2026 Michigan Trip, Day 3 - Sparta to Ironwood

 Day 3, Sunday 13 September 2026 - Sparta to Ironwood

Sleep, Blessed sleep! Slept 9 hours in that comfortable Best Western, had waffles for breakfast, and hitting WI-27 at 0815. Sky is cloudy with occasional sprinkles and temperature is 59. Terrain is low wooded hills. I pass Cataract, Re-Pete’s Bar, then Black River Falls. The falls are dammed; the Ho-Chunk (aka Winnebago) rez is near by.

WI-27 takes me through several long stretches of forested land; I see my first paper birch about 5 miles north of the Falls. Next up the road is Merrillan, pop. 562. One of its older buildings houses the Depot Hotel & Saloon. A bit farther up I pass a sign for Doc’s Bunkhouse, an RV resort. A deer ‘playhouse’ stand has a chimney. I realize that I’m on US-12 as well as WI-27, that runs but the speed limit is still 55. Just past Humbird, three Amish buggies cross the highway at rapid trot.

I say “farewell” to US-12 at Augusta, home of the Buggy Wheel Apartments. At Cadott I see a sign that reads, “Horses 4 Sale – Singlefooted.” Cadott reminds you that it is on the 45^th Parallel, half-way between the Equator & North Pole. Cornell, pop. 1500, hosts Been Doin’ It Construction Mootridge Brew Pub; the temperature has dropped to 55.

Heading on north toward Ladysmith, I pass Vic’s Vision Rustic Metal Art; his large metal critters are rusty as well as rustic. A round barn house graces a woodland intersection a bit along the road. US-8 crosses WI-27 at Ladysmith, a busy town of 3,000. A hardware store uses a full-size billboard to proclaim itself HQ for deer hunters. Wisconsin’s deer-hunter culture looks to me to be more pronounced than is Missouri’s; even the dummy sitting in a landlocked canoe with his dog is orange-clad.

Hills here are farther apart, with apparent wetlands in the intervening valleys; I look for signs of beavers at work but see none. There’s a sign for Exeland, an ideal location for romantic cast-asides?

I say “farewell” to WI-27 at Ojibwa after 140 miles. WI-70 takes me to Loretta, where I begin a 40 mile run on lightly-traveled Count Road GG. I keep watching for wildlife but see only a lone jake. 10 miles in I pass well-named Rustic Road; 6 miles more & I pass through a stretch adopted by Deerslayers Hunting Cabin. And a hen turkey with half-grown poults:

 

I’m seeing a touch of fall color in the woods as I move into a hillier area. I pick up WI-77 at Bad River town Mellen, center of some serious forest-based industry. A new set of high-current power lines is going in next to the road; they’ve cleared a lot of right-away but saved the logs for use. I’m entering the Iron Belt Heritage Area. Montreal, base on the architectural style of so many identical homes, must have been a company town.

I reach Hurley (WI) and cross the Montreal River into Ironwood (MI). It’s only 1 P.M.; my room at the Quality Inn won’t be ready. What’s to do? A waterfall-hinting trip down to Black River Harbor!

To find the waterfalls, I must pass ski areas. First is Big Powderhorn; next is Copper Peak, a specialist in that peculiar Nordic discipline of ski jumping – this is the top of one the jump towers.

 

I eagerly pull off at the sign for Potawatomie and Gorge Falls. The walk to the 1^st overlook is short, with a few stairs to navigate. Access to the remaining falls is closed, so I settled for a few shots of Potawatomie.

 

The road ends at a USFS fee day-use area. I paid no fee because that senior Pass I bought 20 years ago at Ft. Larned, price $10, is still good. A CCC-made suspension bridge crosses the river just above its mouth.

 

 The harbor has a breakwater that provides calm waters for boaters and beachgoers

 

The harbor is protected from Lake Superior’s fury, but trees in the picnic area are not. Quite a few trees received significant damage fairly recently – and November’s not here yet!

 Finally made it back to my motel, unloaded, then drove back to Wisconsin to save about 20 cents/gallon. The family restaurant I’d spotted earlier doesn’t serve supper, so I settled for a BK chicken sandwich. Meh.

