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WWII Jeep
At Fort McCoy, they have a wonderful collection of military vehicles. It was interesting to see a WWII Sherman tank next to the M1A1 Abrams tank of Gulf War fame.We left Ohio and the next stop was about a week's stay with Carol and Ned Gatzke in Wisconsin. John and Carol had taught together at West Geauga....a long time ago....and had sponsored the first Earth Day at the junior high with skits, a multimedia slide show, and a community clean up. (If you know your eco-history, you can figure out HOW long ago.)
We left Chesterland and after skirting south of Cleveland, picked up the Ohio Turnpike near Elyria and took it to the Indiana line. There we dropped off to US-20 around South Bend, then south to US-30. This saved money and allowed us to overnight in Indiana, adding another state to our map of where we have camped. The next day we took US-30 south of Chicago (ugh) and finally to I-80 before heading north to Wisconsin. It was nice driving (except the south of Chicago part) but very flat and boring. In northern IL, just south of WI, we did come to huge fields of windmills generating power. THAT we enjoyed. Our GPS took us right to Gatzke's and once settled in, we had a grand reunion.
Monday we went to Fort McCoy see the
Cooking blueberry pancakes
Carol has had this stove for over 30 years. It is wonderful, taking the chill off in the mornings and providing a great way to slowly heat soups and keep foods warm. The pancakes were Awesome! campground (open to the public!) and look at the old section. My father had been at McCoy as part of his induction and training in World War II and it turns out Ned's dad had been there also. Unfortunately, with budget battles in Congress, the museum was closed except for special occasions and by appointment. We did get pictures of the outside and some of the vehicles. Turns out Sparta, WI, bills itself as biking capital of the US and there are bike trails everywhere. The oldest "Rails to Trails" line is there and we rode it back in 1980! They also have a fiberglass manufacturer and they produce some awesome pieces for use around the country.
We spent time with Carol and Ned at their beautiful log home in the woods. They have birds galore, a huge garden, and a charming fish pond. I was able to get some pictures of birds and we enjoyed the wildlife. It was "cooler" than we have gotten used to. (Snow had melted and spring was in full bloom, including pollen. I have been suffering allergies since April in AL, then in WV, and now in WI. Seen lots of spring, but
Fiberglass pheasant made in Sparta
The corporation making this statue makes all kinds of great fiberglass models. We toured the plant area and saw Santa's, trains, slides, eyeballs, and animals of all sorts. be glad to get back to warm/hot weather and no more spring blooms of pollen dust.) Carol has a wonderful wood cook stove that Trish envied and it was fired up each morning to take off the chill. Carol made great soups and meals on it and on two mornings, fixed blueberry pancakes. YUM!
They wanted to show off the beauty of the area and the Mississippi River so we drove north on the west side of the river, met their daughter for lunch, and then came back on the east side. The rolling hills, the bluffs and the sheer force of the river were awe inspiring. Carol, the consummate science teacher, explained the geology of the area. When you sit atop a bluff on the west side, see the wide valley and realize the opposing bluff is 3-4 miles away, you begin to feel small and humbled by the forces of nature and the power of the glaciers in the past.
One afternoon Trish opted for a nap and Ned was working on the tractor so Carol and I looked at old slides from earlier trips we had taken. We looked at trip to Colorado LONG ago,
Looking across the Mississippi
North of Sparta, on the Minnesota side, we went to an overlook and could see the wide valley of the river. It is almost 4 miles across here, from bluff to bluff. Think of the forces of nature that created that! and at camping we had done when we both had VW campers. We recalled other trips and promised to pull up more slides next time (much to our spouses dismay, I'm sure.)
A day trip was scheduled through the rolling hills to the river and then over to see the Effigy Mounds of early Native Americans on the bluff of the Mississippi. There are various shapes of the mounds and we saw a conical mound and a Bear mound. Unfortunately, we were unable to get high enough and far enough away to get a good picture. But even up close, you could definitely tell it was a bear. According to the explanations in the visitors center, much of the dirt for the mounds was brought up from the river bank, some 300-400 feet down a steep bluff. And it was all brought up in baskets, most probably by the women. We marveled at this history and then headed back home. We made one stop at Gander Mountain for outdoor supplies (Carol and Ned leave for a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters area in a few weeks) and then the obligatory stop at an ice cream stand to sample
Small fish pond
Carol and Ned created a small fish pond in front of their log home. Birds love to come for a drink or to take a bath. home made ice cream. We tried some a few days earlier at one shop (and bought some "squeaky cheese") so had to try the flavors further south.
