road trip

2014 Trip Five, July 22, Summer in the Cities

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Stevens Point, WI July 22, 2014

We had a later start this morning as we enjoyed conversation and home-made breakfast at the Victorian Swan on Water B & B in Stevens Point. The other couple staying last night was from Kentucky, originally Chicago and also enjoying a few days in the area. Breakfast was a potato-egg casserole with home made cinnamon rolls. Very yummy. Tomorrow is stuffed french toast I believe.

A Victorian Swan on Water

The B and B was originally built in 1888-1890. One of its claims to fame is that was originally located downtown but was moved here in 1938. When moved, the house lost its third floor and a second kitchen. We have one of the smaller rooms here (we got a tour) and it suits us very nicely. Joan is a wonderful host and has done her share of traveling also. In addition, her garden in back makes a wonderful place to sit and relax-as we did at dinner time Monday night.

We headed out for Warrens WI, home to the Cranberry Discovery Museum. Cranberries are big here since WI is the number one producing state in the nation, growing about 2/3 of the US crop. Right now cranberries are growing. Blossoms were in mid-June and we did not make it up here after the Fennimore trip. Harvesting is mid-September to mid-October and we just might miss that also as we return from our post Labor Day trip to Canada, the Adirondacks, and Deb and Rebecca’s wedding in Ct.
We thought we should stop in now since we were relatively in the area.

Our drive from Stevens Point to Warrens took us through cranberry growing territory. The museum in Warrens is a modest size and took us about 45 minutes to explore and read the displays. The displays do an admirable job of explaining how cranberries are grown and harvested. We had known about harvesting them in flooded fields but the museum explains the details of the whole process in an easy to comprehend process. For instance, we did not know about the addition of sand to the fields during winter when the fields are frozen; or the meticulous monitoring of soil and water that occurs throughout the year. We did taste test cranberry ice cream-delicious and purchased some cranberry mustard, salsa, chutney and jam.

Cranberries, Concord Grape and blueberries are the only fruits native to the US. They are among the highest of all fruits in antioxidants.

Two sandhill cranes

Our return trip was through the cranberry fields again but the return trip by another route brought us by several sandhill cranes. The growing of cranberries takes up about 180,000 acres in Wisconsin. Only about 18,000 of those acres are actually growing cranberries. The remaining acres,called support land, consists of natural and man-made wetlands, woodlands,and uplands. Because of this, waterfowl, like the sandhill crane, are plentiful in the area. Sandhill cranes are supposed to be aggressive in defending their territory but we managed to get several photos without hassle.

Lunch was at a rest stop at Dexter County Park at Lake Dexter. Really fancy, two cans of pop with the left over sausage, cheese and crackers from yesterday. But we helped the local economy by buying the two cans of pop at the Dexter Drive-In.

An example of a paper making mold from Siam (Thailand)

Wisconsin Rapids is the home to the Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum. This is a small museum in the historic home of Stanton Mead. The Mead family ran the Consolidated Water Power and Paper Company for most of its 100 year history. The company has gone through several recent changes and is now owned by New Page Corporation. The company is a major employer in Wisconsin Rapids and in Stevens Point-the factory behind A Victorian Swan on Water is a New Page factory.

The Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum

The museum had three exhibits that interested us and we had the pleasure of having two docents explain various portions of the exhibit. The first was about Dard Hunter, a man born in 1883 who spent the majority of his life researching the paper making process, particularly hand-made paper.

The second exhibit was about the history of the Consolidated Water Power and Paper Making Company. It began in the early 1900s and controlled most of the paper making in the Wisconsin River valley. From the size of the facilities we have seen, it is a big player in a dying market-it focuses in this region on coated papers (for magazines) and other specialty papers. It’s early history would make a good novel with skullduggery and broken contracts.

Gib Endrizzi mural

The final exhibit was about art made by Gib Endrizzi. Endrizzi was the design engineer for Consoweld and the company during WWII made a product similar to Formica. Layers of paper are coated with a resin and heat pressed to create a very strong product. It was even used to make glider planes during WWII. (That is another whole story.) After the war, the product was produced in multiple designs and colors. Endrizzi used the product (no longer made) to create art work. Several of his murals were on display and were quite remarkable.

Deer at Schmeeckle Reserve

We drove back to Stevens Point and walked some of the trails at Schmeeckle Reserve, part of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. It was a relaxing way to end the afternoon. We saw several deer; I know, they are everywhere nowadays but these were kinda cute.

Schmeeckle Reserve

Dinner was at Father Fats, a local eatery serving tapas. We shared three selections and all were great.

Sunset on Wisconsin River Tuesday night

Ed and Chris July 22 11 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Gib Endrizzi, sandhill cranes, Schmeeckle Reserve, Warrens WI, Wisconsin Cranberry Design Center and Museum, Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum | 2 Comments

2014, Trip Five, July 21, Summer in the Cities

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Stevens Point, WI Monday July 21

We are staying at A Victorian Swan on Water B & B in Stevens Point, WI close to the Wisconsin River. We will be here for two nights on our way to Appleton WI. As usual, we broke up this driving day with a few side journeys.

Leinie’s, that is, Jacob Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company, is in Chippewa Falls, WI. It is about a 90 minute drive from St. Paul. Despite the fact that neither one of us drinks beer, we stopped in here for a tour. The tour lasts about an hour. It is free but we paid one dollar each for a souvenir shot glass and 5 tastings of various Leinenkugel beers. We got our wrist bands and a black X marked on our hands and we were off on the tour.

