Back Where All Started

So we headed off from Wisconsin with mixed feelings - excited to see John again but sad realising that our amazing trip was coming to an end!

We travelled through the state of Illinois which meant going through or by the city of Chicago. We had a choice of two routes, one through the middle of this amazing city, or the preferred route around the outskirts. As we discovered the traffic on the outskirts was crazy - can't imagine how we would have fared if we had followed our GPS ' instructions! The road was a six lane toll road and we were on it at 8-30 am in the morning, rush hour! At one point we had a prime mover passing on each side of us as we motored along at 65 mph, so close they blocked out the sun! All up it cost us about $14 for tolls which was a much better option than was suggested by the camp host which would have added an extra 100 miles to the journey - just to avoid the tolls! Really???

We passed through Indiana but as we wanted to get to John's that night decided to keep going - a quick fill up of the fuel tank was the only stop we made (no State sticker for that one!) . We were going through Ohio's Capitol of Cincinnati which sits right on the border of Kentucky and for some reason we crossed into Ohio, into Kentucky, and then back into Ohio! Unbelievably we had travelled through five states in one day.

Here we were some ten months later pulling into his driveway with thousands of miles on the clock and a much bigger trailer. One thing we had to do as we drove down the very narrow road to his house was "trim" some of the overhanging tree branches. To do this I climbed on top of the trailer as Rose drove slowly along the road, breaking off any branches that would hit our roof. A rather unique experience! Low branches are any 5th wheelers worst enemy as 5th wheeler trailers have rubber roofs that can be damaged very easily. I was a little concerned that our turn around in the front yard would be difficult with the bigger rig but we had no problems and we were greeted by the 11 outside dogs - ahh home again!

Just One Of The Many




Another Great Sunset


John had very kindly wired up a 50 amp circuit up for us so we had full power which meant we could run our air conditioners and Rose could use her hair dryer ( very important!) We had planned to be here to celebrate John's 60 th birthday but he decided that is was time to visit his Mum back in Australia so we were here a week ahead of our proposed schedule.

We were not here to sight see but to allow Rose to spend time with her brother. We spent the days outside talking and catching up.

Rose And Her Big Brother


Another Day, Another Story To Tell



Monica Disguising Her Drink Of Choice In A Coffee Mug


Happy Times


As John would be in Australia for his birthday we brought forward the American celebrations a week and invited his neighbours over for a traditional Aussie BBQ, finished off with some Reese's peanut butter birthday cupcakes.

Even The Neighbour's Came to See What An Aussie Looked Like



John's Birthday Shirt



Happy Birthday John



John and Monica were on the count down to their Aussie 'vacation' with John only going to work to finalise the jobs he was working on. We were grateful that he had taken a couple of extra days off to spend time with us - not that he really needed any encouragement! We said our goodbyes - they heading to our 'home country' and we continuing the last legs of our 'vacation' in theirs.


And We Head Off Again





- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Manchester Ohio

Chicago, Chicago, Chicago

There are literally no RV parks in Chicago (and even if there were I was not keen to pull a 40 foot 5 th wheeler through a city with a population of approximately 2.7 million) so after doing some research we decided to catch the commuter train from the little town of Kenosha just south of where we were staying in Racine.

So we set the alarm (first time we have had to do that in over 10 months) and were on the road by 7 am for the 40 min drive to Kenosha. 7.51 and we were on our way. All ticket sales are done on board the train by conductors. who wear the atypical conductors uniform including the cap. Once you have purchased your ticket he "punches" it with the ticket price and destination, and then puts it in a clip on the back of the seat in front of where you are sitting. He does this for the whole journey - in our case some 90 minutes. All rather nostalgic and amusing for us. Those that have a weekly or trip ticket must also display them on the clips.



We chatted to the conductor and he asked us about trains in Australia he was surprised that we no longer employ conductors. We arrived in downtown Chicago and as we had pre purchased a city bus tour we walked the several blocks for the pickup. As the bus toured the city we were amazed how clean and well set out this city was - we were impressed. A bus tour is always a great way to see the main attractions and get the low down on all the famous people who live there especially if time is short.

