2025 Jumbo Road Trip

When I first planned this trip out, I routed my return from Michigan to include the 3 northern states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. I wanted to check them off the dwindling list of these 50 states that I haven’t visited. That route took me across the northern portion of Wisconsin into those three states. Sitting around the House of Hugget, I pondered that list, and after adding those three, I would only lack 2 states, Iowa and Alaska.

Wait a minute, Iowa is right below Minnesota, so instead of leaving Wisconsin to go to St. Paul, MN, I aimed more south for Rochester, MN. This set up today’s trip so that I could duck into Iowa a short way before heading back north into South Dakota. It is just adding one more day to the trip, big deal, 60 or 61 days, what’s the difference?

Probably the worst thing that has happened on the trip so far was I was diddy-bopping along, zig-zagging my way through the farmland of southern Minnesota, when the road that Google Maps had me on suddenly became dirt. Wet, pothole-y, and mostly cinders. It slowed me to 35 MPH for the next 2-1/2 miles. At my next driving break at a gas station for a snack, the car was ugly and dirty. I hadn’t been washed since Aiken, but this, made it filthy. I should have taken a photo of it, because some of it was washed off during the afternoon drive in the rain.

Probably the coolest thing I’ve seen on the trip so far was during the 2nd half of today’s drive, which was all rain and very low clouds, real low. About 50 miles from Watertown, I was driving along when I noticed a big white pole near the road. As I watched it, all of a sudden a giant blade came rotating by. A second or two later came the next blade. I wish I’d stopped and filmed it. Eerie.

Because I did get into Iowa, I went ahead and found a Roadside America photo to take while there. This one is a statue of a Norwegian immigrant family looking off onto the vast prairie in front of them, called Promise of America Monument. Back into southern Minnesota, and who should I find but a Jolly Green Giant. Ho, ho, ho.

I started my Wisconsin day by dining on the usual low-rent hotel spread from Best Western. But afterwards I went back over the bridge into Michigan to get a coffee at a Dunkin I noticed yesterday afternoon. First stop of the day was in Titletown, AKA Green Bay, to take the first Roadside America photo of the day, the World’s Largest Hex Nut. RA says it’s 10 feet tall, but the plaque in front of it says it’s 12-feet tall, should have brought a tape measure. While watching football on Sundays, I’d always heard that Green Bay was the smallest city to have an NFL team. And having now driven through it and seen the population figure on the town’s size, I definitely understand now.

After leaving Green Bay and turning west, for the first time it felt like the adventure was actually winding down. No more people to visit, and it is just 1 week until I’m home. But the weird will keep on coming. RA photo #2 was of the Lickety Licious Fiberglass Cone outside a place that has everything a summer day needs, donuts, ice cream, a soda fountain, and a miniature golf course. I got my scoop of ice cream in a cup and sat in a chair outside while watching traffic go by on Wisconsin 22 just outside Wild Rose, WI.

This last Roadside America photo was kind of sad looking item called Giant Mouse with Cheese, if he had cheese, he’s eaten it or it’s been stolen, but I planned my route this way, so why not? One good thing came about this way here, the 10-year-old me got a kick out of my spoken directions. In Wisconsin, the county roads are letters, so being told in an Australian accent to continue on County Road PP just made me smile.

 
Today’s drive from Traverse City, MI, to Marinette, WI, was a little over 300 miles, and about 90% of it was within sighting distance of Lake Michigan. It was quite a pleasant drive with little traffic amid a few small sections of road construction. I took maybe 5-1/2 hours from end to end and it included 4 nature breaks, snack stops, and leg stretches with a little longer break to a enjoy a quiet, contemplative few minutes watching the random 3″ surf roll in and take the photos above.

The warm-up Roadside America photo is of the Paul Bunyan Statue in Manistique, MI, which claims to be the “Home of Paul Bunyan,” but they are only one of several cities to claim that distinction. I know I have a picture of a similar statue at home in an album of the one in Bangor, ME.

The main Roadside America photo is of a Naughty Cow Statue in Daggett, MI, that emulates a pose that can be found on Bourbon St. and many other streets during Mardi Gras in New Orleans or at any large gatherings of Harley Davidison mototrcycles in response to the cry of, “Show us your teats!”

