The Wisconsin Peninsula - Day Three and four

So we woke up and fired up the propane burner to heat water for oatmeal and to make coffee in our new French Press that Big Bro Jeff (that’s my sister Ashley’s amazing husband) had bought Sandy for her birthday. After we ate breakfast we went into the Walmart to brush our teeth and wash our faces…oh the looks we got by the other women that came into that restroom = ) We decided to check out the shoreline of Lake Michigan as we traveled some back roads up the Wisconsin Peninsula. The drive was so beautiful!!!!! We stopped up at the Whitefish Dunne’s State park and ate some lunch. Then we spoke to a park ranger about what hike to do there. He told us of the undeveloped trail that ran right along the water line. As we walked the shore line you could feel fall in the air!!!! So good for the heart and soul!!! There were beautiful rock formations, places that when it is warmer it looked like you could swim into some underwater caves. Just beautiful. After our hike we asked where we could camp a bit further up the Peninsula and we were told about Peninsula State Park…so that is where we headed. More scenic back roads took us to this amazing state park that was on Lake Michigan. There were many well developed paths and beautiful views. We got a campsite right on the water and spent part of that day and the next morning running and biking the paths. That night we built a fire and cooked up some Kidney beans in our cast iron skillet. We added a little seasoning we had brought back from Costa Rica. We then just sat around the fire, I wrote in my journal, and we just enjoyed nature. The next day after we biked and ran, we ate breakfast , and went to go take showers before heading down the road…I backed into a rock I could not see = ) I really don’t mean to abuse this loyal vehicle that is taking us on this journey!!! I apologized to Lenny (that’s the van’s name). I gave Lenny some love, we showered and headed across the state of Wisconsin. We wanted Wisconsin Cheese, so just a bit down the road we went through some very cute towns called Fish Creek and Egg Harbor. We found a small winery where Sandy got 6 free wine tastings, we tasted ciders, tart cherry juice, jams, and more. There we bought a couple apples, two chunks of cheese, and a garlic cheese spread that is so very tasty!!!! = ) Further down the road we stopped to take a picture of a tractor that was made out of hay bails, and about 10:00pm we crossed the upper Mississippi River into Minnesota. We stopped a little further down the road and slept in another Wal-Mart parking lot in Albert Lea, Minnesota. It’s hard for me to write this blog sometimes because so much happens that I want to share with all our loved ones, but the main reason that we share is because we wish so much that we could bring you all with us!!!! Sending our love and energy to all of you!!!!