The light coloured building is the prison

Apartment building, note the car park in the bottom levels

Our first get off stop was the John Hancock building - $18 each to ride the elevator up 94 levels to the viewing deck. Spectacular!

Looking across the city



The "northern" beaches of Lake Michigan

One of the things we needed to do whilst in Chicago was register our votes in the upcoming Australian election at the Australian Consulate. Along the way we stopped at a little cafe / restaurant called "Ronnie's Steakhouse". We have all heard about and experienced the large servings you sometimes get in the USA - well this place certainly ticked that box!! I ordered the taco salad for Rose ($5.99) and the deluxe burger for me ($6.99). Check it out!

Oh dear how do we eat these!

Bellies full to overflowing we waddled up the road to the Consulate. After clearing security we made our way to the office and were told to sit in the waiting room until called. While sitting there another young Aussie lady - Hayley - arrived - also there to cast her vote. We started chatting and it turned out that Rose works with her sister in Brisbane! Hayley lives in New York but was in Chicago for the weekend visiting friends. It is a very small world sometimes!

Hayley and Rose outside the Australian Consulate

Voting completed we jumped back on our tour bus and went to the Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. It is made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together and it's highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 x 66 x 42 feet (10 x 20 x13 m), and weighs 110 tons.The sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. We, like many other tourists walked around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch and obviously took a few happy snaps. We walked around the park and then stopped at the little bar for a relaxing wine before heading back to the train station and the hour and a half trip back home. It was a big day!

The "bean" sculpture


Can You See Us?




Our last day in Racine was spent celebrating my 51st birthday. A leisurely day around the campsite - no need for a birthday present - I have everything I want - spending it fifth wheeling around the USA with Rosé makes it even better.

Tomorrow we have one of our longest drives so far 447 miles - back to Rose's brother's place in Manchester Ohio where this journey began some 10 + months ago - for a farewell visit.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Chicago, Illinois

Harley Davidson 110th Year Anniversary

When we left Sturgis we made arrangements to meet up with Shaun and Shereein Milwaukee as Shaun had an invite to the bike show being held as part of Harley Davidson's 110th anniversary. They were travelling from Sturgis and as they found out, accommodation was in short supply on that particular weekend. The closest and most reasonable motel they could find was in the town of Sheboygan 30 miles south of Manitowoc and 54 miles to Milwaukee.

Shaun needed a hand to get the bike to the show including unloading it and giving it a spit and polish as it had travelled in the back of his truck/ute for the last 1000 miles. Even though it was covered it was in need of some TLC. So we left Two Rivers early, parked our truck and trailer at the motel in Sheboygan and then all headed into Milwaukee. The interstate from Sheboygan to Milwaukee would have to be the worst interstate road we have travelled on - couple that with sitting in the back of a one ton truck - it's a wonder we did not end up with sore kidneys! The road is made up of 12 x 12 foot slabs of concrete, with no two slabs on the same level and a gap of 2 inches between them! Not a pleasant ride at all!

We unloaded the bike and spent about two hours cleaning and shining it including detailing the tires with some cotton buds (as suggested by our friend Bill from Wisconsin). We wanted this bike to win!

Detailing the Tires


One Very Clean Bike



This was one tough competition - all bikes were here because they had won another competition somewhere in the USA. There were 10 entrants in the freestyle section including Chopdeville. This event was completely different to Sturgis - no body painting, wet T-shirt or bull riding competitions here - much more civilised but no where near the fun! Every thing here was Harley Davidson. For the most part we just checked out the Harley Davidson shop and stalls and chatted to the other bike builders. We were going to visit the Harley Davidson Museum but the line up time was over an hour and a half - maybe next time!

The winners of the bike competition were being announced on the Saturday - tension was in the air as we, and all the other competitors, headed to the main stage. I am certainly no bike building expert but I was quietly confident that I knew who the winner would be. As in Sturgis I was tasked with filming the presentations. It was wonderful to see all the builders get the recognition they deserved for the hours of work and dedication they each put into their bikes. Finally it was time for the big announcement - who would be representing the USA in Germany next year for the world championships? Shaun Ruddy from Chopdeville!! He had done it - a young bloke from Bunderberg, Australia, had won! And we were there to witness it! Presentations over we, in true Aussie fashion, grabbed a beer and toasted Shaun and Sheree's win. They head to Germany in April as part of Team USA - all expenses paid including shipping of the bike to compete in the AMD World Championship Of Custom Bike Building.

