Wisconsin back track

A couple weeks ago, Todd and I were off, once again, to Wisconsin for a wedding in Green Bay.

But as soon as we got home I was out the door to Frontier Days and had no chance to post about our last Midwest excursion.

Here's a recap:

The first night we "camped" once again.  Not quite the camping experience we had the last time, but not too far off.  This time, we had a bit more room to spread out in the back of the Outback.  We pulled over in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  This is what it looked like the next morning...

Todd and Rigby...

Me...

There's a delicacy in Wisconsin I learned about for the first time.  We were at the butcher shop and Todd said, "Let's get some wildcat."  I thought, like what I believe most normal people would think, that it was going to be ground bobcat or something else feline.  Todd had fun helping my imagination run, well, wild, before explaining what it was, which is raw, ground, top of the line sirloin mixed with onions and a bunch of spices...

Now, I LOVE sushi.  I'll eat raw fish, no problem.  I want my steaks medium rare leaning a little more on the rare side.  But completely 100 percent raw burger on a cracker?  I had a bit of a mental block.  But I tried it...

And while I can't say I LOVED it, it wasn't bad.  I would try it again.  But it is weird to think about...

On a more yummy note, Todd's dad was a blueberry growing pro.  He was known for his ability to grow some good berries.  There are blueberry bushes all around the house, and we also filled up on those!

And don't forget the cheese.  I had yet to go to a cheese factory or dairy, so Todd and I stopped by Mullins Cheese on our way to the wedding...

Cheese there is so cheap!  For my old Dupont Dwellers let me equate: It is WAY better than the secret cheese bin!  Full chunks of cheese for a slice of what it normally goes for in other parts of the country!  I like the dairy cow scene above the cooler...

This is a bag of whey.  I wondered what in the world someone would need that much for - then saw a sign that said great for smoothies.  That made sense...if you were a smoothie shop.

And the cheese curds!  These were actually still warm!  So they were quite squeaky!

Just start calling me Miss Muffet...  though I don't yet own a tuffet.

Bonnie and Clyde

Todd and I are in Wisconsin!

And wow, does it take a long time to get here!

We left Casper at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning thinking we would get to his mom's around around 2 a.m.  At about 12:30 a.m. we realized this was a pipe dream and at the rate we were going we wouldn't pull in until probably 4:30 a.m.!

We began weighing our options.  We came prepared with camping equipment for my family reunion at the end of the week, so we started looking up campsites and state parks.  After a wild goose chase or two for parks that ended up being a lot farther off the interstate than what we hoped, we finally found one.

We pulled in around 2 a.m. and stopped dutifully at the entrance station to check rules and campsite prices.  We discovered there were no prices and one of the rules was no setting up camp after 11 p.m.

Huh.  That's not gonna work.

We made an executive decision: We're going to pull in anyway.

We were tired.  We weren't going to be there more than 3-4 hours.  We weren't even going to bother with setting up the tent.  We just needed a slot for some zzz's!

So...we slept and skipped.  I admit it.  And...I stand by it!  I own our rule-breaking decision!

Todd waking up in the truck.  Worst.  Sleep.  Ever.

Foggin' up the windows!  Just kidding.  Too tired for parkin'!  See Rigby peeking up there...?

My side of the truck.  Todd was all cramped after sleeping with the steering wheel in his lap.  I asked him why he didn't just turn and put his feet up in the middle of the seat.  His reply?  He's not a 12-year-old girl who can bend like Gumby.  I laughed - a lot...

Pulling out of our hiding place...

The coffee cup I had grand plans of using as a rinse cup for brushing my teeth!  Two things I CAN'T STAND: not brushing my teeth or washing my face before bed.  Neither of these things happened that night.  I was broken hearted when I figured out our toothpaste was in the truck bed.  We each chewed a piece of Orbitz mint-flavored gum instead...  UGH.

Approaching the entrance to the park...  Uh-oh!

I'm not sure if Todd is leaning back for me to get a photo, or if he's trying to not be visible as we pass by.  The office doesn't open until 8 a.m. and it was 6:30 a.m.  We skipped early to avoid our captors!  To bad we didn't have Beyonce and Jay Z's Bonnie and Clyde song playing...

See ya' Willow River...!

Nice knowin' ya!