Friday, August 26, 2011

August 24, Hartford CT The Trash Museum

Here I am in front of an attraction that claims to be one of a kind, the CRRA Trash Museum in Hartford, CT.  We heard about the place on a local TV station that mentioned the only other such garbage museum was closing next week.

Pam and June, educators, greeted us, provided an orientation and brochure and turned us loose. We saw clothing made from trash, a cross sesection of an ash landfill, and composting exhibits.


The first exhibit, the Temple of Tash was actually pretty comfortable. Any resemblance to my office (or workshop) is a coincidence. We viewed an excellent video on stopping waste before it starts, and living a low trash life style.

Behind the clever displays and good advice on ways to avoid the world pictured in WALL-E the serious work of sorting, bundling and moving along recycled materials from the capital city takes place in the back of the museum.  An observation room lets visitors see some of the action, and a series of monitors provide real time views of the process.  We were amazed to see how much hand work was required. 

The museum contained many hands-on exhibits that the young and  young at heart would find interesting.  Blogger is being difficult again today so I can't load the rest of the pictures. Interested readers might check out the CRRA web sitte.

Just off route 91 south of Hartford this place was easy to find and worth a look.

Friday, August 5, 2011

August 4 Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT

Most great trips are more about the people than the place.  The last week has been a good reminder of that.  My youngest brother, Donald, and his wife, Theresa, made the trip north from Virginia to spend a week with the family. It didn’t matter if it was a day lounging around the pool hunched over a chess board or moving furniture for our mother or even taking in one of the casino’s in the area, it was just fun to be back together again.  Their buckets of common sense and Theresa’s infectious laugh made every day of the visit a treat. 
One of our excursions this week was a return visit to Foxwoods Casino in rural eastern Connecticut.  It is quite a sight to come upon the massive structures rising out of the hardwood forests. The  MGM Grand is the first building to appear from east bound Route 2, followed by large hotels and Foxwoods.  The complex also is home to a fine Native American museum and numerous smaller hotels and gaming facilities.
Six of us traveled to Foxwoods with our destination the Festival Buffet.  I am not a gambler or fan of casinos in general, but the buffet is a nice destination.  Reaching it requires a walk through the central aisles palatial lobby. Highly overpriced gift shops, lavishly decorated boutiques, and the amazing architecture of the place are free for the viewing.  The bad economy and being the middle of the week resulted in much smaller crowds than I expected, but there are still plenty of opportunities for people watching.  The area retirement homes must have experienced mass defections as their patients have flooded the main concourse.  I doubt that the average welder has more bottles of oxygen than I saw whizzing around attached to motorized wheelchairs and scooters.
The buffet has something for everyone and a lot if you want it.  The small crowd made us comfortable lingering over a long meal that everyone seemed to enjoy.  Another guest offered to take a picture of our group, so thanks to her for the one posted here.  We are all much prettier than we appear.

The second picture is a reflection of the good time.  Family members will recognize the whole gang (Carol, Mom, Donald , Theresa, and Gloria.  Theresa is in stitches from a risqué comment Gloria made about the endowments of the huge statue in the background.  Fortunately the statue rotates so I don’t need to place a warning for adult content on the site.  Actually, I can’t see what they were laughing about, but does it matter when you are having fun?
A few of the party ventured into the gambling portions of the facility and were successful in disposing of some cash.  Slots are helpful at tasks like that – kind of revenue shredders.
The next day Don, a skilled auto mechanic, helped our brother Jim with some lingering problems with his Jeep pictured here.  Don did a brake job and inspected and fixed a faulty bank of dashboard switches faster than he lost our second chess game.  

