2011 Fall Wisconsin Fall Trip

The 2011 edition of the Wisconsin Fall Trip is in the books. This time of year always draws me to "wander the North Woods", enjoying the Fall colors, and the serenity of the area. This year, rather than spending the entire trip touring in my Santa Fe, driving from location to location, the trip also included trail hiking.

The trip agenda was as follows:
Friday, September 30th, 2011
- Stay overnite in Dubuque, IA (after Waterloo West Football game)
Saturday, October 1st, 2011
- Leave Dubuque and travel to near Hayward, WI
- Hike the Morgan Falls/St. Peter's Dome Trail
- Overnite in Minocqua Oct. 1st, 2011
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
- Hike Fallison Lake Nature Trail
- Hike Raven Trails
- Hike Bearskin State Trail
- Overnite in Monocqua Oct. 2nd, 2011
Monday, October 3rd, 2011
- Travel back to Waterloo, IA

2011 Wisconsin Fall Trip - Day One

The drive from Dubuque to the Morgan Falls/St. Peter's Dome was gorgeous. Blue skies, temps in the 60's, and tree color at their peak. The route I took is shown in the photo to the right.

The routes shows the stop for the hiking at Morgan Falls/St. Peter's Dome, and then on to Minocqua, WI for the next two nites.

The Morgan Falls/St. Peter's Dome Nature Trail is a US Forest Service Trail, requiring either an annual ($20) or day pass ($4). The trails are out/back trails - one to The Dome, and one to The Falls. The entire length of the trails was approximately 5 miles, following wooded paths, with plenty of rocks and roots. I arrived about 1pm, and at the time there were only a handful of families and hikers enjoying the trails.

Morgan Falls was tucked in among the trees and very scenic. The water was not flowing as much as normal due to the limited rain this past summer. This definitely was the attraction for the kids on the trails!

From here, I proceeded on the longest stretch of the trail to St. Peter's Dome. Alot of steep rock paths and roots along this portion, and was definitely got the ol heart pumpin'... but the view from the top was amazing.

The rock overlook was the perfect place for this family to have lunch, and enjoy the glorious scenery. It was interesting to note that the trail had people from the age of infancy (in frontpack) to 70+ years of age. It was neat to see everyone out and enjoying the beauty of Northern Wisconsin.

I headed back down the trail toward the parking area, and what had been a peaceful trail hike turned into a trail packed with visitors heading to "The Dome". I passed at least 60 Amish/Mennonite young adults, and a few adults heading up the trail. The males all dressed in plaid shirts and dark slacks, and the females in traditional Amish/Mennonite attire. As amazing as that scene was, was the young lady "trying to" push a standard hospital type wheel chair up the rocky/rooty path, with a young male in the chair. He was not small! Suffice to say, the peacefulness of the trail behind me was gone. My timing was excellent, as I was on my way out! Upon arriving at the parking area, I found three motor coaches parked next to the road!

By now it was almost 3:30pm, and I still had a couple hours to my overnite stop in Minocqua. The time passed fast, as the roads were all lined with beautiful colors (and the traffic was light).

Approaching Minocqua, I found a couple really beautiful entrances to cabins that I just had to photograph. Here's one of them. Note the skeleton head with antlers over the entrance.

I arrived in Minocqua and the Americinn just before 6pm. Unfortunately, I arrived just AFTER a tour bus of seniors had arrived, and were in the process of checking in. I also learned that there was a "boil order" for the City of Minocqua "until further notice".... Despite these issues, I checked in, and after finding some dinner, settled in to enjoy NFL Football, after a great day!

There are a bunch more photos from the 1st day of this 2011 Wisconsin Fall Trip. To view them, click on the image below.

2011 WI Fall Trip - Day One Album

2011 Wisconsin Fall Trip - Day Two
As a result of the "Boil Order" for the water in Minocqua, coffee was NOT available... in my hotel room, or even at the local convenience stores throughout the city. Given that, I decided to get up and going. The Fallison Lake Nature Trail is approximately 7 miles north of Minocqua, so a sunrise hike was in order.

