A bunch of diehard Packer fans!

Wed./Thurs.                                                               Fri.-Tues Labor Day weekend
DePere, WI                                                                Union, Ill
Applecreek Campground                                          Northwest Chicago KOA
hot and humid :)                                                        humid, thunderstorms and lightening

We had a relatively short drive to DePere, just outside of Green Bay, WI.  We headed south and thanks to road construction we accidentally followed the wrong lane.  We realized about 9 miles in that we were on the wrong road.  A turn into a large nursery turned us around but we had to go all the way back to our first exit to get back where we needed to be.  Our first little challenge of the day was easily out of the way.

Sights along the way

So many big farms

Going down the road I saw a billboard for Leinenkugel's brewery in Chippewa Falls.  It seemed we would be there about lunch time so it sounded like a great break stop.  I called ahead and got us on the noon tour.  Any earlier would just not be right for beer.  We arrived at 11:20 to the wrong spot for the civilians.  We ended up in the distribution lot with trucks coming and going.  We unhooked, I called for better directions, then led Eric to the correct parking lot.  We are good at following the Navigation except in towns and where it is difficult to get back on track.  That was our second oops of the day.

The tour is free and for a $1 you can get 5 samples and a souvenir tasting glass.  The tour lasted about an hour.  No pictures were allowed in the brewery itself (can't figure that one out, there was really nothing going on) so the photos are limited to the exterior.  The brewery was started in 1867 and even weathered prohibition as they converted the process to sodas during that dark time.  The beer was very good ranging from lite shandy's to heavy dark creamy beers.  I preferred the Summer Shandy mixed with a Berry Weiss, Eric like the dark cream Ale.  All were worth the tour.   

Back on the road again after grabbing a quick bite, re hooking the toad and we were on the way to Packer Heaven, Green Bay, WI.  Along the way, the toad brake indicator light never came on and was malfunctioning.  We pulled in for fuel, checked it all and it worked again.  Back on the highway, it didn't work.  Thank goodness we are in the Midwest with no mountains.  (The next day it worked just fine on the way to Union, IL.  The Gremlins were chasing us that day!)

The river at Chippewa Falls

Gidget is tired of riding!

We pulled into our little campground after navigating a lot of construction on 41.  It is going to be a long drawn out project and made the journey a little longer and harder.  AppleCreek Campground is a cute little place with a creek running through.  The kids enjoyed fishing and you could tell they were all just trying to have a great time before school starts on Tuesday.   Our satellite wouldn't there.  The first time that has happened.  Must have been those Gremlins.

We were looking for things to do in Wisconsin and the Packers came up.  We got tickets to the last preseason game against Kansas City.  The game was a lot of fun and the Packer fans love their team.     Our tickets were right on the 50 year line row 24.  Awesome seats!  The stadium is the oldest in the NFL and in our opinion smelled the best.  They must have pumped out BBQ and pizza scents!  We enjoyed PacnCheese and Eric had a brat of course.  The sky kept getting darker as heavy rain was predicted.  The rain held out until the 4th quarter and surprisingly no one left.  We really enjoyed the game and the crowd.  We are still Denver Bronco fans though, that won't change!

The rain started to fall

No problem!  we had ponchos

The final score was 34 to 14

Currently we are holed up in Union, IL for the holiday weekend.  Monday we have a cubs game at Wrigley field and a field tour.  We drove around the area a little today and stopped at a farm stand and got more tomatoes (thanks to Aunt Helen I am now hooked on tomato sandwiches!  PS, Your Green Beans are awesome steamed!), cucumbers, zucchini and a cantaloupe.  Loving the fresh veggies!  While in Wisconsin we ventured out to Scray cheese factory.  The cheese was all fresh and very yummy.  We bought Raspberry Chipotle and Cherry Cheddar along with fresh cheese curds.  We are eating great along the way!

Scray Cheese

Roadside veggies stand in Union, IL

The weather looks frightful, but keeps going back to blue skies

Next stop will be in Ohio somewhere along I-90.  We haven't planned out that far yet! 

