July 23 Wisconsin Dells to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Quick — which state has more lakes, Minnesota or Wisconsin?

Spot the limestone

An all-American day as we cruised through small towns in Wisconsin with names like Packwaukee, Montello, and Princeton.  All the towns are neat and trim and tidy — it’s very picturesque. We’re now on the Niagara escarpment, a layer of limestone that extends from here, under the Great Lakes and all the way to Niagara Falls. We see — and often climb — limestone cliffs under acres and acres of trees.  The cliffs create lots of pretty views as well as numerous waterfalls.

We stopped at the American Legion in Princeton for brats and beans. (No, not little brats but bratwurst).  I passed on the sauerkraut but otherwise chowed down on pretty much everything they had to offer.  This was a very popular stop — not just for us but for the locals as well. We especially enjoyed the air conditioning inside the Legion hall.  We arrived early which was good — by noon, the place was packed.   Supposedly, this is the best brat fest in all of Wisconsin

Suellen joined us yesterday in Wisconsin Dells and is going to drive across Wisconsin with us.  Today she took a sentimental journey to Manawa before

Suellen's grandparents' house

catching up with us in Fond du Lac.  Her father grew up in Manawa which was then a town of 900 people.  Her grandfather was the town’s pharmacist and ran the best soda fountain around. Suellen remembers going to the pharmacy as a little girl and getting free Cokes from her Grandpa.  Today, she found her grandparents’ old house, rang the door bell, introduced herself and got a very nice tour from the current owner. She also wandered the streets, (the old school burned down), chatted with locals, bought fresh raspberries, and generally enjoyed the enormous gardens that people keep in Manawa.

This evening, several people who are involved in MS programs in Fond du Lac came to visit us.  Special thanks to Dave Blavat, Dave Hornung, and Cathy and Mark Riechers.  We decided we needed to see a bit more of the local area so we drove to Dave Hornung’s house on a lake (everyone seems to have a house on a lake here) and took a sunset cruise on a pontoon boat.  We saw a waterfall, cranes, and deer.  It was lovely and very nice to chat with people who are working on the same cause.  It happens that Dave Hornung is an avid bicyclist so he’s going to ride with us tomorrow.

Oh — Minnesota has about 10,000 lakes.  Wisconsin has 12,000.

Day’s distance: 84.4 miles (135.8 km)
Average speed: 15.7 mph (25.3 kph)
Day’s climb: 1,600 feet (487.7 meters)
Total distance: 2,612.1 miles (4,203.7 km)

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2 Responses to July 23 Wisconsin Dells to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

  1. Anne Petrie says:

    Cooler and a forest trail. Followed by a boat ride. That sounds wonderful to me! And I am in awe of your progress. Best wishes to all of the team and good luck on the fund raising.

    Anne

  2. Travis,
    It was great meeting you and Suellen, Next time you are in town we will take you out on our boat..It moves alot faster. LOL
    Cathy & Mark

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