The title of this Calvin and Hobbes collection almost perfectly represents Keith’s and my morning and early afternoon. We started at the kitchen table and then later moved to the front porch, where we just chilled and discussed politics, philosophy, Navy life, and friends long since lost in the depths of our slowly ossifying synapses.

Today’s Roadside America photo is just down the street a bit from the House of Huggetts. When Keith gave me a motor tour of the city, our first stop was at The Dairy Lodge for a couple of shakes. While I was there, I snapped a photo of the Dairy Lodge Cone Girl. They also have free small stickers just for the asking, so I asked, and it has been added to the trunk lid of fun. The Cone Girl has blonde hair in the RA photo and in mine as well, but on the sticker the girl had dark hair, hmmm?

When we went out later in the evening to drive a bit north of Traverse City to Suttons Bay for dinner, we passed by The Dairy Lodge from the opposite direction, and what do you know, the cone girl on the other side had dark hair. We got Cheri to drive to dinner because we couldn’t fit three in the Miata or for that matter Keith in any way shape or form. After a mighty fine meal at Boone’s Prime Time Pub, we walked around the very quiet downtown. We made a little detour to the harbor and, weirdly enough, ended up at Dalzell Dairy for ice cream cone.

 
Our first stop on today’s journey was a Bavarian-themed town called Frankenmuth, where out front of Jellystone RV Campgrounds stands a statue of that lovable picnic basket-stealing bear, Yogi.

This was to be my only Roadside America stop for today, but as I rolled through the small town of Coleman I spotted an interesting Veterans Memorial. So I stopped. Turns out I had seen it on RA the other day, but didn’t realize it was right on my way to Traverse City. It is called Ghost Soldiers. There are sculptures of soldiers from every American war since World War I and the white ones represent the dead.

This afternoon and evening, Keith, his wife Cheri and I spent the time trying to remember what we remember of days of yore. On a personal note I am now in line to get my Radio Paradise Merit Badge because they are the 3rd group I’ve converted to listeners of RP’s Mellow Mix (and accompaniment slideshow).

 
My first stop this morning was a quick, 15 minute drive to today’s Roadside America photo spot, a Giant Cow Head just outside Oakfield, NY. Next stop, Canada, and I got to use my new passport for the first time.

Because I would have no cell service in that foreign country, I just went ahead and plotted a course from Niagara Falls, NY, to Port Huron, MI, on Canada’s equivalent of the US Interstates. And saying they’re equivalent is an insult to the Canadian provincial highways; their roads are far superior. I bet I only traveled a dozen kilometers that were rough; the other 300 were buttery smooth. The only trouble was that occasionally I had to do math. 100 KPH is 63 MPH, I knew, but what’s 80 KPH? 110 KPH?

I did have to buy some gas at their version of a Pilot or Flying J. For that math, I waited until I got to tonight’s hotel before I figured out my gas mileage. But I bought a snack and a cup of coffee at the Canadian Dunkin, Tim Hortons. And for the first half of drinking that cup of coffee, I thought, this tastes better than Dunkin. But then, as it cooled, it didn’t seem to taste as good. There is a Tim Hortons across the street from the HIE I’m in tonight, so in the morning I’m going to walk over and try another one.

 
Regular readers know of my obsession with post offices, so when this popped up in my search for a Roadside America photo to take today, I stopped looking.

The castle in Amsterdam didn’t offer breakfast, so I hunted up a local place and hit the jackpot. Cafe Europa. OJ, 2 pieces of French toast, 2 sausage links, and 1/2 order of home fries for $15, including tip. And it was delicious! Stopped at Dunkin on the way back and, SCORE!, I got a free donut too. Because it is National Donut Day it came in a neat little bag.

I started with the top down this morning but got maybe just 15 miles down the road before it started raining and the top went back up. There it stayed for the rest of the day. I did get a walk in around lunch in Geneva. The skies never dumped loads of rain, but it was just enough to preclude putting the top down. Anyway, it was still a pleasant two hundred-something mile drive through upstate New York. My only regret is that I didn’t realize how close I was to Cooperstown. A 20 mile detour would have made it an easy stop at the Baseball Hall of Fame to complement the basketball one of 4 days ago.