It’s been a while since our last update.  We’ll be posting several today to try to catch up.

Wisconsin

After leaving South Dakota, we headed toward Wisconsin.  First stop was Wisconsin Dells, a tourist destination for the midwest.  Wisconsin Dells is home to the largest water park and the largest indoor water park.  There’s a ton to do – especially for families with kids in tow.

We took a stroll along the waterfront.  It was really beautiful – although the river was quite muddy like others we’ve seen in the midwest.

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IMG_4115IMG_4073In the downtown area of Wisconsin Dells we stumbled upon a Glockenspiel in a Bavarian Village section of town.

There is a lot of entertainment in Wisconsin Dells, and we took in one of the shows, “Walk the Line.”  It was the story of Johnny Cash told through his music.  Very much enjoyed it, although there were several singers and only one sounded like Cash.  Still, it was a fun date night.


Milwaukee and the Wisconsin State Fair

We read that the State Fair was happening, so we ventured to Milwaukee for a day. The fair was pretty typical. Lots of livestock and exhibitions, as well as vendors. And of course, there was the food. We could not bring ourselves to try the Pork Donuts.

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Illinois

After an overnight at a Wal-Mart in Delavan, Wisconsin, we slipped into Galena, Illinois. Dubbed “one of the best weekend getaways in Illinois,” Galena is a charming town. We visited the historic district lined with little shops. Cathy had a blast. Galena was also home to President Ulysses S. Grant. We ran out of time, and were not able to visit his home.

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Galena had a city ordinance that prevented us from camping at the local Wal-Mart, so we headed across the state line and discovered…


 

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque has a wonderful river walk with scenic artwork scattered along the way.

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Some interesting history of Dubuque: In 1852 a group of businessmen were given permission to dig a canal for a steamboat landing.  By 1882 there was a tremendous amount of steamboat traffic, and the winter ice was a significant problem.  Congress gave Dubuque $20,000 to build a protective harbor which became known as Dubuque Ice Harbor.

Beginning around 1857, local businesses began harvesting the ice and transporting it for sale.

They would use “ice plows” to cut the ice into 50-100 lb blocks – much like farmers plowed their fields.  These ice blocks were called ice rafts or floats, and they would be floated down the river to the company ice house.  At the ice house, the arriving ice blocks would be packed in sawdust to keep them from melting.  By 1910, a ton of ice sold for 50 cents.


 

IMG_4106Dixon, Illinois

Dixon is where President Ronald Reagan grew up. Reagan’s parents Jack and Nelle, moved to Dixon in 1920, when Reagan was 9 years old.

We followed the “Ronald Reagan Trail” and visited many of the places Reagan frequented as a young man, including Reagan’s boyhood home, the Dixon Public Library, the First Christian Church, and Lowell Park – where Reagan was credited with saving 77 lives while lifeguarding on the Rock River.

We thought it funny that the Democratic party headquarters is located on Reagan Way.

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See more images in the gallery:

It was a nice trip to a quaint little city.

After another night at a Wal-Mart, we headed off toward Chicago…