Before leaving Bismarck, we had to take stroll through the capital grounds. We came in backwards, and initially were a little disappointed in the capital building…

And then we realized our mistake. Turns out the capital is beautiful. We especially loved the flowers the flowers that spelled out North Dakota.

We will ultimately end today in Medora, North Dakota, but on the way, we have few stops along the way. We loved the Totem Poles along the road in the town of Mandan, and the beautiful landscapes as we drove to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park

Fort Abraham Lincoln was established in 1872 on the banks of the Missouri River. The Fort and its troops were to provide safety for the expansion into the Northern Pacific Railway, and ultimately the troops from here were involved in the Battle of Little Big Horn… a mere 340-mile horseback ride.

There were several buildings on the grounds, the Custer House – home of Lietenent George Custer, the solider barricks, stable and commissary.

Someone may or may not have paid attention to the “do not cross” and “do not touch” signs.

The barracks were huge and would be home to 24 or more soldiers. The Barracks were warmed by huge potbellied stoves and fireplaces, but I still couldn’t imagine being in here during a North Dakota winter. Although, they did have their own kitchen and mess hall, so life wasn’t all bad.

Yikes! We found a left over soldier!

The boys wanted to put their feet in the Missouri River so now we can say we had our feet in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers on this trip.

The stables were rebuilt as well, with room for 50 horses and room for soldier who made sure they were cared for during the night.

The State Park has several campground, as well as hiking and bike trails. We were all really impressed with bike repair station. It had all the tools you would need to fix you bike and air hose for flat tires.

Connected to the Fort is On-A-Slant Village. The Slant Village of the Mandan tribe was here long before the Fort and was center for trade along the Missouri River. When Lewis and Clark made their trek, they found the village abandoned. The Mandon Tribe has worked with the State of North Dakota to rebuild the Village as it would have been. The site is still considered holy to the Mandan people… although it says a lot about human beings that you would even need this sign on appropriate behavior.

After On-a-Slant Village, we headed to the original outpost of the Fort. The building we really cool, but the views were amazing! No wonder they built here. You can see for miles and miles!

From Fort Abraham, we headed on to Medora. We passed fields of sunflowers about to bloom.

And then as we were scooting along, we got a ding for a “tire pressure change” in our back tire. We pulled over to check, and it was a bit low. Air added, and a can of “Fix a Flat” purchased (just in case) we were on our way. We stopped several time to check the pressure again, but each time we were good – thank you Jesus!

We headed on toward Medora… passing the Enchanted Highway.

And signs of the latest boom here in North Dakota… OIL

As we neared Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the topography really started to change… pretty drastically and quickly!

I think we need to pause and mention the size of the bugs in North Dakota… take a look at the windshield. When you hit these bugs, it sounds like a bird has hit your windshield. Its so dirty by the end of today’s drive, that it is comical!

We arrived at our hotel, the AmericInn in Medora, North Dakota. The Stewarts stayed here last yesterday and recommended as clean but like a step back in time… they were not kidding! But it was clean and comfortable with a good breakfast, so check! Works for us.

We arrived in time to walk into town to explore before headed to tonight’s event. Medora is literally a town created to celebrate cowboys and an amphitheater. The town of Medora has about 125 permanent residents. The amphitheater holds 1,500 so yea, you could say they love their tourism. During the summer, the Medora Musical has been performing since 1965, and now they have added concerts, as well as a gospel brunch, musical theater and a Christmas show. The town of Medora is set up for tourists -cowboy hats, boots, taffy, belt buckle, whatever you need to feel like a cowboy. They even had a shooting gallery.

These two caught a ride on a double-seated zipline.

We headed back to the hotel to wash up and head to dinner and our show. We worked our way up the windy hill (so thankfully the lady at the hotel said not to try to walk it)

And made our way to the Tjaden Terrace for te Pitchfork Steak Fondue. What is a steak fondue? Think of the one way to make a 12oz ribeye less healthy… deep fry it for 3 minutes in boiling lard, and then let it rest 10 minutes.

Oh my goodness, these were delicious! I could literally hear my arteries hardening but it was so worth it!

Everything was so good, and the view was so beautiful that Mike starting searching for plots of land to buy nearby.

After dinner, we played a great game of cornhole, mom and dad versus Leo and Michael (Dad and I won in the final round by 1). Our spirits weren’t even dampened when the hover rounds came searching for Mike.

The back drop was just beautiful.

