We left Ohio to strike out across the midwest without much of an agenda or an idea what to expect. Our only planned stop was to see some friends from Richmond who had moved to Milwaukee. We also knew we wanted to eventually get to the Badlands of South Dakota. We planned on figuring out the rest along the way. This is strange for me, a huge planner. Maybe this is an indication that this trip is starting to calm me down just a little bit?
On our last day in Cuyahoga, the park ranger asked us where we were headed next. When we said, “Milwaukee”, she said, “Oh, are you stopping by Indiana Dunes?” We had never heard of Indiana Dunes before. It is the newest national park, only gaining the designation earlier this year. Indiana Dunes was right between Cuyahoga and Milwaukee, so we knew we had to check it out.
We were able to find an old run-down motel that had RV hookups out back only 20 minutes or so from Indiana Dunes National Park. At the park visitor center, they told us that we should visit some dunes that were right against a beach on Lake Michigan but that there could be a lot of cars competing for parking. We were only a couple miles out, so we took the bikes off the truck and rode in. It was a really cool spot despite the fact that it was pretty crowded. All you have to do is hike a little in most national parks and the crowds magically disappear. Lake Michigan is enormous – it looks like an ocean while standing on its shores. There was even a sign there that warned of large waves and rip currents… On a lake! On the way back to the Airstream, we pulled into Michigan to visit a brewery… In a church!
Our next stop on our Tour De Upper Midwest was Milwaukee in the land of beer and cheese. We didn’t know what to expect in Milwaukee other than we were going to see some good friends we hadn’t seen in a while. We were only there for two days, but we had a great time. Our friends took us out for a boat ride through the city on our first night there. Yes, you can ride a boat through the city on the Milwaukee River. We tied up and stopped at a couple breweries for beer and deep fried cheese curds. The kids even got to try deep fried milk (don’t knock it until you try it). We listened to music and enjoyed the sites of the building, boats, human-powered party barges, and Lake Michigan. Milwaukee had already exceeded our expectations.
The next day, we lived as Milwaukeeans do. During the summer, people in Milwaukee take full advantage of the outdoors because winter is always right around the corner, and being outside in a Milwaukee winter is apparently pretty rough. We went to several parks, one of them complete with its own German Beer Garden. This is a great concept. Your kids can play on the playground while you grab a liter of Hofbrau Original and watch them. This idea, along with the great beer and cheese, is a benefit of the historic Germanic influences here. After a day of visiting parks and meeting new friends, we went back and celebrated Labor Day in true American style by grilling out. One of the great things about Labor Day is that you can celebrate it even though you are not currently part of the labor force.
It was great seeing old friends in Milwaukee, but we needed to get back on our westward trek. Originally, we were going to take three days to work our way out to the Badlands of South Dakota. However, we were feeling good and decided to stretch our days on the road. We belong to a service called Harvest Hosts where we can stay at wineries, breweries, and farms for free with the understanding that we buy something from them. While on the road, we called a winery in Minnesota and they said we could stay with them. However, before we could go to the winery, we needed to stop to see a 55 foot statue of the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota. No road trip is complete with a couple stops like that.
Interstate 90 through Minnesota is a long road through beautiful rolling farmland. There is not a whole lot in the southern part of Minnesota outside of corn fields and wind turbines, so we were really curious what a winery in this part of the country would be like. We pulled off the interstate and drove about six miles through cornfields before pulling through the gates of Round Lake Winery. As we drove down there driveway, we knew we had found an oasis in a sea of corn. The winery was beautiful and right on a lake. We boondocked behind the other Harvest Host RV there, another Airstream. We ate on the porch of the winery’s restaurant and then got a tour and wine-making lesson from the owner’s son and chief winemaker. It is amazing that a town of about 400 people without much else around has such a great winery. It was one of the best wineries we have ever visited.
The Midwest surprised us in great ways. From Ohio to Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, we had a great time. The area is beautiful and is full of great people. It would be interesting to see it in the dead of winter, but my guess is that there are still good times to be had there. While it was fun, we are really excited about getting out west to South Dakota and Colorado. So, on we go…
So y’all skipped Pure Michigan???? Lawd I hope you go around the Mitten at some point! I thought UP was on the MAP? Traverse City and Grand Rapids would satisfy the brewing love and sleeping bear dunes is amazing!