We have been on other brewery tours. This one is a little lighter on the details but you received the essence of the beer making process and the history of the Leinenkugels; another German family with lots of boys, most of whom entered the brewery business. They survived Prohibition making pop, instead of beer. 60% of their output is distributed in bottles, 30% in kegs, and 10% in cans. They have about 23 fermenting tanks. One tank holds enough beer to satisfy a beer drinker who consumes a six pack of beer every day for 55 years. Distributors have to pre-order their beer 60 days in advance to allow enough time for the brewery to order supplies and allow the beer to ferment.

They have a multitude of beer flavors. Back at the Leinie Lodge, the tasting room and gift store, we tried three of the beers. Summer Shandy and Honey Weiss were bearable but still not something I would order and expect to drink the whole bottle or glass.

Before we switched to root beer, we tried Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout. Yes, a beer named after me. But, it tasted lousy to this non-beer drinker. Very heavy and bitter. So, while I do not intend to buy it, I wish them well in order to keep the brand going. I did buy a “Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout” tee-shirt. How could I not?

We had packed sandwiches for lunch and ate them at Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls. The breeze was strong enough to keep the bugs at bay. However, I slapped my wrist several times before realizing that what I thought were flies or large mosquitoes was simply the black mark put on my hand at the brewery tour.

The Round Barn in Marshfield WI

We had contemplated driving to Stevens Point via Wausau WI but while it may be a lovely city, nothing there seemed worth visiting. Instead, we dropped down to Marshfield and paid a visit to the “World’s Largest Round Barn”. It is part of the Central Wisconsin State Fair grounds. Chris went up to the office and one of the staff, a young woman named Cassie, was gracious enough to give us a tour (the building had been locked) and relate the barn’s history.

Dome of the round barn

Can you interpret this sign in the Round Barn?

The barn was constructed in 1915-16 as a show barn and arena and is still in use today. The round shape was selected due to: more wind resistant, more efficient to arrange stanchions to show animals, and stays cooler in warmer weather. Now, aren’t you glad you read this blog for its wealth of information?

Our final stop prior to Stevens Point was Rudolph WI; a small town home to Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company and the Rudolph Grotto. Of course, this is Wisconsin, most towns are home to some cheese making facility. WI ranks 1st in the nation for cheese production and makes more cheddar cheese than any other state. WI cheesemakers make 2.4 billion, yes billion, pounds of cheese each year. And, it takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.

At Dairy State, family owned for generations, we had some ice cream ($1.75 for a healthy single scoop) and then bought our dinner. Crackers and a mixed bag of WI sausage and cubes of various kinds of cheese. The bag of cheese curds will wait for Tuesday.

Rudolph Grotto

Then we drove a few blocks to the Rudolph Grotto. The parishioners of St. Phillip’s Church now maintain this grotto built by an early pastor, Father Phillip Wagner. Rev. Wagner promised to build a shrine in Mary’s honor after going to Lourdes, France in 1912 and having his poor health restored.

Rudolph Grotto

St. Jude’s Shrine at Rudolph Grotto

The grotto is a series of gardens, statues, and rock formations arranged to form shrines remembering the stations of the cross, seven sorrows of Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, or just general feel good representations of flowers, planters, etc. The rock used is unusual, it is a rare lava rock in the area. Other materials include Carrera marble from Italy, shells, colored glass, and tiles.

When we crossed the Wisconsin River into Stevens Point, we were greeted by a mural of loggers. Much of this area of Wisconsin dates back to old logging operations, producing lumber for the rest of the country and later for paper making. We expect to see other paper making facilities over the next several days. Our B and B is in the shadow of one such paper factory.

Logger mural in Stevens Point WI

Over the last 18 months we have visited numerous small towns. The small communities of the Midwest compare very well. They come across as taking good care of their homes and public infrastructure-at least the infrastructure that is visible. The use of murals on downtown walls is becoming prevalent and we do not get tired of these visual representations of a community’s history.

Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk July 21 9:15 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Chippewa Falls WI, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Leinie's, Round Barn in Marshfield WI, Rudolph Grotto, Rudolph WI, Stevens Point WI, Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company | 3 Comments

2014 Trip Five, July 19, Summer in the Cities Travel Blog

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

St. Paul July 19

I have been a wee bit derelict in providing details on the summer interregnum between major trips. But we have not been inactive here in the Cities. Let me provide a few highlights.

The Twin City River Rats perform on the Mississippi River

Last night we watched the Twin City River Rats, a water ski team that competes, quite successfully, around the country. They normally put on a free show every Thursday night on the Mississippi River north of downtown Minneapolis. Yesterday was the start to the Minneapolis Aquatennial, its 10 day summer fest. The River Rats put on an additional five shows this weekend during the Aquatennial. These shows are also free although ” the hat is passed” during an intermission in the 75 minute show.

Mississippi River Rats perform on the Mississippi River

We joined the crowd lining the west bank of the Mississippi. The flood waters have receded enough for the show to be performed but the river was still flowing fast and creating challenging conditions for the water skiers. The River Rats practices have been limited up to now due to the high water.

The show provided plenty of thrills for the family oriented crowd. Pyramids, ski-jumping, barefoot water skiing, etc were offered on a consistent basis. The group tries to tie its performance together in a skit performance with a Star Wars theme. This aspect was the weakest, probably hindered by the lack of practice time. I guess they need some patter and upfront action to allow for getting the water skiers and boats coordinated. The temp was in the 70s with enough breeze to keep the bugs away.