We found our seats and got ready for the Medora Musical… it was a little bit hokey, but a lot of fun. But as we waited for the start of the show, the sun began to set and you couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful backdrop.

It was really nice to see a show so openly patriotic, especially as they asked everyone to stand and remove their hats to sing the National Anthem. The show had everything, a little patriotism, a little clogging, a little disco, and a whole lotta costume changes

One of our favorite parts was the group BAM who performed. Think Blue Man Group but a little sillier with a minion-like language. They were hilarious!

Another favorite part was the patriotic finale with a flag carrying horse riding up the mountain with fireworks! 🇺🇸♥️

The boys also loved Sherriff Bear – for soe reason, he cracked them up, espcially when he danced!

It was a great show and we made it back down the mountin without too much trouble. Tomorrow, we hit Theordore Roosevelt (or Freddie Roosevelt as Leo keeps calling him) National Park and then head to the great state of South Dakota.

We said goodbye to our cozy studio in Devils Lake and headed to Minot.

Originally we had planned to head to Jamestown, North Dakota and stay in a pioneer tent. It was a large canvas tent on a raised wooden floor, with beds, a table and wooden chairs. BUT after our time at Lows Lake and the bugs, we decided maybe now (without flashlights and other camping gear) wasn’t the time to try a tent. So instead, we switched it up, and decided to head to Minot and visit the North Dakota State Fair, and then head to Bismarck for the night. We actually had to go to Bismarck because the State Fair is huge deal here and there were no hotel rooms for about 50 miles surrounding Minot.

We put Minot, North Dakota in the GPS and this is our direction… go straight for 118 miles and turn right. 🤣 We’ve had several travel days like this… go straight for a gabillion miles and then turn.

We had a little rain as we started torward Minot, but a big advantage to big sky is you can actually see the end of the storm clouds.

The drive today was beautiful with lots of old farming structures. We saw fields of yellow flowers that will eventually become canola oil.

As we were driving, we saw a sign for the Geographical Center of North America. Well yes, that sounds like something we would live to see! Here’s a little background we learned from a plaque: In January of 1931, a US Geographical Survey determined that this is the center of North America. It was moved across the street when the road expanded in July of 1971, so it’s technically slight off the exact center now but close enough for government work).

We passed a few more canola fields…

And then we made it to Minot. The North Dakota State Fair is BIG deal here. It wasn’t just cars waiting to get in to the fair.

State Fairs are awesome – they have something for everyone… Rides, animals, farm equipment, and fair food!

When we arrived, they were having a parade of, well, everything. There were big work trucks, farm equipment, and churches. It was pretty cool, especially with the older man and woman announcing the parade entrants. “Here’s a truck from Sam’s Concrete. Didn’t they do your driveway?”

Oh NO, the hover rounds have found Mike all the way in North Dakota!

When we couldn’t find Mike, Leo said “Mom, he’s looking at farm equipment. He loves that like I love sneakers.” LOL, he knows him well.

We ventured into the livestock area to see some of the cows, and of course the pigs. None were as cute as RockyNoel and ApolloSuzanne, but we loved the fact sheet. And we were all giggled at this lamb who did not want a haircut.

They must put something in the hay up here, because these were some of the biggest horses, I’ve ever seen! But they had some of the littlest ones too.

There aren’t many things I love more than fair food. The smells, the variety and just the all around celebrated unhealthiness of it. It’s just the best! We all got different items: Nachos, quesidillas, burgers, fries, corn dogs and friend pickles. All we deliciously fair food! And we loved this one, “All wrapped Up in Bacon” – although we didn’t order from them… we are bacon snobs now.

So now you don’t buy tickets for rides. you purchase “credits” on a Magic Money card that can be reloaded. Each ride and game scan your card, and these two fully enjoyed their credits!

We tried one ride, Back draft, and the spinning combined with up and down motion proved a little too much for this guy.

But after about 15 minutes and a big ol burp, he rallied and was ready to spend some more credits on game. Big surprise, we did not leave the fair with any prizes. But they had so much fun just playing.

Credits spent, we headed for ice cream and one more things we wanted to see… Daryl’s Racing Pigs! Oh my gosh, they were the cutest!

And we even won a prize for coming from the furthest place to see the racing pigs! Actually, we shared with another family from NC. We ended up talking to them afterward, the wife was from New Bern and married a guy from North Dakota. They were here visiting family.

