travelwallaces

Yesterday was a rainy and cold day so we stayed in most of the day other than to go find internet to work a bit. We binged season 1 of That '70s Show. With that said I was excited to get up and get out to hike to some waterfalls. Waterfalls is my number one thing to visit on vacation. We started right at our campground, Pattison State Park. We hiked first to Little Manitou Falls. We approached a small fall that was very pretty thinking we found Little Manitou Falls we continued to find Big Manitou Falls. We sat for a while to enjoy what we thought was Big Manitou Falls, once we got up and began to hike, we found that was Little Manitou Falls, the first falls was just an extra. We hiked ... read more

Really short drive today, although we did cross back into Wisconsin. We are camping at Willow River State Park so that we can enjoy Willow Falls. State parks are a little pricer here than we are use to, especially for a nonresident. They charge you the fee to camp, a fee to make the reservation, and an entrance fee that can be quite high. Example for nonresident to camp at Willow River State Park: $40+$8+$13=$61. Now if you wait to reserve until you arrive you can avoid the reservation fee. If you will be camping at multiple Wisconsin State Parks, I would suggest purchasing an annual pass for $38 to avoid paying the entrance EACH DAY that you camp. Another thing to know is that they do not provide water or sewer at your campsite, many ... read more

We braved the cold again today so that Nate could see the Minneapolis Skyway. Unfortunately, most of the tunnel system was closed today. He did get to walk into a few at the IDS building but could not go into the adjoining buildings. I really enjoyed visiting Minnehaha Falls. I would love to find a campsite right on a waterfall because I could sit and enjoy for hours. The issue is that Nate and Daisy get bored in less than 2 minutes. We got back to the trailer much earlier than expected. We took the dogs for a walk and enjoyed our large, green, beautiful site.... read more

It is a rainy, cold day here today and tomorrow. So, we are pushing on to see what we can in the rain. Yesterday on the way in we saw the Ochsner Park & Zoo. After researching we found it was a free zoo. The site states that the "majority of our animals are either rehabilitated wildlife that are not able to be released or rescued from the exotic pet trade". The Zoo contains playful bears, a variety of owls, sleepy Mexican wolves, a lonely gorgeous artic fox, rambunctious river otters, hidden prairie dogs, a stinky skunk, a majestic eagle, and farm animals. After this we went to lunch, walked around town, and took the Upper Wisconsin Dells Boat tour. The tour was a bit expensive, but we were able to find coupons. The tour was ... read more

We spent most of the day exploring the many caves of Maquoketa Caves State Park. It is so nice to go at your own pace and enjoy these caves without a guide. They did a great job carving out paths through the wildflowers and through the wet flooring of the caves. Nate was extremely excited to see little chipmunks running around. He made us return to the dance hall in the large cave many times so he could hear himself sing. Today was nice because we took a break and ate lunch. Then we sat outside to enjoy the cool weather, Nate fell asleep, began to snore, and I took a selfie with him. In the afternoon, Nate and Daisy climb down into Wye cave. This is a narrow, muddy, and pitch black cave. Daisy describes ... read more