Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland
06/01/2022 – 06/08/2022
The Journey West 2022 – Leg 6
Since we are heading west it only makes sense that Wisconsin would be our next stop. As exciting and adventuresome as Michigan was, Wisconsin was a little more laid back. As we were already in the Lake Superior region, we decided to continue and explore this area in Wisconsin as well. Doing my reconnaissance of the area, I found very few RV parks in this neck of the woods and the few there had no available space. (womp womp). A nice little city campground was found about 45 minutes away in the unincorporated town of Drummond along Drummond Lake. We left the UP and fought the wind all the way to Drummond.
Benoit Cheese Haus and Ashland
Benoit Cheese Haus
As we were driving to camp, we noticed a sign for the Benoit Cheese Haus. Cheese? Wisconsin? Let’s see if the rumor is true. After Bill finished with work on Friday, we made our way back to the Cheese Haus. What a GREAT experience. We had so much fun in this little cheese shop. Who knew there were so many different cheeses?? The Benoit Cheese Haus is a cheese emporium! They sell over 150 varieties of cheese and represent over 90 cheesemakers all over the state.
The ladies behind the counter kept offering us sample after sample and we kept adding to our pile of goodies. We tasted a 16 year old cheddar, merlot satori, brick, and I could go on and on. It was all FANTASTIC and I don’t even like cheese! I mean I like cheese, when it’s melted, but have never been able to eat it raw. (that’s a whole ‘nother story) I may have finally figured out why… I have never had Wisconsin cheese! OMG, it is incredible! Bill kept looking at me in disbelief. Me eating raw cheese, willingly, with no crackers or anything else to disguise the taste or texture.
We left the Benoit Cheese Haus with nine cheeses, a locally made summer sausage and two ice cream sandwiches. 😊 My silly husband was worried the ice cream sandwiches were going to melt before we could get them home. I was like, hello…we are eating these now! LOL They were so tasty. This simple little place brought so much happiness to our day and I’ll have to say was the highlight of my stay in Wisconsin. Is that wrong? Sometimes it’s the small things, right? I am also happy to report 6 weeks later, we are still enjoying the cheese we walked away with. If you are ever within a days drive of this place, stop in or you can also order online. I am sure we will be doing this in the near future.
Ashland
After we left the Cheese Haus we headed on into Ashland. Ashland is a cute, thriving little town that sits at the end of Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Many of the buildings displayed beautiful murals and a walking tour will take you past them all, a nice way to spend the afternoon.
As I was looking at Google Maps, I noticed there was an artisan well nearby and received rave reviews. Right on the shore of the bay was a little building that contained the well. We filled up our water bottles and agreed with all the reviewers, this water is pretty awesome.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
It’s finally Saturday and we can go sightseeing. The plan was to explore the National Lakeshore, however unlike the lakeshore in Michigan, the sights are only visible by boat. The decision was made to forgo another boat tour since we just did the Pictured Rocks Cruise in MI. We drove to a couple of the beaches, hoping to do some more rock hunting but the beaches in this area were sandy instead of rocky. If you are debating between Apostle National Lakeshore or Pictured Rocks, I would choose Pictured Rocks. Maybe in a few years, we will come back and take a cruise out to some of the islands for a fair comparison. I did get that stamp for my passport book, though.
The day was young and we were not ready to go home yet. What to do? Well, Duluth is just over an hour away…
Duluth MN
It was a beautiful day for a drive and we arrived in Duluth around 2PM. Duluth sits at the western-most point of Lake Superior. First, we drove up to Enger Park which overlooks the city. We walked around the park and enjoyed the gardens, where the bleeding hearts were in full bloom, then made the short walk up to Enger Tower. Bill’s knee was a little sore making the climb to the top of the tower impossible. We enjoyed the view of the city, the Ariel Bridge and the St Louis River.
Now it’s time to go check out the city. Destination, Canal Park. This must have been the first sunny and warm day in Duluth because I think most of the population was here. Everyone was enjoying the sunshine and warm weather; bike-riding, walking and jogging, napping, reading, eating ice cream or sitting outside enjoying a cocktail. After finding a parking spot we took Kona and set off. We walked along the lake, out to the lighthouse, under the bridge and around the harbor. We even got to see a bridge lift. 😊
Then… a beer started to sound good. We load up and head to Fitger’s Brewhouse for burgers and beers. We must have been so thirsty or the beer so good, I completely missed getting a picture. Hahaha! It was a great day in spite of our diversion from the original plan. I’m glad we are flexible, there is always something to do or somewhere to explore. It may not be grand or magnificent but fun can be found just about anywhere.