As we waited for the races, to start they played music. As “Whomp, There It Is” came on, we got distracted by these three women. We decided that when your rap song is played at the North Dakota State Fair and 2 older women are singing and danced along, we can definitely say you have crossed all the boundaries of success!

Oh my word, these little piglets were too cute and so fast! Well at least some where. Others were perfectly content to just jog along.

We decided to finish our day with a couple of glasses of fresh lemonade, and then call it day.

We headed south to Bismarck. And no matter how many times we see wind turbines, I am always amazed by how huge they are.

We could see for miles and miles, and the view ws beautiful, especially as we passed over Lake Sakajawea.

We made it to Bismarck, checked into our latest Holiday Inn and let the boys head to the pool. Meanwhile, we headed to the laundry with a whole week’s worth of dirty clothes. $4.50 later, we are good to go for another week with clean laundry!

Clothes clean and energy out, we headed to dinner at a place recommended by the hotel, Charros & Tequila. Holy Moly! We have been all over the United States and we all agreed – this was some of the BEST Mexican food we have ever had… that is all except Michael who always likes to be a contrarian when we all agree on a best restaurant 😏 But seriously, the table side guacamole… Oh. My. Word.

Somehow, despite full bellies, these two still had energy to burn… thank goodness for hotel swimming pools!

Tomorrow, we head to Medora North Dakota and I’m sure a few stops along the way.

We spent today on Devils Lake in North Dakota fishing with our guide, Ancil Reynolds. Today was definitely the opposite of our lazy day on Lows Lake. We were up the fishes but as the pictures will show, it was totally worth the effort.

We all slept like rocks in our VRBO last night. There are 2 sets of bunks beds in the apartment – with full mattress on the bottom and a single on top. Mike and I decided to “bed divorce” and sleep on the two bottom bunks and I think we liked having the extra room to spread out because we were all sawing logs last night.

Ancil is a really nice guy who works Monday through Thursday in Minot, North Dakota as a construction supervisor. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, he does what he loves… fishing! He was an awesome guide, smart, patient and funny. He had lots of fishing tall tales, and we all got a bit tickled with his Minnesota accent and dialect. “Oh yah” and “I says”

We met Ancil at 7am at Ed’s Bait and Tackle. We had our handy vacation cooler loaded with sandwiches, oranges, waters and pop (Minnesota and North Dakota for diet coke, coke and sprite). The weather today is supposed to be crazy hot for North Dakota… 90 degrees, but without the humidity, we weren’t terribly worried about it. We loaded up in Ancil’s truck and headed to the West side of Devils Lake…

As we drove, Ancil was telling us about the drought they had here last year. He said it got so bad that there was no hay to feed the cows so they ended up baling cattails and using as cow feed! Not only was it bad enough that they feed the cows the tough cattail, but the ground was dry enough to get baling equipment into what should be the marshy areas where cattails normally grow.

This two weren’t too happy about the 6:30 wake up call but they still gave me a couple of pictures

It was absolutely gorgeous on the lake!

We started off using spinners and bottom fishing. Mike and I had a good bit of luck with these, but the boys didn’t… they got lots of nibbles but couldn’t land the fishes. With the rocking of the boat like a bassinette, Michael decided to take a nap.

We spent the morning fishing and got a pretty good start to our limit of 25 walleye for the day

We headed in around lunch time for mom to have a bathroom break (unlike the boys, I can’t just “go off the back”), washed our hands and broke out our sandwiches as we headed to another spot to try our luck with bobber fishing… still fishing for Walleye but now we were using leeches instead of nightcrawlers (Yuck!)

The bobber fishing was more hit or miss. We would hit a spot and everyone was pulling in fish left and right or it was absolutely dead.

In the afternoon, the really nice breeze of the morning disappeared and the sun started getting hot… still without the North Carolina humidity but 90 degrees on a lake without a breeze is still pretty warm. Eyelids were getting pretty heavy whenever we moved to a new spot and the wind whipped around up.

It was really fun out on the lake and we caught almost our limit… 21 walleye, 1 perch and 1 white bass.

Now to the part I was dreading, the cleaning. Part of Ancil’s fee, includes cleaning and packaging the fish, but I wanted the boys to see how much work was involved in cleaning and preparing fish from the water to the freezer. We headed to the local “cleaning area” and got started. The cleaning station isn’t fancy but they’ve got everything you need. Boys were in charge of washing out basins and filing with cold water.

