Road Tripping Through Wisconsin

Minneapolis, MN

Donna and her black liquorish ice cream at a Wisconsin Cheese Shop (it was GOOOOOOD!)

Chicago to Minneapolis via Wisconsin

Yesterday we headed out of Chicago on our way to camping in Wisconsin on the way Minneapolis.  We set up two 3-4 hour drives so we were able to stop and see things.  It was a great drive and we saw just how pretty Wisconsin is.  

Our first stop was at the Wisconsin border to pick up an official State Highway Map and a Wisconsin State Parks Guide.

This is Bucky Badger, the official mascot of the University of Wisconsin.  

Me and Bucky!

The State had 85 Bucky Badgers made and then had different artists decorate them and placed them around the state.  You can watch a documentary about it here.

Rock County!

Greetings From...Spoiler!  Wisconsin!
(My glasses were preventing me from really seeing my phone for this selfie)

We arrived at Mill Bluff State Park early in the afternoon and had our happy hour after we set up.  It's not an out of the way state park, but it was pretty empty for a Thursday during the summer during a holiday week.

Our Set Up

We made Francis stand on this stump for a photo.

After relaxing for a bit we decided to check out some of the bluffs.

There was a really nice lookout that you could hike to,

with a nice view of the bluffs,

After a great night's sleep, we got up and made coffee and then packed and hit the road.

The Coffee Shot!

After packing up and birding for a bit we headed out.  We had a 3ish hour drive to our Airbnb and we can't check in until 4pm so we are taking our time.  Our first stop was unexpected.  We saw a sign on the side of the road that said something like, "Cranberry Shop and Museum and Cranberry Ice Cream".  We decided to swing by after confirming it was open.  

They were out of Ice Cream so we looked at the Cranberry Wines.

They touted their cranberry bogs as being habitat.

After buying some cranberry wine we hit the road again.  Our next stop was a Wisconsin Brewery.  Donna found Northwoods Brewpub which had BBQ sandwiches.

I saw the pinball machine and had to play it.  It was set on very easy and the right slingshot was broken so it played incredibly easy.  I played 3 balls and then left games on the machine because I could have played all day.

I had to get the fried cheese curds.  They were delicious!

I also got a brisket sandwich with tots.  I finished my sandwich for dinner when we got to Minneapolis.

Our last stop was a cheese shop in Wisconsin, Cady Cheese Store.  We saw another roadside sign that advertised it so we stopped.  It was a great stop!

I stuck my through a thing today too!

All different aged cheddars.  We bought a 15 year.  It's fantastic!

I feel like they were trying to make cheeses in the shapes of the states but failed.  I might be wrong.

We arrived at our Airbnb at 4:15 after diverting to drive by Donna's Childhood home.  She lived here for about a year in the late 70s.  Our Airbnb is great!  It is in a cool area with a coffee shop with pinball about a block away.  We are all settled now and ready to enjoy Minnesota!

This cheese is older than Francis!

We tried one of the wines and it's good in our opinion (we aren't wine drinkers so our opinion doesn't matter much).

We put 327 miles on our Wisconsin Highways Map

We ended up with 1348 Miles in Illinois. 

And now we are sitting at 887 Counties.

That's it for today.  If you didn't read Wisconsin Brought the Brat check it out.  We had beer and Pinball in Wisconsin as well as a brat.

Wisconsin Brought the Brat

 Kenosha, WI

Forgot to take a selfie today...

The Brat Spot

Today we did a small drive to Wisconsin to visit The Brat Spot and to play some pinball.  The Brat Spot is just across the border and a popular place for locals and people traveling through the area.  We chose it because they have pinball and it looked pretty cool.  We also got some work on the van the other day and wanted to test it out before the big road trip to Minneapolis.  We got the tires balanced and the wheels aligned and it drives way better at high speeds.

There is a cheese shop associated with The Brat Spot because Wisconsin.

They sell New Glarus Beers at The Brat Spot because Wisconsin.

It's a giant place with one of the biggest bars I have seen.

I got the New Glarus 30th Anniversary Beer.  You can only get it this year and you can only get it in Wisconsin.

The Onion Rings were really great.

The Sausage was just okay.  

They had fake movie posters just like the Terror Tacos in St. Louis.

I was just kind of in the moment so I didn't take many photos.  

That's it for today.  Tomorrow is packing day and then we do a drive through Wisconsin to Minneapolis.  We have loved Chicago but we always end up looking forward to the next thing.

If you missed Birthday Road Trip check it out.

Birthday Road Trip!

Oglesby, IL

Us atop the lookout at Starved Rock State Park, IL

More Roadside Meals

Today we did a road trip to collect counties, visit a state park, and have a roadside meal.  Our first stop was at The Root Beer Stand in Oglesby, IL (more than likely not associated with The Root Beer Stand in Cincinnati).  We knew we were going to need food so I tried to search for Route 66 style roadside regional food.  I tried a few searches and didn't have any luck so I searched for "Best Root Beer in Illinois" and this place popped up and it was right next to the state park so I checked it out and it fit the bill.  I really enjoy stopping at quirky food places like here and here.

Drive up and order from your car!

I got the Bar-B-Que.  I didn't really know what it was going to be but I wanted something different.

It turned out to be a lot like a Manwich.  It was good but I liked the Wiz Burger more. I also got a Root Beer which was great.  Donna got a burger that she liked along with a Root Beer Float and then we split a chili cheese fries.  All for $20 including tip.

Starved Rock State Park

After lunch we did the short 15 minute drive to Starved Rock State Park.  It's a VERY popular State Park about an hour and a half away from Chicago.  The parking lot was pretty full but we found a spot and started exploring.  The park is right on the Illinois river so we saw people fishing and quite a few birds.  On our short hike and visit to the visitor's center I noticed that the park had an incredibly diverse group of people, way more diverse than I have seen at a State Park.  It felt more like a National Park crowd, which is good IMHO.  I want people of all types to enjoy nature and state parks.  

The bird feeders were a big draw for people and they had this nice information on the birds that visit often.  More places should do this.

The trails were VERY accessible (compared to most trails that gain altitude) and well kept up.  I was surprised at how nice everything was with no entrance fee.

Another example of a VERY accessible trail.  This one was paved and had a gradual incline and would welcome wheelchairs and other modes of mobility.

We picked up 6 new counties for us Kendall Co, Grundy Co, LaSalle Co, Lee Co, Ogle Co, and DeKalb Co,

The route is interesting because we only pick up Kendall Co the interstate only goes through Kendall Co when traveling westbound.  If we had gone the other way around we would have had to get off the Interstate.

The rest of the drive was nice.  When we got back to Chicago we stopped by a Mexican Grocery Store to pick up some fun birthday food and made a nice dinner.  It was a great birthday.

That's it for today and our time in Chicago is winding down.  Just a couple more days until packing day.  If you missed Surgical Science Museum, check it out.  It's a museum with surgical stuff.