Around Camp in Drummond
Drummond is in the Chequamegon National Forest and we spent a few hours on Sunday driving around the area. What we loved about this area is the lack of people, LOL! Driving thru the area, we’d pass thru some small little town and there would be a bar/restaurant and that’s it. A small 4-sided building with a sign out front and lots of side-by-sides in the lot. Guess the locals know where to go.
We arrive back at camp and still had a couple of hours before dinner. The temp was warm and the winds were minimal. Could it be? Could this be the day we actually take the kayak out and use it? Yes, finally! We have been hauling it around for almost a year and this is the first time using it. Paddling around the lake was relaxing and a perfect way to end the day and our stay in Drummond.
Pepin and Laura Ingalls Wilder
Did you watch Little House on the Prairie? I loved the show and even watched it in reruns after school when I was young. Bill, not so much a fan but he is a sport when it comes to chasing some of my “balls of yarn” (as long as it is not too far out of the way). I knew the friends we were going to visit in Minnesota lived fairly close to some of the Laura Ingalls Wilder childhood sites and that’s when I sought out her birthplace and planned our route through Pepin WI.
Knowing we were going to visit Laura’s birthplace, I decided to introduce Bill to Laura Ingalls Wilder and “Little House in the Big Woods”. As we drove from Ohio through Michigan we listened to the audiobook. I don’t even want to say how long it has been since I read the book but let’s just say, I remembered very little. It was like I was hearing it for the first time myself.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Wayside
The replica cabin sits on the original Ingalls property, 7 miles outside of Pepin. We got up early before Bill’s workday started and drove out to visit the cabin. As we were making our way down the curvy country road, we startled a bald eagle on the side of the road, he flew right in front of us and landed in a tree not too far off the road. He was huge! We had to turn around and get a better look. To my surprise, there were two eagles in the tree but one flew off before I could snap the pic. How awesome, right??
Okay, back to the cabin. As I said, the cabin sits on the original property and it is an exact replica of the one Laura was born in and spent about 5 years of her childhood. The house is open and we take a gander inside. Having just listened to the book, it was very easy to imagine the Ingalls family gathering by the fireplace at night while Pa played tunes on his fiddle, seeing Ma cook over the fire, picturing all the smoked meat and jars of canned fruits/vegetables up in the loft. The story says all 5 members of the family slept in the one little bedroom. Wow! I’m all about family but I’d want my own bedroom.
Pepin
Pepin is a small town along Lake Pepin, which is a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River. The town has several motels, restaurants, bars and a marina filled with nice boats. Know what it doesn’t have? A grocery store. I mean they say there is a grocery store there and I guess technically it was a grocery store. They had food on the shelves… but I found the cans/boxes dusty, the produce was rotten and stuff in the freezer had frost on it. I’m glad I didn’t really need anything. I wanted to pick up some salad making stuff, but we made due without. I would have thought a town with this much traffic would have a decent store, but not. The nearest real grocery store is 25 miles in either direction. That alone rules this place out as somewhere I would want to live.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum
Pepin is home to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. We paid the $5 and spent an hour exploring and learning about life in Pepin. One section of the museum depicted what life would have been like when the Ingalls’ lived in Pepin; the farm life, home life, fashion and school days. There was not many artifacts specifically belonging to the Ingalls’ but there was a quilt that belonged to Laura on display.
I also learned that the Little House series was loosely based on the books. While the show was based in Walnut Grove, many of the events depicted in the series actually took place in De Smet SD. The Ingalls settled in De Smet after living briefly in Kansas, Walnut Gove MN and Burr Oak IA. Laura and Almonzo, or Manly, eventually moved and settled in Mansfield MO where they spent the remainder of their years.
A small section of the museum is dedicated to Pepin, the local economy and life in the pioneering days. There were some interesting tidbits of information, of which I no longer remember. (Note to self… do not wait a month to journal)
Before leaving check out the gift shop. They have a very large selection of prairie dresses and bonnets, books, toys and souvenirs.
Another state checked off but still much to explore and we will definitely be returning if only to buy more cheese!