Carol suggested a trip on the river so we made reservations to go from La Crosse on Saturday and cruise the river in the afternoon. We went to the river and got on a large, fully enclosed pontoon boat for a 2 hour cruise down the river, into backwaters, to see wildlife. We pulled into the main channel and with a naturalist on board narrating the scenery and explaining the river, we set off to look for eagles. The boat headed into backwater sloughs and the captain marveled that the river was so high, we could drift over areas that normally were above the waterline. We headed further downstream and spotted a pair of eagles in a tree. In another spot, we saw a deer that had swum out in the river to get to an island. Hopefully there is enough food for him and he can get back later. There were turtles sunning and a multitude of birds winging and singing. At one point, the naturalist asked everyone to be very
Cardinal
There were all kinds of birds coming to feeders and to the pond. This cardinal lived in a nest in an old Christmas tree set in the yard. There were goldfinches, buntings and hummingbirds, among the many we saw. quiet and the captain cut the engines to a slow troll, and we drifted along, marveling at the sounds of nature. There were only 11 of us on this cruise, but they said when they have a boat load of students, once they are all quiet and realize what they can hear, even tough city kids are in awe.
The trip was wonderful and we saw and heard a lot. When we got back to shore, we drove around La Crosse and then stopped for....what else....ICE CREAM. There was an old fashioned ice cream parlor and they had a wide variety of flavors. After enjoying the cones, we walked around the downtown a bit. On a side street I spotted a restaurant called Sushi Pirate. It looked, from the outside, more Chinese, but I got a take-out menu and thought I'd check it out. There was a recommendation for another place to get Japanese food, but when we drove to it and I went in, it was not close to what I had hoped. We offered to take Carol and Ned to dinner for all their wonderful hosting and food and they agreed to try Japanese!
Sunday night
Rock'n the house
No, not a band, an actual boulder that rolled down the hill into this house. People were living there at the time and no one was hurt. Now it's just a tourist attraction. we went back to the Sushi Pirate and poured over the menu. We promised to order only "safe" food for our mid-Western friends. We started with Kirin Lager and hot green tea. When I asked for small juice-type glasses, the waiter looked confused and shortly found some. But after Trish insisted on GREEN tea, not Jasmine or some other flavored tea, and they got it, we started being waited on by a young girl, whose English was better. We opted for some appetizers, including fried dumplings (gyozas). But I asked if the dipping sauce had garlic and if we could have some additional minced garlic for it (they way they serve it in Japan). The young girl turned to another young man, who smiled, nodded, and she then told us Yes. Hmmm, interesting. At that point, the young man became our waiter. In conversation, it turns out Simon was the owner of the restaurant and curious as to how we knew so much about the food. We had a wonderful chat and EXCELLENT service. We had a variety of sushi, including "safe" sushi like scrambled egg on rice. I had a plate of seaweed salad to share and we had
Bald Eagles
We saw these on our river cruise, but from any of the bluff overlooks, you can see eagles soaring over the river valley. Taco-su, or octopus in vinegar with cucumbers. Ned and Carol tried them all. They seemed to even enjoy some of it. Then we had the main course. Trish and Carol had large bowls of udon, thick Japanese noodles in a large cast-iron pot with vegetables, meat and an egg. Ned and I had Don-buri's--large bowls of rice with meat. Ned had pork with onion and poached egg and sauce; I had the barbecued eel. Simon continued to check on us and had a wide smile as he saw how much we ate and how we enjoyed it. He offered a free taste of sake at the end of the meal. It was a mid-grade sake served warm in a carafe with small sake cups. Oh, how it warmed as it went down. Carol and Ned were pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoyed it. We told them, and Simon, that it was the most authentic Japanese food we had tasted since leaving Japan. Definitely a highlight (for us) of this part of the trip: not only to find this wonderful spot, but to have our friends enjoy it as well.
Carol and Ned live just a couple of miles
Carol and Ned
This is NOT posed. They were actually looking for eagles in opposite directions and this was too funny to pass up. from a local campground. We checked with the campground and learned that for a small fee, we could drive in and dump our black and gray tanks prior to leaving. While Gatzke's worked outside and in the garden, Trish and I took a quick trip to the campground to use the "necessary" and thus be able to travel without the weight and smell. We came back and reset the RV in the drive for another night. Carol had picked rubarb and Trish cooked it up for breakfast the next day. We spent the evening chatting and enjoying our time together.
Tuesday morning we pulled out fairly early as we were heading downriver to Davenport, Iowa. We had spent a marvelous week with very good friends and hope they will return the favor and come stay with us for a week or so and we can show them Alabama. (I recommend, since they enjoy the cooler weather, they come in winter, when for folks in Wisconsin, our winters here will seem balmy.)
Yes, Carol and I had taught together long, LONG ago. But we've stayed in touch and seen each other over the years and it always seems like
Carol masters chopsticks
Not the piano piece, but using 2 wooden (bamboo) sticks. We took them out for dinner at a Japanese restaurant and Carol managed to pick up food! (We also got them forks so they wouldn't starve.) it was just yesterday. Thanks, guys, for a really great visit!
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Deborah Chamberlain
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Loved "Rock in the house" photo. That is pretty amazing...................and I adore Blueberry Pancakes...yum!