Science Matters

Day 103  |  Racine

Realizing that even if we departed at the crack of dawn, there was no way we would be able see both the science museum and aquarium in one day, we went to Plan B. There is a West Marine in Kenosha, and therefore we must go visit it on our way to Chicago. It didn't open until 9:00 and we arrived on their doorstep at 9:05, just to be polite. Another bag of hose clamps later, we were on our way south, 90 miles to the Windy City. We chose to do the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) today as the Shedd Aquarium will be within walking distance of the marina we'll stay in next week. MSI opened in 1933 and is the largest science museum in the western hemisphere, spreading out over 14 acres.

Upon entering the main hall, the Transportation Gallery produces an immediate WOW.  The exhibits included the first steam locomotive to hit 100 mph, several planes hanging from the ceiling including a Boeing 727, and a replica of the Wright Flyer.

The first tour was of a relocated coal mine. We descended the mine shaft in the dark, took a ride on a rail car, and saw the evolution of mine technology over the years. This is one of MSI's original exhibits and still stands the test of time. Our second tour was The Science Behind Pixar. It traced the production process from original sketches and storyboards to animation, lighting, and rendering. After I met with Buzz and Barry palled around with Sully and Mike, he spent a few minutes in the model assembly station.

I gravitated to the design booth, working on the graphics for race cars. I also enjoyed the lighting simulators -- applying various angles, brightness, and color to achieve a natural look. After those two ticketed exhibits, we were free to explore the massive museum at our own pace. Our favorite section, by far, was Science Storms. We had a blast using air pressure to keep six balls in the air simultaneously. The giant plasma globe entertained as we worked to determine if the sparks of static electricity were attracted to the plate in my arm, or just surface area. (surface area it was)

Barry orchestrated "perpetual motion" from the oversized Newton's cradle. Demonstrations of the large overhead Tesla coil included three different firings.

Our second favorite area was the Numbers in Nature area. The first part dealt with naturally occurring patterns in the natural world, such as spirals and the Golden Rectangle/Ratio. The back half was a cool Mirror Maze, done in many colors of low level light. We entered the maze in the late afternoon and our escape was aided by the many finger, hand and faceprints left on the mirrors by prior visitors. The key to success was to go where there were no prints. Farm Tech included a cow milking simulator, a display on vertical farming, and a baby chick hatchery. As we made our way back down to the first floor, we studied a 3500-square-foot model train layout replicating the route from Chicago to Seattle. It had 20 trains, 1400 feet of track, and many areas with interactive buttons. After a final photo-op at the train (Barry insisted on being the Engineer), we were on our way back to Racine.

Heading north on Lake Shore Drive, the skyline was shining impressively in the afternoon sun. We passed by Soldier Field, Shedd Aquarium, and DuSable Harbor Marina knowing we'll be back soon. I somehow managed to get a shot of the 110 story Willis Tower through the passenger window. We took in the panoramic view from its observation deck a few years ago, so we won't visit it this time. We will pass by it as we take Crossroads through the downtown canals leading out of the city.

Tomorrow morning we'll restock our fruits and veggies before returning the rental car. We'll explore Racine by foot over the next few days and get a few boat projects checked off now that we have a full supply of hose clamps.

Happy Days

Day 102  |  Racine

From our home base here in Racine, this morning we drove 33 miles north to Milwaukee. Our first stop was Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. The stadium, built in 2001, has a dominating appearance on the roadside landscape. Our stadium tour started from the left field gate and we circled the entire property before coming to the proper entrance that allowed us to park "on the front row." The Brewers Wall of Honor occupied this side of the stadium with close to 75 individual plaques. Legendary announcer Bob Ueker and former MLB commissioner and Brewers owner Bud Selig joined the likes of players including Hank Aaron, Rollie Fingers, Don Sutton, Paul Molitor, and Robin Yount.

