Day 113 – Kieler, WI
On Sunday morning, it was time for another long walk. Our campground was situated about four miles east of the Mississippi River, so we decided to walk down to see how much larger the river had become since we last saw it in Minnesota. We expected a walk though the Wisconsin prairie, but after leaving the campground, the road descended to follow a couple of streams in deep, forested ravines down to the river. It was a nice hike, and it was amazing to see how huge the river was compared to when we walked it on rocks at the headwaters.
After the long hike, we relaxed and enjoyed the afternoon and an amazing sunset at the campground.
Day 114 – Kieler to Madison
Monday morning started off with work at campground, before we hit the road to drive into Madison, the capital of Wisconsin. Along the way, we stopped in Darlington, a cute small town with a historic main street that looked to be slowly getting restored to its former glory. We ate lunch and walked around town, before continuing our drive to our hotel in Madison to finish off the work day.
Day 115 – Madison
We spent the morning doing work and laundry, and then took an afternoon walk to downtown Madison, about three miles north of our hotel. The center of town is located on an isthmus between two large lakes, and a lot of our route took us along the shore of Lake Monona. In the center of town, (State Street) (which was packed with shops and restaurants for blocks) connects the University of Washington campus to the State Capitol Building. We walked the full length, taking our time to check out some of the stores and the Capitol, and also took a quick side trip to see the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace. Finally, we ate a great dinner at The Old Fashioned, where Tracey discovered something she actually liked better than cheese curds…deep-fried cheese curds!
Day 116 – Madison to South Wood County Park
Wednesday was a day for work and driving, this time to South Wood County Park, a really nice campground in the woods, on the shores of the long, narrow Lake Wazeecha (which is apparently a very important part of the show waterskiing world). We had a relaxing afternoon and evening in the park.
Dat 117 – South Wood County Park
After working from the campground on Thursday, We took about a four mile hike around the lake. We had to race a thunderstorm since we took off on the hike unprepared, but we made it back to the campground before the heavy rains hit.
Day 118 – South Wood County Park to Fawn Lake Campground
Friday was another morning of work and then an afternoon drive. Our destination was Fawn Lake Campground, in a rural part of eastern Wisconsin, but first we had to take a slight detour to see one of the most historic sports venues in the country, Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
The campground was definitely rural, but our site was right on a small lake, where we got to watch a crane hunt for food for over an hour. Our neighbors owned a company that provided Shitsu dogs for pet therapy, and they had three of their adorable dogs with them in their camper. All three dogs quickly made themselves at home in our campsite, especially the youngest female, and they seemed to take a liking to us.
Day 119 – Fawn Lake to Van Riper State Park
Saturday we hit the road fairly early and drove in to Michigan, our twentieth state on this trip so far! Our destination was Van Riper State Park, located in the western part of the Upper Peninsula. After setting up camp, we walked a couple of miles exploring the area, including walking along the shores of Lake Michigamme. We also found a small info booth with the story of Operation Moose Lift, where they airlifted moose from Canada into the Upper Peninsula to try to restore their population. After our walk, we enjoyed dinner and rested up for more hiking the next day.
So it looks like you will cross the Soo locks from the UP into mainland Michigan. It is a Corps of Engineers facility…..I have not been there yet!