Lake Superior and Superior, WI

Superior, WI
Northland Camping & RV Park
Temps in the 70's, Sunny

It is a beautiful day in Wisconsin!  We left the Badlands yesterday (Monday) morning and drove through South Dakota on I-90, then North on I-29 to Fargo.  Pickings were slim to find a campground so we stopped in the Visitor Center lot in Minnesota.  We have never 'boon docked' in this rig, but it was easy.  We had plenty of water and power.  We were very tired so early to bed, then the rumble of the trucks coming in.  The generators running all night taught us that this really doesn't work for us.  Unfortunately we were a little stuck, but we survived.

Up early and we headed East through the center of Minnesota to Duluth.  Minnesota was beautiful and lots of spots reminded us of Alaska with the drunken forests and wide shoulders with lots of forests.  

After crossing the state on 210, we headed a little North on I-35.  After a brief freeway drive we saw the huge Lake Superior ahead in Duluth, MN.

Duluth up ahead

Crossing the bridge into Wisconsin

We checked into the RV park, had a quick lunch (I love Trader Joe's meals!) and headed out to explore.  We headed east on 13 to get a closer look at Lake Superior.  We took the dogs along and enjoyed another ride!

Wisconsin Point Lighthouse

The drive around was nice and we stopped and bought a little basket of apples.  Can't wait to have one!  There were many beautiful farms along the way.

And an old schoolhouse

Tomorrow we head south to Green Bay for Thursday nights final pre-season game.  We got tickets on the fifty yard line, row 24.  Should be a fun wet night as rain is predicted.  Looking forward to a beer and brats, so off the diet!

The Badlands and a Cold War Surprise

Cactus Flats, SD
temps 80 degrees and windy
Circle 10 Campground $30.28 a night

We left the Black Hills of South Dakota early so we could enjoy a nice short drive of 114 miles to our next destination.  For two nights in a row we are below our budget.  WaaHoo!  The drive was very pleasant and we beat most of the heavy traffic leaving Deadwood.  Lots of the classic cars passed us giving us a little car show of our own.  

We arrived early as we wanted to get tickets for the Minuteman Missile Launch Command Center for today as our research showed it is hard to grab the tickets.  I scored the 2pm tour.  We ventured across the street to Circle 10 Campground.  This is an older park so the sites are very small.  Our options were limited to a site under a big tree, a very close site shared with another large coach, or a site that was very short.  We took the short site and barely fit the Beast in.  It took a little jostling, but we made it.  

After a quick lunch we headed west again on I-90 to the Launch Control Center.  The center looks like a 1960's ranch style from the highway.  As you get closer, the barbed wire and the marked doors show its not a house at all.  Also the various antennae give it a less than livable look.  There is a volleyball court, a basketball hoop and a barbecue for destroying confidential documents before paper shredders.  The only personnel that lived there were the security personnel.  They lived in tight conditions and the monotonous hours had to be a boring lonely way of life.  The personnel that could turn the keys worked underground for 24 hours at a time.  These crews could launch a missile that was miles away that would travel over the North Pole and arrive in the USSR 30 minutes later.  I think I would go crazy, the quarters down below were very tight.  

Art work in the shaft

More art on the huge door to the Command Center

Looking up the shaft

Now thats a computer/printer

This is the door.  The walls are about 4 feet thick

The living area

The sites were built in the early 1960's during the cold war and were turned over to the National Park Service in 1999.  Tours are free and run every day.
There are no more intercontinental ballistic missiles in South Dakota, but over 500 nuclear missiles are still deployed in the upper Great Plains.

After the tour we ran over to the Missile Silo Site just down the highway and on a rough dirt road.

This was a very cool stop and well worth the time.  I love the old Cold War stuff and a favorite movie was Fail Safe.  It's available on Netflix disk, so I might have to order it next spring.  

After a quick stop at the Beast we picked up the Pups and headed down the road to the Badlands.  These rock formations remind me of the land around Lake Mead.  We did a little drive around then took the Pups for a short walk.  I was uncomfortable as there were signs everywhere to beware of Rattlesnakes.  I don't like snakes, especially rattlers.  

Good Pups

A Bighorn Sheep

The End to a very windy, busy day!