We are headed to Appleton, Wisconsin where Ken and Harriet will be judging a BBQ contest. It could have been a one-day trip but we decided to break it up with a stop at Blue Mounds State Park near Madison. Considering the jouncing the roads gave us on the first leg, I was glad to stop.
This is a lovely park. Spring is about a week behind home so trees are just starting to leaf out. But the campground is quite old and sites are not terribly level. The trees surrounding every site make backing in more of a challenge than usual. And Wisconsin parks are expensive compared to Iowa. Out-of-state campers pay more than in-state, plus there is a $10 a day vehicle fee or $35 annual fee. We won't be hiking in this park so it won't be necessary to purchase the $4 trail pass.
One of the reasons for stopping here was to make a visit to New Glarus and the brewery there. It is very picturesque and has a beautiful patio overlooking the surrounding valleys. We also checked out a few stores in town. A disappointment was that the Maple Leaf Chocolate and Cheese Haus wasn't open but the nearby bakery made up for that.
There was a chilly wind from the northwest that kept us from short sleeves. Coming back we passed through Mt. Horeb, the "Troll Capital of the World," and I would have liked to look around there more because of the town's (and mine) Norwegian roots. But it was getting late and we were ready to kick back and get some supper going. Today we will head on to High Cliff Park near Appleton. We hope to link up with a niece and a cousin and of course anticipate some great barbecue. Oh, the puppy at the top of the page? He was on the patio at the brewery and who can resist a picture of a puppy?
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