Looking North to the Lakes Day 3 Friday
Our back roads mapping put us on highway 22 north. The countryside of northern Wisconsin was a combination of crops and rolling hills much like Western Kentucky. It was so nice to be out of the traffic pattern and back into the slow lane.
We passed multiple campground signs so the area must be a draw for travelers like us.
The Scandinavian influence is visible with red being the primary color for barns and houses. Milk barns and silos from day past dotted the roadside. The grazing land has mostly been converted to crop land. As we reached Northeast Wisconsin, cropland gave way to re forested areas of mostly pines and spruce. We continued on highway 22 headed north.
Diesel $3.85.
I always find it interesting to notice the predominant churches. In this area, German culture influenced architecture of the many beautiful old Lutheran charges.
It was surprising to both of us to see the irrigation systems considering all of the lake and swampy areas.
As we drove through Shawano, we entered the Menomonie Indian Reservation and immediately saw a large casino in a state that does not have legalized gambling.little surprises around every curve.
5 p.m. 73 degrees. After passing through the reservation, we entered the Nicolet National Forest. Off the beaten path, opposite of yesterday drive. Very nice.
We stopped for the night at the City Park Campground in Iron River Michigan just over the border from Wisconsin in the Upper Peninsula. Iron River is another small town that was, where the folks were extraordinarily friendly and the town quiet as a mouse. We are at a local yocal restaurant and had an ice cream cone before coming back to the campground for the evening.
Looking North to the Lakes 2014 Day 2 Thursday
We pointed the arrow on the GPS North on highway 51 to move through Illinois and to stay away from Chicago metro . It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and being away from the day today its so nice for mental health. We blink at the road signs pointing towards cities and keep driving.
This year’s corn and soybean crops looks good with the rain we have had. The farmland of America keeps our pantries full and we appreciate the hard work of the farmers of the Corn Belt.
Train cars are waiting on the track lined up near the corn elevators. We are wondering if they will wait until harvest or if they are hauling fertilizer. it is hard to envision how much volume of corn would fit in those huge bins but then it is also hard to imagine the volume of corn that we consume as a nation in a year.
Over the flat fields the tree line is visible in the distance. As our white European ancestors moved west and found this dark fertile soil, they had their work ahead of them cutting trees to make room for their crops. I also compare this beautiful fertile land to the barren New Mexico reservations where the Indians were walked on that path of tears. Sometimes it is hard to justify progress.
Diesel price $3.69
Highway 51 and unfortunately turned into interstate 39 above Bloomington Illinois so we drove our necessary stint on the big road to avoid Chicago and all its craziness.
We ended the day in Madison Wisconsin at a county park campground . We intended to perhaps ride the rail to trail for a day, but found it is busy with folks that are serious racing bikers, just not the atmosphere we like, too near the city.
A day on the interstate has us planning our backroads strategy for tomorrow. There is nothing fun about traffic and all the hustle bustle. We have no particular place to go, so why drive like a mad person to get there just to go back home. It is kinda sad actually to see the folks weaving in and out of traffic with no peripheral vision of what they are missing along the way. Life is way too short for that.
Last time we were in Madison Wisconsin, we were on our Pod A and Pod B adventure in Oconomowoc with Jessica and Alek as elementary schoolers. We have laughed about that adventure all their growing up years. The highlight of the trip was a drive out into the country side to Honey Bee Acres and if that was the highlight…
Looking North to the Lakes 2014
Day 1 Wednesday June 25 2014 North to the Lakes
Headed west across Indiana on Hwy 150 through the hills and off the interstate. Passed through Paoli and French Lick into Illinois at Vincennes. Very hilly roads and reminded us of West Virginia with slow and leisurely travel taking the day to go short distance as planned.
Camped at Effingham Illinois Camp Lakewood campground, very nice $29.75. Quiet wooded campgrounds , one of the better we have visited. We walked with the dogs and relaxed, just what the doctor ordered.
Grayson Lake State Park Day 20
Overnighted at Grayson Lake State Park in Grayson, KY east of Morehead off I64. Nice clean park and made us realize how much better maintained and organized our park system is. It was managed so we came in for one night to fill in a gap before the next person, unlike the empty campground in WV.
We enjoyed a visit with the kids and granddaughters and had lunch for Alek’s birthday.
End of another nice journey around our beautiful country.
On the Road Home Day 19
Back on the grid as we head toward home. We love the mountains but no cell, no tv, and one radio station make for old time book reading and more conversation.
Friday of Labor Day weekend and the park is about 25% full. We think people are discouraged when they try to make a reservation and are told first come and don’t park in the reserved spots. The reserved spots were all empty which is a mystery and poor organization on their part trying to use a paper system in the day of technology and online booking. Apparently they keep the spots reserved just in case and if someone has stayed in them anytime during the year. We wouldn’t hesitate to pull in a reserved and set up camp in a future visit. Even the office person didn’t have a real explanation.
