(Day 3 Route - Minocqua, WI to Waterloo, IA)
We were on the road before 7, wanting to stop and pick up some "Leineys" to bring back with us. The local BP gas station/souvenier shop/liquor store/bakery/hardware/clothing store was our 1st stop. Not a good start to the day... problems in their bakery section - no fresh rolls or donuts... then, as I was lugging 2 twelve packs of bottled beer from their walk in cooler, the cashier yelled out "you can't buy alcohol until after 8am." Of course now everyone in the convenience store has to stop what their doing to see who this idiot is who's buying alcohol before 7am! So we got our coffee for the morning, and something sweet to munch on, and hit the road to Rhinelander, WI.
It was windy and overcast, with off and on sprinkles... Rhinelander, only about 15 miles from Woodruff-Minocqua, is another small North Woods community of less than 8,000 people. Its located on Boom Lake and the Wisconsin River. The major noteworthy attraction of Rhinelander was our next unique statue of the trip - the Hodag
In 1893 newspapers reported the discovery of a Hodag in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It had "the head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end". The reports were instigated by well-known Wisconsin timber cruiser and prankster Eugene Shepard, who rounded up a group of local people to capture the animal. The group reported that they needed to use dynamite to kill the beast.[1] A photograph of the remains of the charred beast was released to the media. It was "the fiercest, strangest, most frightening monster ever to set razor sharp claws on the earth. It became extinct after its main food source, all white bulldogs became scarce in the area."[1]
Shepard claimed to have captured another Hodag in 1896, and this one was captured alive. He displayed this Hodag at the first Oneida County fair. Thousands of people came to see the Hodag at the fair or at Shepard's display in a shanty at his house, even though Shepard eventually admitted that the Hodag was a hoax.[1]
The wind and rain was definitely taking the interest away from viewing any more outdoor sights, so we hopped on US 51 (the Main north/south hiway in Wisconsin), and set our site on Stevens Point, the next beer brewery of interest.Stevens Point, WI has a population of approximately 25,000, and is located in almost the geographic center of the state. Also located on the Wisconsin River, the city was founded by George Stevens, who ran several saloons on what is today known as "the Square". Loggers on the Wisconsin River found this a convenient stopping point, as the river bends slightly and one could tell from far upstream whether Stevens' point was open for business.
Seems like a logical reason to put a brewery here! We arrived at the Stevens Point Brewery about 9am.... Sue and I both agreed it was a bit too early to begin sampling beer. So we made the Brewery a "photo op" only.
The Stevens Point Brewery The Stevens Point Brewery is steeped in a history that has transcended the trials of the Civil War, the Great Depression and Prohibition. More than 150 years later, the Stevens Point Brewery continues to successfully brew quality beer, just as the brewery's founders, Frank Wahle and George Ruder, did in 1857. This undeniable endurance is a testament of why the Stevens Point Brewery, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is the 5th oldest continuously operating brewery remaining in the United States. Today, the Stevens Point Brewery is proud to be Wisconsin-owned and independently operated.
Back on the road again, we headed for Wisconsin Dells.. probably the biggest family tourist draw in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Dells has 18 indoor waterparks and 3 outdoor waterparks in the Dells area, covering 70 acres (28 ha), Wisconsin Dells proclaims itself the "Waterpark Capital of the World". It is home to the largest outdoor water park in the U.S., Noah's Ark, the largest indoor waterpark resort (Wilderness Territory), and America's largest water and theme park resort (Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park.) Some other attractions in the Dells include the Dells Boat Tours, numerous golf courses, mini golf, go-kart tracks, water sports, horseback riding, Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show, Exploratory, the Ho-Chunk Casino and many other places of interest. Most attractions are located on the Strip, otherwise known as the Wisconsin Dells Parkway. Accommodations range from economical motels to RV parks, to chain hotels, to themed resorts featuring indoor and outdoor waterparks and other amenities.
We only cruised thru the town to see what had changed since our last visit here (ask Sue about her Wisconsin River scenic boat ride athe Wisconsin dells on our last visit). Below is a tourist map of the area in case you are looking for a good weekend getaway which includes water parks, duck boat rides, cheesy tourist attractions, or some golf.
With the weather still pretty dreary, we now opted for "indoor attractions" as the plan for the day, and set the GPS for the Ho Chunk Casino and Luxury Resort just outside of Baraboo, WI.
As usual, our gambling luck (eg. no luck) had us out of there in no time, but at least we kept the losses to under $30! Nice casino and resort area... close to Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo, WI.
Baraboo (pop. ~12,000) is home to the Circus World Museum, the former headquarters and winter home of the Ringling Brothers circus and now the largest library of circus information in the United States. This living museum has a collection of circus wagons, and occasionally hosts the Great Circus Parade of these artifacts through the streets of Baraboo.
The Al. Ringling Theatre is an active landmark in the city. This grand scale movie palace is larger and more elaborate than one would normally find in a town the size of Baraboo, owing to the financial assistance of the Ringling family. The Al Ringling home still exists and is maintained in good condition.
Baraboo is also home to the International Crane Foundation, an organization dedicated to the study and conservation of the world's 15 species of crane. Aldo Leopold's famous Shack and Farm, celebrated in A Sand County Almanac is also in the Baraboo vicinity.
Once south of Baraboo, the obligatory stop at a winery (only fair since I got my brewery stop on Day 1) was next - the Wollersheim Winery.
The Wollersheim Winery sits on a scenic hillside overlooking the Wisconsin River. This national historic site was first selected for vineyards in the 1840's by the Hungarian Count Agoston Haraszthy. Following several years of disappointment with winter damage on his vines and unfortunate politics, he followed the gold-rush west in December of 1849. Haraszthy's activities are well documented as he eventually became known as the founder of the California wine industry.
(the entrance to the Wollersheim Winery grounds)
(The path up to the winery from the parking area)
After Haraszthy left, a German immigrant, Peter Kehl, took over the property and established the present buildings during the Civil War period. Peter Kehl planted conventional American grape varieties plus Riesling, which he buried every year to protect from Wisconsin's winters.
In 1972, Robert and JoAnn Wollersheim purchased the nearly abandoned property with the intention of restoring it to a working family winery. The hillside slopes were again planted with vineyards, the underground wine cellars were refurnished with oak barrels and the upstairs made into a wine store for Wollersheim wine to be available for visitors.
(View from the hillside by one of the underground wine cellars)
(yes, its a painted cow... and yes, it looked like this BEFORE we tasted the wines)
With 20 different grape wines from dry to sweet, annual production of Wollersheim and Cedar Creek wines has risen from 15,000 gallons in 1987 to now over 240,000 gallons. Most of the wines are marketed in Wisconsin with the majority being sold at the Prairie du Sac and Cedarburg locations. This regional winery has received numerous awards for its wines and has gained recognition as a leading winery in the Midwest.
Sorry for the long "winery history".. but want to make sure all the wine lovers out there know about this place in case they have an interest in a "road trip" some weekend!
OK, so its now 1:30pm, and the reality of the 3 day escape coming to end. The weather was still overcast, cool and windy, so we decided to put the GPS on Waterloo, and begin heading back. With our journey almost over, we came across a sign of "back home." While sitting at a stop light in Sauk City, just after crossing the Wisconsin River for the umpteenth time, we saw this local establishment....
If you look REAL CLOSE in the following photo, you can see that we have found Tim and Carol Luce's "retirement investment"!
Another great fall "Wisconsin Wandering" for Sue and I... a well needed escape from the day to day grind in Waterloo. I am already planning next year's trip... maybe back to Door County, maybe a new venue - Northern Minnesota... who knows... stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment