From Country to BIG City
We left Cranberry Lake Campground on Friday, July 7, 2017. We took US131 south from Three Rivers, MI, to catch I-80, just beyond the Indiana line. The drive to Illinois was nice except for a few rain showers. Rain seems to follow us.
Then, our GPS directed us toward downtown Chicago. I know better, now, so next time, I would advise going on to LaSalle, IL. We drove through Chicago on a toll road, totaling $63, in the early afternoon, creeping along at 25 mph, complete with potholes! That was NOT a pleasant drive.
From the Forest to De Forest, WI
We followed I-90 northwest out of Chicago until it joined I-39 going north to Madison, WI. Just north of Madison was our destination, the Madison KOA Campground, near the town of De Forest, WI. Although, we noted most signs showed the Village of De Forest. This was our first experience with a KOA. They are usually a little more expensive than other RV parks but usually have a few more amenities—like a swimming pool!
This was to be our base camp to visit the Wisconsin Dells on Lake Delton. We arrived around 5 p.m. After setting up, we found the De Forest Family Restaurant for a fish dinner. Later, we shared a Klondike bar before taking a walk around our new neighborhood.
To Camping World for Supplies
Saturday was to be an admin day. We need RV supplies from the Madison Camping World. It was a large store but the Service Center was even larger. Keep that in mind in case you take your RV through this area.
Back in camp, I went to the office to get a propane tank filled. This was only my second tank fill since leaving six weeks ago.
It was hot, so we went to the pool after lunch. It was crowded with kids, so, we did not stay long. Then, we fixed foil chicken dinners over charcoal in the fire pit, went for a walk after sitting outside for a while. This is the life!
A Day at the Wisconsin Dells!
The WI Dells is one big family vacation / tourist attraction. There are many water parks, specialty shops, arcades, museums, and eating places. Then, there are the “Ducks”, which we decided to go on, first. The Ducks, of course are vehicles that go on land and water. We had fun!
From there, we drove to the Upper Dells for a two-hour boat ride, which offered spectacular views of rock formations and made two stops to walk through those formations. One went up to “Stand Rock”, where we were able to look over the lake from a high vantage point.
We still had time to wander through some specialty shops and have lunch at Cheesecake Heaven! We passed the Cascade Mtn. Ski Area on our way back to the KOA.
Connie read by the pool, while doing the laundry, what a sweetheart! That was while I was swimming—getting my exercise! I treated her to dinner at Culver’s…
Moving to White River State Park, MN
It had rained over-night. There was standing water around the RV. We waded through it to take the truck into town for breakfast and a stop at the post office. We had to pack up and be out by noon. The sun was bright and made hooking up difficult. We had to add colorful tape to the fifth wheel and the truck bed to make the connection. We barely got out by noon!
Our next stop was not too far away, White River State Park, in MN. We made two rest stops along the way. The second one was the best. It was at the Visitors Center just across the Upper Mississippi River, into MN, where the Lock and Dam #7 are located.
We took a scenic tour along the river a while, then we went back to the Interstate and on to our exit at St. Charles, MN. Just north of there was the White River State Park entrance. We had to stop and fill our fresh water tank since our only utility here was electricity. This was Monday, July 10, and we planned the stay through Thursday night, July 13, 2017.
We should be able to make the fresh water last since our site is just around the corner from the bathrooms / shower house.
I started a fire so we could have s’mores, after dinner. The hope was that we could sit outside for a while before the state birds moved in for the evening, “The Mosquitos”!
I was able to talk to my daughter, Vanessa, about her new job. I have AT&T service. Connie has Sprint and NO service. Also, no TV reception. So, we were glad we had several movies on DVDs to watch.
New Experiences in a New Place
Connie’s son, Jared, called on my phone, to tell her that Bonnie, Ben’s Mom, had passed away, last night. Though not unexpected news, it is never good news when someone passes, even though she had been suffering. Connie was happy that her suffering had come to an end. She will be missed.
I cooked a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon on my portable gas grill. After that, we went shopping in the nearby town of Elba, population of 154, to get my temporary fishing license. However, we had to go back to St. Charles, population of 3,000+, to get supplies.
My First Trout, on a Fly Rod!
This was my first year using a fly rod. Of course, the fly rod is associated with catching trout. So, I had to go fishing after lunch. The other side of fly fishing in streams is that it is usually difficult to find an access point where you have room to cast. Hence, the use of waders is essential to get into the stream to have room to cast.
I found an access point under a bridge that was fairly free of trees and bushes to make casting possible. I say possible but I still managed to get hung up on occasion. The White River is not very wide, though there are signs that a rain can turn it into a raging torrent.
I tried a few different flies and many casts until I started to get bites. Then, I actually hooked a Rainbow Trout! Yippee! My first fish on the fly rod, what a proud moment for me. However, catching was the best part. I had to take a picture of the fish showing him barely longer than my reel was wide!
I Am Cooking with Fire
After sharing my fish story with Connie, I cooked burgers and sweet potato over the fire pit. After a short walk to the dumpster and back, we watched another movie before retiring.
Next Time, the Mayo Clinic
We have two more nights at this camp before moving on to SD. That gave us time to drive by the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN. Until next week, happy travels!