View from the coach in Duluth, MN

Wisconson Dells to Duluth, MN

Howdy Y'all,

We had a wonderful day on Wednesday with a leisurely morning then lunch at the Mexicalli Rose with a margarita. This restaurant was listed in the Chicago Tribune as one not to miss so we didn't miss it. After lunch we took a boat tour of the Lower Dells which was quite enjoyable. I have included a few pictures of the rock formations and other sights along the river.

After the obligatory afternoon nap we started to move about and enjoy the cool evening. We sat out and watched some news and then retired inside for dinner and to review tomorrows route to Duluth, MN. This is one of our longer days of the entire trip at 280 miles but we look forward to pushing further north where it is even cooler. Tippy made pork chops, corn on the cobb, fresh sliced tomatoes, and salad for dinner, mmmmmmm good.

On Thursday we made the 280 mile drive from Wisconsin Dells to Duluth, MN. The drive was beautiful and the traffic was pretty light. The RV Park has two large ponds and our coach faces one of them. I will get a picture from inside the coach so you can see our wonderful view. We went to the store to get a few things yesterday afternoon and Tippy has returned again today for some last minute items before we head into Ontario, Canada tomorrow.

We will be staying for the first week at the Oskondaga River Outfitters which is about 45 miles west of Thunder Bay, ON. We won't have much for hook-ups, just water and an extension cord that will handle the lights and TV - if we get any TV. We will have to drive down the road a bit when we have to dump the holding tanks, probably mid-week. My friend Bernie Egan will be staying about 20 miles further west from us and we plan to get together and fish several days while we are there. He will come over to see us on Sunday with the possibility of some fishing as well.

I am not sure about an Internet connection in Canada so if you don't see any updates for a while keep checking back. There are a few places where I know we will have WiFi access. Stay tuned and be safe.

Beautiful!!

Can you see the Hawk's Head?

Sandstone rock formation called the Milk Bottle

One of the original "Duck Boats" that go on land and in the water

The dam that seperates the Lower Dells from the Upper Dells

The Lower Dells

Slabs being cut into fresh curds - Carr Valley Cheese Company

A family of ducks at Trappers Turn

#9 Canyon at Trappers Turn

#7 Canyon at Trappers Turn

#6 - Arbor at Trappers Turn

Wisconsin dells, WI

We left the Chicago area a day early and headed to the Dells. We had a nice drive for the 200 mile trip although the traffic was a bit heavy. The edge0O-Dells RV park is pretty nice and we were the only visitors for the first two nights. This was supposed to be an over 21 years old park but I noticed that small children moved in yesterday, which certainly isn't a problem for us. We had a very rainy day on Monday so we just stayed home and watched all of the Godfather movies. It must have been 7-8 hours for the three parts but we enjoyed seeing the films again.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went to a cheese making factory and watched them make cheddar cheese. We also got samples of several cheeses that they make, I especially enjoyed the "Fresh Curds." We bought a few different cheeses and will enjoy them over the next several days. We stopped at a roadside fruit/vegetable stand and bought some sweetcorn, tomatoes, and berries. This was all locally grown and we will enjoy the corn tonight. Tippy was having a little trouble with her back in the afternoon so she rested it while I went to play golf. There is a Andy North/Roger Packard course nearby so I did a Golf Digest visit to evaluate the course.

The course has three nines - Canyon, Lake, and Arbor. The Canyon and Lake nines were the original nines built in 1991 and the Arbor nine was added in 2000. I played the canyon and Arbor nines and was very impressed with both of them. There were a few greens that were a little slow probably because they have been redone due to some vandalism. The other greens were excellent and the fairways were really good! I played with a couple of local guys and we had a nice afternoon.

Today Tippy and I will celebrate our 32nd anniversary by going out to lunch and taking a boat ride on the Lower Dells. I will add some pictures from today in our next post, in the meantime enjoy the pictures from here. The weather is great today, high of 77, with a possible shower this afternoon. Tomorrow we will head for Duluth, Minnesota, about 280 miles away, which will be our jump off point to head into Canada on Saturday. more from there tomorrow or Friday. Be safe.

APL Championship

Howdy Y'all,

We have adjusted our schedule a bit in the past few days. After finding that some changes in the normal Public Links Championship schedule will keep most folks from arriving until Friday we decided to stay at the KOA in LaSalle one more night and go to the APL headquarters hotel on Friday. We had only a 90 mile drive and we were able to negotiate the traffic, tolls, and construction without a hitch.

We found a nice spot at the rear of the Hilton parking lot, under a tree, and set up shop. We have also taken a room at the hotel to allow us to use the bathroom to shower and such since we have no hook-ups here. Tippy has used the room and I have pretty much stayed in the coach with Alex. Alex has missed her Mama and slept up on the dashboard all of Friday night and most of Saturday night watching for her.

We have had the opportunity to see and talk with lots of old friends from the Committee. Things obviously change over the years but it was good to see these wonderful people that have given so much to the game of golf and to us as friends. We spent time in the hospitality room on Friday and Saturday evening discussing old events and reminiscing about good times. I also had a chance to play golf on Saturday, shot an 82 with two doubles and two birdies, with my good friends Bart Collida, Jim Maggette, and Bob San Jose. Our team won the two low ball of the foursome event, 16 under par, and also won 6 of 10 team skins. After the name calling and accusations were over we headed back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for the local committee picnic at the Cantigny Golf Course, the host course for the APL Championship.

The picnic was really great and the food was most excellent. We returned to the hospitality room to share more lies then said our goodbyes and Tippy went to the room and I went to the coach. Another adjustment we have made to our original schedule is to leave for Wisconsin today rather than on Monday. The Committee has their annual golf tournament in the morning, their meeting in the afternoon, and the player dinner in the evening so there is really no reason for us to stay. We have seen our friends and we will be on our way. Tippy has gone to Mass with our good friend David Laird, from Erie, PA. We visited with then the last time we went east for the APL Championship and they were marvelous hosts with a wonderful home that overlooks Lake Erie.

Tonight we will be in the Wisconsin Dells where we will spend the next four nights before heading further north. No pictures from here but will be sure to get some in Wisconsin. Be safe.