Progress on the Bye-Bye List

Yesterday was our ninth anniversary, so we decided to take a little road trip and knock a couple of items off our Bye-Bye List. We took an awesome hike in Wyalusing State Park, where the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers join. Started at the boat ramp and hiked up up up to Sentinel Ridge. The first 18 minutes of the 2 1/2 hour hike almost killed us, but after that it was good. I thought often of the 25 extra pounds that I would have been hauling up and down the hills, had we hiked in mid-March. Phew!

We stayed last night in Decorah, IA, in a Quality Inn. Our HUGE room had a HUGE whirlpool bath (big enough for four, Ean commented... but we don't play that way). I still think often about all the traveling I (and then we) have done with Floey - this place was great for dog-walking - very rural, with lots of green space.

Had never heard of Decorah, but what a cool little town. Lucky us: we ended up here only because of the available Quality Inn - we used Choice Privileges points, so it was a free night for us. Ate breakfast at the super-hip Magpie Cafe, right off the impressive Decorah "Main Street." Saving small-town downtowns is, I think, an exemplar of conservatism at its finest. Looks like Decorah has done a great job. We wish we could have stayed to walk around a bit more, but we were determined to catch an eleven o'clock boat ride from Prairie du Chien.

By the numbers: Two hours, 34 passengers plus a captain and first mate, nine bald eagles including two baby eagles (born in early April), three eagle nests, one beaver lodge, three turtles, and an assortment of other birds. It was a fun trip for us. We never pass up an opportunity to be on or near water. But I ended up with (two) sunburned thighs.

Now we're at another Quality Inn, in Reedsburg this time, and we're siesta-ing until our big dinner at Ishnala, the supper club of all supper clubs. We will stay here tonight and hopefully find another hike before we head home tomorrow afternoon.

So: Ishnala, check. Wyalusing, check. Decorah wasn't on our list but it should have been, so, check. Lake Geneva wasn't on our list either, but we made that trip a week ago: check. In another couple of weeks, we'll be doing Door County. Making progress in ALL DIRECTIONS.


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