We took a trip past what was our maternal grandfather’s farm in Woodstock. The old farmhouse is still standing (and occupied by a new family) but the barn is gone and the fields are a housing development.  The new owners probably have no idea that my grandmother’s midnight blue Lincoln Continental is buried below their front lawn, but that's another story.
So, to my blog readers, if you are lucky enough to have relatives you like to hang out with, make some time to do so.  Include friends. If your days of hard work and struggle have cut you off from old friends, make some new ones and hang out somewhere along the way. 
David 


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

July 27, 2011 Project Oceanology, Groton, Connecticut

July continues to bring us together with friends.
A couple of weeks ago we said goodbye to Katsura and Kayoko Hirao who are moving back to their native Japan.  The couple was in the US while Katsura (far right) finished his Ph.D. degree in Social Work at UCONN.  Katsura was my research assistant the year I was Interim Dean and the four of us attended professional meetings in New Orleans and San Antonio.  Our mutual friend, Aki Sato (not pictured) drove the couple to Colchester on the eve of their departure.  We wish them the best of luck.
The following week we missed a tour of an oyster farm in Rhode Island when we ran into the back of a thunderstorm producing torrential rain and crackling bolts of lightning.  I doubt that the tour actually happened, but our side trip for coffee and toast to let the storm pass made us arrive in Rhode Island too late.  Maybe we will try again in August.   
To continue the weather bulletins, we were in Enfield with Buffalo Bob and Anne when Tuesday’s severe thunderstorms swept through.  I waited out the storm in a coffee shop and saw a descending funnel cloud drifting in the direction of Windham.  Yuk.

Today we made an Oceanology cruise out of Avery Point, a location I mentioned in an earlier post.  Gloria and I and our friends Neal and Dori joined several small families and a group of kids from a summer program at the Mystic Aquarium on a two hour educational cruise in Long Island Sound studying the Thames River estuary.  The sea was calm, except for the wake of the large ferry boats that regularly pass through the Sound; the sun was bright and day warm. 

The cruise is great fun in that it is very hands on, from sorting and examining slimy residents of the Sound to hoisting the anchor.  Neal, Dori, Gloria and I were given the task to collect several measurements.  Engineering professor Neal positioned the sensing equipment.  Artist and chef Dori compared the readings to a standard table.  Systems Analyst Gloria charted the data.  Yours truly, a scientist by training but administrator by aptitude, read the field instructions and kept the other three on task.  We may have been overqualified, but that didn’t diminish the fun.

The highlight of the cruise may have been a net full of spider crabs, lobsters, sea stars, squid, flounder, fluke, and rock crab. The good news is that the ecosystem at the eastern end of Long Island Sound appears healthy, with loads of life ranging from the very small to the very large and healthy levels of O2 and CO2.  This hasn’t always been the case, and it was welcome news.

Speaking of large creatures, the occupants of the net who did not survive were hand fed to a cluster of a dozen or so striped bass that gathered around the boat when we returned to the dock.  These fish, prized around here as game fish, appeared to be three or four feet in length!
These trips, and another style cruise to the Ledge Light Lighthouse, happen daily in the summer. We called ahead for reservations and were glad that we did.  Project Oceanology is operated by an association of schools, colleges and universities and has a web site at www.oceanology.org.
The adventure ended with an excellent lunch at the Seahorse in Groton Long Point, and a visit to an artist next door.  More on the artist on a later blog. 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

July 12, 2011 Howe Caverns, Howes Cave, NY


A hundred and fifty miles west of Hartford CT lay Howe Caverns, a local attraction since the 1840’s when these limestone formations were discovered. Many of us remember this as something we visited as children, although it was the first time for Gloria and I.
Anne and Buffalo Bob accompanied us on this longer, but workable day trip.  Bob provided a little payback for the stuffed buffalo by presenting us with this cuddly stuffed bear.  It might be a useful aid in working on Gloria’s phobia with regards to black bears.

Our trip to Howe Caverns was a good one.  We used the interstate highway system to get there, rather than the wonderful secondary roads through western Massachusetts and central New York State,  but the trip was still pleasant.  Our route passed close to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Soccer Hall of Fame, some destinations we are saving for other trips.

Howe Caverns are well managed.  The visitor center was comfortable and clean.  The snack bar provided good, modestly priced fare.  The gift shop was varied and likewise inexpensive.  In addition to the caves the site has motel accommodations, and some new outdoor attractions, zip lines and rope courses which we all elected to pass by.