Not a bad haul for one day from 4 novice fishermen

Ancil showed boys how to lay the fish out,

To get the perfect picture!

Then the work began. Ancil got out his electric knife, and went to town. Wow, that electric knife makes all the difference! He sliced at the neck, flipped it, did the same thing, and then went straight down the backbone. He would then flip it again, cut the skin off and then do the same thing the other side. Then he dropped the filets into one of the basins of clean water.

And then after you have a stack of heads, tails and guts, into the grinder it goes.

One more step, Ancil took the fillets back out, cut the ribs out and put into the clean water.

All total we ended up with 48 filets, 8 of which we will be eating tonight. The other 40, Ancil will package and send to us via FedEx when we get home. Can’t wait to eat walleye that we caught in North Dakota later this year. Leo kept saying “can you believe we caught this?”

We cleaned up the cleaning station – spraying the table off and squeegeeing the table off into the grinder. And then we headed back to Ed’s Bait Shop to grab a souvenir for our travel tree and our car. Since we all stunk, we had the windows down, and after such an early start and the hot sun, some of us were sleepy, and some of us made pictures

As we got to Ed’s Bait Shop, we noticed how crowded it was and

As we got Ed’s Bait Shop, we noticed the crowd and asked if it was it normal for so many people to be at the Bait Shop at 5:30 on a Friday? Yes, when half the bait shop is a bar, and on Fridays they do a “Meat Raffle.” What’s a Meat Raffle you ask? A Meat Raffle is when the owner of the bar goes to WalMart and buys all different kinds of meat, and then they raffle off the packages for a $2 ticket. Maybe you’ll get a ribeye steak, maybe you’ll get a pound of ground beef, BUT you’ll come into the bar, buy a drink and have a great time with buddies on a Friday night at the Meat Raffle. Ancil said since the owners started this, they’ve had a great crowd every Friday afternoon/night and it sure sounded like it when I went in the Bait Shop.

We headed back to the grocery store for a few items for our fresh dinner of fried walleye. MAN! These were delicious, and like Leo said “Can you believe we caught this?”

Bellies full, we tried to watch a movie, but this mama was asleep by 9:30 and the boys were close behind at 10:30. Apparently, fishing is hard work. Tomorrow, we leave Devils Lake and head to Minot, North Dakota so we can experience the North Dakota State Fair!

We woke up to our last morning at Lows Lake, and this little squirrel was tickled to see me go. Every morning, I’ve written the log on the back deck, and every morning this guy has squacked and screamed at me… to the point that this morning I wondered if he was having some kind of squirrel seizure.

So at least he was happy to see us leave the cabin.

We leaded a bit northwest to see the Chippewa National Forest and to Parks Ridge, Minnesota to see the headwaters of the Mississippi River. As we headed to Park Ridge, we crossed into Leech Lake Reservation.

Minnesota is absolutely the Land of 10,000 Lakes, if not more. Every corner we turned was another lake, and they were all beautiful.

Finally we made it to Itasca State Park.

The drive was absolutely gorgeous with some of the largest pine trees I have ever seen!

We stopped to buy our pass and learned that we had to go through the East Entrance Visitors Center, and we are so glad we did, because it was Smokey the Bear Day at Itasca State Park!

After getting an ornament for our travel tree, we headed to the North Entrance to see the brook that becomes the mighty Mississippi. Before we headed out, we decided to make sandwiches for a picnic. And thankfully, Mom’s Cafe has a Parks Ridge, Minnesota location!

A little history on the creation of the Mississipp River… the Mississippi River is created from the Red River of the North, the St Croix River and Lake Itasca. These waters all join up south of St. Paul, Minnesota, and become the Mississippi River. And you know its true, because – there’s a plaque about it!

We walked along the trail and the boys and I can now say “I crossed the Mississippi on foot”

But watch out for the Itasca River Bridge troll!

After a quick walk, we made to the spot where “here above 1475 feet above the ocean, the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.” The sight was absolutely beautiful. So beautiful that some of pictures looked fake.

After playing in the water for a while, we enjoyed our picnics lunch along the banks of the Mississippi and then headed back headed toward North Dakota. Along the way, we decided to stop for milkshakes at the Dairy Land in Bagley, Minnesota, and then decided to take a 15 minute detour for a smaller but older version of our town

And then we crossed into state number 30 – Hello North Dakota!