Inside, the tour began with a slick 15-minute video presentation on Bud Selig's role in bringing a club to be known as the Brewers to Milwaukee following the Braves' unpopular departure for Atlanta. We meandered through the catacombs of the stadium, seeing corporate suites, roof control, and the stadium organ before ending up in the press box. A stack of current edition media guides drew my eye, but the most interesting part of the room was the foul ball memorial. The press box in Miller Park is very close to the field and is open-air. Balls fouled straight back often find their way into the box, leaving holes in the drywall fronts of the working media's desks. Each blemish is duly noted with date, batter and pitcher. Working our way down to field level, we saw the gameday chariot for the Famous Racing Sausages. The Brewers are out of town through Monday, so there was no sign of the Sausages.

We exited through the visitor's clubhouse tunnel and got to take in the whole scene. Miller Park holds over 41,000 fans but seems much cozier than that. I doubt there is a bad seat in the house. The view from the dugout was pretty good too. From the field we got a good look at the retractable roof system that makes this park unique. Five moveable sections can open or enclose the stadium in a span of just 10 minutes.

The two hour tour finished, we grabbed lunch at the park, and then headed across the highway to downtown Milwaukee's Riverwalk. We had booked a sightseeing cruise and our boat was arriving as we got there. Barry and I settled into prime seats on the sunny bow. I had brought the "real" Canon camera for this tour and as we left the dock, I snapped a few frames only to see the dreaded message that there was no memory card. Yes, I had left it on the salon table after doing the blog post from the previous evening. Frustrated, but still having my iPhone, I made do and got a few decent shots -- just a bit wider angle than I was hoping for. We traveled down the Milwaukee River and through the harbor protected by multiple breakwaters. Once we passed the white Milwaukee Breakwater Light we were officially in Lake Michigan. Barry and I chuckled as the other passengers were complaining how rolly the boat was. We were commenting how pleasantly calm it was.

We came back into the protected harbor and cruised by three huge marinas that surrounded a very large anchorage. It was good to see so such a large sailboat population here. There were a dozen or so sailing around the harbor. We passed by the Milwaukee Art Museum and its Burke Brise Soleil kinetic sculpture. The 217-foot wings fold in the evening and open in the morning. It didn't move at all for us, so we later watched this time-lapse video. Off to starboard as we headed back in was Veteran's Park which is hosting some of Harley-Davidson's 115th Anniversary activities. The red Milwaukee Pier Head Light marked our return to the Milwaukee River.

We hopped of the boat and walked the downtown district. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me was going to be recording at the Historic Riverside Theater this evening. City Hall stood grandly, looking much better than in the introductory title sequence to Laverne & Shirley. The "Welcome to Milwaukee" letters featured in the 70s TV show have since been removed and donated to a local museum. The rumble of bikes echoed everywhere as riders from all over the world are coming home to the birthplace of Harley-Davidson. The anniversary events culminate on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. with the Parade of Bikes through downtown. Thousands of riders are expected.

Our last stop was actually one of the weird reasons I wanted to visit downtown Milwaukee. Who could resist a photo-op with Bronze Fonz? We made our way to the life-size statue of Arthur Fonzarelli from Happy Days.

Reefpoint Marina in Racine has a great "stay one day, get one free deal" that combined with their attractive regular rates, makes staying here and exploring by car a no-brainer. Transient slips were difficult to come by in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend and VERY expensive. We will drive into Chicago tomorrow and plan to visit either the science museum or aquarium.

Racin' to Racine

Day 101  |  Port Washington to Racine  |  6 Hours  |  42 Miles

It was time for us to leave Port Washington and we weren't going to let debris in the harbor, rain, or incoming fog deter us. Slightly before 7:00 we eased out of the slip using only forward, reverse, and rudder -- no bowthruster allowed, for risk of clogging it with debris. The Breakwater Lighthouse was visible as were the fishermen already stationed on the rocks. A half mile out of the harbor and into Lake Michigan, we finally began to see the end of the muddy sedimentation runoff. We celebrated when we finally entered clear water.

