After hitching up the rig in Iowa, we pointed the Big Blue Truck north, then east, driving across the lower portion of Minnesota. We crossed the mighty Mississippi River on I-90, and once in Wisconsin, we had just a little ways left to our next RV park on the shores of Lake Neshonoc.

Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort was a very nice place to stay. Great hookups, spacious sites, a nice pool, friendly staff, a lovely view of the lake, and included in our Thousand Trails membership.

But best part of this stay was that we got to have visitors again. Shortly after we arrived, my cousin Luke, his wife Lisa, and their daughter Keira made the trip up from the Chicago area for a long weekend staying in one of the cabins at the resort.

Since Keira still gets in a couple of naps a day (oh how Charlotte and I miss those days), we didn’t adventure too far from the resort, but still managed to do some exploring in the area. We hiked a few trails, visited Grandad’s Bluff overlooking La Crosse, Wisconsin, and shared several outdoor meals and campfires. It was fantastic to be able to spend time with Luke and Lisa and we were all excited to finally meet Keira.

We were all sad to have to say goodbye to our cousins, but we managed to go have some fun on our own after they left. We found an apple orchard nearby that had just opened for the season and had more than just apple trees. We got to pet an alpaca, feed a goat, and eat some delicious apple cider donuts.

Then we went out into the rows of trees to pick a peck of peppers Zestar apples.

Unfortunately, there were more than just apple trees growing in the orchard. Izzy walked into a stinging nettle plant while reaching for an apple. Neither Charlotte nor I were familiar with stinging nettles, but Izzy’s cries of pain let us know something was definitely wrong. We hurried back to the truck where we were able to clean up her leg with some wet wipes and apply some hydrocortisone cream we had in our first aid kit.

Thankfully, Izzy was feeling better quickly, so we went over to the playground and climbed up the big wooden tower.

On the way back we stopped by a great small town spot for some ice cream.

Our first two weeks in Wisconsin were great and went by quickly. Our adventures in the land of beer and sausage (and pickled fish) will continue, but until then, we’ll see you down the road.