Tomorrow: Depending on weather, visit another set of falls, visit a mountain lake overlook, and end up near Calumet.

For the day 273.1 miles, for the trip 817.9.

2026 Michigan Trip, Day 2, 12 September - Chariton to Sparta

 Day 2, Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Chariton to Sparta

Let me start by telling you about my room last night: no bath mat, no drinking glass, no clock, couldn’t get hot water and the bed was far from comfortable. I guess that’s what I get for $60. I ended up leaving by 0530, driving in the dark. Fortunately, the road is pretty much empty of traffic & critters,

Finally, the dawn starts breaking as I cross a long bridge over the Des Moines River; obviously, there’s a dam somewhere downstream. IA-14 takes me through some small towns and a lot of farmland. Monroe has an octogon-shaped house. Lovel features homes built partly of round grain bins. Marshalltown’s claims to fame are big railroad yards and $4.20 gas.

I turn east on IA-96 right into a blindingly bright orange ball, my reward for such an early departure. Gladbrook calls itself the “Heart of Corn Country” and has a festival to prove it. The corn planted here has shorter stalks than we’re used to seeing – different conditions require different varietals. Some soybean crops are ready for harvest!

Traer is home to the Pied Piper Preschool – do I detect a veiled threat to parents who fail to pay? East of town on IA-8 a farmer doubling in folk art has welded old equipment parts into a dinosaur. IA-8 becomes US-218, bringing me to Vinton, “City of Lights.” I cross the Cedar River here; I miss the name of the river at Independence. Independence hosts the Wapsec Valley Creamery (est. 1906) and museum complex centered on an old red brick depot.

I’m now heading north on IA-150 toward Oelwine, hoping to find a cafe for the breakfast I missed. No luck there, or at Strawberry Point. I turn north on IA-13, the Iowa Bluffs Scenic Byway (the terrain is definitely changing). A bit up the road I stop at Clayton County’s Osborne Conservation Center’s Welcome Center. The little park is laid out like a small 19^th Century village, complete with tour guide 

The main building provides two needs – comfort facilities and directions to Johnson’s Restaurant in Elkader. A 3-egg omelet fills my internal void and none too soon.

I’m now on US-18, crossing Bloody Run Creek to Marquette on the Mississippi River. IA-76 takes me to Effigy Mounds National Monument, a place Sandra & I visited on 1972. I can see some of the bear- shaped mounds by taking this 2 mile trail. The problem is, the mounds (and some river views) are about 500 feet higher than the Visitor Center and the trail is steep, even with switchbacks. Yes, I did it – and survived without requiring outside assistance or EMS. Pictures are proof:

Two hours after staring my little hike, I’m back on the road passing riverside homes and campgrounds at places like Harpers Ferry. The bridge to Wisconsin at Lansing is getting a new deck, but there’s a ferry if one cares to wait. I didn’t. IA-26 becomes MN-26 at New Albin. I pick up I-90 at La Crescent (Apple Capitol of Minnesota – yes, they have a festival), cross the river to La Crosse and on east. I-90 is the Ho-Chunk WW-II Code Talkers Memorial Highway. It brings me to Sparta, arriving at 1545. I’m staying at a Best Western that’s well east of town. The truck stop around the corner includes a Mexican restaurant with copious platefuls of rather tasteless food. Now I’m in my room, one that has all the amenities missed yesterday.

Tomorrow: Ironwood, MI, mostly via WI-27.

For the day: 333.7 miles, for the trip 544.7

2026 Michigan Trip, Day 1 - Warrensburg to Chariton

 

Day 1, Friday, September 11 - Warrensburg to Chariton, Iowa

Off on my latest adventure, a trip to Michigan’s U.P. Did I get off to an early start? No, by design. I took my time, made sure I forgot nothing (yeah, right), and pulled out at 1000 sharp. My plans have already been modified – instead of taking Y to MO-23 to catch US-65 at Waverly, I took MO-13 to Higginsville because MO-23 was getting a chip-and-seal job. MO-13 north of Warrensburg needs one.