North Dakota is gorgeous and so flat that it seems like you can almost see the curve of the sky

We loved this, farmers grow hay up to the state Right-of-Way. This serves multiple purposes: People don’t litter because its a farmers’ land; the farmer mow and collect the hay; and the state doesn’t have to pay someone to mow. So there are hay bales littered along the side of the road, waiting to be collected. Such a great use of resources.

We made it to our next VRBO location in Devils Lake, ND. It is really cute and is the upstairs of a family’s shop. The Varilek family is extremely nice and welcoming. We have met some of the nicest people through VRBO.

After dropping off our luggage, we headed out for dinner at The Ranch Steakhouse. We found this gem on a great travel website called “Only In Your State.” The Ranch has been operating since 1946, and as you can see, the outside hasn’t changed all that much in that time. The steaks and salmon were fantastic and the tater tot appetizer was delicious!

After dinner, we ran over to the nearby WalMart to replenish out lunch and snack supplies. We didn’t get anything for dinner tomorrow night, in hopes that we will have fresh fish for dinner. We have an early wake up tomorrow for a 7am put in on Devils Lake for a whole day of fishing for bass, trout and walleye. 🎣

In years past, I have been accused of “overscheduling” our vacations.  Shocking, right?  So I’ve included some down days in recent trips and today was about as good as you get. 

Let’s first show off Cabin #1 on Lows Lake

Its nothing fancy, but it has 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and living room, and one of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen

When we finally all got going… around 11am, Mike gave the boys lessons on how to put on weights and bobbins to the new fishing rods that the owners had for us to us.

And off we went for a little fishing. I think everyone caught something, but nothing large enough to keep. But it was still fun and we loved being on the lake.

Lows Lake is a private lake, so nothing motorized is allowed.  I cannot believe how that changes the “sound” of the lake.  It is so quiet… just birds chirping, and of course us!

After fishing, the boys and I decided to try the rowboat. I don’t think Michael knew how hard it is to row. He very chivalrously refused to let me row, and Leo didn’t really offer. When I asked why he didn’t offer to help, in true Leo style said “’cause I didn’t want to row.” I thought for sure we were going to end up in the lake and trying to pull a row bat back to shore, but we made it back relatively dry.

After the rowboat adventure, the boys did a little swimming but then decided it would be more fun to take photos. Some of these turned out really cool

I think my favorite is Leo’s Superman (he seriously looks like he is taking off from the dock)

And Michael’s Michael Jordan pose

I think they climbed in and out of the lake at least a hundred times. After that we grabbed lunch, and were lazy again, playing cards and laughing as we taught the boys the art of card-playing-smack talk.

Later in the afternoon, the boys headed back to fish with Mike while I got dinner in the oven. 

It has been really nice to have a kitchen again and not have to eat out… although dinners have had a little bit of an Iron Chef feel as I made do with whatever ingredients we had with us. Once dinner was in the oven, I joined the boys on the lake and we headed out on the canoe and kayak. Both of which are SO much easier to navigate than the rowboat… although these 2 getting the canoe in the water was hilarious!

After an hour on the lake, we decided to head back in for dinner. Although the boys had to go back out to “free” the unused worms that we bought for bait… Love that they will beat the crap out of each other but want to save some earthworms

Finally, we watched what the boys called an old movie (it was from 1993!) and then crashed. Being lazy makes you tired.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time at Lows Lake.  The only negative… the bugs! Lawd, the bugs!! Apparently yellow flies are bad this year, and their normal June-only season has extended itself long into July.  (We had a night in a “Yurt”-style tent planned later this week, but we changed our reservation last night, because those suckers will drive you mad!)

But its going to be hard not sitting out and enjoying this view…

Tomorrow we are meandering to another lake, Devils Lake in North Dakota (#30)… can’t wait to see what oddball things we can find along the way!

Today started off in the town of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. After breakfast, we headed off to Leinenkugel Brewery, makers of Leinenkugel Beer, and one of the few American owned beers.

Leinenkugel has been making beer since 1867 when Jacob Leinenkugel came to Wisconsin from Germany. His father had been a beer maker so he and a partner, John Miller, founded Leinenkugel brewery. Miller sold his shares to Jacob, and despite a sale to Coors in 1989, a Leinenkugel still sits as President of the Company.