Heading south down the coast, we surfed along aided by two foot rolling waves on our stern. The heavy fog and rain, however, persisted for about an hour. Visibility was limited to 100 yards and we had our nav lights, radar and fog horn on. Added to that, the chilly temperatures and high humidity inside the pilothouse caused the inside of the windows to fog up as well. We pulled out a fan as an improvised defogger. Thankfully it cleared quickly and we were the only ones on the water. As we neared the Milwaukee skyline, the fog was lifting. Boat traffic increased and the sky became more blue than gray. The white tower of the Wind Point Lighthouse shone brightly from the shore indicating we had reached the northern limits of Racine. Moments later we were rounding the breakwater, passing the Breakwater Lighthouse, and entering into Reefpoint Marina.

We settled into our slip and then headed out to secure the rental car. Before returning to the marina, we revisited the Wind Point Lighthouse from the shore. The lighthouse and well-landscaped park grounds are maintained by the town. The tower is not open for climbing on weekdays, but we enjoyed the stroll around the park which included a walk on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The high temperature today was in the mid-70s and the late afternoon was very pleasant. Perfect conditions for getting a bit more reading done.

We will be here in Racine for the holiday weekend and take days to explore this immediate area, as well as Milwaukee and Chicago.

Clean Up Continues

Day 100  |  Port Washington 

Port Washington crews continued cleaning up from the flash floods today. Thankfully the morning was sunny with a nice stiff breeze to assist in the drying. Our walk retraced most of our route from yesterday, with a few variations. The riprap buffering the mainland from Lake Michigan's waves was covered in vegetation, and downed trees still dotted the shore. The scalloped walkway out to the Breakwater Lighthouse had also collected masses of debris. Walking up the street that had been closed yesterday for mudslide cleanup, a large rootball and a thin coating of mud still remained.

The car shown in yesterday's photo submerged in the condo parking lot, was loaded on a rollback. The creek running behind the property was still swollen and raging. As we circled around the condominium, the first car had been pulled from the underground garage. We overheard the workers saying there were three more to come out, but they were buried in mud and it would be slow going.

We located the path of the mudslide, the apple tree at its edge, and a trail of apples leading to the harbor. By this time we had seen enough muddy mess and started checking out new places. We climbed this "stairway to heaven" up to St. Mary's Catholic Church which sits proudly on the town's highest hill and was built in 1881 out of local limestone. We circled back through town and stopped at Rotary Park and the Commercial Fisherman's Memorial. From the park, the steeple of St. Mary's emerges majestically from the treeline.

We had planned to stop in at the local museum, but it was closed because of flood damage. We stopped in at a large retailer next door and the salesperson explained that they also had sustained flood damage, but had completed cleanup yesterday. By 11:00 we were back on Crossroads and I had reclaimed my spot of Fiberglass Beach, book in hand. The sun was warm and it was almost perfect. Ninety minutes later, the fog began to roll in and the temperature plummeted.

A check of the radar showed the storms were not far behind. I retreated to the pilothouse for a bit more reading (I knocked out 150 pages -- a very good day), and a little dozing as the rain continued for a few hours. By 5:00 it had stopped and we put on our heavy duty foul weather jackets and ventured out to a restaurant next door to the marina. It was full of locals, which is always a good sign, and we had a nice meal. As we walked back to Crossroads, the fog was settling in for the evening. Fingers crossed that it will be gone in the morning.

The wave forecast on Lake Michigan for tomorrow still looks good. Our plan is to make it down to Racine.

In a flash flood, its best to be on a boat.

Day 99  |  Port Washington 

The severe weather that began early last evening continued overnight and dumped an amazing nine inches of rain on Port Washington. The sound of rain on the cabintop roof is actually soothing, and we were fortunate to sleep through all of the chaos that was happening mere inches from our heads. I guess when the floodwaters come, its not too bad to be on a boat. Some rainwater raced down the streets and hillsides on its way to Lake Michigan, bringing with it anything that was not secured. Other water overwhelmed the storm sewers, and the pressure blew off manhole covers in town. We woke up to find the harbor filled with debris, ranging from apples to full-sized trees. The harbor patrol ventured out and surveyed the scene, which was not pretty. The water in the marina and Lake Michigan which was turquoise blue yesterday, looked more like chocolate milk today.