On the way, I had to stop at Mann Lake, home to the Titus Cabin. I headed to the north side of the lake to view the cabin from across the lake. I was greeted by 3 deer, one of which you can see in the photo.

The sun was just breaking over the trees, and the scenes on the lake were amazing. If you look closely in the photo to the left, you can see the Titus boat house and cabin along the shoreline. This cabin is the only cabin on that side of the lake, and is located over a mile off a gravel access road (with a path thru US Forest land). Truly a remote location.

After taking a bunch of photos, I headed to Fallison Lake. The Nature trail has option of trail lengths to hike. I chose to take the longest "around the lake" path. As with Mann Lake, the sunrise provided amazing images of the lake. The fog had not completely vanished, and made for some beautiful views.

The trail provided access to the lake as well as sections that traversed through the forest. With no wind, the sounds of the forest (birds, animals, leaves falling) were easily heard.

The trail was approximately 2-1/2 miles long, and I finished hiking at approximately 8:30.

By now, the "call to coffee" was sounding loud so I headed to Sayner, WI, where I grabbed my morning refreshments.

After researching my maps, I decided the next hiking trail for the day would be Raven Trails. Located about 15 miles from Sayner, and midway between Minocqua and Lake Tomahawk, Raven Trails are in the wooded land between Clear Lake, Inkpot Lake, and Hemlock Lake. I chose the 5 mile "outer Loop", which gave me not only great views of the lakes, but also some rugged trails, some of which are also used by bikers.

It was about 10am, so there were only a few others walking the trails. Like the Fallison Trail, the wooded areas were really peaceful, except for wildlife sounds. Really neat! The trail had alot more "ups and downs".. a couple hills even had warning signs "Steep Hill ahead".. Below are a few shots from the trail.









It took a little over 2 hours to complete the 5 mile loop, and it was after noon when I finished.



Decided it was time to rest a bit, so I wandered up towards Lac du Flambeau, which means "Lake of the torches".

Of course, I couldn't pass up stopping at their casino - Lake of the Torches Casino. The good news is I broke even, and was able to get off my feet and out of the sun for an hour or so.

On the way back towards Minocqua, I decided to follow a couple of Wisconsin's "Rustic Roads". These are designated roads with scenic countryside. I chose the route east of Minocqua.

The combination of wooded areas and pastures was very scenic. Many side roads along the route leading to houses and cabins on the lakes in the area. Well worth the time to take the tour.

The final activity of the day was to check out Bearskin State Trail in Minocqua. This is an abandoned rail line, that was used to export white pine logs from the forests of northern Wisconsin to the cities of the Midwest. Today the Bearskin trail is a recreation corridor, surfaced with compacted granite suitable for walking and bicycling in summer and snowmobiling in winter. 

The trail starts in Minocqua by crossing the Minocqua Tressle. After crossing the tressle, the trail winds SW between Lake Minocqua, and Kawaquesaga Lake, following Bearskin Creek. Many scenic spots along the mile and a half portion I hiked. Even spotted a prehistoric animal in the creek (suspect it was a snapping turtle.. see photo)!


It was time to call it a day, so I headed back toward the trailhead in Minocqua.

It was a GREAT day... beautiful weather, amazing scenery, and some awesome hiking. Its always difficult knowing that tomorrow, its time to head back to Iowa, but for now, I am fortunate to be able to enjoy this beautiful area!

I have a bunch of other photos gathered from my day Two activites. You can check them out by clicking the image below.

2011 WI Fall Trip - Day Two Album

2011 Wisconsin Fall Trip - Day Three

Monday morning, and it was time to pack up and head south to Waterloo. Of course, its hard to take the main hiways on the drive back, so after heading south on Hiway 51 and passing thru Wausau, it was time to get of onto the side roads. On the road by 6am, I was able to see sunrise again, and find some great countryside views. 

Passed some cranberry fields, which had been already drained. Also spotted some "wierd" birds in a cornfield. Looked like a cross between a herron and goose... made crazy screeching sound ! Take a look.. anyone know what these are?


I came across many amazing scenes, and have alot of photos of those in my Picasa Album for Day 3.