Cannon River MN

Along the Cannon Valley MN Trail

Today we drove to Cannon Falls, 30 miles south of Saint Paul. It was a hazy cloudy day with temps in the 70s. Our goal was to go biking. The Cannon Valley Trail runs for 20 miles along the Cannon River from Cannon Falls to Red Wing on the Mississippi. The Trail was built on the rail bed of a former line of the Chicago Great Western and has been in operation since 1986. The 20 mile trail is paved and the western half of the trail that we covered is primarily tree-shaded with a few farm land openings. The trail runs along the Cannon River but luckily not on the river bank (given high water levels this year) but about 20-50 feet above it. The river had its share of tubers, canoers, and kayakers while the trail was busy also. We spent quite a bit of time saying “Hi, Morning, Afternoon, Hello, Good Day” etc to passing bikers.

Along the Cannon Valley MN Trail

The trail had its mix of the spandex crowd and recreational bikers like us. The vast majority were wearing helmets (they are required) and a higher percentage of bikers than on the trails in the Cities did give verbal warning when they passed us. We went 10 miles east to Welch Village and 10 miles back-which was uphill and into the wind but we handled it pretty well.

One day we went walking in Central Park in Roseville, a long narrow park with water, bogs, gardens and active play fields. After the walk we did a little nostalgia and drove out to Lake Elmo to have lunch at Gorman’s. My family lived in Lake Elmo from 1959 to 1965 and while Gorman’s was not in business then it has a great collection of Lake Elmo historical photos. Plus, we knew they served malts in the old-fashioned tin cups.

Photo of our Lake Elmo house at Gorman’s restaurant

When we walked in, we were greeted by a picture of our old house which was once the hospital for a Dr. Stevens. It was in the lobby of the restaurant posted in one of the windows of a door which had once been in the hospital. It was a nice beginning to a tasty meal. Afterwards we drove by the old homestead which is only partially visible due to the numerous trees.

Out walking on the Glacial Ridge trail in central MN

Last weekend we drove west for about 100 miles to spend Saturday and Sunday at Connie’s cabin with Bernie and Tony. Connie’s place is on Diamond Lake, between Litchfield and Spicer. We had our bikes on the rack in back, a rack that was a gift from brother Mike a number of years ago. It is not the new style with a strong hitch but clips that fastens on the trunk. We kept our eyes on the bikes as we zipped along the highways, believing that a watched bike would not fall off-and they didn’t.

Sunset at Diamond Lake

It rained as were going from Minnetonka out to about Delano, raising fears about our bike ride ambitions. The weather forecast did not include rain. The forecast was wrong. It did not clear up until late afternoon so we went for a hike in the early afternoon and then Bernie, Connie and Ed went for a bike ride up to Spicer. The cribbage teams were Ed and Tony versus Bernie and Connie. The women won the first game. The guys must have been in a generous mood. Connie was a great host and the food was excellent. The evening turned out to be quite nice. We watched the sunset over the lake with a fire in the pit. Sunday we drove to Spicer and walked along the lake before heading home in the afternoon. On the way home we stopped at the Peppermint Twist drive-in in Delano for a malt and a shake.

Peppermint Twist in Delano MN

The high waters on the rivers have impacted several of our plans. All of our bike rides stay up along Shepard Road and Mississippi River Blvd rather than through Crosby Farm and Hidden Falls parks. But the falls at Minnehaha remain strong and fast even as portions of trails are closed. A pontoon ride on the Mississippi arranged by the Mississippi River Fund has been postponed until August. A volunteer effort to plant cottonwoods along the river bed was re-scheduled for next week when we will be in Wisconsin.

Bike riding at Coldwater Spring south of Minnehaha Park along the Mississippi River

Our bike ride Wednesday was in Minneapolis around Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, and Lake Harriet. The path under Lake Street connecting Lake of the Isles and Calhoun was under water. Most of these trails are normally segregated for bikers and walkers. However, the high water put the Lake of the Isles pedestrian paths under water so walkers and bikers shared the bike path.

Lunch at Lake Calhoun Minneapolis

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

We drove down to Rochester with Kathy one Sunday to watch a performance of the Mu Theater. It was a special deal; for $5 you saw a 75 minute show and had a buffet meal at a Chinese restaurant. Another day we were at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for their summer show. It featured about 30 glass sculptures themed for various plant and flower displays. Another evening we drove to Silverwood Park in St. Anthony. Two sisters, Chasing Lovely, were the featured performers.

Canterbury Park

One Thursday evening we went out to Canterbury Park to watch the horse racing. We had not been there before and Thursday is $1 admission,$1 programs, and $1 hot dogs, nachos and pop. The weather was gorgeous again and we stayed for 7 of the 10 races. Two of the seven were raced on turf, the other five on dirt. We only bet on one race so we only lost $2. A cheap date night.

The final notable event was a hockey scrimmage for the Goal Getters. Sarah and Sarah and their team mates all signed up for a summer hockey improvement series of classes and the end result was a scrimmage. I must say the improvement in skills level from last summer to this summer was remarkable. It was fun to watch; plays were executed, not just dump the puck somewhere. It bodes well for the upcoming winter season. Afterwards we gathered at Plum’s neighborhood bar for food and beverages.

We have been working on plans for next week’s trip to central Wisconsin to visit my cousins Judy and Mary and Mary’s husband Chuck. We have started making hotel arrangements for the post Labor Day trip to Canada and the Adirondacks before Deb and Rebecca’s wedding in Connecticut in October. Finally, plans for Thanksgiving in Flagstaff are being discussed.

Ed and Chris July 19 8:30 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Cannon Falls MN, Cannon Valley Trail, Diamond Lake MN, Goal Getters, Mississipi River water skiing, Peppermint Twist in Delano, Twin City river rats | 2 Comments

2014 Trip Five, July 7, Summer in the Cities

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

St. Paul July 7

Sarah and Sarah had asked us at the start of the summer if we would be interested in joining them on a tent camping trip. Ed said “no thanks” and Chris said “yes, this is the year to push the comfort zone”. Chris did suggest that this camping experience should be 1) close to St. Paul and 2) have flush toilets somewhere nearby. She had camped once before, 45 years ago.