Higginsville Junction is busy these days; Casey’s there wanted $3.99 for gas & $6 for diesel, quite a bit higher than a few miles up the road in town. That’s the road where I saw a rusty antique pick-up truck bearing the painted word “Honey” – I wonder if that’s the truck’s pet name or just an ad for the product. Higginsville has a Farm Festival coming up, and every corner had a cut-out farmer sign or a dummy farmer. An old grocery store boasts signs for a number of bygone (or not) emporia. The current local grocery is Moose’s Market.

I leave Higginsville on MO-20. It’s basically a straight, modern road through rolling loess hills where the corn harvest is underway. This takes me to MO-23, which I follow on to US-24 and finally US-65 at Waverly. Waverly, home of the Apple Jubilee, sits on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River, which appears to be running a tad high. North of the river, I’m in bottomland, bottomland that was totally under water in the ‘93 flood. Carrollton has a couple of murals and a statue of Union Gen. James Shields. Downtown is rather tired, but the newer area a bit north seems to be doing well. Gas was as low as $3.79.

 

North on 65 I see unmistakable signs of a local Amish population – ‘road apples’ and a peculiar wear pattern on the paved shoulder. The center of this track is more worn than the outside; shod hooves apply more pressure than do wagon wheels.

US-65 is a pretty road that I’d last traveled in 2016 en route to a campaign appearance in Chillicothe. Chillicothe is north of the Grand River and is noted for its murals; it also seems to really have its act together for a town half Warrensburg’s size. The farms I pass appear to be prosperous. North of town I meet a convoy of wind farm blades; they appear to be heading for an old blades home.

 I hit Grundy County seat Trenton about 1230 and stop for lunch at El Nopal. The chicken quesadilla was very good, the rice & beans average. One of the waiters had once worked at Cancun in Warrensburg.

Spickard is the next town in line. Coon’s Manufacturing there makes enclosed deer stands. I pass the Mercer County Horse Stables – sure enough, someone is out there riding. Across the highway an arena has a target for roping practice; I bet it’s ‘head on wheels.’ Calamity Jane roadside park is near Princeton, just south of Flagstaff Road. The terrain has become rather hilly with native Indian grass growing along the right-of-way.

Lineville, as one might guess, sits right on the MO/IA state line. The terrain and use seems to change every few miles. I say farewell to US-65 and turn east on IA-2 to Corydon. It sports a Union soldier memorial on the courthouse lawn; most Iowa county seats do the same. It’s the seat for Wayne County and has a Wayne theater; I take a picture.

I turn north on IA-14 here and drive the 18 miles to Chariton, which, as you might guess, is close to the Chariton River – the same one that flows through northern Missouri. I’m staying in a small room a bit out of town at the Country Cabins Motel. It’s clean, has a double bed & 2 double bunk beds; it also has cabins & its own lake. A not-so-quick trip back to town to explore & find a cafe. I find no cafe but eventually find the local HyVee market and pick up some cheese cubes to replace the ones still resting in my fridge at home.

Tomorrow takes me to Effigy Mounds National Monument & eventually to Sparta, WI for the night.

For the day: 210.9 miles; for the trip, the same.

2026 Michigan Trip Starts September 11th

 Getting Ready

I’m leaving Friday, Sep 11, for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – specifically the Copper Country, or Keweenaw Peninsula. I spent most of my summers up there during the 1950s, at a Portage Lake cottage owned by my grandfather. I will visit familiar places, relive old memories, and donate some items to the Houghton County Historical Society.

That’s not all! I’ll visit scenic areas, such as Effigy Mounds National Monument in NE Iowa, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Tahquamenon Falls SP, Whitefish Point shipwreck museum, the Soo Locks, and various spots along the shores of Lakes Superior & Michigan. As usual, I’ll post my routes and observations, along with pictures, daily (if time and wifi allow). Here’s a teaser picture from our 2019 trip

 

The Wrap Up

 The Wrap Up

 I had two goals for the trip – genealogical research and reliving High School memories. I accomplished enough of each to make the trip worthwhile. I learned quite a bit about where various family connections lived, visited graves of some I knew & some I didn’t, and discovered the name of one of the 2 sons my great-grandparents lost as babies. I saw my old haunts around Lake Charles, and visited with my HS BFF. I did get some good pictures on my side-trip to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The low point was food. I couldn’t find any Cajun food (gumbo, etc.) that didn’t include sausage – which I need to avoid because of testing positive for alpha-gal. I tried Popeye’s chicken and discovered it’s fried in beef suet and ended up with the trots. Mexican chicken dishes are generally safe, but the places where I dined weren’t very good. I doubt if I would voluntarily return to most of them.