The tour was excellent even if you aren’t a beer drinker. They have tried to keep and restore all of the original buildings

Beer is made from grains that are soaked in very hot water becoming an oatmeal type texture – floor 4… originally gravity moved the product along, but with technology and the renovation the process jumps a bit now with tubes and pipes from floor 4 to floor 2 to floor 3 to floor 1 to bottling/canning

We thought the safety glasses were pretty cool

150 years of beer… including a few years of “near beer” during Prohibition

Originally Leinenkugel was only available in Wisconsin and surrounding areas, but now it is sold in all 50 states, although not every kind is available everywhere. Not too bad for a little brewery.

We really enjoyed and used our beer tasting tickets (for Mike and I only) to try some beer not available in North Carolina. (If you get the chance to try the Juicy Peach or Beer Weiss, absolutely do!)

So glad we added this to our itinerary. It was definitely worth the stop and fun to see it go from grains and hops to beer🍺

After the tour and tasting, we headed into Chippewa Falls for lunch. It is a really neat town with gorgeous flowers decorating each corner in these old bikes. Local business sponsor each, and they look really pretty as you look downtown.

We grabbed lunch at Lucy’s (recommended by Teagan our tour guide at the brewery – side note, tour guides and drivers know the BEST places to eat), and then walked through Chippewa Falls to explore. We spent some money in a great candy shop, and found the perfect sign for Brian Maness!

Off we went with full bellies and sugary hands, and headed off to the land of 10,000 lakes Minnesota!

Along the way, we passed Lake Superior

And about a hundred other little lakes.

We are headed to Lows Lake in Emily, Minnesota. I have learned one thing on this trip, we should be very grateful for the ability to just scoot to a nearby grocery store… those suckers are few and far between out here! Final found one in McGregor, Minnesota and stocked up on groceries for next few days where we have a kitchen

Then off we went to find out cabin…

The cabin is okay – honestly, it’s a fancy fishing cabin that needs a good cleaning. But a few Clorox wipes later, it’s fine for us

Put the view and the cool air coming off the water, made it all worthwhile

Tomorrow, the itinerary is full… of nothing! We are sleeping in and relaxing with a little fishing, kayaking and swimming.

We hit the ground running this morning and didn’t stop until we closed our eyes tonight! After breakfast, the boys enjoyed the indoor and outdoor pool while we got packed up. The water slides are pretty simple at our Holiday Inn Express but the boys have thoroughly enjoyed them!

We can’t seem to find anyone who knows why Wisconsin Dells is the water park capital of the world… I mean the middle of Wisconsin is a pretty random place for the water slide capital of the world… the best explanation I’ve found is that The Polynesian Resort covered their water slide in 1989, and folks went crazy for it because duh, it’s cold in Wisconsin a good portion of the year… and so, the Dells were born.

The Dells are also known for their Duck Boats (boats that can go on land or water) and while that seems interesting, their slow pace is unlikely get or keep the attention of teenagers (or me). So instead we decided to take a JetBoat through The Dells…

And get soaking wet

And as if that wasn’t enough, we did a little zip lining with great guides, Emily and Dawkins, who taught us how to do a Spider-Man while sipping but still made sure we didn’t hit a tree or fall.

Emily and Dawkins both told us about a great place for lunch, The Grateful Shed. This place was too cool – a warehouse with different food trucks inside.

Clearly, the burgers were delicious!

The boys also took a turn at the arm wrestling table.

We scooted next door and did some go cart racing, and I impressed the boys with my driving, especially as I drove right past them – lol!

It was pretty warm out today (although the humidity is only about 15% so it’s a comfortable heat), so we decided to go back and use our 2nd day of free 3-hour passes at Knuckheads. All the same things and all the same fun!

Let’s just take a moment and notice who the #5 top player of the day is… yes, it’s MOM!

We topped off our visit with an icee and hit the road for Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin… but not without a few oddball stops along the way. How about a sign made from an upended tractor trailer:

Or a leaping deer and orange moose

Or maybe sticking with the cheesehead theme, a bull wearing a cheesehead

We finally made it to our hotel, and after grapping some not-so great Chinese food to go, we were in for dinner

Now to rest up for tomorrow… a Brewery tour and then we head over to Minnesota!

Today we were all Packers’ fans… at least for an hour or two. We toured the famous Lambeau Field, and WOW! These folks take football serious up here! Don’t believe us? Just look at these houses across from Lambeau Field – their yards are mini-football fields and decorated for football season all year!

