Jul 22, 2012 - Manitowoc, WI

Only one picture today -- the lighthouse at Fond du Lac (the biggest inland lake all contained within one state or something like that). I should have a bunch tomorrow. We are taking the ferry from Maniwotoc, WI to Ludington, MI. 4 hours plus the loading and unloading. It's kind of a rest day. We had a crash in the pace line today. 5 people went down, including me. I was at the tail of the line and went down while trying to avoid running over some of the others. All I got was two small scrapes and some sore ribs -- very lucky. No one was...

Sep 22, 2011 - Two Rivers and Manitowoc, WI

We began the day visiting the recreated Historic Rogers Street Fishing Village with 1886 Two Rivers Lighthouse in Two Rivers, WI ($8 total admission fee); we were the only visitors while we were there. We explored 1) the LeClair Shed, built in the 1800's that houses a commercial fishing exhibit (fish have been harvested commercially in Two Rivers for over 165 years); 2) the 1886 North Pierhead Lighthouse that guides ships and fishermen into the harbor until 1969; 3) the inside of a fishing tug; 4) a French-Canadian kitchen and parlor; 5)...

Aug 22, 2011 - More Wonderful Biking Adventures

We enjoyed another wonderful day in this very beautiful state. Today we thought another biking day was in order and we’d drive south of Kewaunee to Point Beach State Forest, park the car, and partake in the two bike routes we discovered in one of the pamphlets we had picked up since arriving in the local area. I say two bike routes because one kinda bled into the next one. We arrived at Point Beach State Forest, about 20 miles south of here and the first thing on MY agenda was to walk out and see the Rawley Point Lighthouse. This majestic...

May 31, 2011 - Mariner’s Trail & Beautiful Homes in Town

2011 May, Two Rivers, Wisconsin Mariner’s Trail & Beautiful Homes in Town Along Lake Michigan, between Two Rivers and Manitowoc, runs the Mariner’s Trail. It’s a beautifully maintained, level concrete path perfect for walking, biking, in-line skating and, in winter, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. You’ll find beautiful little pocket gardens being maintained along the trail by local volunteers – some by businesses others by citizens who simply banded together to help beautify their piece of the Lake. It’s quite lovely and the...

May 29, 2011 - Rahr-West Art Museum

2011 May 24, Two Rivers, Wisconsin Rahr-West Art Museum As mentioned in the primary entry (Two Rivers, Wisconsin, May 2011, “The Prettiest Two Towns Yet!”), there’s so much to do and see on this part of Lake Michigan. If you visit nothing else while in the area, be sure to set aside a few hours to visit the Rahr-West Art Museum (http://www.manitowoc.org/index.aspx?NID=1034 ). The mansion that is the Rahr-West Art Museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. This Queen Anne style Victorian mansion was built by Joseph...

May 28, 2011 - Wisconsin Maritime Museum

2011 May, Two Rivers, Wisconsin Wisconsin Maritime Museum (host to the Cobia submarine) Beautifully displayed in the Manitowoc Harbor is one of the finest museums we’ve seen yet. With over 60,000 square feet of space, this structure showcases the rich maritime history of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region through exciting and interactive exhibits. This first class museum offers visitors a unique place to spend hours learning about sailors, shipbuilders and submariners. Founded in 1970 as the Manitowoc Submarine Memorial Association, the...

May 25, 2011 - West of the Lake Gardens (Manitowoc, WI)

2011 May, Two Rivers, Wisconsin West of the Lake Gardens As mentioned in the primary entry (Two Rivers, Wisconsin, May 2011 “The Prettiest Two Towns Yet!”), there’s so much to do and see on this part of Lake Michigan. We were especially taken with West of The Lake gardens, located at 915 Memorial Drive, Manitowoc, WI. (http://www.westofthelake.org/) This former street car right of way was purchased by John and Ruth West in early 1934. The house was the first modern-style home in the area and echoes the designs of Walter Gropius and Frank...

May 24, 2011 - Manitowoc/Two Rivers

2011 May 24, Two Rivers, Wisconsin (aka: The Prettiest Towns Yet!) We left the Chain of Lakes region of Illinois and headed north, on Interstate 43, up the coast of Lake Michigan. We travels through Milwaukee and continued north until we were just south of Green Bay. Mishicot, Manitowoc, Sheboygan or Sturgeon Bay….no matter where you go in this part of Wisconsin, you’ll find cute little towns ready to explore and be experienced. We eventually settled into Seagull Marina & RV Park, in the harbor at Two Rivers, for a month. With everything...

Sep 10, 2010 - Toilets, Ice Cream Sundaes And Aliens

Written from Lake Lenwood Beach and Campground, West Bend, WI Today we had to set the alarm! UGH! We had made reservations to do the Kohler factory tour. Kohler, WI is about a 40-minute drive from our RV Park and their tours start at 8:30. But it was well worth the early alarm. Jim said it was one of the best factory tours he’d been on. I said it was a little long, but very interesting. The tour took 3+ hours with 2 ½ miles of walking. We actually got to go in the factory and see work being done. Kohler makes bathroom sinks, toilets and...

Aug 7, 2010 - A Tale of a Sail

The adventure continues. On Saturday we left Bailey's Harbor in Door County and drove south for two hours through beautiful farmland with occasional views of Lake Michigan. Our destination was Manitowoc, Wisconsin. We were booked on the S.S. Badger, a coal-fired car ferry built in 1957 and the last of 12 car ferries that ply the waters of Lake Michigan, taking people and vehicles across the lake and cutting off many hours of driving. We arrived at the ferry with plenty of time to spare and got in the lane that they told us to go in. It was...

Jul 31, 2010 - Egg Harbor, WI to Manitowoc, WI

woke up to lots of rain, but it did eventually clear up & we enjoyed a lovely afternoon/evening on Door Peninsula. . . we had reservations for dinner - the reason we came - so we had a whole day to explore the area. We stopped at a couple of big fruit/gift shops. Bought some yummy, jams, syrups, sausages & even some horseradish dill pickles - something differnt for sure. I was hoping to see some of the lighthouses, but we were here many years ago & Ron didn't really want to do a lot of traveling around. The little water-front villages were...

Jul 27, 2010 - Men Who Go Down to the Sea in Ships

We left the Navy Base Monday morning. The area storms had left high water on the route to the Marina, so it was closed off. In order to dump, we had to trek across the base to get to the Marina the roundabout way, but we were finally off on our first day of travel in about three months (not counting the 20 mile round trip to Illinois Beach.) It was a long haul - 94 miles!. We knew there were some major construction issues in Milwaukee, so we wanted to allow ourselves plenty of time to get in unfrazzled and untired to our next destination-...