It was a lovely day in the Dairy State! We began the day at the Thunder Bay Inn (a farm restaurant & B&B) just outside the town of Wisconsin Dells. After a hearty Norwegian farm breakfast, we decided to by-pass the hustle of Wisconsin Dells itself, and we headed out to explore some of central Wisconsin.
First up was the Carr Valley Cheese Factory near the town of LaValle. This wonderful surprise was a real treat. Seeing cheese being made by hand and tasting real Wisconsin cheese (including fresh cheddar curd!) was fun!!! We even tried on the "official" hat of Wisconsin, the foam "Cheese head." It was tough not to buy a hat, but we ended up with just some cheese for the journey.
After that stop, it was on the road again, going west. We passed through the town of Baraboo and discovered that this small Wisconsin twn had a world-famous link: The birthplace of the Ringling Bros. (of circus fame) and the winter quarters of the circus for many years. We spent an enjoyable visit at the Circus World Museum and kept being surprised by the history, creativity and energy of the place and the people involved in the circus life.
We then headed on our way, but not before finding the last Cracker Barrel in the state for lunch! We eventually settled for the night in Superior, Wisconsin (across the river from Duluth, Minnesota, at the far western end of Lake Superior). Tomorrow we head into Minnesota and our visit with our friend, the Reverend Judy Clark Hixon.
Cheese Louise! Looks like you had a great time. The Circus World Museum is on my "must-see" list. Did you catch the Circus Parade from Milwaukee on PBS the other weekend? Those wagons were just gorgeous!
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