Travelog for: UrselHH

We then got a history lesson. She said this was new so we stopped and learned about a ship that sank. What the board says:

Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails
Historic Shipwreck
Sidewheel Riverboat War Eagle
Type: Wooden sidewheel riverboat
Built: 1854, Fulton, Ohio
Sank: May 14, 1870
Length: 219’  Beam: 29’
Cargoes: Mail, package freight, passengers, troops
Propulsion: paddlewheel
Depth of Wreckage: 10’
Determined Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places

Just up the Black River from this point lies the remains of the sidewheel riverboat War Eagle. Built in Fulton, Ohio, in 1854, she boasted 46 staterooms, fine velvet carpets, luxurious furniture, and onboard barbershops. During the Civil War, the War Eagle transported troops and supplies. Her only casualty was a stray bullet that pierced her smokestack in 1862.
After the war, the War Eagle again carried passengers and freight between the bustling towns along the Mississippi River. Connections between steamships and trains made ports like La Crosse important transportation hubs for settlers moving to the western frontier.
On the night of May 14, 1870, the War Eagle was docked at the Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot, just across the river from this spot. The ship’s carpenter was tightening the bands of a leaking barrel of kerosene. His lantern burst, the kerosene caught fire, and soon the ship’s deck was ablaze. The flames engulfed the dock, the depot and several warehouses and grain elevators. A nearby barge was lost, and two steamers were damaged. Seven passengers, attempting to save their worldly belongings, perished in the fire or drowned.
Many artifacts have been removed from the area of the wreck site, but the hull structure of the War Eagle remains among a tangle of wood, metal, and bricks from the burned buildings. Visibility in the river is near zero.

Then I got to see a big American flag flying.

The statue of the American Bald Eagle. (She did assure me that it was a statue so it wouldn't eat me). 

With all that I've seen so far, I had to take a drink of water!
The children are also statues that are a permanent welcome to those who dock here on the river.

The fountains represent the rivers that flow into the Mississippi River. (there are 7)

On to our next destination...

On the way home from the park she had to show me a popular watering hole... (mom, can I use that excuse?)

Then we stopped at a landmark... which is right across the street from... lots of beer!!

Remember the blue bridges from before? Well, I got to cross it! 

I am now in Minnesota! 

We were going to lunch with her sister who works in Winona (pronounced Win-o-na). Smooch was joining us too.

What we saw part of the way was what she calls the other season around here (as in there are two seasons, winter and road construction... haha!).



Took our pictures by the signs and then the one formation that is notable in Winona. The bluff pointing out is called Sugarloaf. (She has no idea why though).

Inside of her sister's workplace is a baby grand piano. Well, as a mouse, I think I'm required to run around on it, right?



Then it was lunch time!

We then drove back to the Wisconsin side.

Even learned something (I think I'm going to be a smart mouse by the time I get home!).



what the sign says: (so you can know as much as I do)
The Upper Mississippi   
From Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Cairo, Illinois, the upper Mississippi River flows through America’s heartland for over 1100 miles. Its currents have borne the Indian’s canoe, the explorer’s dugout, and the trader’s packet. Jacques Marquette, Louis Jolliet, and Zebulon Pike tested its strength. Mark Twain gave it life in literature. Paddle-wheelers by the hundreds ferried lesser-known passengers over its waters during the halcyon days of steam boating in the 19th century. Into the Great River pour the St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, Wisconsin, Rock, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. Along its banks have flourished St. Paul, Winona, La Crosse, Davenport, Keokuk, Quincy, and St. Louis. For a time diminished in importance by the railroads, the Great River came back into its own in the 20th century through dredging and damming. The present nine-foot channel and series of locks and dams allow 300-foot barges to transport coal, cement, grain, and other products vital to the region’s economic well-being. Imposing in size and beauty, violent and muddy in flood-stage, calm and serene on a summer morn, the Great River sustains life and livelihood within itself, along its banks, and upward in the hinterlands east and west.

We took a look at the map to make sure we weren't lost.

I wasn't too happy with her for stopping at a friend's place who had a cat! Luckily the cat was nice but was getting a little too close for comfort! 



She then noticed a postbox and since I want to pose with them in my travels, she let me sit on one.


I'm going to go rest now! That was a lot to see and the cat... whew! I'll write more later!
UrselHH

Tonight we got a treat... a baseball game! Remember me by the baseball bat? That is where the game was played.