The cave experience compared favorably to other caves we have visited.  Howe Caverns lacks the huge chambers of Luray Caverns (101 Cave Hill Road Luray, VA) and the complex formations of Chrystal Cave in Kutztown Pennsylvania, or the floating walkways of Chrystal Caves in Hamilton Parish, Bermuda. However, the long winding trail along the River Styx that flows at the base of Howe Caverns provides a unique an interesting experience.  We especially liked two features, a boat ride along a subterranean lake, and a completely creepy walk through a narrow, serpentine corridor. This long winding path had many twists and sharp turns giving the impression that at any moment we would run out of tunnel.  The lofty ceilings and smooth, tight, passages were enough to produce a little claustrophobia in Buffalo Bob and me.

The only question our able guide, Abigail, was unable to answer was why the caves were built so far from I-88! (The things tourists ask!)
If you like caves, or just want to get out of the heat for the day, this attraction is worth the trip.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

July 9, 2011 Off the beaten path destination: Avery Point, Groton, CT


Me near the brick walkway leading to the Lighthouse
Here is an off the beaten path attraction on the Connecticut shoreline.   Gloria and I spent the afternoon at our favorite low-budget ocean front spot, the Avery Point Campus of the University of Connecticut in Groton, CT.  This park-like campus is one of the best values (free) in ocean side recreation in eastern Connecticut. Avery Point is a great alternative for out of town visitors banned from private beaches and tired of crowded state parks.

View of Pine Island with Fishers Island in the distance.
There is no swimming at Avery Point, but on weekends and most days in the summer parking is ample (and free).  The grounds contain a snack bar (Fin’s) open 7 to 7 seven days a week, a paved shoreline walk, beautiful grounds dotted with sculptures by local artists, a university book store, a hulking great granite mansion- The Branford House, an adjacent private marina providing lots of boat traffic, a restored light house, and gorgeous views of the mouth of the Thames River and Long Island Sound. 
Rose lined walkway outside Fin's Cafe
A short walk up the road is a second marina where kayaks and jet skis can be rented for the more hands on tourist. If you plan ahead, Project Oceanology on the campus has lighthouse and oceanographic research cruises every day except Sunday. Probably the best part of Avery Point is what it doesn’t have: crowds.

Gloria with a town beach in the background

I don’t think the locals will be too upset that I am revealing this attraction. Most locals know someone with a cottage or summer home that includes a pass to the many private beaches along the shoreline and prefer that kind of accommodation.  But if you don’t have those connections and swimming is not what you have in mind, just follow Thames Street to Shennecossett Road and check out this little gem by the sea.

To my friends from the Pacific Northwest, this coastline is not as dramatic as yours, but the sun shines here more than 200 days of the year!
David


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

July 5 1000th page view reached!

Entrance to the Airline Trail off Hartford Road in Colchester

Welcome back to my Blog.  The laundry is caught up, the garden is weeded, the pool is clean, and my laptop is back in my office so it is time to get back to writing and planning the next trip.
The 1,000th page view was recorded on this blog yesterday!  Thanks for sharing this experience with me. I hope that you enjoyed the blog as much as I enjoyed doing it. Please check back as I blog about shorter trips.  I'm also revising the previous postings, adding pictures, checking for accuracy and correcting some really bad writing. So if you are planning to visit one of the places featured on the blog, check back.  
Yesterday we attended the annual 4th of July family and friends’ reunion at my mother’s home in the northeast corner of CT.  This annual event that spans several generations had rotated to Gloria and I a couple of years ago, but Mom took the event back this year due to concerns that I would come to love the road too much and not make it back in time to host the event.  Those of you who read my blog on our extra day in Onalaska, WI know that she was nearly right.  Thanks go to my siblings, cousins and nieces for helping Mom with the work and the family and friends who made it a success by showing up. I hope someone will step up for next year when we plan to cross Canada. 
Gloria contemplating Judd Brook

Here is GLoria at one of our favorite local places, a section of the Airline Trail off Hartford Road in Colchester, CT.  Gloria and I took a in a seven mile bike ride this morning before the temperature hit the low 90s. The track is a reclaimed railroad right of way that has been converted into a long (twenty miles or so) greenway that stretches across the eastern CT countryside.  In the heavily populated east it's great to have secluded greenways like this where the only signs of civilization along the gravel track are an occasional crossing road and glimpse of a house.  The section we traversed crosses the Jeremy River and Judd Brook both of which were roaring along in May but down to much more gentle flow now. 


