Fishing & Boating in the Northwoods

Chicago Architecture Boat Tour Aboard the Sea Dog

buildings along Chicago River

It’s not very much fun going to downtown Chicago anymore. Just seems like a hassle to deal with all the traffic and noise and distractions. I think that I have probably gotten spoiled by all of the quiet time that I have spent in Northern Minnesota. But we had obtained a very reasonable rate from […]

Oconomowoc, WI – A Lot to Like

golden mast exterior

Can you say Pasty? I knew you could! But more on what is thought to be a Cornish creation a bit later… The purpose of the weekend road trip was originally a plan to meet family members in Oconomowoc, one of whom was to be married this summer in New York. Unsure as to whether […]

Mercer, WI – Loon Capitol of the World

loon statue

It was a trip I had been meaning to take for several years. And when another had fallen through at the last minute, Heidi and I decided that a trip to Mercer, Wisconsin might be the perfect plan for some peace, quiet and relaxation. (This page may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure about affiliate […]

Ripon, Princeton, Green Lake and a Bison Farm

wallenfangs

I awoke Saturday morning just before sun-up. The morning light shimmered across the lake, but some clouds had started to move in, painting the morning sky serene and musty gray in color. We took our time in getting dressed. After all, this was a weekend getaway and the huge terrycloth robes were warm and luxurious. […]

Grey Rock Restaurant Review

grey rock mansion

Nestled against the shore of the deepest lake in Wisconsin – Green Lake – is the Grey Rock Mansion at the Heidel House Resort. The resort boasts one of the most picturesque settings I have visited. And the Grey Rock is truly an adventure in fine dining. From the outside, and even upon entering, it […]

The Heidel House Resort on Green Lake

heidel house sign

GI have looked all over the area within 100 miles or so of the Fox Valley area (Illinois) for an out-of-the-way place to go for a weekend retreat in the dead of winter. Guess I just didn’t look quite far or quite hard enough. Boy, do I have a place to recommend to you. It […]

How Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is Made

bourbon bottles

By the latter part of the 19th and even into the early 20th century , the distillery business was going along rather well for bourbon whiskey. At least, that is, until someone decided that distilled spirits were evil. Prohibition in 1920 (The 18th Amendment to the Constitution and The Volstead Act… “a grand and failed […]

Makers Mark & Bardstown

makers mark brown building

One Last Tour Our last stop on the Kentucky trip was Bardstown, Kentucky. But just about twenty minutes to the south of it – and not far off our intended path – was another landmark. I just couldn’t resist the temptation of a visit so I could compare Maker’s Mark to the other distilleries which […]

Perryville Battlefield

limestone walls

Next morning dawned bright and blue. The temperature however, hovered at a brisk 31 degrees, and a heavy frost covered my windshield. A pesky northeast wind did not help matters. Even so, this was a far better scenario than the last two days of downpours! The road to Perryville was, to say the least, scenic […]

An Evening in Lexington KY

gratz park inn entrance

We ended our tour of Woodford and, after sampling some excellent “bourbon balls”, met Niki and Mary from the Lexington Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Cheapside Bar and Grill. Cheapside Bar and Grill The Cheapside is an upscale restaurant in downtown Lexington serving excellent food from a menu loaded with varied and interesting […]