Vacation - Day 2 - North We Go!

Day two of the road trip pointed us north and east from Madison and the first place to see was a little more than an hour away.

Since moving here last year, I've enjoyed the products that come from this family farm and dairy and was curious to see it and enjoy another taste.

The Baerwolf Family has two farms with a dairy cows - the third generation farm started in 1946 on land between Sun Prairie and Columbus.  The third generation, brothers James and Robert, run it now with a herd of 400.

Their creamery started in 2008 to bottle and process their own milk.  There is a store on the land and you can find their products at local stores and restaurants.  Out front, you can say hello to the friendly goats and observe the resting calf while you enjoy a scoop of the fresh ice cream.  They open at 10, and no, it's never too early for ice cream!

Inside the story is an extensive collection of milk bottles, posters, and memorabilia along with their cheese and other local products.  We missed out on a tour, but the Creamery hosts an Ice Cream Social August 24 which is the next time one is available.

It will be worth a return trip!

Back in the car and heading back to the northeast in the fun-sounding city of Oshkosh.  You may be familiar with the trucks produced here and the clothing that bears the city name, B'Gosh.  The OshKosh B'Gosh clothes are still headquartered in the city where it started in 1895, although clothes haven't been made here since 2000.

The Oshkosh trucks are frequently used as the big snow plow units in northern cities and by the U.S. military.

It made a great over-night stop for us and a trip to the shoreline of Lake Winnebago and a city park was a great way to spend the afternoon.

The train ride was just $1.  It reminded me of other trains like it where I rode as a kid or with my own.  Sitting just a few inches above the floor, the train chug-chugs to life and around the park's pond past ducks and young anglers looking to catch their whopper.


The day was perfect.  Sunshine with a cool breeze and comfortable temps to enjoy the park and spend time along the largest fresh water lake in the state.  It ranks among the largest in the United States.

Our temporary home for the evening was a Motel 6.  It's been many, many years since I last stayed at one.  I can recall as a kid traveling with Dad that we would seek them out for the low-rates and one question was whether Dad would spring for the extra twenty-five cents so we could watch TV.

Well, it's difficult to say if all the places have been renovated and improved like this one, but it was comfortable and clean with very reasonable rates.  After years away, I'll make sure to check it out as a stop on future travels.

It was a relaxing first day of the journey - with many things planned for the rest of our week.  Lots of pictures to take and memories to upload into the memory bank - it will be fun to re-live those with you here - but you will have to imagine the ice cream since taste-o-vision hasn't been approved as an "app" for my computer.