One year ago, Tara and I were vacationing in Wisconsin. We spent the 4th of July driving around the various Madison suburbs. While I didn’t state as much in my blog post, because things were still very hush-hush at that point, the purpose that day was to scope out potential communities in which to live.
We were seeking our own independence from South Dakota, if you will.
While we had agreed to take the plunge a year ago, there were still so many puzzle pieces to fit together, I wasn’t entirely convinced we’d be Wisconsin residents come 7/4/23. I’m so glad it all worked out.
We did some more exploring over this long holiday weekend, but cast a much farther net.
Saturday, our goal was to check out the Driftless Area, a region in Wisconsin (and parts of Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois) characterized by steep hills, forested ridges, and deeply carved river valleys. Normally I itinerize road trips to death beforehand, knowing exactly where we’re going and when we’ll be back, but this time I left it to chance.
This turned out to be a great decision.
Though we still can’t get a drop of rain to save our lives, naturally a few drops fell when we stopped at the Dane County Farmers Market on Capital Square in Madison Saturday morning. We got pretty wet walking the loop, but scored some fruit and veggies and enjoyed coffee and breakfast sandwiches from Colectivo Coffee, so it was worth a little sogginess.
Then, it was off to the races. We drove west(ish), then south(ish), pulling over whenever we saw fit. Like when we came across Peck’s Farm Market in Spring Green. I assumed we might find some cherries, perhaps a few ears of corn. I was not expecting dinosaurs, aliens, and Bigfoot, but alas…
In addition to all the sculptures, there was an animal park filled with goats, pigs, turkeys, peacocks, sheep, ducks, even a cow. It was a wonderful monument to all things kitsch, which is exactly what we love. We were so enamored with the place, we came home with one of those Bigfoot statues for the garden. What can I say? Sasquatch butts drive me nuts.
We tore ourselves away after an hour, but easily could have spent another there. Mostly it was the heat and humidity that inspired us to hit the road again. Additional random stops included The Largest Shoe Store in the Midwest (scored a rockin’ deal on some Sketchers), a cheese shop, and a dive bar for cocktails and cheese curds.
Then, suddenly, we were in Iowa.
We’d had a general idea that we would make it down to Prairie du Chien in the southwest corner of the state, where we’d originally planned a birthday getaway until the Mississippi River flooded; Iowa is right across the river, and we’d heard of a bluff overlooking the Mighty Mississippi, so we decided to cross the border and check out Pikes Peak State Park. No relation to the much-taller mountain in Colorado.
The views were breathtaking, and while the “waterfall” was nothing more than a trickle, the hike through the woods was beautiful.
Afterward, we stopped in McGregor, Iowa on a whim. I’m telling you, “on a whim” is my new mantra, because this little town situated in a valley surrounded by bluffs, just a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River, charmed the pants off us. It definitely warrants a return visit, preferably when they’re not tearing up the entire main street for utility work.
After walking around McGregor, we crossed back into Wisconsin and winded our way north along Highway 35, a/k/a the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. This road parallels the Mississippi River and is absolutely breathtaking. But the hour was getting late, and when we punched in “home” on Google Maps mid-afternoon and found we still had a 5-hour drive, we decided it was time to begin the long trek back.
We grabbed a late supper at the Grumpy Troll Brew Pub in Mount Horeb, an hour west of home. By the time we pulled into the driveway, it was 9:30 p.m. We’d been on the road for nearly 14 hours and loved every second of it.
With three more days left in the weekend, we had more adventures in store. But I’ll save those for next time.
Mark My Words 
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