Judd Brook through the trees

We have been considering that to really complete our cross country trip, we need to move further east, or at least back to the Atlantic.  Maybe a day on Long Island Sound near Mystic, Connecticut, or a trip to Newport, RI, or even nearby Charleston, RI, would make a nice eastern destination.   Of course there is Cape Cod, MA, Portsmouth, NH, or the Maine coast.  Visit again and see which (or maybe all) we choose.

Saturday, July 2, 2011


Today we traveled through mid New York state along RT 20 from Syracuse through Albany, Pittsfield MA, Springfield MA and finally to Colchester, CT. 
It appears that the folks around here knew that we were headed home.  Every little village along the way had lined their main streets with flags and some were holding festivals as well.  It might have been the warm up to the 4th of July, but it was still a nice homecoming. 

Today’s off the beaten path adventure consisted of scenic drives through the Berkshire mountains on little roads along streams.  Mid-state New York and Western Massachusetts have some of the prettiest, greenest, tree lined country roads we have seen in the last month.  The scenic routes through the Berkshires may lack the lofty vistas of the Rocky mountains, but are no less beautiful.  I used to think that my belief that New England was the prettiest place in America was due to my not having seen much of the rest.  I did see some beautiful country in every state we visited, but I still find myself wanting to repeat the chant recited by Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz.

Toward the end of the trip we hooked up with Buffalo Bob and his lovely wife, Anne.  Over coffee we finally managed to give him the buffalo we found in Sheridan, Wyoming.  I think the little critter suites him well.

Expect a few postings to wind up the cross country trip before we start phase two, blogging day trips and overnight excursions in New England. I expect to see quite a few of you at the big family and friends 4th of July celebration in Putnam.  To the rest, check in later, after I have unpacked and scraped 5,500 miles of bugs out of the grill of the Outback.
Thanks for journeying with us.
David & Gloria

Friday, July 1, 2011

Day32 Ashtabula, Ohio to Syracuse, NY


Today we travelled through a little of Ohio, a small slice of Erie County, Pennsylvania along Lake Erie, and then turned inland on route 86 in New York State that runs just above the Pennsylvania border.  This country really looks like home.  No red buttes, no sagebrush, some corn, but the hills are more numerous and shorter.  Also, there are trees everywhere! Grass grows up to the side of the road and sometimes in the cracks!  New York and New England look tropical next to most of the states we visited with the possible exception of parts of Wisconsin.  Yes Elizabeth, the horses can smell the hay in the barn.

Around mid state we left RT 86 for highway 19 which heads north toward Rochester, and more importantly to the little town of Le Roy and our primary off the beaten path destination of the day, the Jell-0 museum!  Given our experience with little towns we shouldn’t have been surprised to find that the Le Roy historical society had not one, but three museums on the same block. 

The Jell-O museum provides the history of the gelatin dessert that was created in Le Roy.  Exhibits trace the commercial history of the product through several unsuccessful early attempts to market the product through its present home as a member of the Kraft foods family.  The museum was cute, well displayed, and an introduction provided by a staff person was helpful, but no samples of the prepared dessert were available. 

The displays showed changes in the packaging and marketing, video and still pictures of the many celebrities who have been spokespersons including Bill Cosby who worked for the brand for 30 years. The display was hampered  a bit by the fact that Jell-O is a trade name owned  by Kraft who does not sponsor the museum.  Therefore the museum has no (or none I could find) information about manufacture and production of Jell-O or Products. 

Much to our surprise we found an excellent exhibit of horse drawn carriages, early bicycles, and sleighs in a transportation museum just below the Jell-O museum. The vehicles were well preserved and easily approached. 

