Dismal and Delightful Duluth

We arrived in Duluth on a cloudy Friday after a long (350 mile) relocation from Green Bay. Our introduction to the twin ports of Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota involved rolling through poorly maintained streets lined with tired 19th century brick buildings, past mountains of ore and graffiti-covered rail cars, alongside towering industrial port facilities, … Read more

The Artsy Community of Sheboygan

One of the persistent truths about our travels is that so many places around the USA are surprisingly great. We visited Sheboygan on this trip for two principal reasons: 1) there is a highly-rated lakefront state park close to town, and 2) saying “Sheboygan” is very fun indeed. So our expectations for sightseeing in town … Read more

Slowing Our Roll in Madison, Wisconsin

After relatively brief stays on our route north, we are starting a pattern of longer visits as we explore our primary summer destinations, Wisconsin and Michigan. We began with eight days in Madison, Wisconsin that included the Independence Day holiday weekend. Having a longer stay (and holiday closures) meant we had time for errands, reading, … Read more

Lincoln-palooza in Springfield, Illinois

Springfield has enthusiastically embraced its role as the hometown of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln arrived here in 1837 as a 28-year-old man whose earthly possessions fit into two saddlebags, but who had recently become a member of the Illinois State Bar after teaching himself the law. He left Springfield in 1861 as President-elect of the United … Read more