First we ate some snacks before going in. The game program was also looked at while we munched.

We had great seats! Right behind the home dugout! 

In between innings, they play little games. This one was funny. They are tossing toilet seats into a plunger. It's like the game of horseshoes but with very different tools!

This is when the home team (the Loggers) was up to bat.

One of the team mascots ... Louie... was happy to pose with us!

Another mascot, the Logger Dog, posed with us also! 

Then it started to get dark, so they turned on the lights. This way we could see the whole field.

We scored a home run! He hit it way out of the field!! 

She snuck a picture of us with the owner of the team. He is also a State Representative (politician). He does work during the game, throwing up packages of peanuts, popcorn and of course, cracker jacks!

This is after we got home from the game... they won 7-5!! We had to pose with the ticket.

Today we rested and then traveled to her sister's place. It's a nice drive to there.

We stopped and saw a historical landmark and learned more. What it says: Decorah Peak
The rock-crested hill to the east was named after One-Eyed Decorah, a Winnebago chief who, according to tradition, took refuge in a cave near the peak after being wounded in a Chippewa attack on his village. He remained in hiding throughout the bloody engagement and then at nightfall made his way down the Black River to another Winnebago settlement. The next day he returned, surprised the celebrating Chippewa and routed them. With other Wisconsin chiefs Decorah signed a treaty with the United States at Prairie du Chien on August 19, 1825, establishing tribal boundaries in the hope of securing “a firm and perpetual peace.” He achieved his greatest renown after the Black Hawk War when he accompanied the defeated Black Hawk and the Prophet to Prairie du Chien, where on August 27, 1932, the two Sauk leaders surrendered.

Then the picture of the hill.

We then went into town... can you see me on the town square's gazebo??

Galesville is known for their apple orchards so the town square's gazebo had this as a decoration.

At another stop in town, we saw a little bunny rabbit (look just left of the cover). He was munching on some grass.

A very beautiful little lake!

More pictures from the lake. 

A picture of how warm it is here... on the bank sign. 87*F (30.5*C)! This is on the main street down the center of town.

At her sister's place, we went for a walk down a small trail that is right next to their property. It was very pretty and green!

Don't I look pretty on a rose mom? 

Her sister is a big fan of mice. (Her nickname is 'Mouse'). You can tell by the fact that she has a mouse cookie jar!



Can you find me? I'm surrounded by nice mice!!

Write more soon!
UrselHH :P

Sitting inside staying cool  ... she's planning on going out but right now it's very hot outside. She's going to show us a lot more when it cools down. (Right now the temperature feels like 100*F/37.8*C)

Today we got out and went to a different town!    Westby is about 1/2 an hour away from her place and is only about 2000 people! Here I am at the sign going into town.

They have lots of corn growing here!  Even a big one!  It's an advertisement for a company and is made out of recycled milk jugs!

She unfortunately had to go to the dentist which was a little town just a ways from Westby. It has a population of about 1000. Here we are in front of the town sign with a view of the water tower.

On the way to a cheese place after the dentist, we were traveling on a country road and saw an Amish buggy. The Amish don't use electricity and are devoutly religious. (It is rude to take their picture so we get the back of the buggy only).

Cheese Stop #1! 

This was a place that had TV screens that showed live how cheese was made. (due to health reasons, they don't do tours anymore)

I got to taste onion jack cheese.  It was different.
Next flavor was colby jack. She says this is a normal cheese for the area.

More next stop... 

Cheese Stop #2!

Lots of photo opportunities here...

I'm in cheese heaven!!    This is really a can holder. Those who cheer for the football team Green Bay Packers are called "cheeseheads" and this is one example of what one is.

I got to taste some pizza flavored "juusto." Very good! This place is one of the few places in the country that makes it.

I liked the mural on the wall!

We then left here and went to see more things on the way home.

She then took me on a twisty road to see something big.

This is a world-famous ski jump!  Every February, athletes from all over the world descend on this little town and practice for the Olympics.

Westby is a predominantly Norwegian town. The mascot for the schools is a Viking. This was on the edge of town. Of course, being a tourist, we had to take a picture.



We took a picture of the welcome center for Westby as we were leaving. Cute building isn't it?



This is on the way home now... she had to show me how they had to dig into the bluff to make way for roads.