Finally, time to focus on getting home (I had a lawn to mow!), so I headed west on I-90 to Hiway 63, and returned to Waterloo about 2pm. It was a wonderful getaway, and I will definitely plan for a return trip next Fall.

Check out the other photos I took during Day 3 by clicking on the image below.

2011 WI Fall Trip - Day Three Album

2011 Trip to MIchigan - Days three & four

Day Three - Mackinaw City, MI to Green Bay, WI

Its monday, and we've passed the halfway point of our trip. Our plans have us heading north into the "UP" of Michigan, starting with a trip over the Mackinac Bridge. Last time I made this trip, it was raining. This trip, with no rain, and  my "tour guide" at my side, we got out the "dash cam", only let the "tour guide" hold it and record the journey across, heading North toward Sault St. Marie.

Once across the bridge we exited and drove thru St. Ignace, the other main departure point for Mackinac Island. At 7:00am, not much activity going on, but none the less, interesting to see the workings of a tourist city at that time of day.
From St. Ignace we headed along the Northern shoreline (Horseshoe and Saint Martin Bays) of Lake Huron toward Cedarville, and then thru the UP back roads to Sault St. Marie, MI. Alot of pastures and wooded areas, but few crops other than hay...

As we approached Sault St. Marie, our route took us along the shoreline of Lake Nicolet, downstream of the Soo Locks. The river and the Locks were quiet - no ships passing when we were there (of course it was ~8:30am!), so we didn't stop to enter the National Park along the Locks.

OK, we are as far north as we can go without crossing into Canada, so its time to start heading back down thru the UP, and towards Green Bay.

The Upper Peninsula has a mixture of very wooded areas, and open pasture land. Not alot of towns, but rather "crossroads", where businesses, homes, and attractions tend to locate. One of the more interesting spots we came upon was "The Stuff Capital of the UP".... Unfortunately, it was either closed for the day, or my guess is it went out of business "a few years ago"... so we'll never know what "stuff" was in this Capitol of the UP.

Our next stop was the Seul Choix Lighthouse, on the southern coastline of the UP, along Lake Michigan. The name of the lighthouse has an interesting background... Native Americans and French explorers were traveling in canoes and later small ‘Mackinac’ boats. It was readily apparent that along the 75 mile stretch, from the Straits of Mackinac to today’s Manistique, there was only one place to seek refuge from the storms that often sweep up Lake Michigan. Realizing that the bay near the present day Port Inland was their only choice, the French named the place Seul Choix, the French name for ‘Only Choice’. The French pronunciation is “Sel-Shwa”, while locally the name is spoken as “Sis-Shwa”.

The grounds provide beautiful views of noit only the lighthouse, but also of Lake Michigan. In the photo to the right, my "tour guide" is shown here on the shoreline, with the Seul Choix lighthouse in the background. 

By now, my "tour guide" was ready for another wine tasting event. The UP is pretty slim on wineries and vineyards, but my "tour guide" found one for us to check out - The Garden Bay Winery. This winery is located in the old clubhouse of a golf course, which the owner also owned. He decided to close the course, and move the winery operations into the basement of the clubhouse, and use the rest for wine tasting, receptions, and general gatherings. 


As with most places, we always seem to find one or two wines we like, and this place was no different. Another bottle added to the "2011 Michigan Wine Tasting Trip".


By now, we were ready to put the hammer down, and finish the 2 hour drive to Green Bay, and relax a bit. We made a brief stop in Escanaba, MI at the Sand Point Lighthouse, and for gas. Before hitting the hotel, we thought lest try out our luck again at the Oneida Casino in Green Bay. Bad idea... we BOTH lost money!

On to the Clarion Hotel, on the bank of the canal in Downtown Green Bay. This turned out to be a great place. Good rate, next to the CityDeck , and just accros the draw bridge from Titletown Brewing Company.

We decided it was time for "double-bubble hour", and an early dinner, so we took a table outdoors. Perfect day... mid-70's and great breeze... so we enjoyed a couple beers while we watched water traffic on the canal. While eating, another couple sat near us, and asked us if we knew about Green Bay. Of course we said no, but learned the man had worked at Sartori Hospital in Cedar Falls on some sort of rotation years ago! (Small world!). They were in Green Bay to meet their son who was an engineer on a Great Lakes freighter - The Cason J. Calloway. It was supposed to dock in the canal that evening (Bear with me, this will mean something in a little bit!)