Setting up the tent

The July 4th weekend had Chris, Sarah and Sarah camping at Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve. While only 23 miles from our condo, it is 6,000 acres in Anoka County with 7 lakes, a nature center, swimming beach, bike trails, a golf course and camping.

Biking Friday afternoon

Ed drove Chris to the campground Friday where we met up with Sarah and Sarah, set up the tent campsite and headed out for a bike ride (with Ed) covering wetlands, forested shorelines and the golf course. Returning to the campsite, Sarah Leismer became the head chef…getting the firepit started and putting together a delicious meal of gnocchi and marinara sauce, grilled fresh vegetables and Italian sausage. After cleanup and conversation, the traditional campfire s’mores were for dessert. Ed left and those remaining took walks to the beach to watch local resident fireworks.

getting the fire started

Saturday morning had some of us venturing for the showers and then enjoying coffee/tea, granola and fresh fruit. We then (without Ed) went for a bike ride in the other direction. This took us along one of the other lakes, into the town of Centerville and eventually to the Wargo Nature Center to check out their displays. Normally, canoes/kayaks/paddle boards can be rented out at the Center; however, because of the recent flooding we have had and the wind, these activities were not advised. There is a canoe trail that connects 5 of the 7 lakes.

Dinner Friday night

Ed joined us in the afternoon back at the campsite for some card games. Dinner was grilled hot dogs, potato salad (Leismer first grilled the potatoes and then peeled them before adding celery, scallions, parsley, dijon mustard and mayo), and corn on the cob. S’mores for dessert. Ed left and the mosquitoes were a little more aggressive tonight so we headed early for the tent.

Card playing Saturday afternoon

Dinner Saturday night

We did get rain in the early morning hours of Sunday but by the time we were up and out, we were able to get things dried out to greet Ed who had returned for breakfast. Beside the firepit with grate, we also had a Coleman stove and a little “thing” that boils water. Breakfast camping: coffee/tea, fresh fruit (banana/grapes/cherries), scrambled eggs, precooked bacon, grilled SPAM (just for Ed), and pancakes!!!! What a feast!!! I never thought one could do so much in the outdoors.

Breakfast Sunday morning

Ed and I left after breakfast cleanup and gear packing up. Sarah and Sarah were going to get the tent down and head for home.

It was a lovely weekend sharing time with one of our daughters and her partner. It really felt that we were in “nature” but it was nice to know that the city was close. The campsite was full and we enjoyed watching folks come and go; park rangers stopping by to chat; talking with a visitor at the nature center who was out finding insects, and deciding that camping is something that Chris would enjoy doing again, and that Ed enjoyed being a day visitor.

Chris and Ed July 7 7:45 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: camping, Rice Creek Chain of Lakes | 2 Comments

2014 Trip Five, June 27, Summer in the Cities

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

St. Paul, June 28

Good Ol’ Potosi. What, you have not heard of Potosi and Potosi beer? Well, neither had we until we began reviewing Wisconsin travel literature for our jaunt to Fennimore.

Our day began with breakfast again at Timothy’s restaurant in Fennimore. I could not pass up the opportunity for unlimited cold milk. Then it was goodbye to the Fenway House Hotel and Silent Woman restaurant. Both were quite nice, a gem in small town Wisconsin. We would definitely return to them in the future. There were plenty of travel adventures in the region to justify the two nights here. There were even opportunities we skipped.

Our original plans had included the Cassville Ferry over the Mississippi River (closed due to high waters and high river velocity from to the flooding in Minnesota), the Villa Louis historic site in Prairie du Chien, and Potosi WI to visit the National Brewery Museum and Great River Road art museum. We were too optimistic about the number of places we could visit before heading back to St. Paul for a 7 pm river ramble held by the Mississippi River Fund.

Potosi Brewery and Museum

The Potosi Brewery Museum does not open until 10:30 AM (and the art museum at 11 AM) so we started the day a little later than usual. The museum was quite a pleasant surprise. I mean, how much did you expect for a museum in a little town of 700 in WI? But like the Danish American museum in Elk Horn IA or the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, MN, we are finding gems in small town America.

part of a decorated beer bottle display

The museum has only been in existence since 2008. It was the dilapidated home of the Potosi Brewing Company which had been the fifth largest in WI at one time, brewing Good Ol’ Potosi, Augsburger, Garten Brau and other labels and marketing them up and down the Mississippi. The brewery closed in 1972. The community set up a non-profit foundation and renovated the brewery and won the right (over Milwaukee and St. Louis) to be the home of the national museum for collectors of breweriana. In essence, the museum displays the collections of brewery memorabilia accumulated by people around the U.S.

Jacob Schmidt Brewery display

Due to the combined efforts of the community, the town has parlayed these efforts into a rejuvenated brewery, a museum, an events center busy year round, an art museum, and local shops. We realized the late start for this museum makes sense; it is open from 10:30 AM to 9 PM and is attached to the brewery’s pub so you can have a meal and a glass of Good Ol’ Potosi.

Our tour took us through several levels of the old brewery. The collections are loaned to it from members of the American Breweriana Association and since the collections only remain here for 3-6 months, there are justifications to return to the museum again and again. (This we learned from the mayor of Potosi, Frank Fierenza, whom we met here and who gave us a 20 minute tour in addition to our explorations.)