Needing a change of scenery, we left Crossroads and hoped the debris would not pack around her hull in our absence. Seeing a dinghy full of water provided a better reference for how much rain had fallen. The street outside the marina property was closed because of a mudslide and crews were busy plowing the lanes. Cars in the underground garage and parking lot of a nearby condominium complex were lost.

We climbed up 100 steps to high ground and the deactivated Port Washington Lighthouse. It was not open for tours so we kept walking. On Main Street we came across the home office of Sailing magazine, the oldest continuously published sailing magazine in the US. The Mexican restaurant we stopped at for lunch not only had some of the best salsa we've ever had (it did wonders for my still-clogged head), it also had a beautiful pot of impatiens out front. Circling back to the marina, we came across a 14-foot, 7-ton propeller on display from everyone's favorite steam-powered carferry, the Badger. Another historical marker paid homage to the Wisconsin Chair Company, which in its heyday once occupied two blocks of downtown Port Washington.

We made one final stop to admire these huge hanging petunia baskets. There were 10 of them outside of a retail strip and easily the largest and most impressive I had ever seen. We were then back where we started and anxious to see how Crossroads was doing. Thankfully, the wind was keeping the debris field away from our slip and our freshwater intakes.

And finally, a shout-out to these two rapscallions who began their senior year in high school today. Where has time gone? Rebekah and Cole, have a great year. Although four more months (and eight months total) seems impossibly too long, I can't wait to see you guys at Christmas!

The Adventures of Batman and Robin

Day 98  |  Manitowoc to Port Washington  |  7 Hours  |  48 Miles

The sun was low in the morning sky as we cruised by the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse and entered Lake Michigan. The waves were mere ripples and the wind was still. Fishing boats were plentiful, bobbing and drifting in the water. Today's issue was dense fog that persisted the entire day. We passed by Sheboygan, barely visible although only a couple of miles away. Our navigation lights and radar were on. The view from the pilot house was at most a quarter of a mile.

We entered Port Washington harbor virtually blind, relying on the chartplotter for guidance. We didn't see the large lighthouse marking the end of the breakwater until we were almost upon it. Thankfully the wind was still minimal and we eased Crossroads into the tight slip without issue. We tidied our lines, connected to shore power, and I was cleaning up when I spotted a strange looking mass behind our compression post, clinging to our sunshade. I went inside, grabbed the big camera, and had Barry grab the boat hook and come meet me on the starboard deck. I pointed out what I had already identified as a bat. Barry, our designated Batman, deftly positioned the "bat hook" under the little guy. The critter put up a little fight as we woke him and suggested he vacate his poition. Only afterwards, when viewing these photos, did we see his mouth full of sharp little teeth.

He clung to the bat hook and Barry gently swung him off of Crossroads, pausing just long enough for a few pictures.

Barry deposited our visitor softly on the dock, and after a moment of gathering his senses and a final photo, the little guy flew off. Fresh off of this excitement, we set off to check in at the marina office and then walked out along the breakwater to get a glance of the elusive lighthouse. The fog was getting thicker and it wasn't until we were within 50 feet of the end that we saw the massive structure.

Hopefully the fog will clear and we will get a better view before we leave Port Washington. A severe thunderstorm passed through this evening, complete with the associated tornado warnings. This weather system will stir up the waves on Lake Michigan for the next few days. We will stay put until things calm down before we head further south to Racine. Tomorrow we will see what Port Washington has to offer. At first glance, there is a nice mix of retail, historical, and restaurants.

