Greetings Chris!
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Originally Posted by C Johnson
Hi All, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for good places to stay on my trip to Milwaukie, WI. ? I am Coming from Portland, OR. I am driving straight to Butte, MT. the first day as I have an Uncle there I want to visit. After that I am open to suggestions. I want to swing by MT Rushmore on the way. Any other ideas about sights to see ?
Chris
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If your route takes you along I-80, my suggestion would be travel East to Davenport where you can take US 61 North (US 61 is 4-lane limited access all of the way to DuBuque). Before leaving the Quad Cities (Davenport, IA; Bettendorf, IA; Moline, IL; and Rock Island, IL) visit one of the
Maid Rite Sandwich Shops - - they are a chain located primarily in the Quad Cities area - - if you ever watched some of the later
Rosanne television shows, their Loose Meat sandwiches were likely based on the
Maid Rites - - the sandwiches are actually VERY GOOD - - see:
http://www.maid-rite.com/ . There are a number of great campgrounds near the Mississippi, but my recommendation would be to travel a bit further North.
Heading North out of Davenport on US 61, the first larger town will be Maquoketa, Iowa - - this is a town with a number of excellent antique shops if you enjoy antiquing. Fuel is also readily available as are a number of fast food restaurants. The next larger town will be the city of DuBuque, Iowa - - there are numerous things to do in and around DuBuque, and the historic community of Galena, Illinois is just across the Mississippi on US 20 - - my suggestion would be to follow US 61/US 151 just across the border to Kieler, Wisconsin to the
Rustic Barn Campground - - this is one of the most pleasant campgrounds I have found - - clean, quiet, with an immaculate bathhouse and laundromat, and best of all it is reasonable and offers a WBCCI discount. See the Rustic Barn website at:
http://www.rusticbarnrvpark.com/
The
Rustic Barn Campground is about a five hour drive from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All but about 25 miles of US 151 is four-lane limited access between Kieler and Milwaukee, but even the two-lane detour between Kieler and Platteville is quite pituresque as it will take you through some prime Wisconsin Dairy Country, and even the detour road is very smooth and pleasant to travel.
With the
Rustic Barn Campground as your headquarters, you are only a few minute from wonderful antiquing in Galena, Illinois; Mineral Point, Wisconsin; or DuBuque, Iowa - - history abounds in both Galena and Mineral Point. You will also only be a few minutes drive to the Ice Harbor in DuBuque, Iowa where you can find wonderful paddle wheel boat tours of the Mississippi, and some will feature either a luncheon cruise or a dinner cruise either of which is usually accompanied by local entertainment. If you happen to want to sample some local cuisine, the Pasty served by the
Pointer Cafe in Mineral Point, Wisconsin is a musn't miss - - Pasty is a meat pie (the modern interpretation includes ground beef, sliced potato, and onions in a pastry pie crust - - the customer is usually given the option of having the dish seved with gravy or the typical hamburger sandwich condiments) they also have excellent home-made pies - - the cafe is located on Business US 151 near the heart of town.
Rustic Barn Campground is also just a short drive from
House on the Rock near Dodgeville, Wisconsin - - a tourist attraction that is a musn't miss for this part of the state - - just be sure to wear comfortable shoes as there will be much walking to do as the attraction is quite large - - see:
http://www.thehouseontherock.com/ . Another attraction just North of
House on the Rock is
Taliesin one of Frank Lloyd Wrights creations near Spring Green, Wisconsin - - see:
http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/ . While in Dodgeville, you might want to check out the
Lands' End Outlet Store (Dodgeville is home to Lands' End - - you can't miss their facility on the West side of town on Business US 151 - - see:
http://www.landsend.com/cd/fp/help/0...7103041#stores .
Some other fun places to visit in the area surrounding the
Rustic Barn Campground include:
A.) The Grant County Courthouse, Lancaster, Wisconsin (on US 61 North of Kieler) - - it is a beautifully restored Victorian building with a memorable central dome.
B.) The Fennimore Railroad Museum, Fennimore, WI - - this museum chronicles narrow-gauge railroads that were once common in this part of Wisconsin. See:
http://www.fennimore.com/museums.html . Also, while in Fennimore if you are hungry, The Silent Woman has excellent food and Victorian atmosphere located on US 61 in the heart of town.
C.) Rural Route One Popcorn located in Livingston, Wisconsin has an excellent gift shop located right on US 18 in Montfort, Wisconsin that features all of their delicious popcorn products. See:
http://www.ruralroute1.com/retailStore.asp . Also, while in Montfort, if you continue East on US 18 toward Dodgeville, you will pass a large Windmill Electric Generation project along US 18.
D.) Muscoda, Wisconsin is another community with several great antique shops as well as an interesting downtown area to explore. It is located on WI-80 (from Montfort, follow US 18 East to Cobb, WI where you turn North on WI-80 that will take you to Muscoda).
E.) About anywhere you travel in the Southwest part of Wisconsin, you will find local Cheese Shops. Each has its own specialty, but it is rare to be disappointed in any of their products - - one of my favorites from the cheese shops in Grant County is the aged sharp cheddar - - the swiss is very good as well.
Good luck with your route planning and enjoy your excursion!
Kevin
Travelling to Milwaukee, WI this September
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