We finished dinner and decided to check out the CityDeck and Fox River Trail, just outside our hotel. This next photos shows what a couple beers do to a "tour guide". There were several different "arts" on display, along with a few establishments with outdoor seating to enjoy the view along the canal. We walked the downtown length of the walkway, before returning to our hotel. 


(here's where I get beack to the two people who were waiting for their Engineer Son on the Great Lakes Freighter - Calon J. Galloway)

Just as we made it to our hotel, at the entrance to the canal you could see a freighter beginning its journey up the canal. Yes, you guessed it, it was the Calon J. Galloway! So we stopped to watch it pass by. Suddenly, two bicycles came flying down the walkway, and yes, it was the couple we talked to at Titletown Brewing Company. They followed the ship up the canal to its final unloading spot. 

It was a pretty impressive site, seeing that huge ship navigate thru the draw bridges and narrow canal. And yes, their son came out of the bridge and waved to us as the ship passed by. The parents were ecstatic!


Our last event before heading back to the hotel was finding some ice cream. Heading back out in our car, we wandered the nice neighborhoods near the Downtown, and found a Hansen's Dairy shop, where we indulged in  a couple double dip ice cream cones. A great way to end the day before heading to the hotel.

This last shot shows our room view overlooking the canal.

Day Four - Green Bay, WI to Waterloo, IA

The final day of the trip has arrived. No more lighthouses or wine tasting, but rather a 400+ mile drive back to Waterloo. 

To break up the trip, we started with a "drive by" of the Elkhart Lake area. For those of you not familiar with Elkhart Lake, its main attraction is the Road America road racing courses. However the Elkhart Lake area also has a nice downtown shopping and dining area as well as a great lake for water sports as well. If you're looking a nice escape, check out the Elkhart Lake area.

From Elkhart Lake, our next destination was Waterloo... no, not Waterloo, IA, but Waterloo, WI. Not much here, but my "tour guide" found Jim's Cheese Pantry. You can't travel thru Wisconsin without stopping for some cheese! This place was great.. hundreds of different cheeses... and samples of many, with toothpicks next to each sample! Even though it was only about 10am, its always time for cheese!~ 

OK, time to bear down, and hit the road back to the REAL Waterloo! As we approached Dubuque, the gambling bug was chirping, and we had to make one more attempt to "win the big one", with a stop at the Diamond Jo Casino, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Yep, you guessed it, no such luck..... This really told us "vacation is over".... So back in the car, and onto Hiway 20, and back to Waterloo. 

As we pulled into town, we made a quick stop at the kennel to pick up our dog, Chester. Even though vacation was over, Chester's excitement and waggin' tail helped make the return a good one... (That's what you have to look forward to when your kids have all moved out and on to their own lives!)

Over 1600 miles, 6 lighthouses, 3 wineries, 4 casinos.... alot visited durng these 4 days. My "tour guide" did good this trip! I may have to book her for another trip this fall!

I have posted all the photos I took during the trip and posted them in a PicasaWeb album. To see more of the trip, click here. 

2011 Michigan Trip

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2011 Trip to MIchigan - Day two

Day two began with the Sue and I departing the hotel under partly cloudy skies and temps in the 60's. The day's itinerary included visiting more lighthouses, checking out the cities of Ludington and Traverse City, a wine tasting or two, another casino stop, and finally ending up in Mackinaw City - at the base of the Mackinac Bridge.

We headed North on Hiway 31, passing near Muskegon, and heading to Little Sable Point Lighthouse, in the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. The lighthouse. A bit misleading, as all that remains is the light tower. The light is situated on a great sand beach, with a wonderful view of Lake Michigan, ans some of the surrounding homesteads.

From the Little Sable Light, we traveled further north, and making a stop at the Silver Sands Resort area, on Silver Lake. Looks like a popular getaway in Western Michigan, with the sand dunes lining the western side of the Lake.