Just outside the park, we passed through Hillsboro, WV, the birthplace of Pearl S Buck.
Hwys 219, I64
Watoga State Park & Greenbrier Bike Trail Day 18
Our schedule for the day was to ride the Greenbrier Trail and nothing else so after breakfast we took off on the trail along the river toward Marlinton.
We were a bit wary of the rising river and kept watch since our campsite was in the bend of the river and on low ground. The flash floods as far north as Pittsburgh was dumping water here to later to pass down the Ohio and through Kentucky. That is kind of neat to visualize the water taking its little ride all the way to the Gulf.
A short nap and lunch and we rode the trail awhile the other direction. It was a bumpier ride but still scenic.
We kept watch for Yogi and Booboo but they must have been out of their little caves once the sun came out and up on the mountain hunting berries to fill their tummies and gain weight for their coming winter naps.
We’ll be moving on toward home so we packed up the bikes once again and settled inside. The campground was beautiful, but the rain had turned what green there was to mud and it was messy outside. I did a lot of sweeping to keep our tracks cleaned up and was sure glad we now have hard surface floors in our Moho. Carpet is for folks that never go outside.
Traveling South Day 17
Raining. Drove through beautiful forests.
Rain stopped near Pittsburgh and we pulled off at a little diner called Gab & Eat that we found on Yelp. Quirky little place and full of locals. Food was delicious. Paul had breakfast and I had club sandwich.
Rain started again and hung over us all the way through the West Virginia mountains. What a beautiful drive had it been a nice day. We drove and drove and drove and finally got to Watoga State park near Hillaboro, WV and on the Greenbrier River. Another back to nature place with 10,000 acres of designated forests for the park. So strange but there were only 3-4 other campers in the whole Riverbend camping area even though a holiday weekend is approaching.
Rain on the rooftop made for a cozy evening.
Hwys: 417, 8, I80, I79, 33, 219
Traveling West to Franklin PA Day 16
Left Green Lakes State Park to start making our way back toward Kentucky. Since we have meandered in this area and know the scenery, we opted to travel I90 west toward Buffalo, NY to make a little time. Traffic is light mid morning and we are running an easy 60 mph to optimize fuel mileage around 16-17 mpg. That is much better than the 6 mpg we got in the Fiesta.
The drive along Lake Erie is always nice even on interstate because of the vineyards on both sides if the road and often to the horizon.
We have stayed in touch with the Florida couple we met in Yellow Springs and they sent us info about the Two Mile County Park in Franklin PA near where we camped on our way north. We are actually following their wake on parts of the trip by accident which is funny.
Since we loved the beautiful scenery and remoteness of the area, we opted to drop back by for a couple of days. Wow, what a hidden treasure. The park and campground are 5 stars for nature.
The stop also gives us another day or two to bike, this time on one of the other trails nearby.
And, our own private lake!! We have decided if we have a bear encounter that Rosie will be our sacrifice because the mama bear will think she is a little chubby cub and will snuggle her in. We could visualize Rosie’s big cartoon eyes as she is carried into the woods to the den. 🙂
Green Lakes State Park Fayetteville NY Day 15
Showers overnight but sketchy in the morning so Paul donned his raincoat and hit the Erie Canal Trail toward Albany while I walked the dogs once again. We both returned just as the rain got a bit heavier.
Mid afternoon, it dried a bit though still cloudy so we walked some of the trails in the park which are beautiful and well trodden. Of course, there is a reason a block of land is designated a state park for safe keeping, and the two glacial lakes in this park are quite unusual. The color is indeed very green, like another Crayola color, as you look over the bluff at them, but when close up, the water is so clear you can see straight through. Beautiful!
The color of the two lakes is due to the light absorption on deep clear water up to 185 feet and the presence of calcium carbonate and its effect on the way the light is absorbed.
Rain once again after our hike so we are packing up to find our path back to Kentucky in time for Labor Day.
Green Lakes State Park Fayetteville NY Day 14
We drove about an hour or so toward Syracuse to maneuver back toward the Erie Canal Bike Trail and stopped to camp at Green Lakes State Park.
Driving east, we drove through Skaneateles NY at the northern tip Skaneateles Lake this Sunday morning and people were all out and around the lakeshore. The neatest thing was church congregations were gathered on this beautiful morning having their services outdoors. The town was a gorgeous setting and I’d very much like a stopover there on another trip.
After we set up camp, Paul rode the trail toward Syracuse while I walked the dogs around the campground. The exercise brought us all inside for a nap. Just right for a Sunday afternoon.
Hwys: 5, 20, 175, 173
Pack 'em Up 