Visiting Friends and Finding More Mid-West Roadside Attractions

morning fog on the mississippi

I left off the last post as we arrived in Trempealeau, Wisconsin located just across the Minnesota border on the Mississippi River. I didn’t expect to find much to do in the area and thought we would just relax for 2 days and enjoy small river town life. Well, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that there were a couple of parks nearby, Perrot State Park and Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge, as well as a winery near Trempeleau. Plenty for us to fill a full day of activities.

perrot state park

We took a leisurely drive through Perrot State Park and stopped at the ranger station to chat with the ranger and take in some views of the mighty Mississippi. Then we headed onto the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge that is run by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. There were a few different drives in this park as well as some hiking trails and a pleasant surprise, they had a stamp that I added to my National Park Passport book. Some would say that stamp doesn’t belong in this book but I have included other areas managed by the U.S. Forestry and Fish and Wildlife Services in the book. This helps me track where we have been and provided a stamp for Wisconsin since we didn’t visit any national parks in this state.

We enjoyed driving through the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge although we didn’t see very much wildlife; mostly geese, birds, fish and one animal that I thought was maybe a badger but was not. It was most likely a Nutria which is common in the south so was most likely transplanted here by someone. At least, that was the insight from my brother in law, Rege who was a PA Game Commissioner and our go to for wildlife and plant questions.

We spent a few hours in the refuge and really enjoyed the scenic views. Afterwards, we headed to Elmaro Winery where we had a tasty lunch and chats with the locals. We met some very nice people at the table next to us who were celebrating their 50th anniversary and their daughter’s birthday. They had a nearby farm and vineyard and actually sold their grapes to this winery. They were enjoying a wine made from their own grapes. It was a beautiful day to sit outside, enjoy some wine, good food, good conversation and a view of the vineyard. Can’t beat that!

We finished our visit in Trempeleau having dinner, drinks and listening to some music at the Trempealeau Hotel as well as just watching the river and train traffic. After this stop, we headed to Veteran’s Memorial Park for a couple days to visit our friends Tim and Becky. We met three years earlier when Tim and I work camped together in Altoona, PA and have remained in touch. This is the third summer that they have been camp hosts at this county park near La Crosse, WI. It was good to be able to visit with them and catch up on our lives. Always fun to visit RVing friends along our travels.

river traffic

the trains may have been loud but i enjoyed watching them go by

having a great time together

trent wouldn’t face forward for the picture

tim and i don’t get many pictures together so i had to include this one!

While in La Crosse, we toured around the area, looking for more roadside attractions and managed to find a few in the local municipalities. We also enjoyed more scenic views of the Mississippi in the small towns along the way as well as a beautiful overlook in La Crosse. In Onalaska, there was a giant fish statue, and in another town we found the world’s largest bicycle. In La Crosse, you can find the world’s largest 6 Pack. Becky recommended another stop which was definitely interesting - it appeared to be a graveyard for old or unused roadside attractions. I just drove around and didn’t get out of the vehicle because of signs that warned of snakes liking to make the old statues their homes.

love the giant fish

world’s largest six pack

view of la crosse and the mississippi from the overlook

nice day for a bicycle ride

a few pics from what appeared to be a roadside attraction graveyard

Another great find was River Rats Bar & Grill located on French Island. I found it online while looking for a place for lunch where we would have a river view. In addition to the name grabbing my attention, they had won an award for being the best dive bar in La Crosse and were known for their award winning Bloody Mary. We are big fans of dive bars so had to try it out. Although the service was slow, the food and Bloody Mary, as well as conversations with other patrons were great. To be fair, there was only a bartender and the cook working so slowness was to be expected but definitely worth the wait.

Tim enjoying a beer at river rats

We ended up leaving a day early due to heavy rain and storms expected on our planned departure day. On the day we left, it was a bit overcast with light rain expected but not too bad for driving. We headed back into Minnesota and then south along the Great River Road to Iowa. The drive was very scenic along the Mississippi with surprising climbs up the bluffs that line the river. At the top of the bluff, the land leveled out and all you could see where flat fields and farmlands. Then you were winding back down the bluff to travel along the river bed for awhile before climbing the next bluff. Definitely an interesting and scenic drive.

As we entered Iowa, the bluffs continued and the road became a bit rugged with lots of bends around the bluffs and hills. This area of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa is called the Driftless area due to the lack of glacial “drift”, i.e. no dirt or rocks left by ice sheets. The region is comprised of steep bluffs and cliffs around the river valleys. We didn’t expect this landscape in Iowa. I think of Iowa as flat farmlands with corn fields stretching for miles. I guess we lucked out to be traveling through a really scenic area.

Of course, we also found a national monument to visit along our route, Effigy Mounds National Monument. Tim and Becky had mentioned this park was on the route and unfortunately, it started raining a bit harder as we arrived at the park. We debated stopping or just continuing the drive, but we couldn’t pass it up. While we didn’t walk around the park due to the weather, we enjoyed the visitors center exhibits and of course got a stamp in my passport book.

The effigies are animal shaped mounds created by native Americans between 850 and1,400 years ago. The mounds area shaped like birds, turtles, lizards, bison and bears. It is believed that these were built as religious sites or clan symbols used in seasonal ceremonies. About 850 years ago, they stopped building these mounds and archeologists feel it was due to a major shift from hunter/gatherer to more permanent villages and dependence on agriculture. While we didn’t get a a view or pictures of the mounds, we enjoyed learning the history of the mounds.

After that stop, we headed to a more recent tourist “trap”, The Field of Dreams. When I thought of visiting Iowa, this was the one stop that I wanted to make. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate; it kept raining for our visit so we didn’t walk or run around the bases. There were some others enjoying playing catch or doing some batting practice on the field in the rain. It looked to muddy to me but I am glad we got to stop and see it. Of course, after we got home, we had to watch the movie again. Different for sure, but enjoyable!

Our day ended with heavier rain and thunderstorms as we stopped for the night in Davenport, IA. Definitely a full day on the road in Iowa. Next up, Illinois and a stop in Springfield.