Some road trips are just for fun while others are made with a purpose in mind. In mid-September(pre-covid) we headed out for a road trip from our home in North Carolina to Wisconsin. Our mission was to pick up my Mom, who was moving in with us. but, before we picked her up in Eau Claire, we decided to have a little vacation. Once she moved in, we would become caregivers and not be able to have a vacation for a while.
This road trip is a little over 1000 miles and takes about 17 hours if we drive straight to Eau Claire, WI. We always try to stop for the night about 8 hours down the road. We have a few options; stop in Cincinnati Ohio, Dayton Ohio, Louisville Kentucky or push it to Indianapolis Indiana(9 hours).
Day 1
The weather was great as we loaded our truck and hooked up the small trailer. It was early in the morning on a Tuesday, we had dropped off our dog, Poppie, at the kennel the night before.
Our plan was to get about halfway(8 hours) down the road. There was nothing special about our day, the first day is usually LONG and is ALL about getting down the road! We stopped for lunch at Bob Evans in Charleston, West Virginia, and then continued until we decided that was enough for one day. We stopped for the evening outside Louisville, Kentucky.
We tried to keep this first day inexpensive so we stayed at Sleep Inn. These hotels are usually clean, have good reviews, and are inexpensive. No time for a pool or fancy restaurant!
My husband and I really enjoy traveling, and a road trip always gives us time to talk, which is great! A lot of our problems are solved, and plans are made while heading down the highway.
If you have ever taken a road trip in the midwest, some of these states are long with only a few cities along the route. I spent some time looking at the clouds out my window while my husband was driving, These clouds were mesmerizing! They are really quite beautiful if you take the time to look at them!
Day 2
We left Kentucky and headed into Indiana. As I was taking in the sights, I saw something peculiar which made me do a double-take! A tree was growing on top of this clock tower in Greensburg, Indiana!
The history and mystery of the Tower Tree
Early in the 1807’s the people of Greensburg noticed what seemed to be a small sprig growing on the courthouse tower. It began to grow in height. It seems that it somehow had taken root in the crevices of the roof on the tower. Over the next few months, other sprouts started springing up at different places until five were counted, making a small grove. The courthouse officials became alarmed that the trees may cause permanent damage to the roof. They hired someone to ascend the building and remove some of the shrubs. Today two trees remain.
This photo was taken in the winter but during the spring and summer months, these trees put forth beautiful foliage. It has never been explained as to how the seeds of the first trees found their way to the roof. If you were wondering what kind of trees? They are Mulberry trees!
Continue Day 2
Day 2 was a lot more fun than Day 1, and we only had to drive 5 1/2 hours. We had a reservation at Starved Rock State Park near Oglesby, Illinois. We ALWAYS avoid Chicago traffic when traveling, so I found this place which is about 2 hours southwest of Chicago. We find it easier to travel through the center of Illinois when going to Wisconsin. It’s not necessarily the shortest route but it usually avoids a lot of traffic.
Starved Rock Lodge is near Utica, Illinois when you book your room you have the choice of the Lodge wing(built in the 1930s) and the Hotel wing, which is a little more modern. We stayed in the Hotel Wing. The Lodge was beautiful. It was a relaxing afternoon with a trolley ride through the park and surrounding towns, a dip in the pool and hot tub, a little shopping in the gift shop, and dinner in the main dining room.
Day 3
Day 3 was our shortest travel day, we only had to drive 4 hours to get to our main vacation destination in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, the Lighthouse Inn on Lake Michigan. The drive was a little more difficult than usual due to a lot of road work. It seemed that every state we entered, and every highway we drove on, had road work! We did not stop to look at attractions along this route, we were focused on getting to our destination. It was still early when we arrived. We were definitely blessed with good weather while we traveled!
We spent 4 wonderful nights at the Lighthouse Inn!
Day 4
Day 4 was the highlight of our trip. We had tickets for a tour of Historic Lambeau Field! My husband and I are huge Green Bay Packer fans! It’s one of the things that brought us together. Attending a game at Lambeau Field is very fun, and to see it behind the scenes was amazing! The tour took us to the top of the stadium and down on the field, we even ran out of the tunnel.
Day 5
Day 5 was Saturday, we decided to explore the nearby town of Two Rivers. We found a very nice small town with two rivers running through it. The town was having its annual Ethnic Festival.
Day 6
Day 6 was Sunday and we watched Football! There’s nothing better than watching the Green Bay Packers with “my people” in Wisconsin! Sunday was the only day that it rained. The views of Lake Michigan from our room were beautiful!
Day 7
This day we headed West across the state of Wisconsin to the city of Eau Claire, where my Mom lives. We arrived at her apartment at about 11:30. My brother, sister-in-law, and sister met us there to help load the trailer with Mom’s stuff. It didn’t take long to finish since everything was packed in Rubbermaid. We all went out to lunch, said our goodbyes, and headed down the road. The last stop within the state of Wisconsin was to my brother’s condo so Mom could say goodbye to him, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We got as far as we could down the road, but we were pretty tired, so we stopped for the night in Rockford, Illinois.
Day 8
We had two major driving days ahead! Today, we wanted to get at least 7 hours down the road, which would be halfway home. There is nothing much to say about this day, just driving down the road with my Mom in the back seat. She was very chatty, which helped to pass the time. We did find a great little restaurant in a small town in Indiana, “Benjamin’s”. Terry had a great Prime Rib sandwich!
We stopped for the night on the other side of Dayton, Ohio in the small town of Beavercreek and ordered Domino’s pizza for dinner.
Day 9
This is our last day of driving, we will arrive back in North Carolina today! This was a long day of driving. We started out in Ohio, then drove into West Virginia, next was Virginia, and finally North Carolina. WOOHOO! We wanted to make good time today, so we decided to have breakfast and lunch in the car. We did make pit stops every 1 1/2 hours but still got home by 4:00. This allowed us to pick up our Poppie at the kennel(which closes at 5:00).
Now the real adventure begins! We adjust to Mom moving in, to becoming caregivers, and to all the changes and adjustments that lie ahead. I think we are up to the challenge! with God’s help, of course! I will be sharing our struggles and triumphs in the days and months ahead!
In Conclusion…
Who doesn’t love a road trip! Even though our mission was to move my Mom from Wisconsin to North Carolina, we still managed to have some fun along the way! Please check out the complimentary posts within this post by clicking on the highlighted words.
I would love to hear about your favorite road trip, please comment below.
How wonderful to have your mom with you now. Beavercreek, Ohio, is where the Failes have lived for several years now.
I like looking at clouds, too! Nice pictures!
Thanks!