Wisconsin - Badger State
We flew in and out of Chicago – O’Hare Airport and since we arrived in Chicago in the evening, we spent the night at a hotel there and rented a red Mustang convertible the next morning. We figured this would make our week in Wisconsin kind of exciting. (It really was fun!) The drive to Madison, our first stop, was exciting in a not-so-fun way because it was pouring rain, at one point making it difficult to see. Andy, the good driver that he is, followed a big truck so that we could make sure we were still on the road. We were quite relieved when the skies cleared again. We stopped along the way in the picturesque town of Evansville where we visited the City Hall (est. 1892) and walked around a neighborhood where there were many beautiful, historic homes. It looked like a nice place to live.
Arriving in Madison, we checked into the lovely Madison Concourse Hotel, conveniently located downtown, near both the capitol and the University. We walked to the capitol where we took a guided tour, once again marveling at the beautiful rotunda, the artwork, the Senate and Assembly chambers and the room where the Supreme Court convenes. There are 43 kinds of stone in the building from six other countries and eight states. As we looked up into the dome, our guide informed us that we were gazing at one of the largest domes by volume in the world. At the other end of the size spectrum, he showed us two fossils – a tiny starfish located on a granite staircase and a somewhat larger sea snail located on a wall. At one time, millions of years ago, the state of Wisconsin was covered by an ocean. It was fascinating to see these small creatures “surviving” within the gorgeous grandeur of the capitol building. We also learned that Wisconsin’s state animal, the badger, got its nickname from Wisconsin lead mining towns in the 1830’s. The miners lived in shelters dug into hillsides and so they were called “badgers” after the burrowing animals.
Leaving the Capitol, we walked down State Street browsing some of the shops. Our favorite, of course, was Cheese Mart. After all, this is Wisconsin! In the evening we enjoyed cocktails in the Governors Club at the hotel, followed by a delicious dinner at Tornado, a restaurant within walking distance. The view of the capitol building, all lit up, wowed us on our walk back to the hotel.
The following day, Tuesday, August 30th, we drove West to a town called Spring Green to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Taliesin. We had arranged to meet the sister-in-law and brother-in-law of our friend Pat Cloherty. Pat’s late wife Marge was born and raised on a farm in this area, and we were excited to meet Terri Larson and her husband Al. We have previously visited other Frank Lloyd Wright homes, several in Oak Park Illinois and Falling Water in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Wright created the Prairie School of architecture, emulating the flatness of the plains and the natural limestone outcroppings of a region in Wisconsin known as the Driftless Area. He designed Taliesin for himself and his mistress, Mamah Borcher after leaving his first wife and their home in Oak Park. This created a public scandal, but after spending a few years in Europe, they took residence in Taliesin upon its completion in 1911. The story has a tragic ending in that a disgruntled and mentally ill employee killed Mamah, her two children and three others while Wright was away. The murderer then set fire to the house. Wright rebuilt the house in 1922, but a second fire burned it down again. The third version of the living quarters was constructed by Wright in 1925 and this is the residence visitors see today. As is true of all of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations, Taliesin is consistent with the design principles of the Prairie School. Terri and Al had not visited Taliesin before, so it was a new and fascinating experience for them, too.
Upon leaving Taliesin, Terri and Al took us on a tour to visit other sites in the area. It was a privilege because we were able to see how people live in the rural part of Wisconsin. In Spring Green, we visited St. John Evangelist Catholic Church, which they attend, and we snapped a couple of photos outside. We then went to Plain and saw St. Luke’s School which our friend Marge had attended. It was there that we were joined by Marge’s and Terri’s brother Gary Kraemer and his wife, Marcia. We all hiked on a rough trail up a steep hill where there were Stations of the Cross along the way leading to St. Ann’s chapel and Shrine at the top. The views of the countryside from this perspective were gorgeous. The hills were so green it reminded us of a long-ago trip to Ireland.
We then drove to the farm where Marge and her large family (9 children in all) used to live, and which Gary and Marcia now own and operate. They have 400 acres on which they raise cattle. In fact, while we were sitting outside – it was a beautiful, sunny day – enjoying wine and cheese, we could hear a calf “crying”. I asked Gary what was wrong, and he said that they had just separated two calves from their mother and the calves were lamenting this loss. I asked why this was done to the poor calves, and I felt silly when Gary explained that this is normal procedure and that is how we get milk from cows. They are known as heifers until they give birth, at which time they become cows. I still felt sad for the calves, but it was good to have this information and I once again realized how my urban upbringing has left me with little knowledge of life on a farm. Gary and Marcia had to stay home to make sure the calves were OK, so we followed Terri and Al to Vintage Brewing Company in Sauk City, which is owned by the Kraemer extended family, where we had dinner and exceptionally good craft beer outside on the deck, as it was a warm night.
The next morning it was time to drive northeast toward Door County, but we made a couple of stops along the way. Olbrich Botanical Gardens are located on the outskirts of Madison, and they are spectacular. It consists of a 16-acre outdoor garden and a 10,000-square-foot conservatory. Again, the weather was perfect, and we thoroughly enjoyed our morning stroll in both locations. The conservatory contains hanging orchids, all kinds of tropical plants, koi fish and so much more. Outside, the gravel, brick and flagstone paths wind around the various kinds of gardens, interspersed with beautiful fountains and sculptures. We were so glad we took the time to make this stop.
