OUR TRAVELS

On our way back from Wisconsin, we stopped to see family in Illinois (Hey, Pam and Wanda) and Kentucky (Hey Deb) before heading to Tennessee.  We did make a stop at the Niagara of the South - also known as Cumberland Falls in southern Kentucky. Stayed in Knoxville, TN for a couple of days.  Did you know that the 1982 World's Fair was held there?  Here are photos of the Sunsphere and the largest Rubik's cube in the world - at least until 1982! We stayed in a cabin outside Pigeon Forge, TN for a week.  Don had fun shooting pool when we were not out sightseeing. We went to Dollywood two days in a row.  The nice thing about being a senior is they offered a good discount for a two day pass.  :-)  We could only handle a couple of roller coasters (well, Donna could only do one) but the entertainment and decorations were good. Moved down the road a whoppin' seven miles and stayed in Gatlinburg for a week.  The downtown Gatlinburg area on the weekend was a total zoo with people and

We enjoy partaking in the local foods at the places we stay. These photos pay tribute to the terrific restaurants we visited in Wisconsin. Draft beer at Red Eye Brewery With pizza and salad Burgers and fries at Old Milwaukee Burger Company Cedar Crest ice-cream and sorbet at The Windmill in Tomahawk, WI known for huge scoops.  Yes, folks this is just one scoop in a waffle cone for $4.50! Angelo's Pizza that we ate at the concert in the town square in Wausau, WI Salad at Chipotle in Green Bay, WI Pancake Breakfast at the Hot Air Balloon Festival Hands down, the best Chicago Style Pizza outside of Chicago - Ropa's in Wausau, WI More ice-cream from The Windmill Chicken tenders with carrots and broccoli at Cheddar's in Appleton, WI A soft serve mixer (similar to a McFlurry or Culver's Concrete Mixer) at Diane's Soft Serve in Birnamwood, WI A huge eclair and cheesecake and apple filling stuffed croissant at Polka Dotted Pie in Merrill, WI And, really, we did eat a lot of

Ding, ding, ding......for the third time ------Wausau, WI!!!  We love it there with all of the summer activities.  We've done some of the same things as in previous years and actually found new things to do. Whitewater Park - freestyle kayaking and canoeing.  This year the Midwest and National Championships were held here. The Ironbull Solstice race up Rib Mountain - we entered the non-competitive division - (thank goodness)!  The trail is billed as the steepest mile in the Midwest (for what that's worth) - 700 feet elevation gain in a mile with inclines at times of over 20%.  The kicker for Donna (with a fear of heights) was having to climb the observation tower at the top in order to collect our medal.  Donna has since climbed the tower four more times! Hiked up the mountain's regular trails at least three or four times per week.  Enjoyed the views and the mushroom sightings.  Don likes to throw rocks in the little pond at the quarry. The July 4th parade in Tomahawk, WI A