Our Day to Explore Manitowoc

Day 97  |  Manitowoc  

We climbed out from underneath the weather a bit today. The wind was significantly calmer, there was no rain, and the sun even tried to peek out a time or two. I slept well thanks to modern chemistry and while still stuffed up, the sinus headache was gone. A good change all the way around, so we went out exploring. Walking the waterfront path we passed many cairns crafted on top of the rip rap on the way to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. The museum gave a slightly different and more personal angle on nautical life than most of the other museums we've stopped at. I could relate to this sign, although with a crew of two its difficult to play cards while underway.

The major exhibit at the museum is the submarine USS Cobia (SS-245), a National Historic Landmark. We joined the 45-minute guided tour that took us through the torpedo room, wardroom, crew's quarters, galley, and engine rooms. The submarine honors the fact that 28 submarines were built here in Manitowac for the WWII effort (although not the Cobia itself). Towards the end of the tour, I was feeling a bit claustrophobic and began checking out all the little restoration details to take my mind off the confined engine room. Turns out, the Cobia has pieces with Virginia roots. We finally made it up the staircase to the topside for some fresh air just in time to see the Badger arrive in port.

Back inside the museum proper we cruised through the rest of the exhibits (including a model of the infamous Edmund Fitzgerald), artifacts, a display on the Great Loop, and the museum gift shop. The Punching Rosie Puppet was an interesting venture into merchandising.

The Cobia sits in the water next to the museum and we walked by it again to get into town. After a few blocks of exploration, we grabbed lunch at Ryan's on York where the Spicy Chicken Bowl was advertised, and the spice did a great job clearing my head.

Back to Crossroads, Barry continued to work on a few electrical projects and made our slip reservations for the next few days. I zonked out for a two-hour nap and then jumped in on my most pressing problem ... a full hard drive on my laptop. Time to back off some photos and delete many others. Its amazing how many bad photos I've taken in 97 days on the Loop. This will be a continuing project, but a least I have enough room to complete today's blog post.

Our one-day weather window seems to be holding for an early morning departure to Port Washington. The weather Monday will again turn sour, so it looks like we'll be there a few nights. We're already checking out "Things to Do in Port Washington." Who knows, we might even get to see a first-run movie during our stay.

All About the Weather

Day 96  |  Manitowoc  

What a difference a day makes. The blues of yesterday were replaced by the grays of today. The morning was set aside for chores and projects. Barry did the first-stage assembly work on our new gray water sump pump. It will eventually replace the stinky sump box system that we inherited on Crossroads. The final installation will take place during our next weather delay. Judging from the forecast, that will be early next week. After two and a half months of wonderful weather, we seem to be stuck in an unsettled pattern here on Lake Michigan. The unpredictable weather is the reason Loopers are told be through Chicago by Labor Day. We're trying.

We knew the Badger leaves Manitowoc daily at 2:00 on its way across Lake Michigan to Ludington. We put on our foul weather gear and walked the same path we took yesterday, reaching the breakwater just as the mighty steam ferry got underway.

It passed by the Breakwater Lighthouse, making it look tiny in the process. The wind was gusting to 20 knots and the Lake was quickly turning into a churning cauldron. Waves were breaking onto the concrete walkway and over the base of the light. Not 24-hours ago, the scene was so peaceful.

As we walked back to Crossroads, we could tell that the wind was building. Waves were crashing over the breakwater and this heron was having difficulty on his final approach to the sandbar just beyond our slip. He finally got both feet down and his wings tucked in. We both gave him low scores for artistic impression.

The late afternoon brought rain to go along with winds increasing to over 30 knots. The conditions were reminiscent of a hurricane. Not feeling well and with a stuffed up head and sinus headache, I loaded up on drugs and took a nap. Hopefully we'll all be out from under the weather tomorrow. The sun is supposed to come out and the wind is predicted to lay down by tomorrow afternoon. This will allow us to explore the town and museum tomorrow before moving along on Sunday.