The museum has several brief video collections where we were educated about the proper way to clean a beer glass; how to properly pour a beer, hops growing, beer commercials, etc.) There were several displays relating to St. Paul beers although the collection today was a little heavy on WI beers. It seems every small town must have had its own brewery-at least until Prohibition put major economic challenges in front of them. We saw a display about Schmidt’s of Philadelphia beer so that resonated also. Potosi Brewery does get a special place all to itself. It even owned its own river steamship to deliver beer and to hold entertainment trips on the Mississippi.

Our admission price (only $3) included a glass of beer or root beer so we finished off the visit with cheese curds and a root beer. Before heading up to the art museum, we went across the street to visit a local winery’s store and also went into a local woodworking shop’s display area.

http://www.garydavidwoodworks.com/gallery.php

new floor lamp being tested out in various locations

Gary David had built the bar in the Potosi Brewery pub and as we wandered through the gallery, Chris and I were both independently attracted to the work. Now we don’t need much and rarely buy items on our travels other than postcards and a few small mementos for family. But this time we came away with a tall floor lamp with a multi-hued wood base. With our white walls, we thought it would accent the living room nicely.

Preston MN

By this time it was 1:30 and time to head back to St. Paul; it is 250 miles mainly on two lane roads. We had to pass up the art museum; maybe a return visit? We did stop to take a picture of a trout statute in Preston MN, we had passed by two others in WI on our drive to Fennimore and decided we just needed to have at least one in our photo collection.

Harriet Island Pavilion under water-two weeks ago Ed was there for a naturalization ceremony

Our evening event was a River City Revue sponsored by the Mississippi River Fund, which is a non-profit championing the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, an arm of the National Park Service. The event was to be held at City House, an old farmers cooperative grain elevator, and now restored as an event center and historical display, right along the river. Flooding, however, has made City House surrounded by water.

MN Showboat-hopefully anchored tightly

We met instead at Park Headquarters in the MN Science Museum located on the bluffs above the river. We still went on a tour, getting as close to the river as was safe. The tour presented several local experts discussing barge traffic, river hydraulic research, fishing, the city baths that existed about 100 years ago and included two musical interludes in our 1.75 hour ramble.

One of the musical interludes

All in all, a fun filled day.

Ed and Chris back in St. Paul, June 28 9 AM

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: beer, Fenway House Hotel, Gary David Woodworking, Jacob Schmidt Brewery of St. Paul, Mississippi River Fund, Mississippi River National Recreation Area, Potosi Beer Museum, Potosi brewing company, Potosi WI, The Silent Woman restaurant in Fennimore WI | Leave a comment

2014 Trip Five, June 26, Summer in the Cities

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Fennimore, WI June 26, Thursday

Our little jaunt to Wisconsin continues today. First off, we found breakfast nirvana; Timothy’s Restaurant in Fennimore. Most importantly, milk was $2.50 for a bottomless glass. The milk was cold, the glass size was at least 16 oz, if not 20 oz, and refills were free. Medium sized OJ was a large elsewhere. You could choose to have your bacon limp, medium or crispy. We were probably the only non-residents as everyone else was chatting with each other. It was the anniversary of the two owners so everyone was offered a free chocolate chip/M and M cookie. The rest of the food was good too.

After breakfast, we headed out to Plain, WI, the home of Cedar Grove Cheese. They have been in business for 125 years. We had a tour and will give you an abbreviated lesson. 130,000 pounds of milk from 33 farms are processed daily into 13,000 pounds of cheese. A vat of milk has bacteria added to it to clot the milk. The milk coagulates to the consistency of pudding and wire knives are pulled through the vat to cut it into tiny cubes. Bingo, you have cheese curds.

Cedar Grove Cheese Co

The curds are heated and whey (the watery liquid) is drained off, leaving the curds. After this step, they are stacked and rotated, losing more whey and acid. Salt is added. The curds are placed in liners, pressure applied and now you have 42 pound blocks of cheese which are put in wooden blocks and left to cure for months or years. Mild cheddar is aged for a few months, medium for three to six months, and sharp for six months to a year. Cheese is naturally white, but colored by adding the juice of the annato plant from South America.

The whey is spun in a separator machine and the spun off cream goes to a creamery to make butter. The remaining whey is trucked to a plant where the whey is powdered and used to make baked goods, candy, baby food, etc. The remaining water is used to irrigate alfalfa for the cows.

Cedar Grove would like you to know that their cheese is organic and rBGH and GMO free. Their wash water is cleaned with hydrophilic plants and natural microbes and returned to the nearby Honey creek crystal clear. We did purchase some string cheese and some muenster, not a lot due to a small cooler and very little ice.

The cantilevered room at House on the Rock

After the tour, House on the Rock was our next stop and main destination for the day. Chris, Ed, Sarah and Deborah visited here before, decades ago. At least we think we took the girls here. We have a book from House on the Rock dated 1983 and doubt we would have come here without them.

Garden at House on the Rock

How can one describe House on the Rock if you do not know about it. Well, it is complex, large, kitschy, a place stuffed with museum like items without the descriptive verbiage usually found next to the item, and an entertainment stop. It consists of the House as well as several large warehouse like structures internally configured into a complex of maze-like, dimly lit display areas, contrasting from narrow ceiling to four-story displays. One man, Alex Jordan, was responsible for its design and construction. He was born in Madison and worked in his father’s construction business. This house was his life long project.

The first room built

The house was built first and consists of several rooms. The house is built on and around Deershelter Rock. Materials had to be hauled up by a hand powered pulley 156 feet from the forest floor. The ceilings are low,maybe 5’10”. Alex was 6’4″. Why the low ceilings? Don’t know. The house was built along the rock so the floors slope and it offers great views of the valley below. Bridges had to be built to connect various areas.