 

I stayed at three Holiday Inn Express hotels, one Comfort Inn and one Quality Inn. All were acceptable; the best was the HIE in Opelousas. The HIE in Lake Charles and the Comfort Inn in Idabel were undergoing renovations. The HIE I canceled in Tahlequah looked relatively new and modern.

 

Lodging costs for 6 nights at HIEs was 119,000 points, the equivalent of a bit under $100 per night. The other two nights cost about $120 each. Food cost about $125 and gas under $150 (a bit under 8 cents/mile). Boarding 1 cat cost almost as much as food & gas combined. I also wrote a $200 check to help support my high school’s memorial.

 

Ratings:

• Best Roads: Louisiana, surprisingly enough. Every major road was 4-lane, and most of the others were straight.
• Worst Roads: Mountain sections in Oklahoma & Arkansas, although the ones in OK were scenic.
• Best food: No awards given
• Worst food: Have you ever had diced chicken cubes in a Mexican dish?
• Best scenery mountains: Oklahoma
• Best scenery water: Rutherford Beach, Cameron Parish, LA

Miles by State:

• Louisiana: 838.8

• Missouri: 370.3

• Arkansas: 335.9

• Oklahoma: 247.4

• Texas: 78.9

 

Lake Charles Trip, Day 9, Tuesday, June 30, 2026 – Idabel to Warrensburg

 Lake Charles Trip, Day 9, Tuesday, June 30, 2026 – Idabel to Warrensburg

Oops! What happened to Tahlequah? Here’s the story…

 

After a motel breakfast I hit the road at 0700. US-259 runs with US-70, a road that shows up in other trip reports, for a bit. The road crosses a couple of bridges named for Choctaw code talkers in WW I., passes a big Tyson plant and several Choctaw casinos and Broken Bow (Choctaw gas, $3.19). Smith’s Good Eats is a roadside cafe, and a sign a bit further on advertises Grateful Head Pizza Ovens. Hochatown is near a lake, so is busy with all the usual stores, etc. It’s home to Gutter Chaos – apparently a roof gutter company. 

 

I’m getting into some real mountains. The Bethel Cutoff takes me to Indian Road 144 and deep into the Blue Ouachitas and Kiamichis. Weyerhauser appears to have a large presence here, as pine plantations cover hill sides, some of which appear fire-scarred. I come to a crossroads – all options are labeled as Rt. 144, and there are no helpful signs. I pull out a map that doesn’t show the road I’m on. A pick-up truck pulls in behind me and I wave them to pass. It stops next to me, and a redneck leans out the window and solves my problem – Talihina is straight ahead, about 30 more miles of mountains.

 

 144 ends at US-271 8 mi. south of Talihina. This is flat land, but not for long. Out of Talihina on OK-82, I’m back into mountains: the winding road over the Winding Stairs, then a modern one over the Sans Bois. Somewhere in between at Red Oak, I see the Totally Hitched Trailer Park. A quick jog west on OK-31 to Kinta., then OK-2 north past Whitefield over the Canadian River. I’ve crossed the Canadian in New Mexico & Texas, as well – it flows into the Arkansas. 

 

I pass a mail box mounted on aircraft landing gear. Poorum was a hangout for the infamous Belle Starr. Her birthday was February 3^rd, same as Sandra’s. There’s a sign for Rickety Ridge Taxidermy. This area is prairie country. At Warrner, I turn east onto US-64 to Weber’s Falls and Gore, then north on OK-10 to OK 10-A. This takes me to Indian Road, which wanders by the side of Tenkiller Lake. I pass the Burnt Cabin Campground., and finally reach Tahlequah at 1130 AM.

 

First stop in Tahlequah is the Cherokee Heritage Center & Museum, supposedly open Tuesday-Sunday. Uh, no. They’re closed for renovations. So, it’s not even noon, I have a non-cancellable reservation at the HIE and nothing to do here except maybe investigate a casino or two. I buy gas for $3.07, decide to eat the loss on the room, and head home – it’s only another 250 miles or so.

