From Belvidere to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin - 9/18 to 9/24

From Belvidere we traveled to Mequon, WI for a two-night visit at the home of friends who formerly owned a GMC motorhome. Oddly, this was our second time there this year. Though Marlys was away for a reunion we got to visit with Jim at their river-front cabin.

While in Mequon, we drove to the Wisconsin campus of Concordia University.

The campus sits high above a bluff overlooking the western shores of Lake Michigan.

The Garmin’s live along the Milwaukee River. This photo of a blue heron

was taken one sunny afternoon. The bird is in the very center

where he seems to be disguised among the garden sculptures.

Not far from Mequon is the Village of Menomonee Falls. It is

north and west of downtown Milwaukee. This is the view of the

city park bordering the river.

The actual falls of Menomonee Falls have been altered by the

dam which has been refurbished in recent years. It provides a

central focus to the park which is open to the public.

On Sunday morning we attended the worship service of a Methodist church which is meeting in a relatively new sanctuary. The service was a “blended” service featuring a small choir, a small vocal ensemble, a pianist, and a percussionist. The service music included some familiar hymns as well as some newer songs that are now referred to as “praise songs.”

Later in the afternoon we traveled on to the Wisconsin Dells area after watching a good bit of a Green Bay Packers game. (When in Rome, do as the Romans.)

Our campground of choice in the Dells was a Resort Parks International campground called Arrowhead Resort. It sits off the main road by a good bit though it is just south of the Wisconsin Dells Speedway.

If you’re not aware, Wisconsin Dells is a city in south-central Wisconsin, with a population of 2,500 or so. It does remind us of a water-themed Gatlinburg except that it covers a greater land mass with more hotels that one would care to count. Therefore, it is a Midwestern tourist destination (which translates to lots of places willing to take your money). The city takes its name from the dells of the Wisconsin River, a scenic, glacially formed gorge that features contrasting sandstone formations along the banks of the Wisconsin River. Together with nearby Lake Delton, the city forms an area known as “the Dells.” The Dells area has an estimated five million annual visitors. That explains the reasons for the many hotels.

The Dells area has many indoor and outdoor watermarks and proclaims itself as the Waterpark Capital of the World. There are other attractions including a Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. (No tourist trap is complete without a Ripley’s). One of the eating establishments features a G gauge train that delivers your order to the end of your table. Two, separate rail lines are set up in one of the dining rooms for this purpose.

Martha picks up her sandwich order from one of the rail cars. By looking closely

one of the diesel locomotives can be seen to the left of her tray.

Since we were in Wisconsin we did get to purchase some Wisconsin cheese from a cheese shop. Since it was September the number of visitors in the vicinity were relatively few so service at any facility was prompt.

The prettiest, natural thing we saw while staying at Arrowhead Resort

was this maple tree in the midst of other conifers. A farm wagon

was stored just in front.

The next stop on our trip was Chippewa Falls in the northwester portion of Wisconsin. We were on our way to the fall convention of GMC Motorhomes International, a motorhome club of owners or former owners of the classic GMC recreational vehicle built between 1973 and 1978. One of the things Byron does for the organization is to supply their theme graphic for the convention. The next blog will pick up where this one leaves off; at the GMCMI Oktoberfest.

To Northern Illinois via Paducah - 9/11 to 9/18

After leaving the Louisville area and our one-month layover, we headed out for the first half of a lengthy trip to Gulf Breeze, Florida where we planned to meet our new grandson. This would take us through Fairfield (IL) and Lone Oak (KY) before turning north for Chippewa Falls (WI) through Springfield (IL), Mequon (WI), and Wisconsin Dells (WI). The reason for getting that far north at the beginning of fall was to attend a semi-annual convention of GMC motorhome owners.

First was the two-night stop in Fairfield. This allowed us to attend the funeral of Jerry Gray, the husband of one of Byron’s close cousins. While there we got to visit with June Gray and her children before continuing on for a visit with his brother in Lone Oak, just south of Paducah, KY. Danny and his wife, Lynda, have had greyhounds in the past but decided to go for something smaller. The result was the whippet you see in the photo below.

Dan Songer with Petey, a rescued whippet.

We attended services at Grace Episcopal in Paducah with Dan and Lynda then had lunch at a pizza buffet in Lone Oak. Danny is Byron’s oldest brother.

Just in case you can’t tell, Byron is on the left.

On Monday morning, September 15, we headed northward for a leisurely trip to Wisconsin. This took us through farmland all the way from the southern tip of Illinois to the border with Wisconsin. Since fall begins in September, we were able to see the colors change and farmers harvesting corn and beans. The farther north we went, the more apparent it was that the beautiful colors of fall were appearing.

After leaving the Paducah area, we traveled north on interstate highways to Lincoln, Illinois. Lincoln is northeast of Springfield which is almost in the middle of the state. While traveling north from the Ohio River on I-24 we were reminded of the many gentle, rolling hills and large forested areas in Southern Illinois. We connected to I-57 which took us to Mt. Vernon where we picked up I-64 and headed west for a few miles. Finally, we pointed the coach back north going through Lebanon, Illinois which is home of McKendree University.

