Vacationing Safely During the Pandemic

We took two trips for vacations during the pandemic in the summer of 2020.  We were safety conscious.  One was to a cabin in Duluth.  The other was at a Minnesota campground in an ad-hock van conversion.

  

Ah, the City of Duluth, Minnesota in the background with the many houses along the slope.  

Racine Wisconsin Hometown Visit

 In June 2019, we spent a couple of days in Racine visiting with family.  We had pleasant weather and great food.  

Windpoint Lighthouse in north Racine.  Apparently one of the oldest and tallest lighthouses on the Great Lakes.  This one is on Lake Michigan.

Supper at Salute Italian Restaruant in downtown Racine.  The owner served in the Army during the Vietnam War so make sure you look over the history information on the wall near the bar.

No trip to Racine would be complete without stocking up on some Danish kringle.  An oval buttery pastry with fruits or nuts.  The three main options in town include Larsen's Bakery, Bendston's Bakery, and O&H Bakery.

We were lucky to be in town on Friday night so we could have a Wisconsin traditional fish fry.  There is a place in Racine, Mario's Sports Bar, that still serves lake perch for the fish.  

I also have to mention that my father-in-law once took us to a place
in the southern Milwaukee area known as Sunrise Restaurant
(2418 10th Avenue, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin) for a Friday fish fry.  He and his wife would go here back in the day.  It was old school and perhaps a bit sketchy, but with all of the fixin's plus an accompanying glass of beer with the meal order.
I think that this restaurant is now closed.

We often ate at DeRango's Pizza Palace with family when we would visit Racine.  Old school, friendly, and always accomodating for the large family.

It is part of the daily routine to stay caffeinated too.  Our two common stops included Wilson's Coffee & Tea and Mocha Lisa Coffeehouse.  They are on opposites ends of town so one of them is nearby when needed.

Below is a photograph of the sign for Wilson's Fish Market.  It appears that they also served burgers and the like.  The place was all boarded up, but looked like a fun stop back in the day.  I wonder if it is the same Wilson's as the coffee shop mentioned above.

We stopped in Kenosha, Wisconsin on the way home.  Kenosha is a city that is just south of the City of Racine.  There is a great museum along Lake Michigan that includes educational panoramas and artifacts from the Paleo culture in North America.  There are also bones and a full skeleton of a mammoth from the Ice Age period of the Pleistocene Epoch.  The Pleistocene Epoch ended some 10,000 years ago.  Mammoths, mastodons, and elephants all sort of look similar.  Mammoths were grazers versus mastodon were browsers with more of the life history spent in more forested habitats.

About 15 minutes west of Racine is the town of Franksville, Wisconsin.  The Martin E. Klema Feed Mill is one of the oldest feed mills in the area and it is still open.  There is a lot of history on the Mill and for the town of Franksville.  The area is also known for growing cabbage and making sauerkraut.      

Happy Trails,

...Mike & Melody

KC a few times over

In March 2019, we visited our daughter in Kansas City, Missouri again.  We toured, laughed, snacked, drank, and we ate well.  Here are a few of our stops.

We stayed in the Crossroads Hotel.  Its a restored old building that was formerly the Pabst and Pendergast buildings.  Click on the photograph above for more on the history and restoration of this building. 

Check out the candlelabra at the hotel. 
We once did this melted wax thing once with an old Chianti wine bottle.

 

Here is the salon part of the hotel.  We had breakfast at the original hotel restaruant that was very tasty especially the selection of sauages and bacon.  Someone knows how to handle breakfast meats.

Everyone has dogs in KC including us.  Here is our brown Carolina dog, Ellie, and our son's collie, Blair.  

Had supper at Mission Taco.  A must stop, busy vibe, good food, and Tiki drinks among other elixers.  I got the fish tacos with a Zombie.  Yea.

Did I mention, that we soaked down a beer next door while we waited for our table at Mission Taco.  Check out International Tap House for a great variety.

Here is our suggestion - after supper get in line at Betty's Rae Icecream (homemade).

The next morning go to Messenger Coffee Company for your morning joe and pastry.  Did I mention that they use locally sourced milled wheat? 

Hey, the above was just for our morning coffee.  Go to PT's Coffee for afternoon latte, please.  I like their dark roasts.

Okay, that we are all energized with some caffine, visit the local art museum (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art).  A lot to see so choose your exhibits wisely.  

Now its time to get down to business.  Before another supper in town, take in a round of Tiki drinks.  Reservations needed to get into the controled entrance using the establishment's rules of entry.  Go TikiCat!  Fun and legit vibe.

Taking it to the people.  I'm not sure what is all going on here with this beautifully decorated truck.  It looks like some garden watering gear too.

We did not get a chance to take in this brewery, but it looks pretty cool from the outside.  Strange Days Brewing Company, we'll be back.

Stocked up on rice noodles and dried seaweeds from this very complete Little Saigon super market.

I shot this photograph from a moving car as we rounded the corner in downtown KC.  I admired the grandpa and child by the front window enjoying some quality time together.  Got to check out City Diner too.

More good Mexican food at Drunken Worm.  They have a great collection of Tequila and old style atmosphere in the inside.  

Happy Trails,

...Mike & Melody