We arrived in the St Paul MN area on June 1st to spend a week visiting my (Sharon) family who lives in the Stillwater MN and Hudson WI area. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with my parents, Aunties, my brother and his wife, as well as my niece and nephew and their young families as well.
After a week we took off a bit further south to spend a few days in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin….right at the corner of Illinois and Iowa. It is called the Driftless Area as the glacier bypassed this area so many eons ago and it helped shape how it looks today….with the mild undulating hills and abundant minerals.
We stayed at a rural campground and enjoyed the countryside {complete with cows and corn} and the magnificent sunsets every night….punctuated by the pungent smell of our campfire and the warm camaraderie of sharing it with our fellow camp neighbors.
We spent several days exploring the neighboring towns of Galena and Mineral Point and enjoying the fresh country air {and occasional manure smell too …LOL}.
Mineral Point is famous for Pendarvis…..a famous 1930’s restoration of several old Cornish miners homes from the 1840’s. We had a guided tour of several of the homes and then we explored the nearby mines that were located in the hills surrounding the town. The town is full of well restored homes and businesses from the 1840’s to the 1890’s.
You can learn more about it at https://pendarvis.wisconsinhistory.org/
We also stopped in at a local diner to try the local specialty…..a Cornish Pasty….and for dessert…a saffron cake…another Cornish delicacy. I didnt like the pasty too much….too dry…..but Dwight liked it enough….with some chili sauce!
Later we stumbled upon a winery {luckily right around 5pm…so we stopped for a wine tasting and some live music outside on the porch.
We explored Galena Illinois one day….going on a trolley tour to learn more about its history (also a mining town from the 1840’s} and its connection to Ullysses S. Grant…who lived there for many years and raised his family there.
You can learn more about Galena at https://www.visitgalena.org/
Of course…being in Wisconsin we had to eat at the iconic Wisconsin Supper Club! We found one in Galena and of course…..had an Old Fashioned….enjoyed the relish tray……and a delicious steak and shrimp dinner. Should’ve had a Grasshopper for dessert…but was too full.
OK…..we have paused long enough…..time to continue on our journey South…
Hey……..it’s 5 o’clock……time for a winery…
and relaxing at the campsite with our neighbors..
a day spent in Galena Illinois
time for dinner at a Supper Club..steak and Old Fashioneds……
