Sunday (July 27) when we caught up with Nancy & Gary, who still operate a charming Bed & Breakfast in Brodhead, WI. We enjoyed a fine lunch together at the newly-renovated dining room at Decatur Lake Country Club. Nancy & Gary's B&B in Brodhead is only a few miles from where we owned and operated Oak Hill Manor in Albany, and so it was good to reconnect - and to learn about all that's new and different in the area. After a pleasant lunch, Donna and Glen headed to Albany to check out firsthand what was happening in our 'hometown' of nearly nine years. (Fortunately, Albany, nestled along the Sugar River, was spared the serious flooding that had plagued much of southern Wisconsin this past Spring.) The town is looking great - especially along the river where a new library has been built. (The Albany library is much larger and grander than anyone would expect from a town of only 1100 persons; but thanks to a large endowment, the town enjoys the benefit of a library that a town much larger would embrace with pride.)
Monday was Donna's day for re-connecting - and she met with childhood friends Sherry and Susan for lunch in Sun Prairie, WI. Friends from more than fifty years ago, the friendship had lain dormant for years until Donna (ever the organizer) got the girls together about ten years ago for a reunion. Along with Donna's sister Noreen, the group is now back in contact and get together whenever we are back in the area.
On Tuesday we met Mike & Mary (neighbors when we first moved to Albany) for lunch in Madison. Since last seeing Mike & Mary, they have both retired - and from all appearances, retirement agrees with them. (There will always be a soft spot in Glen's heart for these two friends. Back a number of years ago when Glen's first short story was published, they made the long drive to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to join us for a book-signing party at The Island House Hotel on Mackinac Island. Also, we both have to smile when we remember one fun episode during the time we were neighbors. We had acquired a garden arbor for Donna's English country garden – which at that time still in the building process. We placed the arbor, for planning purposes, at an as yet unfinished part of the garden. One day, when we returned home, we found the arbor ensconced on your garage roof. It took little thought to figure out who was responsible for this prank. It seemed a logical follow-on to continue the prank, and so a day or two later when Mike & Mary returned home they found the arbor on their front porch. Over the next couple of weeks the arbor turn up in a variety of locations - until finally it was anchored in its permanent location (where it still stands) in Donna's garden.)
Finally, on Wednesday it was time to again point the Bounder west and continue our journey. We'll cover that section of our travels in the next blog posting. Until then, don't forget to check out Donna's Picasa photo album at:
And also don't forget to drop us a comment here at our blog so that we'll know you haven't yet tired of our rambling!
Until next time, take care; stay healthy; and keep smiling.
Donna & Glen