Lambeau field is a sight to see. A bit of backstory: Originally, Lambeau Field was earning the lowest of all NFL facilities – the facility was only used on home game days each year. They hired a new CEO, he updates the facilities, opens up to the public for use and tours… and now the facilities are used almost daily for tours, weddings, proms and corporate events.

Our guide Brad was a super fan.. even down to his Packers tennis shoes

Notice the floor… if you could go through the walls, the floor of the Atrium, is lined up with the yardage on the field itself… seriously, these folks are obsessed!

The skyboxes in Lambeau are awesome and if you lease on of these luxury boxes, they are yours all year long and you are welcome to use anytime. And not a bad view either.

Its a Green Bay miracle, they are keeping their hands to themselves

Again, we aren’t Green Bay fans, but this tour was pretty cool.

Another site from Roadside America – 50 foot Lomardi trophy – check!

Picture in a cheesehead. Check!

Vince Lombardi Statue. check!

Curly Lambeau Statue. Check!

Brad, the tour guide, suggested we head over to Title Town to do some exploring for free, and man, was that a great suggestion. Acres of 40 yard sprint lanes, a football field, ninja warrior course and a huge hill to run down in the spring and tube down in the winter… and all free!

No need to find a restaurant for lunch – Mom’s Cafe has a Green Bay location.

Once we conqured Title Town, we did a little exploring… found the World’s Largest Hex Nut

And this signed that begged for teenage boys to make a stop and take a photo…

And what did we find right across the street? A Sinclair dinosaur wearing his own CheeseHead

After our Mom’s Cafe lunch, we needed something sweet, and luckily we weren’t far from the #1 milkshake in Green Bay. So off we went in search of Al’s Hamburgers. Easy to miss among the big building and sky scrapers but we found it.

Since 1934, Al’s has been making the best burgers and especially milkshakes. The Browns know 2 things… pork and ice cream. So we took a claim of “best milkshake” as a personal challenge. The inside of the restaurant was as it looks outside, simple and a bit old timey. But the shakes… Oh my word! They absolutely are the best milkshakes we’ve ever had!

We left Green Bay and began our journey to the Wisconsin Dells, but not without a few stops along the way… 1st house powered solely by hydroelectric power. Check

Then we read about “Weird Statues and Oddball Yard Art” that was only 14 miles off course… um, yes please. We are SO glad we made that deviation. It was awesome!! A yard full of random animal stuff. Giant cow head, huge whole cow, hippo flipping a jeep, lion on a rock… turned around in a strangers driveway just so we could see it all again! All this in one man’s yard!

We tried to find a muffler man that we had read about, but he was pretty disappointing. But the drive was gorgeous! So glad we stayed off the interstate and took the back roads.

We drove through some of the most picturesque towns

We even saw some Amish families and farms

We continued on and saw a sign for Ripon, Wisconsin, birthplace of the Republican Party. I wasn’t sure how a political party could have a birthplace, so we decided to check it out… sure enough, after reading the plaque, it is in fact the birthplace.

We finally made it to Wisconsin Dells with plans to rest a minute, grab some dinner and then swim at the pool. But the Holiday Inn Express had other plans… how about a 3-hour place to ride amusement park rides, drive go carts, bounce on a trampoline pad, ropes course, and some virtual reality games? Um, couldn’t think of anything teenage boys love more… so off to Knuckleheads we went!

We decided to just save time and eat here, so we ordered a pizza and pitcher of Sprite. While boys played, I waited and waited and waited. When I went to check the status, found out there was a mix up in kitchen so they were just starting our pizza and it would be another 10 minutes. We weren’t too upset since boys were occupied. Well apparently the staff at Knuckheads isn’t used to a polite response because they gave us free orders of cheese curds and chicken tenders! This was our first experience with cheese curds and I’m sure Knuckleheads Indoor Amusement Park isn’t gourmet curds, but Dang! Their cheese curds were delicious!

One more ride, and we headed back to hotel… Thanks for a great night with my own knuckleheads

Time for bed? Of course not! The pool is still open so we needed to maximize the day (and the night)

Tomorrow we ride a key boat and zip line… and whatever else we can discover in The Dells!

SIX states…

TWO weeks…

TWO parents…

TWO teenagers…

And loaded down Volkswagon Altlas.

It’s going to be fantastic or you’re going to see us on the news.

Oh Lawd, here we go!!!

We packed our bags, loaded the car and sent at least 5 videos to Sarah about the garden, the chickens, the cats, and the pool. But last year, Sarah and KT cleaned rotten meat from a broken freezer, so gardens and chickens are no match for them.