A Fantastic Moment


Cheers!


Team USA's latest Member



We spent the rest of the afternoon watching Shaun being interviewed by reporters from various bike magazines. One of the benefits for us 'groupies' / support team was we got to accompany Shaun and Sheree to the reception which was held at the Harley Davidson Museums VIP area. Whilst there we got to meet none other than Mr Harley Davidson him self - Willie G Davidson and also his son. I will confess I would never have known who they were - both were very down to earth and happy to chat and pose for photos.

Willie G Davidson with Rose E Navigator



William Godfrey "Willie G." Davidson" is an American businessman and motorcycle designer, and the former senior vice president & chief styling officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. He was also the head of Harley-Davidson's Willie G. Davidson Product Development Center in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. While being generally responsible for approving Harley-Davidson motorcycle designs, he also personally designed several motorcycles for Harley-Davidson, including the Super Glide and the Low Rider, which pioneered the factory custom motorcycle and created an intermediate line of motorcycles between their large touring models and their smaller Sportsters. Now you know as much as I do.

After the formalities were over a group of us headed into town to celebrate the days wins some more. A round of Jaegermeister bombs to begin with and the rest was history.

Daniel and Heather from Cut Throat Customs


One Great Night


Me Pretending to Know Something About Custom Biking


Having now met some of the best custom bike builders in the USA I have a new admiration for their passion and their craft and wish all of them every success in the future.

Celebrating done we ventured out to look for a cab to take us back to our motel - not an easy task given that the UFC fight had just finished. We spoke to one bloke at the taxi rank who had been waiting 40 minutes. We left the taxi rank and walked further up the road and intercepted a cab that had stopped at the traffic lights. An offer of $40 plus a tip was all the encouragement he needed - homeward bound!

Taxi Time For Rose!



To say we were all a little worse for wear the following day would be an understatement - we spent the day sipping water and talking to each other in hushed tones. The winning bike still needed to be picked up from the show so Shaun and I headed back into Milwaukee later that day. A final farewell to our many new friends, an early dinner at Applebee's saw the end of a remarkable weekend. We parted company with Shaun and Sheree once again - they were heading back to Sturgis early the following morning and we were going to Chicago. We will definitely miss these guys!

We are constantly amazed at the friendliness and hospitality of the American people. On our way over to Applebee's we stopped to say hi to 2 couples who were sitting outside the motel having a few drinks. They were obviously bikers and were really impressed when we told them of Shaun's win. We had only just ordered our (soft) drinks at the restaurant when the same people came and sat at the table next to us - they wanted to know more about this bike and also learn more about these Aussies travelling around their country. They very generously bought a round of strawberry vodka shots (elbows up said as you gulped them down). Rose and Sheree just looked at each other - more alcohol was not on their menu after the night before so I did the honours and drank all 3! We were also invited to visit and stay with these wonderful people any time we are in their state of Kansas - something we will definitely take them up on next trip.


Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Now This is a Lake

After another big day on the road and yes more corn fields- some 300 miles- we finally arrived at Two Rivers Wisconsin. Rose found an RV park just across the road from Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan is so huge it could be an ocean. It is 307 miles (494 km) long by 118 miles (190 km) wide and has a shoreline 1,640 miles (2,640 km). The lake's average depth is 46 fathoms 3 feet (279 ft; 85 m). It's the worlds fifth largest lake. It also has beaches and when the wind gets up people have been known to surf its waves. It is amazing to see.

After a quick scan of the tourist brochures and a chat to some fellow campers we knew that we would easily fill our 6 day stay.