 

US-62 north/east is another winding, hilly road with no place to pass, but it takes me to US-59, a nice, modern road, to Siloam Springs. I decide to skip the stop at the John Brown University library to see pictures of my dad & mom from their time there as instructor & student, respectively. From there, I take AR-43 north to AR-72, thence through Gravette past the Ruff Inn pet boarding, and on to I-49.

 

I-49 is fast; I set my cruise control at 75 and head north. Only one tid-bit recorded: the dueling silo trees on opposite sides of I-49 just south of Nevada. I get off onto MO-52 east (limit 60 in Bates & St. Clair, 55 in Henry) and have pretty clear sailing on MO-13. I arrive at home at 1700, unpack, then run to town for supper and groceries, set up computer, take care of trip accounting, and crash!.

 For the day: 468.0 miles, for the trip 1874.

Lake Charles Trip, Day 8, Monday, June 29, 2026 – Lake Charles to Idabel

 Lake Charles Trip, Day 8, Monday, June 29, 2026 – Lake Charles to Idabel

I woke up early. Too early for breakfast, too late to get back to sleep. So I load the car, miss the hotel breakfast and hit the road (US-171) at 0602. I pass Moss Bluff, Gillis and other country towns, and arrive at DeRidder. Boy, that place has grown! It’s a cross roads town for hiway and rail, and it has a RR museum. I found one of those ice making machines and topped off the ice chest. I noted that almost all Mexican eateries around here call themselves “Mexican Grills” – is that just a SW Louisiana thing?

 

I’m on a nice divided hiway, here the “Myths and Legends Scenic Byway.” The yellowish dirt tint I noted yesterday is giving way to a reddish tint in those few places not covered by grass or trees. Leesville is the home of Ft. Polk, originally named for the Episcopalian Bishop of Louisiana, Lt. General Leonidas Polk,CSA, renamed something politically correct, then re-renamed for someone named Polk. A bit north, I pass the Louisiana Lions Camp, complete with a lion statue by the gate. Anacoco shows off its patriotism by lining the hiway median with decent-sized American flags.

 

I’m just north of Hornbeck when I encounter a scarce terrain for the state: hills! They’re just gently rolling hills, but down here you take what you get. Florien is a pretty town with an unusually low speed limit. Many (pronounced ‘man e’) features quite a few murals. Zwolle claims to be the gateway to Toledo Bend (reservoir). At Converse someone is selling ‘yard eggs.’

 

At Mansfield, I drive past a B-47 mural, tun off on LA-509, follow it to I-49 leading to Shreveport. I stop there and have a nice visit with a true Southern lady I had met through B&B contact. 

 

After a short visit I follow her directions, buy gas for $3.11/gal, and whiz right through Shreveport. My brunch is eggs & grits at a Waffle House; then I head out on LA-1 toward Texas. LA-1 crosses a bit of Caddo Lake, a large natural lake that reaches both sides of the LA/TX line. A bit further on on the Boom & Bust Byway I reach Oil City, home of the Gusher Days festival. Next is Vivien, with a couple of well pumps working away in a park next to the hiway; it has some nice murals. 

 

I cross into Texas 7 hours into the travel day; the speed limit immediately goes from 55 to 60, then later to 65, then 70 and 75 – all on 2-lane roads! There’s the Cross Creek Cowboy Church, with its own roping arena. My TX-77 crosses US-59 at Atlanta, TX; and US-67 at Naples. 

 

I’m now on US-259. It runs for a while on a long, high causeway over an unnamed river.; a short while later it crosses the Sulphur River. I run into repeated area of construction north of I-30. I finally cross into Oklahoma and pass the Bigfoot General Store: A Legendary Stop. I get to Idabel about 1500 and find the the Red River Museum is closed on Monday. I check into my Comfort Inn, havs supper at a Mexican place (the Italian place next door is closed on Mondays), and settle in for the night in a room with a view of that dish. 

 

For the day: 329.6 miles; for the trip 1405.9.

Tomorrow: Tahlequah via about a dozen less-traveled roads