Lovely and Friendly Luverne, MN

Monday afternoon, September 12th we left La Crosse, WI, crossed the mighty Mississippi for the last time on our western leg and headed across Minnesota to the western border town of Luverne and two nights at Blue Mounds State Park. The ride across the state impressed us with the realization that this part of the country is truly a breadbasket for the U.S. - farm after farm with fields of corn and soybeans. In many places there were windmills turning. A flatbed truck passed us on the highway carrying two windmill blades that covered the entire length of the bed. Wow! Those things are huge. In one place there must have been 15 or 20 windmills and all but one or two were still. There was plenty of wind which made us wonder if they turn them off at certain times of the day. It was getting on toward dusk -- concern for the bat population? They are an impressive sight. Wonder how much energy each one actually generates.

Travelling west we had a magnificent view of the sunset. I was driving so I didn't get a picture, but the sun was just sinking below the horizon as we turned off the highway for the short trip to the park. Blue Mounds is another scenic campground and we had our choice of sights. We were among three or four campers and when we left on Wednesday we were the only ones left. Talk about feeling rich. We owned the place!

One of our best memories of Luverne will be the little parish of St. Catherine's. We went to Mass Tuesday morning and there were about 15 people in the church mostly older. We must have stuck out because father stopped us after Mass and asked our names and where we were from. Then he proceeded to introduce the "visitors" to all his parishioners. What a friendly group. Later that evening, after a day of hiking at the park and visiting nearby Touch the Sky prairie, we were relaxing around a campfire when a car pulled in and drove through the campground. As we watched them, Larry commented that they must be scouting the park for a future visit. We do that sometimes. Well they were scouting, but we soon found out why. They stopped at our site and introduced themselves again as parishioners who were at Mass that morning. Dell and Eileen just wanted to see how we were doing. It touched our hearts.

We had spent the day hiking along the crest and the base of the "blue mounds," the Sioux quartzite rock that gives the park its name. There's an old quarry that was active for about a dozen years, 1919-1931. Very dramatic views from both the top and bottom. We met a man giving a basic climbing lesson to a gal although he didn't look fit enough to be much of a climber. We also met a hiker from Wisconsin who gave us some tips about good hiking areas around Lawrence, KS where we'll be meeting our daughter and family on the way home. We met him again later and he'd written down the names. We have met so many kind folks on our travels!

We attended morning Mass on Wednesday before heading west and, at the final blessing, Father paused and prayed over us for safe travels. After Mass he invited us to join him for coffee back in the office with some of his parishioners. We had a delightful visit and found out that Father is an avid gardener, had won a gorgeous quilt at the country fair nearby (The ladies were already soliciting it for a parish raffle.), and had created a "duck garden" in the church courtyard where he installed twelve little "apostles" who thrived until they were moved to a farm. We read the article from the local paper that was mounted on the wall near the courtyard door where the little ducklings lived for awhile.

The statues in the outside gardens around the church are absolutely beautiful! I especially loved one of Mary and Jesus that Father bought in memory of his dad after he died. We loved Blue Mounds for its beautiful cliffs and prairie land, for the buffalo herd we saw up close and personal, for the big skies, waving grasses, and colorful wildflowers; but mostly we'll remember Luverne for the Catholic family we found there. We joined hands in prayer with them for two short days, but we'll remember their kindness and friendliness as a highlight of our trip. It gave me a graphic illustration of St. Paul's heart link to the communities he founded on his missionary journeys. I can say with him, "I continually thank my God for you."

Farewell to Wonderful Wisconsin

As we headed out of La Crosse I made mental notes summing up our Wisconsin experience with a number of "W"s:

WEATHER: Wonderful!

We left the wind and rain (as well as the tolls) behind in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. We had glorious summer both around Green Bay and in La Crosse.

WILDER:

Laura Ingalls Wilder is well-loved in this part of the country and we were charmed by our afternoon at Laura Days.


WINGED WONDERS:

Seeing bald eagles resting in trees and flying over the Mississippi was exciting for these two avid bird wathers.

WATER:

What a river! The mighty Mississippi should be ranked among the wonders of the western world. Makes me want to take a Mississippi cruise or at least a land cruise along her banks. No wonder Mark Twain loved her and sang her praises. With Lake Michigan and Green Bay in the east and the river in the west, Wisconsin really is a water lover's paradise. And we saw plenty of evidence of it with the boaters, bathers, and water-skiers. It was especially fun to see the children in tubes being pulled behind a boat.