Just south of Staunton we rejoined the Eisenhower Interstate System with I-55 which parallels much of historic Route 66. Along the east side of the interstate near Staunton is a collection of steel pole buildings, some enclosed and some with no walls. The buildings which stretch for 1/4 mile provide protection for the many cars for sale at Country Classic Cars. Some vehicles are in good shape while others need some TLC or other level of restoration work. We had no idea the place existed or we would have planned to stop for a bit. The business was started by a farmer that had worked as a mechanic. The business now has has hundreds of cars available for as well as a gift shop.

Anyone for a car from the 30’s, 40’s 50’s, or slightly newer or older?

If so, you could probably find something at Country Classic Cars

right off I-55 in Staunton, Illinois

We arrived at our campground near Lincoln in the middle of the afternoon during a rain shower. The RV park is probably the smallest at which we’ve stayed with only 20 spaces available. It sits in the middle of farm land with corn and soybean fields all around. Still, the mature shade trees and level parking area provided an adequate place to stay for two nights. We even had 50-amp service as a part of our full hookup situation.

Lincoln is centrally located in Illinois along the famed Route 66. Over one million people live within an hour’s drive of Lincoln. Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, Springfield, Decatur, and Champaign-Urbana are within 60 miles. It is midway between Chicago and St. Louis.

Lincoln is also the only city in the world named for and christened by Abraham Lincoln before he became President. Lincoln was serving as a lawyer on the circuit that included the county in which the town sits. When the town was incorporated, his name was selected because of his popularity among the residents. Lincoln is home to a number of historic sites and events associated with the presidential namesake including the new Lincoln College Heritage Museum and the Postville Courthouse. In addition, Lincoln is home to three colleges: Lincoln Christian University, Lincoln College, and Heartland Community College.

On Tuesday morning we got in our Honda Accord to see what the town of Lincoln had to offer. It didn’t take long to find Lincoln College on our drive into town. We found the Lincoln Historical Museum, located on the college campus, with no problem. What we didn’t know was, until arriving there, the museum had been open less than a year. As tourism goes, it is still relatively unknown though it shouldn’t remain so. We’ve been to the presidential library and museum in Springfield and found this one to offer a different perspective on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. It is worth visiting.

Martha poses for a photo opportunity with a statue of Abraham Lincoln

in the front of the building housing the Lincoln Historical Museum.

Lincoln sits in Logan County. Water for the area was originally

supplied by three, nearby creeks which meant that there was also

an abundance of wildlife.

What made Lincoln so desirable to early residents was the future railroad. When the state’s government wanted to connect Springfield to Bloomington by rail they had to address a small problem. Springfield and Bloomington were nearly 60 miles apart and the steam trains of the day required a stopping point every 30 miles to take on water. There was also a policy that a passenger depot be every 30 miles. This water point and passenger depot turned out to be Lincoln. 

At that time, however, no town existed. A company called Town Site Company set out to acquire the land, develop a street and plot plan, and arrange for the sale of lots. The officials of the company realized that were need of some legal assistance. As a result, Lincoln was called on to provide that level of expertise. A week and half later after purchasing the land, the proposed town of Lincoln became the new county seat after a bill was passed to move the county seat from Mt. Pulaski to the City of Lincoln. 

The next step in the process was to design the City of Lincoln. The County Surveyor, Conway Pence, designed the City of Lincoln around the railroad. All the streets ran parallel and perpendicular to the railroad. In addition, he designed four blocks that were for the county. In these four blocks were to be two parks, one court house and one jail. Now that the city was planned, it was time to bring in the people. On August 27, 1853, lots for the town went up for sale. On that day over ninety lots were sold with prices ranging from forty to one hundred and fifty dollars. The Town Site Company’s proceeds were over six thousand dollars. On this same day after the sale, Abraham Lincoln christened the town by using watermelon juice from a nearby wagon load of melons. There is a statue of a watermelon near the railroad depot, to commemorate where Abraham Lincoln christened the town.

While traveling along the highway through the central part of

Illinois one frequently sees barns of all ages. At this point in the year,

we were also seeing the corn harvest begin. One feature of the

older barns is the raised section in the roof. This was a

characteristic we haven’t seen in other areas. Apparently it

is to provide ventilation to help in drying the hay.

Because we had joined a campground association offering discounts at affiliate locations, our next stop for two nights was Belvidere, where we had stayed earlier in the summer. Our adventure for this stay was to Edward’s Orchard where we enjoyed hot apple cider and any jellies, spreads, cookies, cakes, or pies made with apples plus a whole lot of other yummy stuff.

Byron paused for a moment to take in the September

outdoor air at Edward’s Orchard after eating his fill of

hot apple doughnuts

You can view Byron’s review of the attraction on Trip Advisor. As he points out in the review, be sure to taste your way through the selections available for sale since they supply ample dipping pretzels and snaking crackers for sampling the awesome variety of jams, salsas, spreads, cheeses, and other tasty items.