Inside the Infinity Room-the cantilevered room

Rooms rarely offer a clear sight line to the next room although brief, tantalizing glimpses are offered. The house is dimly lit, frequently with colored lamps, usually Tiffany reproductions. One room is cantilevered out over the valley, similar to the Guthrie Theater’s Bridge to Nowhere, although Jordan designed this over 15 years ago.

inside the house

The additional buildings have numerous display collections. I am sure I am not doing it justice since many small items pop up in the settings. There are huge collections of dolls, guns,calliopes, organs, doll houses, circus wagons, Asian art, sculpture interspersed with other artifacts. You walk one way through exhibits, up and down multiple levels so you view displays from different angles. It took us about 3.5 hours to go through the entire House on the Rock; yet we could have spent hours more if we were to thoroughly examine the items.

The Mikado calliope

I do have to admit it was not quite as amazing as the first time we visited. We have been to many more museums and attractions around the country since then but we are still glad we came back. I think the carousel and calliopes/music box displays were the best. Everything is over the top. The “largest” calliope, the “largest” chandelier, the “largest” organ, etc.

the carousel

On our way home we stopped in Dodgeville, home to Lands End. The one retail store they operate had summer clearance items but nothing that grabbed our fancy. We stopped at a local popcorn store and picked up some of their popcorn to compare with Candyland’s.

Tonight it is dinner again at The Silent Woman restaurant. We have already been greeted familiarly by a repeat local customer who was here last night. We have been seated outside the restaurant on the main drag working on the blog and he recognized us from last night when we were doing the same thing.

Below are a photograph of descriptive data of the carousel and a video of the carousel in operation.

Ed and Chris June 26 7:45 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain WI, House on the Rock WI, Timothy's restaurant in Fennimore WI | Leave a comment

2014 Trip Five, June 25, Summer in the Cities

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Fennimore, WI Wednesday June 25, 2014

Igor, the official greeter in Fennimore WI

We are taking a little jaunt to Wisconsin. Through Sarah, we took advantage of a two night get away to the Fenway House Hotel and The Silent Woman Restaurant in Fennimore, WI. The town is about an hour west of Madison, WI. The population is 2,500 so the name may not spring to your mind immediately when you think of Wisconsin.

Of course, we made it into a road trip, driving along the east side of the Mississippi River and along the Wisconsin stretch of the Great River Road. One of the many travel brochures we saw at a tourist info center said: Visit the West Coast–of Wisconsin. They were advertising the Wisconsin river towns of the Mississippi River. (The west “coast” of Wisconsin.)

The drive took us through numerous, cutesy, small river towns. Speed limit 25 mph. Railroad tracks between the river and the town. The mining of sand for fracking has become big business and highly controversial in the area-on both sides of the Mississippi River.

We stopped in Stockholm WI and had some danish. Window shopped a few stores and talked to one woman running a cooperative craft store. She does needlepoint and her husband does wood working. They want to retire in a few years and spend the winter in the South so we told her about the Stephen Foster Cultural Center and state park in Florida that we wrote about in March. A good place for the two of them to volunteer and obtain free lodging in exchange for their craft work.

The fields looked green and lush. We did not observe ponds of standing water in the fields as there are in portions of southern Minnesota. Right now, the crops look to be in great shape. The homes and towns look prosperous, buildings not in disrepair.

Our major stop was at Effigy Mounds National Monument just north of McGregor/Marquette Iowa. This site preserves over 200 mounds built by Native Americans from about 500 B.C to about 1400 AD of the Woodland and Mississippian cultures. Little is known about why they were built, the cultural significance, and why they were no longer built. On our Deep South trip this spring, we visited two other national monuments for mounds along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi and near Macon Georgia.

Two of the mounds in Effigy Mound National Monument, IA

Those Deep South mounds were more ceremonial; the Effigy Mounds appear to be heavily, although not completely, burial mounds. They are also smaller. The burial mounds in Indian Mounds Park in Saint Paul are also different, being fewer in number and larger in scope. The mounds we saw today were smaller although a number of them are in the shape of bears or birds. (Not always a clearly defined shape, though.) Like the mounds in St. Paul, a large number here were destroyed as they a.) got in the way of progress, and b.) were not fully understood in the 1800s.

Our history lessons for the summer are continuing. Here, we took a ranger led tour that educated us about the mounds and culture that consturcted them. One topic the ranger did not discuss was the evident mishandling of the site by a previous, and recent, park superintendent.

http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/2014/05/12/park-service-circles-wagons-on-indian-burial-mounds-debacle/

In the last 10 days we also had a tour of the buildings along Rice Park in St. Paul and a tour of the new artists lofts that are going into the former Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul. We have more Twin Cities tours planned although one or two of them along the Mississippi back in St. Paul might end up being canceled.

View of the Mississippi looking south from Effigy Mounds National Monument in IA

The Effigy Mounds are along the Mississippi and parts are high on the bluffs overlooking the river. Flooding is occurring here as it is back in the Twin Cities. St. Paul was predicting the flood crest would be its sixth highest. Most of the flooding in St. Paul and along the river here seems to be restricted to roads, parks, marinas, farm fields,etc. Over the years, it appears that most of the flood prone properties have been demolished or moved to higher ground except for a few vacation homes on an island in the river across from the National Monument.

View of river and vacation homes along Mississippi

As mentioned, our lodging is in Fennimore WI. The hotel is downtown and the building was built in 1918 and included a hotel, theater, restaurant, and commercial storage. Our room is nice and includes a jacuzzi tub. Dinner was downstairs at The Silent Woman restaurant. The food was excellent.