The third museum was the Le Roy house, a Federalist mansion built for the original overseer of a large track of tenant farms in the early 19th century.  The historical society requests that visitors not take pictures inside, but I can tell you that it is filled with period pieces and very helpful volunteers.  Le Roy is definitely worth the visit. 
The day ended on a note that can only be interpreted as confirmation that it is time to be home.  We had difficulty finding our hotel in Syracuse, finally discovering that we had the wrong street number entered in the GPS.  Upon arriving in the lobby expecting the hotel in which we had stayed on the trip west, we were surprised to see that it had been renovated.  Actually, it wasn’t the same hotel! Talk about disorientation. However, it was the place I had reserved by phone, and one of three Hampton Inns in the area. Anyway, the place is very nice, and only about 280 miles from Colchester, CT.
We have a few more adventures planned before we make it back to Colchester so be sure to check in tomorrow.
Please note that we intend to keep the blog going a bit longer.  We have a few more items related to this trip to share and then we plan a series on off the beaten path attractions within a day trip of SE Connecticut. AJ is on vacation next week and we may take some trips with him.  So keep checking in.  Feel free to nominate a destination and we will check it out and include it on the blog.  See you along the way.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Day 31 Freemont, IN to Ashtabula, Oh

Our plans for today included the nominal goal of traversing most of Ohio from west to east, stopping for the night in the Lake Erie town of Ashtabula, a few miles south of the Pennsylvania border.  The off the beaten path adventures planned included a visit to Satek winery in Indiana that Gloria had spied while looking for a shortcut around the barricaded approach to our hotel, a trip to the Tiffin Glass Museum in north/central Ohio about 150 miles from our hotel in Idaho, a trip to Seneca Caves not far from Tiffin, and the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential library we had noted was on the road to Tiffin. 
Readers of this blog won’t be surprised that we didn’t make all four, or that the two we chose were the winery and the museum. But leaving out the others wasn’t our fault, honest we just ran out of time. We left the hotel late, 10:00 am because the winery store didn’t open to then and it was only ten minutes away.  When we arrived it looked like we were going to need to settle for this picture of  me next to a bottle sculpture by the locked door.  However, a few minutes of pounding on the glass produced the contrite owner who let us in.

Here is Gloria taking full advantage to the offer to taste ten of Satek's signature wines. I was the designated driver of the day.  They carded her! Their wines are a cut above the ordinary and prices are a few dollars lower than I would expect to pay for wine of this quality, definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

After buying a half dozen bottles we asked if we could visit the work room where some wine was being bottled.  Shean, at the machine, says that the back of his head is one of the most photographed objects in the county.

We loaded up our purchases and were off to cross a corner of Michigan (our first foray) that looked a lot like Ohio, where we spent the balance of the day.  Today was another off the map free for all where we made our own route to Tiffin, allowing the GPS to guide us only for the last couple of miles. 

The Tiffin Glass Museum and gift shop were staffed today by two volunteers, one of whom spent several hours introducing us to the extensive collection of glass produced by the now defunct Tiffin factories. Our guide was very knowledgeable and backed up by a modest collection of books and documents containing the history of these items. 

The gift store contained a large number of Tiffin glass objects for sale, most on consignment from area collectors.  We learned that the town of Tiffin is also home to two universities, several other museums, a restored theatre, and other attractions. Tiffin was definitely worth the drive.  This is another of those destinations that is worth a day or two, rather than the three hours we had. 
Regrettably we overstayed in Tiffin and road construction delayed us on the way in and  back.  At Gloria’s urging (she is really becoming somewhat of a daredevil) I took a shortcut down a road with a big “Road Closed” sign in front of it, skirted around the construction crews who no doubt now have a dim view of the literacy skills and judgment of Connecticut drivers.  However, the route worked and we were soon blissfully cruising along country road 303 across north Ohio, avoiding the interstates and moving east at 55 mph with little traffic.  Of course that doesn’t include countless little and some not so little towns we crossed as we approached the southern limits of Cleveland all of which had 35mph speed limits through their town centers. 
We arrived at Ashtabula after 8 in the evening.  This is the first time we had to refuse a room because it was unclean.  A replacement was found quickly.
Tomorrow we are looking forward to some more vineyards and the Jello Museum near Rochester, NY and whatever else we find along the way.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Day 30, Peru, ILL to Freemont, IN


Laid down this tower is longer than the town

Today broke sunny and warm.  The folks we talked with in Illinois were pleased to finally have two sunny days in a row after all the rain (from the thunder storms we stayed in Wisconsin an extra day to avoid).