We headed out of Greensboro, bound for Chicago, and I know the boys were so thankful that I had my camera ready to go.

Checked in, bags checked, and Starbucks in hand, we are ready to board.

Thanks Enterprise! We are ready to hit the road…

State number 27, Illinois – Check!

We gained an hour of time when we arrived in Chicago, and these boys were starving by 1pm Central Time. We found the town of Libertyville, Illinois online, and oh my word, it was like stepping into a Hallmark movie. The town was so perfect – it looked fake.

We had lunch at the Picnic Basket. It was a little pricey for lunch but WOW- Some of the best sandwiches we’ve ever eaten!

And yes, the best sign too.

We’ve been using a great website for random sites along our journey (“or perhaps you don’t want to see the world’s largest ball of twine which is only 4 short hours away“) http://www.RoadsideAttractions.com Pick your state and/or city and tahdah!

State number 28 – Wisconsin… check!

As we meandered along, we decided to head into Milwaukee. The boys were excited to see the Forum, home to the Milwaukee Bucks

The riverwalk through town and the old architecture were lovely, and the drawbridge that went straight up was pretty cool. However, thanks to Roadside Attractions, we knew we wanted to find the ladybugs on the building and Gertie the Duck. Gertie was a mallard duck who laid nine eggs on top of the pile-on on the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge in April of 1945. She refused to move despite storms, fires and crowds of people who came to the see her. Ultimately, Gertie and 5 babies waddled on from the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge, and the Bronze statute of Gertie still marks her spot. There’s also a statue for a lady named Debra who did lot for Milwaukee, but Gertie is way more famous.

Someone however couldn’t understand why we didn’t want to just spend time looking at shoes in Footlocker

Next stop Sheboygan, Wisconsin… I kept thinking I had heard the name Sheboygan before, and I thought and thought… I knew it was from a movie and then it it me! The Polka King from Home Alone – they were huge in Sheboygan Ha ha ha

Sheboygan is now home to a Walmart Supercenter – Mom’s Cafe has got to stock up for the trip, AND it is home to America’s Tallest Flagpole… and when will we ever be here again… new cooler – check. North America’s largest flagpole – a big ol’ check!

And it even had plaques!

Continuing on toward Green Bay, we stopped by the town of Manitowoc, Wisconsin to see the site where on September 6, 1962 a 20 pound hunk of metal fell to the earth and landed in this spot. The metal was ultimately identified as the only remaining piece of Sputnik IV, and now we’ve seen right where it landing. Living history – checking

Before we left, Leo wanted a picture with the Manitowoc Art Museum because he said it looks like the house from Stranger Things. And when a 13 year old wants a picture with his mom, you always say YES… even if you haven’t seen the show and even if you have no idea what house he is talking about.

We left Manitowoc, and headed on to Green Bay. Wisconsin is really beautiful…

We checked into our hotel for the night – hello Holiday Inn Express – took a mini power nap and then headed out for dinner. We decided to try a local place, The Rite Place. It has been open since since 1977, and after eating here, we know why. The food was delicious! We all shared a cup of their famous Chicken Booyah (think vegetable beef except substitute chicken for beef).

I’m no longer calling my soup soup. From now on, it’s all Booyah. Tomato Booyah, chicken noodle Booyah, vegetable beef Booyah. The Booyah makes it better 😉

Mike and I both had their broasted chicken. Wow! Lightly Fried chicken with perfect crust and still juicy… it was so delicious, there are no pictures because we gobbled it up as soon as it hit the table. So so good!

The boys spent an hour in the gym working off their bacon cheeseburger and ultimate nachos before bed. I chaperoned… wonder if that burned off any calories?

Tomorrow, we tour the famous Lambeau Field and a little more of Green Bay. Hopefully, I can talk my guys into a visit to see a 50-ft tall Super Bowl trophy, or the world’s largest Hex Nut or the Shoe Tree on the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay campus.

Either way, Day 1 has been pretty great

Home from a great week of museums, air planes, Great Lakes, Rock & Roll, college campuses, a birthday , football, fried chicken and ATVs.

My backpack has survived another trip… year number 24! Although, it is a bit gross from yesterday.

Plus Mike has replenished his bag of hotel soaps for the farm

Thankful to only have 2 loads of laundry to do, safe travels home, and great memories with my boys!