Ed and Chris June 25 9:15 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Effigy Mounds National Monument, Fennimore WI, Fenway House Hotel, Great River Road, Stockholm WI, The Silent Woman restaurant in Fennimore WI | 2 Comments

2014 Trip Five, Summer in the Cities, June 16

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Saint Paul, Monday June 16

our early morning sunrise view from the condo bedroom

The weather people have been repeating that June is our wettest month. This month has certainly backed up their assertions and the rest of this week will continue to add to those totals.

Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis

We have made our adjustments; changed the times we walk or bike outside, do alternate activities, etc. Saturday the 14th, we even had to cancel a dinner engagement since we had power outages along with the wind and rain. Without power, we could not get our car out of the garage. The National Park Service canceled a volunteer activity to plant cottonwoods along the Mississippi due to high water. Luckily the power came back eventually so dinner was an exciting can of soup. But Wednesday night was a bright spot. Kathy has moved into the building next door. That day was sunny and warm and we joined her in cooling off in the outdoor pool at her apartment complex.

Hidden Falls in St. Paul

high water covers an island by the Ford dam in Mississippi RIver

There have been other bright spots. One of the more memorable was my volunteer work with the National Park Service as it assisted with the naturalization ceremony on Harriet Island. 135 new citizens were sworn in from 40 different countries. A bald eagle was perched in a tree right behind the new citizens and stayed there for most of the ceremony before flying away. That was one frequently photographed eagle. One of the park rangers made a presentation, he was a naturalized citizen from Korea. Rep. Betty McCollum made an inspiring speech describing how diversity makes us strong and that out of many comes just one country. I was fortunate to be able to participate. If we had not returned early from the Southwest trip, I would have been in South Dakota when the ceremony was taking place.

The bald eagle

The Naturalization Ceremony on Harriet Island in St. Paul

Our biking journeys have taken us along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis, along the Mississippi River Drive in St. Paul, and in Crosby Farm Park-until too many of the paths were closed due to high water.

We crossed the border a few times into Minneapolis. I have been wanting to visit the Trylon Microcinema in south Minneapolis. It turned out to be a small, boutique movie theater with old seats and a small (for movie theaters) screen-but they had real butter on the popcorn. The feature was Burt’s Buzz, a documentary about the guy who started Burt’s Bees, the natural honey and bees wax products company. He is a loner, comfortable with very little who got bumped out after getting too friendly with the female employees. It never said what he walked away with but the woman who was a major force in growing the company made $177,000,000 many years after he was gone when the company was bought out.

Sarah L is on a softball team and the league plays on Monday nights. Last Monday we packed a picnic lunch and watched the game. Later in the summer we might be ready to bike over instead of driving.

Stone Arch bridge and Mississippi River

Friday night we went to the Stone Arch Festival along the river in Minneapolis, listening to music by people we never heard of before-and probably won’t hear about in the future. Not that they were bad, it was more club music, not exactly our usual cup of tea.

The Saturn had the warning light (check coolant level) evaluated to the tune of $500 for a replacement radiator. Once we returned home, I was replacing coolant more frequently. One more cost to add to the total from the last trip.

Father’s Day was quiet. The Sarahs were out in Boston visiting. We tried out the ritzier restaurant at Cossetta’s; wanted to see what $10,000,000 would buy, including a $2,000,000 taxpayer subsidy and exemption from living wage rules. The place is impressive, from the deli, bakery, and market up to Louis, the third floor upscale restaurant. Sunday afternoon only offers a limited menu up there. The food was quite tasty but the portions smaller than other Italian restaurants and no garlic bread or salad is included. I think next time we will try the deli (there is a separate seating area). The bakery has great looking desserts. I bought chocolate mousse to take home. It was good, I have had better.

Music tent at Stone Arch festival

That evening we tried out the Marcus Oakdale cinema, recommended by my nephew. We don’t do movies often and were blown away by the recliner seats, sound system, and reserved seats. A whole new world. But their butter was fake. The film, A Million Ways to Die in the West was okay but not overwhelming. The opening scenes were clearly from Monument Valley, one of the stops on our last trip. We recognized several monuments including right and left mitten, and the W V (Welcome Visitors) rock formation. However, New Mexico tax credits came into play as the movie credits listed Santa Fe as the primary filming location.

Ed and Chris June 16

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Hidden Falls St. Paul, Minneapolis Stone Arch festival, Naturalization ceremony on Harriet Island | Leave a comment

2014 Trip Four, May 27, The Southwest

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Ridgway, CO Tuesday, May 27

Obviously we do not learn from the past since we went on another 4 wheel escorted tour today. But first, some facts about Ridgway. a. Dennis Weaver the actor had a home here and there is a park dedicated to him. b. The Grammy awards are hand-made here in Ridgway. c. There is a prairie dog colony just outside our airbnb lodging. d. The one traffic signal in Ouray county is here in Ridgway.

Eagle statue at Weaver park

The morning started with a hike at the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park. Evidently Weaver, who died in 2006, was an environmentalist and his family worked with the town to create a park in his name. There is a nice eagle statue and the park is big on creating prayer stones. The hiking trails go along the river and up in the hills. The river runs strong today, spring run-off is still in progress. Much of the water is used for agricultural irrigation in the valley. We hiked along the river primarily. This is the Uncompahgre River which basically means dirty, red colored, foul-smelling river. Whether that is because of the hot springs, mineral and rock run-off, or some other reason is not certain.

a Galloping Goose at Ridgway Railroad Museum

The town has a small railroad museum which we visited. This area was settled by Anglo-Europeans due primarily to mining so the Ute Indians were moved out of here. In order to transport the ores to smelters, etc; several railroads were built through the region. The history of the region is fascinating with tales of fortunes won and lost and the what might have beens if only. On display is a “Galloping Goose” a modified automobile put on train wheels in 1931 to save money on a government contract to deliver mail between Ridgway and Telluride. Lunch was in a local restaurant before we headed back over to Ouray for our mountain ride.