We paused in Appleton for lunch at a restaurant where we ate al fresco on a deck overlooking the Fox River. We were surprised to see pelicans in the river, since we were a long way from an ocean, but our waiter explained that a group of pelicans had migrated to the river after Hurricane Katrina devastated southern Louisiana. When the weather turns cold, they fly south again but when it warms up, they return to their new home.
We continued our drive north to the Door County peninsula, through beautiful countryside, past red barns, green trees, corn and other agricultural fields. In the late afternoon we arrived at our destination, Blacksmith Inn on the Shore in Bailey’s Harbor, our home for the next three nights. Andy rested while I took a long walk on a quiet country road. We had a delicious dinner down the street from our inn at Chives restaurant. The sunset that night was spectacular.
After a leisurely morning, since breakfast was not delivered to our room until 9 am, we drove to the farthest north town in Door County and took the noon ferry to Washington Island. We stopped at a fabric coop store where I bought a green knit cap, which I wore many times this winter. We ate a delicious lunch at Jackson Harbor Soup and Sandwich restaurant: We each had a cup of watermelon soup and split a beef and cheddar sandwich. We couldn’t resist having a piece of cherry pie for dessert. Yum! This gave us enough energy to climb the 186 steps to the top of the Lookout Tower for a view of the entire island. We visited Bethel Church, the oldest church in continuous existence in Door County. Next door was the Art and Nature Center. Andy talked to a local woman who was selling tickets at the front door while I looked at the local art. In the Nature Center, I viewed two snakes, a toad and bees. We bought three raffle tickets for a quilt which was fashioned by local women. (Unfortunately, I didn’t win it.) It was a full day and a visit to Washington Island is a must-see for Door County tourists.
We took the 4:30 ferry back to the mainland and stopped at Sister Bay on the way back to the Inn. It is a beautiful little town with a large marina. We drove to Fish Creek for dinner at Barrington’s, another wonderful restaurant. I had salmon but couldn’t finish it all – maybe it was that cherry pie for dessert at lunch? I took a doggie bag back to the Inn and had it for breakfast the next morning.
The following day, we started out with a walk through Bailey’s Harbor Ridges County Park, just a short distance from the Inn. We visited a lighthouse built in 1869 and walked on boardwalks through a nature preserve known for bird watching as well as rare fauna and a dozen endangered Wisconsin plants that draw many visitors to this sanctuary.
That afternoon we drove back to Fish Creek where I bought some lovely gold earrings at Plum Bottom Gallery. For lunch, we ate Door County Cherry Sundays made with frozen custard. So delicious. We had a little rain that afternoon, which forced us to spend more time in the shops, which was fun. We bought some bottles of flavored olive oil at the Green Bay Olive Oil Company, where we were waited on by two young women from Romania. They were charming and told us that they had found jobs there for the summer. From there we went to nearby Egg Harbor, perhaps the most picturesque of all the little towns in Door County.
It was time to check out of the Blacksmith Inn on the Shore, where we had so enjoyed our comfortable room, wonderful breakfasts, and perfect weather. We took a couple of photos on our morning walk so we would always remember this lovely place. By the way, the sign next to the little metal sculpture of a dog reads: “Dog Library. Take a stick, leave a stick.” Somebody in Bailey’s Harbor has a great sense of humor!
We drove south to Sturgeon Bay, which seemed like a big city after all the small towns we’d seen on the peninsula. In fact, it is the county seat and the largest city in Door County with a population of 9,600. We strolled around a bustling farmer’s market (it was Saturday, September 3rd, our 56th wedding anniversary) and bought a jar of combed honey. We walked across an impressive bridge to the Maritime Museum, where we took the elevator to an observation deck. From the many exhibits in the museum, we learned about the shipbuilding history of this small city. We ate lunch at Cedar Crossing Restaurant where we enjoyed crab cakes and another piece of Door County’s famous cherry pie, this time a la mode. I’m pretty sure I put on a couple of pounds on this trip.
We spent that night in Green Bay and visited the National Railroad Museum that afternoon. Andy loves trains so we spent a whole afternoon viewing the incredible collection. The museum houses more than 60 locomotives and rail cars from the steam and diesel eras. Highlights for us included a Union Pacific “Big Boy,” reputedly the world’s largest steam locomotive; Dwight D. Eisenhower’s British World War II command train; and a 1920’s Pullman sleeping car exhibit. We also took the 3-mile ride on a standard-gauge train, scenic and fun. Nearby is Lambeau Field, home of the storied Green Bay Packers. We saw the 14-foot-high bronze statues of Curly Lambeau, the team’s founder, and coach Vince Lombardi. We were surprised to see a large wedding party taking photos – wedding dresses, tuxedos and all – in front of the stadium. Lots of Packer’s fans in Green Bay…well, in all of Wisconsin, I’m sure. We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant downtown called Angelina’s, walking distance from our hotel.
The next morning, we headed for Chicago for our flight home, stopping at Kohler for a breakfast buffet at a very nice golf club. We saw lots more beautiful scenery on the drive south. We loved our trip to Wisconsin, but the winters would probably be way too cold for us!