Day Trippin'

Downtown Platteville, 2/14/26 dwm

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and it was one of the nicest winter days you will ever experience during February in Wisconsin.

The skies cleared early and the sun shown; very quickly temperatures warmed into the 50s before noon. It was a rare day in February when a sweatshirt is all you need for walking city streets.

We drove southwest on U.S. 151, planning to eat at Fink's Restaurant in Mt. Horeb. There were no cars parked out front and a small sign on the door indicating they closed due to health. That's too bad, it was nice diner with good food and a good staff; prayers go out for all concerned.

The next city down the road is Dodgeville, where we returned to the Cafe, which operates out of building that previously held a Country Kitchen.

We had a good, hearty breakfast. I had biscuits and gravy. It's a treat but one I enjoy only occasionally. From there it was on to Platteville, where we walked around the business district downtown.

The Bargain Nook. 2/14/2026 dwm

My wife likes the Bargain Nook because it meets the standard the name implies. Pants were selling for $1. I found a pair that fit and also looked brand new.

In addition to the Land's End slacks, I picked out a light-weight casual 3/4 sleeve shirt. My total? $7.12!

While my wife crossed Main Street to check out the quilt shop while I walked down to Momentum Bikes. The owner wasn't very busy and took a few minutes to talk biking and how he came to have a store in Platteville.

The area around Platteville is where many European immigrants settled after lead ore was discovered. As they rushed to the area for their own claim, they searched for lead underground; people watching them called them badgers, for the way they burrowed into the ground.

Crazy Frank's. 2/14/2026 dwm

Our last stop was Crazy Frank's Flea Market in Mineral Point, where some of those 19th century mines have been preserved.

It's one of several communities that rely on travel and tourism. Platteville is home to the University of Wisconsin - Platteville; Mineral Point has a Historic Site called Pendarvis; Dodgeville is home to the House on the Rock north of it; and Spring Green is where Frank Lloyd Wright built a home and working studio called Taliesin.

You can take some history with you thanks to places like Crazy Frank's Flea Market in Mineral Point. It's a sprawling store with at least a couple hundred booths for separate vendors.

I had a tractor like this once. 2/14/26 dwm

There were memories and interesting items all around the store.

I saw an Allis-Chalmers tractor that looked just like one I played with as a kid. It made a lot of moves with us over the years, so who knows, maybe it was my old toy.

There was a lot of Wisconsin sports memorabilia, like hats, banners, jackets, and bobble-heads.

It made me think of the Brewer bobble heads I've collected over the years. The ones I saw on the shelf were on sale for $8. That sounds fair, but at that price, I'll hold on to them, thank you.

Another note about the Bargain Nook, the stores support the work of the Hodan Center. which provides a not-for-profit rehabilitation program for people with disabilities.