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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...

Running for the (Wisconsin) Border


Just when I started enjoying the weather, things took a turn for the worse.  You may recall me basking in the 70’s in southern Illinois.  That didn’t last long.  Callie and I enjoyed an overnight stay at Beaver Dam State Park and then headed north to Springfield.

My first thought in staying at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield was that we were going to chart a path home through the best campgrounds that central Illinois and northern Illinois had to offer.  To be honest, nothing was exciting me.  We spent some time walking around Springfield, which hangs its tourism hat on Abe Lincoln.  I drank a new beer, Stag, which tastes a lot like Pabst.  That’s not a bad thing on a hot day for $1.50 at a bar.




Then the reality of being only five hours from home, and the weather abruptly changing to freeze warnings, lead to the decision to cut the trip short and head home.  On the day that I arrived back to Wisconsin, there were freeze warnings.  That afternoon, we winterized the Brew Hut and called it the end of the 2019 season.

It seems strange going from sweltering to freezing in such a short time.  But there it is…


Future Plans

What’s next?  I’ll be home for awhile.  The firewood for this next season is ready, but the firewood for the season after that needs to be harvested and processed.  The (adult)  kids will be coming home in coming weekends, and then there will be a big gathering here for Thanksgiving.

As far as the Brew Hut goes, the old Scamp trailer will hibernate for the winter.  We’ve taken her west, south and east now. Which trip did I like best?  West, south and then east.  All of the trips were good ones, but the free camping out west and the dryer climate fits my camping style better.  There were also fewer mosquitoes.

At this point in time, I’m not sure where the next trip will take us, but I’ll have a long winter to figure that out.

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