Lake Michigan is Just Across the Road



One thing that Rose had on her bucket list of things to do while in the USA was to experience a 'County Fair'. As luck would have it the little town of Manitowoc was hosting theirs that weekend. So the following day we headed the few miles to the fair and paid the $10 entry fee. The entry fee included ALL the rides - now that's value for a family! The Manitowoc Fair is a yearly event similar to the Ekka in Brisbane however on a much smaller scale. We checked out the livestock - everything from alpacas to rabbits were on show. It was a particularly hot day in Manitowoc so what better excuse did we need to head to the bar. We struck up a conversation with a couple of the locals who were fascinated that 2 Aussies would end up in their little town as this place is really off the normal tourist beaten track. We are not really into show rides but I did manage to get Rose on the ferris wheel. One would have thought she was on the giant drop - she had a death grip on the safety rail the whole time we were on it.

Entrance to the Manitowoc Fair


Our First Corn Dog


Now That's a Snow Mobile!


Just Love this Photo


A View of the Fair


Not Letting Go!!



Our next trip was 100 miles north on highway 42 to the small town of Ellison Bay. Road naming in Wisconsin is rather unique in that they use letters - ie - Country Road A, Country Road B or CR A, CR B and they just keep adding more letters - our GPS tells us to turn on CR XY all rather amusing to us.

The road north is like many of the roads we have travelled since leaving Sturgis (3 states back) - the country side is full of corn fields and the associated silos - in fact since leaving Sturgis it has been cornfields as far as the eye can see. There is obviously a big market in corn!

There were a number of beautiful little coastal towns along the way to Ellison Bay with some amazing lakeside properties. People were out and about everywhere - summer is so short lived in this part of the country. We are told the ice extends out into the lake some 100 yards in winter, hard to imagine. We stopped at a Whitefish Dunes State Park, walked the shoreline and just enjoyed the day.

Some of the Lovely Houses on the Shoreline


Everyone Fishes in Summer Up Here


Whitefish Dunes State Park






We arrived at Ellison Bay to find it very busy - we forgot it was Saturday and being summer it was packed. In fact all three towns, Sister Bay and Fish Creek were the same. Not wanting to compete with all this we just kept going, taking the alternative route south toward the city of Green Bay - home of the Green Bay Packers Football Team. Wisconsin is famous for cheese and we love any type. On the way back home we found a cheese shop which stocked our new favourite cheese, cheese curds. If it is fresh it squeaks on your teeth - we love it! We arrived home pretty tired ordered a pizza and we were done - bed by 9 pm.

Between Manitowoc and Two Rivers and following the shores of Lake Michigan is a walkway called Mariners Way. We hadn't done any type of exercise in quite a while so headed off the next morning. It was good to see that our leg muscles still worked!

Entrance to Lake Michigan at Two Rivers


A 3 to 4 foot Swell


Believe it or Not?



We have been very fortunate to meet some great people throughout our trip and while in Page Arizona we met Bill and Jane from Wisconsin. They are both retired and at the time said if we were ever in Wisconsin to give them a call - which we did. These are 2 great people and after a few phone calls we arranged that they would drop by our campsite as they headed to their weekend cottage up north. They brought dinner which I cooked on the Weber and we enjoyed a few beers while catching up on our adventures. They had bought a new trailer since we saw them last so they will no doubt be doing a little more travelling in the future. One thing we did do was give them the honour of putting the Wisconsin sticker on our USA map. We will definitely meet up with Jan and Bill again on our next trip to the USA.

A great BBQ


Bill and Jan take the Honours



We also had the honour to meet another great couple who were staying in our park. Erv and Ruth -Ann are from Michigan and it wasn't long before we were sitting in the shade of the awning with a drink in our hands. As the sun set it became quite cool so we grabbed a sweater. Unfortunately for me I chose my Dallas Cowboys one. Erv was mortified - I very quickly learned we were in Green Bay Packers country and up here you follow one team and one team only - yep the Green Bay Packers! We are told season tickets are "bequeathed" to family as you can't buy them. We sat around the "man cave "and watched the Green Bay Packers pre season game which was sold out - 80,000 fans to a pre season game - amazing. The next evening we were invited to share a wonderful meal of mussels in garlic butter and specially purchased brats from Erv's favourite butchers shop. I was also presented with a Packers shirt and a cookie in Packers colours and Rose was given a book on Route 66. What generous, wonderful people.