Our vehicle along the mountain side

San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours was the original and for many years the only jeep tour in the area. Now there are 15 competitors, some of them proclaiming to be the first. The season is just beginning and our driver was the owner, Greg. We had a fascinating and beautiful just under four-hour ride.

When we started, the weather, which was warm and sunny in the morning, looked stormy and the mountains appeared to have snow falling on the peaks. We had prepared with winter type jackets but as the afternoon went on, the storm moved east and the skies cleared up. At 11,000 feet and in an open vehicle, the temperatures were still quite cool.

abandoned mine

Greg gave us a fascinating history of the town as a prelude to our drive. One of the miners who struck it rich mining gold was named Walsh. He gave the Hope Diamond to his daughter as a wedding gift. The Western Hotel is where the tours start and Greg’s wife runs it and the restaurant-which did not open until this Friday.

Greg also informed us that the Million Dollar Highway that we drove over yesterday to Silverton was hit by a major landslide early in 2014 and has only been open intermittently since then. We lucked out in that the construction work-which site we saw-was not ongoing over Memorial Day Weekend.

mountain sheep

Our ride included great scenery and history. We saw many waterfalls and one mountain sheep. The tour goes up in the mountains past many of the mines that once made history for this area. We also passed a currently operating gold mine that employs 100 workers so it must be doing something right.

Our road

Twin Falls

Ouray proclaims itself the “Jeeping Capital of the World”. We could have rented a Jeep and driven ourselves around. The roads we took on this tour were frequently county roads. Once again, though, we were plenty happy to have someone else driving these rutted roads meant only for high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Overhang on roadway

Greg gave a great narration and pointed out many scenic features. It was a smart choice to go with San Juan.

Dinner concluded our day with another small restaurant in Ridgway, the True Grit Cafe. The movie “True Grit” with John Wayne was filmed in Ridgway and the cafe has movie memorabilia and part of the bar wall was used in the film. The food was fine too.

Ed and Chris

Ed and Chris May 27

EDITORS NOTE; TRIP FOUR WAS TO EXTEND FOR ANOTHER THREE WEEKS. WE HAVE DECIDED TO HEAD BACK TO MN TOMORROW. I AM STILL NOT FEELING WELL AND THIS HAS REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY WE NORMALLY DO. SINCE OUR TIME IS FLEXIBLE, WE WILL CONTINUE THE REST OF TRIP FOUR AT ANOTHER TIME.

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Dennis Weaver Memorial Park, Ouray CO, RIdgway CO, Ridgway Railroad Museum, San Juan Mountains, San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours | Leave a comment

2014 Trip Four, May 26, The Southwest

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Ridgway, CO Monday May 26

Driving to Ridgway

Mountains are now surrounding us. Ridgway is at 7,000 feet in the San Juan Mountains. The San Juans have 14 of Colorado’s 53 peaks over 14,000 feet. This morning we drove past Ridgway and went another 20 miles to Ouray.

San Juan Mountains

We visited two falls in Ouray, and even did some shopping. Falls number one was Box Canon Falls which drops 285 feet into a narrow canyon. We took the lower route to watch the water splashing and passed up on the opportunity to climb to the top and watch it from there. The falls were never commercially used and were donated to the city in the early 1900s. The area is also used for ice climbing in the winter.

Box Canon Falls

Cascade Falls is out in the open and while there is a longer hike to the top, we just hiked to the lower viewing area. These falls are supposed to be 120 feet tall.

Cascade Falls in Ouray, CO

After lunch and shopping, we drove the “Million Dollar Highway” to Silverton, CO. This is a 25 mile section of the San Juan Scenic Byway which is a 230 mile loop road. This section goes over the Red Mountain Pass at 11,000 feet and is supposed to be the most scenic portion of the byway. It took us close to an hour to make the drive to Silverton. Silverton is an old mining town, silver being one of the primary minerals mined here in the 1800s and early 1900s. Now the town is the turn around point for the Durango and Silverton Railroad, a tourist, scenic railroad.

Waterfall along San Juan Byway

View along the San Juan Skyway between Ouray and Silverton

We passed numerous spring waterfalls along the road, old mining shafts, and roaring creeks. The sky was primarily clear so the blue skies and white, snow-capped peaks made for a scenic contrast. Of course, we had to get back to Ridgway for our night’s lodging so the return trip took another hour. But the beauty was worth it.

A rare view of red rocks today

Dinner was in Ridgway at a local diner with $5 burgers tonight. With a cup of soup or other side included, it was a pleasant way to end the day.

Ed and Chris May 26 9:45 pm

Categories: road trip, travel | Tags: Box Canon Falls, Cascade Falls, Ouray CO, RIdgway CO, San Juan Scenic Byway, San Juan Skyway | Leave a comment

	jklej on 2025 Trip 2: Madison WI April…
	judeheimel on 2025 Trip 2: Madison WI April…
	Bernie Heimel on 2025 Trip One: Mississippi Riv…
	judeheimel on 2025 Trip One: Mississippi Riv…
	James Walsh on 2023 Trip 8: Flagstaff, South…
	jklej on 2023 Trip 8: Flagstaff, South…