WORSHIP:

What a great place to go on pilgrimage! Our Blessed Lady watches over the state from east to west inviting all to a closer walk with her Son. We saw many pro-life billboards as we drove across the state.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

First glimpse of fall color, blue spruce and other evergreens everywhere, Christmas tree farms, giant silos, Green Bay Packers fans, impressive bluffs and scenic rides, a fabulous four days in America's dairyland!

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us

Monday morning before we left La Crosse, we visited the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe outside town. The ride gave us beautiful views of farms, forest, and rolling hills where we saw contoured farm fields. All was lush and green. We found the shrine without any trouble although we weren't too confident in the Garmin after our failed search for the Shrine to the Sorrowful Mother in Ohio.

We were hardly prepared to find the magnificence in store for us at here in La Crosse.

The main church is glorious with rose-colored marble columns supporting a baldacchino over the
altar. The paintings, statues, and stations in the church are beautiful, but it was the bronze statues and stations outside that really lifted my heart to God. There's a shrine to Blessed Kateri and a garden dedicated to the unborn with a large statue of Mary holding three tiny babies on her lap, a modern pieta. The rosary walk had four curved walls along the way depicting each set of mysteries. The individual mysteries were blue and white tiles. The coronation of Mary showed her over the earth with North and South America clearly visible on the globe and the moon and stars over her head, a powerful image of her as Queen of the Americas and Queen of the Universe.

St. Joseph the Worker

One of my favorite statues was in front of the main church. It showed Juan Diego before the bishop who is kneeling in front of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan's tilma. What a gesture of humility on the part of the bishop to kneel at the feet of Mary's messenger, her humble servant Juan. At the foot of the tilma are the roses he has brought to the bishop. I also loved the sculpture of St. Joseph the Worker. 

We attended the noon Mass and were pleased when Communion was distributed at the altar rail. The acoustics in the church are wonderful for amplifying the singing, but it was hard to understand the sermon because of the echo, the only disappointment of our visit. I imagine it isn't a problem when the church is full. After several hours we pulled ourselves away so we could make our next stop in Luverne, MN before dark. We bid a fond farewell to Wisconsin with the firm intention of returning again. Our Lady of Guadalupe and Mother of the Americas, pray for us.

The River Road, Laura Days, and the Bluffs

After Sunday morning Mass morning, we set off for Alma, WI to meet friends for lunch. Cathy and Kenneth were fellow parishioners from our days at St. Louis in Alexandria. Our youngest daughter and their oldest were buddies growing up and are still keep track of each other on Facebook. We got together at a cheery little place right on the river called the Pier 4 Cafe, I presume because it's next to one of the river locks. A model train was mounted overhead and periodically ran around the restaurant making quite a racket. They specialize in barbecue and Larry and I shared their pulled pork sandwich special along with a Wisconsin tradition of "cheese curds." They were like fried mozzarella sticks, but Cathy said every restaurant serves a different version. These got a so-so from her and when she asked the waitress if they made them there the answer was no. We'll have to look for them again. In fact we need to find some Wisconsin cheese before we leave.

The ride to Alma was along the Great River Road which meanders back and forth across the Mississippi between Wisconsin and Minnesota. We stopped briefly at Winona in Minnesota on our way to lunch to observe a local 9/11 event at the Veterans Hall. It was good to see people coming out with their families to remember the ten year anniversary. Has it really been that long already? I remember picking up the phone and having a friend tell me to turn on the television because a plane had just flown into one of the Twin Towers. I think those images will be burned in my memory forever.

After lunch we went up to the bluffs overlooking the town. What a view! Our photo against the backdrop is so perfect it looks fake doesn't it?

Then on to Pepin for their celebration of Laura Days, an annual event commemorating Laura Ingalls Wilder. Great fun! There was a parade and many period demonstrations.

I talked to the blacksmith and churned cream for awhile. I bought two little pitchers from the potter and had an interesting conversation with a lady making a whisk broom. We also drove a few miles farther to visit the spot where Laura was born. A replica of the little house in the big woods is located there and it sure was little! A young girl and several women were dressed in period costumes. There were activities for kids like piecing a quilt and walking on stilts. I tried the stilts and actually managed to take a few steps before falling over. It's not easy, at least for a grandmother like me. The child dressed in period costume wasn't having a bit of trouble.

