Day 30 | Hudson, WI to Manitowac, WI

This is a longish travel day as we cross WI to Manitowac for the ferry across Lake Michigan to Ludington, MI. Hard to believe it is October 1st already. We were up and out of the campsite by 8:30 but, for the first time on this entire trip, there was a lineup for ‘dump and fill’.

Our drive today takes us around Eau Claire, Wausau, and Green Bay on hwy 29 so not much interstate travel. Wisconsin is exactly as expected – beautiful farmland with iconic red barns and silos, softly rolling hills, and trees. The fall colors are beautiful.

Wisconsin’s County roads are lettered not numbered .. and each county had its own jurisdiction for naming them. The system is more than 100 years old and keeps them differentiated from highways, the first state to do so.

Two Rivers, WI

Our campsite is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan just north of Manitowoc, WI. It’s claim to fame is the birthplace of the icecream sundae

There is some debate between Ithaca, New York and Two Rivers over which city has the right to claim the title “birthplace of the ice cream sundae.” When Ithaca mayor Carolyn K. Peterson proclaimed a day to celebrate her city as the birthplace of the sundae, she received postcards from Two Rivers’ citizens reiterating that town’s claim. Ithaca retaliated with an ad called “Got Proof?” in the Two Rivers newspaper.

Two Rivers’ claim is based on the story of George Hallauer asking Edward C. Berners, the owner of Berners’ Soda Fountain, to drizzle chocolate syrup over ice cream in 1881. Berners eventually did and wound up selling the treat for a nickel, originally only on Sundays, but later every day. According to this story, the spelling changed when a glass salesman ordered canoe-shaped dishes. When Berners died in 1939, the Chicago Tribune headlined his obituary “Man Who Made First Ice Cream Sundae Is Dead.”

And conveniently, just down the street, was the Two Rivers quilt shop. This time I purchased some cork panels, difficult to come by right now according to the owner, half a yard of fabric with all the U.S. states, and 2 holiday charm bundles, Christmas and Halloween. The should be it. I am running out of space to put things…. until we get to Ontario that is… and shopping with my daughters. Fingers crossed 🤞.

It is lovely to be on a large lake again. I grew up on one of the great lakes and lived along its shores for many years including the St. Lawrence River. I miss large bodies of fresh water. There is a lovely park with a walking / biking trail so hopefully we can go for a nice stroll tonight. Much cooler here because of the lake. Tomorrow we get to take the ferry across it.