Moving to Manitowoc

Day 95  |  Sturgeon Bay to Manitowoc  |  7.5 Hours  |  52 Miles

The Michigan Street Bridge opens on the hour and we were waiting for the 7:00 passage. The Oregon Street Bridge, less than a quarter mile away, opened at 7:15 and, just like that, we were heading down the Sturgeon Bay Canal and out into Lake Michigan. The white tower of the Sturgeon Bay Canal Station Lighthouse, located at the Coast Guard station, and the red North Pierhead Lighthouse at the end of the north breakwater, combined to provide a rare opportunity to capture two lighthouses in one photo.

The waves on Lake Michigan had settled in at a manageable 1-2 feet and we had a fairly smooth ride south. As we neared our destination of Manitowoc and the entrance into Maritime Bay, the water started to change color to a nice, tropical shade of turquoise. A thin ribbon of bright blue water can be seen close to shore in the photo of Rawley Point Lighthouse. A short time later, we were surrounded by it.

At the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse we entered the channel to the town marina. To port is the western dock for Badger, a ferry that makes a four-hour, 60-mile run across Lake Michigan twice daily. It is the only coal-fired steamship still in service and we look forward to getting a closer look and learning more about this ship tomorrow. As it pulled off the dock on its 2:00 run, we were in the middle of fueling up with 400 gallons of diesel. After that, we made our way to our slip and slid ourselves in with a little help from the dockhands. Needing a walk, we stretched our legs on the walkway circling the marina, leading to the lighthouse. The area is a Wildlife Conservation Zone and there were mallards, heron, swans to observe along the way.

From across the basin, Crossroads can be seen with the lighthouse in the background. We walked to the end of the breakwater and around the beacon. We took turns with another group capturing our tourist photos in front of the light. We will be here in Manitowoc for a few days waiting for the weather to break. Tomorrow will be stormy and the wave forecast for the Lake is a bit frightening. The red in the center is predicted wave heights in excess of 12 feet. It will be best to hang tight and explore town.

Making the (Lambeau) Leap

Day 94  |  Sturgeon Bay  

Barry had made his list (and checked it twice) in preparation for our morning pilgrimage to West Marine. It was just out of town and on our way to Green Bay. He filled up the back seat of the rental car with hose, hose clamps, four gallons of oil, and miscellaneous other project pieces and parts. Our ultimate destination of Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, was a short 40-minute drive away. We passed more picturesque roadside barns ... and one crazy gnome.

Upon exiting the highway, we saw the overpass was adorned with the Packers logo. We were getting close. A statue of Vince Lombardi stood outside the beautiful atrium which houses the Packers Hall of Fame, team store, and offices. We entered, picked up our tickets at will call, and began with the self-guided tour of the Hall by sliding into the back row of an introductory video. Our view of Packer history was akin to Mystery Science Theater. Memorabilia, awards, and interactive displays were everywhere, going all the way back to the team's humble beginning in 1919. The area was nicely laid out and not a corner of space was wasted. Quotes from Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi graced the areas over the doorways.

The largest areas were devoted to recognizing former Packers who are in the NFL Hall of Fame (25) and to the roughly 160 members of the Packers Hall of Fame. Each member of the Packers' Hall is identified by a personalized football. I located the ball of Don Majkowski, who preceded Brett Favre at quarterback, but was also a three-year starter for UVA when I was a student there. The hometown Cavalier is the reason I began following the Packers way back when.

As expected, much space was set aside to recognize Favre and the team's 13 NFL championships. There is even a three-story replica of the Lombardi Trophy in the entranceway. From the Hall we ended up in the massive team store where you can find the team logo on any item imaginable and purchase cheeseheads by the truckload if so desired. Our tour time of 1:00 finally arrived and we started at the top of the stadium and worked our way down. The "G" logo was everywhere, including on each fence panel encircling the concourse.

The stadium is constructed in a bowl and there is not a bad seat in the house. The natural grass playing field was replaced during the past offseason and has come in nicely. The Packers have played two pre-season games here earlier in the month, but will not play at home again until the September 9 opener against the Chicago Bears. The goal posts will be installed and the field painted closer to gameday. Our two-hour tour ended back in the atrium and my final stop was to visit the Lambeau Leap "interactive" statue just outside the doors. Lucky for me, the wall height is about half the height of the one on the field and only required a small hop instead of a true leap.