After another coffee stop, we headed for the the city of Ludington, home to the SS Badger, providing daily ferry service to Manitowoc, WI. The 410' S.S. Badger entered service in 1953, designed specifically to handle the rough conditions that it would likely encounter during year 'round sailing on Lake Michigan. The Badger reigned as Queen of the Lakes during the car ferries' Golden Era in the late Fifties, with Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Kewaunee as her Wisconsin ports of call. With little railroad freight business left in the '70's, and without ever tapping into the opportunity to serve the needs of the vacation traveler, the Badger sailed from Wisconsin to Ludington and tied up for the last time in November 1990 - signaling the end of the century-old tradition of car ferry service on Lake Michigan. However, in 1991, an entrepreneur named Charles Conrad committed his own financial resources to reinvent the S.S. Badger to carry leisure passengers and their vehicles. Along the shore where the Badger loads stands an old ferry - SS Spartan.




Time to head on and check out the Point Betsie Lighthouse, North of Frankfort, MI. This lighthouse was not open when we arrived. However, due to the Lake Michigan winds, the sand dunes have grown higher than the fencing, and we were able to check it out close up.

The lighthouse complex had completed an exterior renovation in 2010, and currently is undergoing an interior renovation.



By now it was almost noon, and we still hadn't reached the northern end of the state. So off we went. Next stop, Grand Traverse Lighthouse, near Northport, MI. This is not the original lighthouse was constructed in in 1850. However, it was razed and rebuilt in the current location to make it visible from all surrounding waterways.






The complex grounds are very nice, with access to water on the north (Lake Michigan) and eastern (Grand Traverse Bay) sides of the lighthouse.




Its that time of day, where a winery visit seems like the right thing to do. So time to head back south on Hiway 22 toward Traverse City.






As we approached Sutton's Bay, the GPS "winery finder" pointed us to the Black Star Farms Vineyard and Winery. Its a beautiful setting, from the moment you wind down the drive into the vineyard, to the time you pass by the stables and the winery.




The wine tasting area was PACKED, so other than a quick photo, we left without a sample. Ok, this not having a "refreshment" before 2pm each day on vacation was getting old, so it was mandated "FIND A BREWERY!" My "tour guide" obliged and we headed for the North Peak Brewing Company in Downtown Traverse City.






The building is ocated in an old converted warehouse on W. Front Street, a couple blocks from the "main downtown drag". Trying to save some room for a dinner in Mackinaw City, we tore into an order of nachos to go with our beers. Defintiely hit the spot, and stirred up the "shopping bug" in the "tour guide." Time to explore some of Downtown Traverse City.






Cherry Republic, a store dedicated to all things cherry, was our shopping spot. Amazing what they can do with cherries! Candy, jams, wines... you name it, they had it.. made from cherries!



While "the travel guide" scoped out the cherry store, I took a few minutes to survey the main street area. Looked like a nice place to spend a day shopping, drinking, and eating. Across the street was the Mackinaw Brewing Company. Had it not been late in the afternoon, another beer definitely was in order!






By now its 4pm, and time to start working north on our two hour journey to Mackinaw City. But not without testing our luck again at Turtle Creek Casino near Williamsburg, MI. They were having a slots tournament, and even though all we could win was free play at another visit, we decided to give it a try. No, we didn't win the tournament, but after that experience (banging the "spin" button constantly for five minutes), I cannot figure out how all the 65+ year olds can play in these tournaments, and not end up with a wrist injury! I was able to leave the casino with more than I came in with (not much, but still ahead), and as was the case at the casino on Saturday, the "tour guide" lost again!







Finally, we pulled into Mackinaw City, with dusk settling... no dinner tonite... we splurged instead wirh Dairy Queen Blizzards in Downtown Mackinaw City!








Mackinaw City, and the Comfort Suites. As we checked in, the desk agent asked if we wanted to upgrade to a jacuzzi suite, and being the cheapskate I am, I said no. Once she saw I had just joined the Choice Privileges Program, she decided we needed that suite, and gave it two us at no extra charge!







A great way to end the day!









Day three's adventures to follow .....