“USA 🇺🇸 ~Road Trip’n Through Minnesota, and Wisconsin”

• August 31, 2021
• By Pen
• 2 Comments

After leaving North Dakota, we traveled on in to Minnesota. It felt like we drove I-94 East for about 100 years. (I-80 going through Wyoming feels this way, too). We also drove into some stormy weather. It’s been raining day and night.
This morning the hotel housekeeper knocked on our door to remind us to leave! Ha! We forgot we changed into central time zone, from mountain time zone. Oops! We are doing well on driving time, so decided to relax this morning…of all mornings. Well, that ended that and we had to check out very quickly, after all.
I’ve got us on a route to get us to Niagara Falls; through a few states, yet. We have 15 hours to go, before we get there.
It’s raining, grey and dark. We continue to have the strangest summer weather. I had tried to get us in the car ferry to go across Lake Erie in Michigan, essentially avoiding a few states and lots of traffic. BUT, we would have had to wait for three days since they were so full, plus it was over $250 for the ferry.Oh bother. It would have been fun, but maybe another time. In fact, I’ve been to Lake Michigan and would like to return one day to explore all the Great Lakes. So we will go ahead and drive around the Great Lakes and deal with traffic.

We are still wanting to enjoy the fall colors on the east coast, so after Niagara Falls, we head for Maine. We will stay there for a bit to ensure the colors begin, before we drive down the east coast. Maine will have some good Lobster eats, and we look very forward to that!
I loved visiting Maine, so I know Daryl will love it too!

We found a hotel for the night that came in just over $100 in Mauston, Wisconsin. The prices took a jump from $60 plus in Minnesota to $150 in Wisconsin; just like that. The closer we get to Chicago, the prices seem to be increasing. If not for the thunder and lightening storms we have driven through all day, we could have camped, but tent camping for us, requires a dry ground and a whole lot less wind for set up.
******
MINNESOTA
Minnesota is a midwestern U.S. state bordering Canada and Lake Superior; the largest of the Great Lakes.
The state contains more than 10,000 other lakes, including Lake Itasca; the Mississippi River’s primary source. The “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and state capital Saint Paul are dense with cultural landmarks like the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Walker Art Center, a modern art museum.

******
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin is a midwestern U.S. state with coastlines on 2 Great Lakes (Michigan and Superior) and an interior of forests and farms.
Milwaukee, the largest city, is known for the Milwaukee Public Museum, with its numerous re-created international villages, and the Harley-Davidson Museum, displaying classic motorcycles. Several beer companies are based in Milwaukee, and many offer brewery tours.
I just lived Wisconsin. Unlike most of the states, we took a detour to visit an old covered bridge. Just to do this side trip, took most of the day, but it was worth it. We were in an area called Madison. Of course it put me in the mood to watch “Bridges of Madison Country,” again, with Clint Eastwood. That was such a good movie! No time to watch movies, but it was a thought.
I loved the beautiful farms, all through this state.
I also think there is a lot of money in cheese, because there are so many farms!
Driving through several quaint towns, on the way to the bridge was great, too.
The scenery was just endlessly gorgeous!

The Last Covered Bridge in Wisconsin sits 50 feet East of its original location on Covered Bridge Road in Cedarburg Wisconsin.
This bridge was built by the Town of Cedarburg on petition of neighboring farmers to replace periodically washed out bridges. 
Built in 1876, the original span measured 120 feet long and 12 feet wide. The source of building materials was pine logs, cut and milled near Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The squared timber and planks were then hauled to the proposed site on Cedar Creek, where all pieces were fitted and set in place. The lattice truss construction consisted of 3-inch-by-10-inch planks secured by 2-inch hardwood pins, eliminating the use of nails or bolts, and floored by 3-inch planking. It is now very rare.
In 1927, a center abutment was placed to carry the heavier traffic of automobiles and trucks. There were many prominent farmers living in the vicinity of this covered bridge, whose descendants are still living in this area. The names of some of these early settlers were the Kaehlers, Krohns, Ernsts, Hickeys, Corrigans, Mintzlaffs, Schellenbergs and Pollows. Oxen-driven hay wagons no longer cross the creek here, nor do pleasure drivers. The pedestrian pace of life along Covered Bridge Road is all that this bridge can bear. It’s been out of commission since 1962; the last remaining and the longest to be used of its era and kind in Wisconsin.
The Red Bridge’s architecture and design is mostly unremarkable unless you are a devoted engineering historian with a heart that bleeds poetry at the sight of rough hewn vernacular constructions. Still, its presence speaks in solemn tones about the Germanic work ethic of Ozaukee’s settlers who honored daily labor and toil as sacred became places, from the truth of the field laborer who stood prouder than the ancient oaks shading these pleasant valley drives.

Many reasons are given why such bridges were covered. Some say it was to shelter travelers in storms.
There are two more reasonable conclusions, to preserve the truss structure and the fact that the teams of oxen used by the area farmers had a fear of crossing the water on an open bridge and frequently balked.
One old legend states that the covered bridge leveled off the farmers’ hayloads as they passed through.

This happened in Wisconsin, too! An original A&W root beer float.
******

MINNESOTA

WISCONSIN

NORTH DAKOTA 

VISITED STATES SO FAR

CALIFORNIA: ✅

NEVADA: ✅

OREGON: ✅

KONA, HAWAII: ✅

OREGON again: ✅

IDAHO: ✅

UTAH: ✅

WYOMING: ✅

COLORADO: ✅

NEBRASKA: ✅

SOUTH DAKOTA: ✅

NORTH DAKOTA: ✅

MINNESOTA: ✅

WISCONSIN: ✅