Headed north to cooler weather in Wabasha, Minnesota and then on to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With St. Louis, MO in the rear-view mirror, Judy and I set our sites on cooler weather as we headed north through Iowa, and into southeastern Minnesota.   We seemed, without really trying, to visit Midwest states that are part of the “corn belt”.  As such we have seen, traversing the highways of Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, & Wisconsin, vast expanses of corn fields that stretch to the horizon.  We were amazed at how much corn is grown in this area providing a newfound perspective on what the term “corn belt” means.  Much of the corn we saw was fully grown with tall stocks and very close to harvesting, and we passed many a truck loaded with recently harvested corn on state highways on our way north. 

Our destination was Wabasha, Minnesota.  And what a beautiful location this was.  The RV Park also happened to abut, you guessed it, a corn field.  We were less than a mile from the charming center of town, and an easy walk.  One of the best attractions in Wabasha was the National Eagle Center which sits on the banks of the Mississippi and overlooking the bluffs across the river in Wisconsin.  Seems the state with the highest number of Bald Eagles is Minnesota and the runner up is Wisconsin, and there were many nesting pairs in the vicinity.  On many occasions, as we drove through the surrounding towns, we could spot these large souring birds with the 7’ wingspan. 

There were a couple of reasons we picked Wabasha, Minnesota as our destination for a week, and one of those reasons was the easy access to Wisconsin by crossing the Wabasha-Nelson truss bridge. This was a private bridge with a toll until 1947 when the Minnesota & Wisconsin highway departments bought the bridge for $ 400,000.00. The point here is that the bridge gave us access to towns on both sides of the Mississippi River.   And it was in Fountain City, WI, that I finally found the quintessential side-show attraction that I could not ever have envisioned when picturing our future RV travels.  I had often related amusing anecdotes of Judy and me stumbling onto the unusual attractions off the beaten path which might include the “biggest ball of twine”, “largest elastic band”, or maybe even the “largest Paul Bunyan statue”.  But never in my wildest imagination would I have ever dreamed up what we were destined to find at the Prairie Moon Sculpture Gardens.

Prairie Moon Sculpture Gardens was the creation of Herman Rusch (1895–1995), a retired farmer, who opened this roadside museum in Cochrane, Wisconsin.  Concerned that the grounds of the museum were barren, Rusch built his first concrete and stone planter circa 1958. That effort led to two new engrossing interests: the creation of huge sculptures and related flower beds. Rusch said that he “just kept on building. You don’t ever know where it will end up when you start.” Without any formal art training, he became a consummate craftsman and artist, searching local quarries for appropriate stone, and developing exceptional masonry skills.  By age 89, Rusch had created nearly 40 sculptures. These included a “Rocket to the Stars,” a Hindu temple, dinosaurs, even a miniature mountain. Sometimes Rusch added color to the freshly mixed concrete; sometimes he painted the surfaces. He embellished the sculptures with seashells, bits of broken bottles, and shards of crockery and mirrors.  

A weird and wonderful museum and garden, just sitting there on a side road waiting to be discovered.  And discover we did.

I guess you could say that the other reason we picked Wabasha is so that we could visit with friends, Kristine & Bryan, as they were also camping in Wabasha.  And by this time on our trip it was good to be able to socialize with other people.  Really good!  Don’t get me wrong, Judy and I are very well acquainted, but the richness of the human experience is being able to socialize with others, and I would say that we noticed after several weeks on the road that we were living a bit of a cloistered lifestyle.  So being able to spend time with another couple, listening to their stories, enriched our experience.  Kristine & Bryan were warm and inviting, and we had a great time talking, hiking, dining, and bowling with them. 

We had ventured as far west as this trip was planned, and after six weeks we were changing direction and heading back towards the east coast on a more northerly route featuring the Great Lakes.   We extended our stay in Wabasha by a day, but eventually we had to pack up and leave for our drive due east to Green Bay, WI, and the Brown County Reforestation Campsite.  Interesting fun fact; the recreational area took on the name of “reforestation” because in 1948 a passing train threw some sparks and caused a forest fire that wiped out 80 acres of forest.  So, the County built a prison camp in the area to plant trees and reforest the area.  Over 250,000 trees were planted in the early 1950’s and 70 years later there is a wonderful wilderness and recreational area.  Over 1,000 acres of wooded area, trails, and bodies of water, the Reforestation Camp offers a variety of outdoor activities, including miles of scenic trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding (ohh, and one of the few places with POOR cell reception, no big surprise there).  So, of course we walked the trails. That seems to have become the de-facto theme of this trip.

The best part of this campsite was the proximity to the city of Green Bay, which was about 12 miles south of the campsite and an easy drive. Green Bay is a fantastic small city, easy to navigate, with a distinct charm.  And although we never had a chance to visit the “Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field”, we were lucky enough to be downtown on a Saturday morning whilst the “farmers’ market” was taking up around 4 city blocks.  This place was packed with both vendors as well as people.  At 10:30 am.

There was plenty to do and see in Green Bay, but there were two absolutely fantastic museums that caught our attention.

• The National Railroad Museum was by and far the best display of old railroad engines, cars, and equipment we have ever seen.  The museum is the only congressionally designated railroad museum in the United States and features over 70 rail cars and locomotives.  A big museum in 3 massive, shed type buildings.  Best part is that we got lots of great pictures at the controls of enormous steam powered locomotives.

• The Automobile Gallery & Event Center was a gem of a museum.   Wow!  Steven was constantly texting out pictures to car enthusiast friends back in Massachusetts.  At this museum there was 100 years of automotive history and beauty ranging from an ultra-rare 113-year-old Cadillac Model T Touring Car to a Mercedis AMG 6.3 V-8 with over 500 hp and gulf wing doors.  An awesome collection of Corvettes including a very rare split back 1963 Corvette Stingray in red.   Or maybe a 1979 VW Cabriolet in white is more you’re taste.  And don’t even get me started on the “muscle cars” of the 60’s like the Pontiac GTO, Chevy Malibu, Buick Skylark or Oldsmobile Tempest (anybody remember the movie with Danny Devito, “My Cousin Vinnie).  We were suitably educated, entertained, and inspired by this museum. 

Because we had added a day to our Wabasha stop, after a short 5-day visit to the Brown County Reforestation Camp we were packing it up for a long drive up and over the top of Lake Michigan.  A 250-mile drive northeast into the Michigan Upper Peninsula and on into Mackinaw City.  But in order to get to Mackinaw City, I had to cross the 5^th longest suspension bridge in the world.  The Mighty Mac, as the locals call it, is an engineering marvel; but to be honest, one scary ass ride with a 40-foot trailer weighing 4 tons.  After what I would describe as a successful “white knuckle” ride over the bridge, we arrived in Mackinaw City, MI.  And you’ll have to read our next post to find out what Mackinac Island was like as we tell… the Rest of the Story..