On our way back to the marina, we decided to stop at a local cheese shop to pick up some cheese curds. (When in Wisconsin ... ) They had sold out for the day and we left empty handed, but not broken hearted. The walk back to our slip was totally different experience than the one last night. Light winds, blue sky, and calm water were all good signs. We will leave early in the morning, passing through the two draw bridges shown below, to enter back into Lake Michigan and continue south.

We have a long day on the water to reach our next destination of Manitowoc, where we'll await the arrival of another predicted storm on Friday, again bringing high wind and waves to the temperamental Lake Michigan.

Touring Door County

Day 93  |  Sturgeon Bay  

Rain fell overnight and the wind kicked up, bringing the wave height along with it. We bounced and rolled in our slip, but it didn't keep me awake. Chased out some spiders and hosed off the decks to start the day, quickly determining this would be a jeans and jacket kind of day. There was no second-guessing our decision to wait for this weather to calm down before heading back out into Lake Michigan. We had heard that the ferry from Manitowac to Luddington did not run late last night because of 12-foot seas on Lake Michigan.

We picked up the rental car around 10:30 and set out to explore the Door County peninsula. We headed up the west side along Route 42, stopping at Egg Harbor to walk around the marina and park. The sign post at the marina is well-known locally and the perfect photo spot. Following lunch we continued to the northern-most point of mainland, passing through the famous stretch of curvy road, and ending up at the Washington Island Ferry dock.

We watched the ferry fight the rollers coming in and then hopped back in the car, heading south along the Lake Michigan side on Route 57. The buildings and farms were classic Americana with markets, wineries, distilleries, general stores, and flags. We made a detour to the Cana Island Lighthouse. Google maps planned our route right up to the lighthouse. The end of the road we encountered, suggested that we'd need a Plan B. There were many cars in the visitor parking lot so we backed up and joined the small crowd of folks waiting on the road. Then we saw it ... a small lawn tractor pulling a trailer across the water. The above-average water height of Lake Michigan combined with the wind-driven waves had conspired to flood the "roadway" to the lighthouse. We were reassured that the tractor and trailer method was "normal" so we climbed in and headed across the water before we could second-guess our decision.

There was a wait to climb the 97 steps to the top of the light so we walked the grounds and watched the waves of Lake Michigan breaking on the rocks. The exterior of the lighthouse tower is clad in steel plates to protect it from the crashing and splashing water.

Our group was called and up the spiral staircase we went. For being a cloudy day, the view from the top was still worth the climb. After a few circles around the balcony in gusty winds, we headed down and loaded back into the trailer for another trip across the land bridge. We again passed through farm country. A sign out front of the farm below indicated it was a supplier for Land O Lakes. Wisconsin is know as America's Dairyland.

Many barns featured the classic quilt square adornment. One that stood out just for being different created a peace symbol out of wheel rims. Acres and acres of cherry trees lined the roads coming and going. The orchard below was being irrigated. Most locals were hoping this storm system would bring more rain. One last notable sight along the way were the rooftop-grazing goats atop Al Johnson's Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay. This is quite the busy tourist attraction and no parking spaces were to be found. I settled for a picture through the windshield and a visit to their website for a view from the Goat Cams. In case you're intrigued and want to see it for yourself, check it out at this link. Words cannot do it justice.

Before heading back to the marina, we stopped at a Walmart Supercenter and happily reprovisioned with our favorite brands at price levels we were longing for while in Canada. We loaded everything into a dock cart and wheeled it down to Crossroads as we tried to avoid the waves splashing over the floating dock. The wind is still whipping, we're still bouncing in the slip, and its chilly outside. We will be here again tomorrow and take the rental car to Lambeau Field for a 1:00 tour ... and whatever else we can squeeze in.