Something new - wheat fields.
We tried a different approach to navigation today.  Road Trip America, the web site I use a lot for traveling gave us a 249 mile route smack through Chicago, Ill, Gary IN, all on major Interstate highways that we greatly disliked on the way west.  Magellan gave us a “Least Use of Highways” route that was more than a hundred miles longer! Undaunted by this, Gloria drove (the first two hours) and I navigated as we made our own route through the corn, soybeans and fields of golden wheat via Illinois RTs 18 and 17 and finally routes 6 and 120 in Indiana.  The end result was around 260 miles through little towns and small farms along roads with 55 mph speed limits and often no traffic at all. We drove by more massive wind farms, but the air was still today and few of the windmills were turning.


A nice little cash only independent restaurant in rural Indiana.

Along the way we chatted up locals at small independent eateries and chain fast food places.  We had lunch another little place that found they could do just fine without accepting credit cards and once again the food was inexpensive and good.  We appeared to be the only non locals in this very much off he beaten path eatery. A common theme with most people we talked to was how everyone who has a job is working harder to get by. Those who can find work often have two jobs or more.  Another common theme was the smiles in their eyes when the subject of quitting time came up. Some things are universal.


Fast moving horse drawn vehicle on Rt 120 near Freemont

The end of the trip in Northeast Indiana passed through Amish country (Mennonites more properly).  We were alerted to this fact by the Mennonite churches, manure on the highways, and the occasional horse and buggy on the shoulder of the road. Those rascals move pretty fast- I caught the back end of the rig in the picture as he burned up the miles at four or five mph.

Gloria and I switched off driving every two hours as has become our custom, and she drew the last two hours as we approached our destination in Freemont, IN.  The GPS was back on and noted that the hotel was right on route 120 (Which runs right along Lake Erie, just under I 90 with almost no traffic).  Just as I was complaining to Gloria that she gets all the easy drives, we came across the barrier in the picture.  We could actually see the hotel a quarter mile away across the blocked overpass.  We spent nearly a half hour on the wild side trying to get over the highway and back to the hotel. 

Gloria opted to try a tiny rural road that kept getting smaller and smaller, and finally became a dirt track before merging with the road we needed.  However, her instincts were good and we arrived intact.
A little independent restaurant not far from the dirt road provided an excellent meal and introduced us to some excellent local wines.  The vineyard is nearby and we plan to stop in tomorrow if they open early enough. 
Speaking of vineyards, we are changing our route home (yes, again).  We opted to head toward Ashtabula, Ohio and drive along Lake Erie, before turning inland to spend a night in Syracuse. Along the way, south of Rochester, NY is the Jello Museum that some folks in Wisconsin said we should visit. There is also vineyard and orchard country and we want to check out what is growing (please, let it be something other than corn!).
Along the lines of corn, I noticed a great compulsion to start a garden when I get home.  I have been dreaming about corn and soybeans and wheat and I am beginning to draw plants when I doodle.  Sort of like the movie featuring Devils Tower. (Strange Encounters...?) 
Buffalo Bob, if you are reading this, expect a call from us on Saturday afternoon when we are in your area to get together for a cup of coffee.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day 29 Onalaska, WI to Peru, Il


Today broke with the perfect blue sky and mild temperatures that we waited for.  More importantly the national weather maps show clear sky at all our destinations for the rest of the week.  It was worth waiting a day.
We left La Crosse via I 90 with Gloria at the wheel. The plan to stop in Sparta at the Space and Bicycle Museum were abandoned because the museum opened at 10 and we were well past it long before that thanks to an early start.  Instead we set our GPS for Middleton Wisconsin (just west of Madison) and the National Mustard Museum.