 Back in town we watched a little of the parade which consisted mainly of local politicians, antique cars, flatbed trucks decorated with bunting carrying lots of riders, and fire engines. Several participants had 9/11 messages and we saw one truck in a driveway after the parade with a large "God Bless America" sign.

I love these little community events that bring out all the local patriots. It was a delightful event.

Heading back to La Crosse on the river road we decided to stop at Great Bluffs State Park and got an incredible view of the river and a balloon taking off.

 Then we headed home for a simple supper, laundry, and a crash night.

Larry is snoozing as I type. I'll write a few postcards before I close up shop. Another great day on the road across America! Tomorrow -- Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota and perhaps a trip to Walnut Grove.

A Cruise on the Mighty Mississippi

We arrived in La Crosse in time for a sunset cruise on the Mississippi on a little shallow boat that goes into the backwaters to spy for eagles' nests and other wildlife you don't see from the big paddleboats steaming down the center of the river.

The park near the dock was the site of a wedding reception and we enjoyed seeing the bride and groom and the festivities. There were fountains and statues and it was a beautiful spot to linger as we waited for departure time.

The naturalist on board told us about the life on the Mississippi as we pulled into channels, one with a beaver dam, as we played I spy on the river.


We saw several eagles' nests (inactive since the fledglings leave the nest by July), turtles on logs, three eagles either sitting in trees or flying, deer walking in the distance on one of the islands, boathouses that float on the edge of the river but don't move (as differentiated from houseboats which go from place to place which we also saw). 

She had hands on nature exhibits: two turtle shells, a model eagle skull (what eyeholes! They can see three miles away.), feet from a red-tailed hawk, a goose, and a barred owl, and other things. 

It was a painless way to learn a little about nature and she drafted several "junior naturalists" to carry the items around the boat for display. When one little girl came to show us the beaver skull, Larry commented on what a dental bill the beaver would have!

It was a delightful and relaxing two-hour respite after several very busy days. Many people out boating called and waved to us.  The river folk are definitely a friendly breed. We saw several with children on tubes being pulled. They were practically flying over the surface. What a river! We'll cross it again on our return trip and it will be like meeting an old friend.

If you've never read Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi, I heartily recommend it. .

Sturgeon Bay and Door Country, Wisconsin

 Sturgeon Bay and the Door Country Peninsula are like the shore of an inland ocean: plenty of surf, beaches, and beach towns that reminded me of Cape Cod. And all the good stuff that goes with it including homemade ice cream shops. Sturgeon Bay had decorated fish all over town (presumably sturgeon). And Door County has beaucoup lighthouses! Do you know there are more lighthouses in that one county in Wisconsin than anywhere else in the country? Wow!

We could have spent a week visiting the state and county parks, but had to settle for just a few. We chose Cave Point county park for its interesting rock formations  caused by the pounding surf and Peninsula State Park for its view of the Bay. We loved all the rock sculptures on the beach and contributed to a few.

We also visited the lighthouse north of Bailey's Harbor where we stopped for homemade ice cream at the Yum Yum Tree. (Larry had amoretto almond chocolate. I had two junior scoops because I just couldn't decide between exteme chocolate and coconut. Yum-yum doesn't do it justice.) That gave us energy to climb the big observation tower at Peninsula Park where we met a nice couple celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary. We took each other's pictures with the charming village of Ephraim in the background.

Heading back to our campground we watched the sun setting over the bay. We stopped to snap a picture, but I just missed the sun sliding below the horizon. Still pretty. And then back home for a late dinner of salmon, summer squash, and salad. We've been eating most meals in and enjoying it. We generally pack a picnic for lunch and prepare dinner in the camper. It makes our little house on wheels feel like home.

Just call me Atlas, holding up the world.

Indiana Dunes: A Little Bit of Everything

Lots of markers to read along the nature path.

a "ride' in a canoe at the nature center

Unfortunately, yesterday when we went to the beach I forgot to bring the camera so all that beautiful sunshiny landscape and a walk up a big sand dune are locked in my memory, but no pics. I told Larry we had to stop at the beach before we left to take pictures of the beach for the trip record.