My "Packers" supporters kit





If we had more time we would definitely have accepted Erv and Ruth - Ann's invitation to go and stay with them in their home town of Holland, Michigan. An invitation we will definitely accept next trip!


Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Two Rivers, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin

As Good as Place as Any

We have a rule where we only put a sticker on our USA state map if we actually stay in that state. Minnesota was the next state along interstate 90 so we checked the map and headed towards Minneapolis. As the summer break is over and kids are back at school we have found that it is not as important to book ahead. Unfortunately our theory proved us wrong in this particular instance - every park we called in the Minneapolis area was full - ie no room at the inn! It was looking like we might have to do a Walmart stop! As Minneapolis was not an option we started contacting parks further down the highway - still with no luck! Finally one kind park owner just outside the town of Rochester offered us a spot in their car park for the night with the option of moving into a real site the following day. As it was getting late and after a full day on the road we accepted their very kind offer. Luck however was on our side, when we were just two blocks from our destination we received a phone call from the park owner telling us that they had a last minute cancellation and we had a spot for the week. Yah!

It's 5 o'clock Somewhere



On our way to Rochester that night we passed a sign for the Spam museum - yes, correct - a Spam museum. How could we resist?! The next day we drove the 50 miles back to the little town of Austin which, as we learned is where the first tin of SPAM was manufactured. Admission to the museum is free and there are many displays outlining the history of this iconic food item. Did you know there were 7 types of Spam? Seriously there are and we left with 3 of them. It was a great trip down memory lane and many people our age will also remember Spam and appreciate the irony of it all.

Yes There Is A Spam Museum


A Lot of Spam Cans!


Spam in Three Flavours for Us (note our new antenna topper!)




Life on the road is no different in some ways to life at home - normal household chores still need to be done. The next day I cleaned the exterior of the trailer- a big job wiping it down by hand - while Rose did the inside and our washing. All this type of activity builds up a thirst so we headed to Tilly's Bar and Grill which was a short 100 foot walk from our trailer and part of the RV park. It was obviously a very popular watering hole for the locals too as the car park was alway full - interesting considering we were a good 10 miles from the centre of Rochester.

On of the major attractions in Minneapolis is the Mall of the America which is billed as being one of the largest shopping centres in the world. Apparently it is also the most visited shopping mall in the world with more than 40 million visitors annually (or roughly eight times the population of the state of Minnesota). It employs over 12,000 workers and has 650 shops plus a cinema complex and a family entertainment centre including roller coaster and water slide rides. As if that wasn't enough they are in the process of expanding! There was obviously no way I was going to get out being dragged along to check this one out even considering it was 100 miles away. We did reach a happy compromise though - we shopped for a couple of hours and then went to see a blokes movie - win win!! I did have to admit however that is was all very impressive bit give me a Bass Pro or Cabelas store any day!

There are several rides


Just huge!


Even a Lego Land


Taking it all in


Mall done, and with a few shopping bags in the back of the truck, we took a quick drive over to Minneapolis's sister city -St Paul - for a quick look and then the long drive home.

St Paul in a snapshot










Apart from the close proximity to Tilly's Bar and Grill one of the other great things about this RV park was that they supplied a free newspaper each day. Sitting having a leisurely read one morning I noticed an article about flights on a World War Two B 25 Mitchell bomber out of the Rochester airport. How could an ex military chap like me resist! This bomber is part of a "living" museum. The aircraft has been fully restored and for $360 you can go for a flight - not everyone's idea of fun (Rose included) but I was keen. They take 6 passengers up at a time and once airborne you can use the internal tunnels to move and sit in the nose or tail gunners seat. Sitting in this very thin skinned bodied aircraft makes you really appreciate the bravery of those WW2 pilots. Unfortunately it was not to be as their next flight wasn't until Friday (depending on weather) and we were heading off in the morning. There is also a B25 in the museum that travels the country doing flights.

The Rather Small Cockpit


We Never Imagined How Small They Were


Side 50 cals For Protection from Fighters


Sitting and Reflecting on the Crews Bravery


The weeks are passing by so quickly, especially now that we are nearing the end of our year long travels.....time to hitch up tomorrow and continue on our way. Wonder whether we will see more cornfields?


Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Rochester, Minnesota