Magellan announcing the first of three successive roundabouts
Magellan took us off I 90 at West Baraboo (subject of an earlier blog) down state highway 12 which is the business route that parallels I 90 but goes through dozens of little towns and farms between.  Magellan got her revenge on Gloria for our unkind remarks in the last post.  No sooner had we left the highway when we were thrust into not one, or two but three rotaries (roundabouts they call them) one right after the other.  Those of you who know Gloria are aware how much she dislikes this particularly insane highway feature.  To make matters worse, the three rotaries were connected by less than 100 feet of road. Personally I think the Wisconsin DOT mistook three crop circles as survey marks and paved over them.
Gloria navigated these obstacles like a pro.  To reward her the next instruction was to make a left turn on a highway that would eventually put us in Canada (as opposed to Illinois were we were headed), but we’re beginning to know when to ignore the GPS and follow the maps and our instincts. 

Food related museums have provided some of our most enjoyable moments on this trip, and the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin was no exception.  As tends to be true of life in general, the intellectual aspects of the visit were secondary to the social and gustatory ones.
The museum was enlightening, fascinating and ultimately tasty.  We viewed a couple of films describing how mustard is made, ogled what had to be thousands of jars of different mustard and studied hundreds of examples of advertisements.

Gloria, Barry & Patti in front of a small portion of the collection of mustard.
We had the great pleasure of bumping into the curators Barry and Patti Levenson and had a pleasant time discussing the history of the place, and the extensive collection of mustard on display.  Our conversation was interrupted by a call from a couple who wants to be married in the museum, apparently not an uncommon request.  Check out the museum website mustardmuseum.com for the details. 

Upstairs is a mustard tasting and purchasing gift shop with dozens of exotic mustard available for the tasting, on either pretzel sticks (free) or hot dogs (modest cost). Gloria caught me sampling horseradish mustard on a hot dog.  The mustard was the only item allowed on my diet, and clearly the tastiest. We now have several jars to add to our collection of cheese and Spam. If you ever have a reason to be in Wisconsin near Madison, this is worth stopping in.
We decided not to backtrack to see Sissy the Cow at yet another cheese factory. As it is we have a little picnic cooler with us and start every day tracking down ice to cool the cheese we already have.  It may be time to eat some! 

Instead we kept moving south avoiding the highways (it would have been I 39 if we cared to  blast through.) Instead we followed Rt 14, 26 & 52 south through Illinois until we reached Peru, our destination for the day.  We noticed that this is not the west anymore.  There are people everywhere, and stores and bathrooms and traffic and , well, civilization!  That said some of the towns were so small that you could literally miss all of the town center driving at 25 mph if you sneezed.  The pretty (I think) little of town of Story Creek was so small that we are considering writing to them and suggest that they rename it Short Story.
At points the drive to Peru was through corn fields so flat and vast that they seemed to stretch to the horizon in every direction.  At other points the countryside is very hilly.  At one fairly deserted point we encountered a detour that sent us down narrow farm roads that stretched arrow straight into the unknown.  At several points the GPS said go left and the detour signs said go right, and we went straight (a mistake).  It ultimately worked out when we decided to trust the locals and follow their signs.
The Hampton Inn at Peru is very nice. We needed to rebook because of our delay in Onalaska, so the simple room we wanted was unavailable.  Instead we got a king suite with tons of room, places for both our computers, and a wet bar (basically useless since we rarely drink in our room).  Supper tonight was at a Red Lobster adjacent to the hotel-not much of an adventure.
Speaking of adventures, tomorrow we head due east.  Geographically Peru is just south of Chicago so we are poised to head across the eastern half of Illinois and push on to Fremont Indiana, a distance of about 235 miles.  The challenge will be finding a route that keeps us south of Chicago, off the highways, and provides a few attractions along the way.
Here is a quick shout of thanks to Carolyn who has been faithfully commenting for most of our trip.  Thanks to Buffalo Bob who not only follows daily and comments occasionally, but who has joined our son Andrew’s staff.  Likewise thanks to Jim for the quick wheelchair repair for Andrew. Good luck to Kristi who is on her way to Florida today. To Aunt Edie M. in San Antonio, it is nice to have you aboard. We are nearing 1,000 page views, so keep checking in.
I know from the stats that lots of family and friends are viewing regularly and it is nice to have you along.