Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
1) Shoemaker Island Wildlife Management Area, Alda, NE, October 7, 2026 - We have made this trip enough times that we've found a favorite overnight stop along I-80 that we've used on all our recent trips. SHoemaker Island Wildlife Management Area just outside Alda, NE has two quiet parking lots with access via a short trail to a couple of different overlooks. In the spring this is a stop on the Sandhill Crane migration route but in the Fall it is just a peaceful spot along the Platte River. We arrived in the evening, took a little walk around to enjoy the sun set views and then settled in for a quiet night before hitting the road again early the next morning.
2) Farm, Independence, IA, October 8, 2026 - Jonna's mother's cousin Melva lives on a family farm just outside Independence, Iowa. We try to stop in and see her couple few years and this was a primary reason for making this Mid-west trip this Fall. We arrived in the mid-afternoon and spent the afternoon and evening catching up with Melva and her daughter Tracy as well as enjoying the scenery of a sprawling mid-west farm.
3) Farm, Independence, IA, October 8, 2026 - It is always great to spend time with Melva and Tracy (and their German Shepards!)
4) Treinen Farms, Lodi, WI, October 10, 2026 - The next day we had breakfast with Melva and then hit the road again continuing the drive east to Madison, Wisconsin to visit Jonna's cousin Heath and his family. We stayed at an RV park in Deforest, WI just 10 minutes from Heath's house so we could maximize spending time with the family. One thing that has become a tradition when we visit is going to Treinen Farms to do their huge corn maze. This year Heath's sister-in-law and her husband as well as Heath's wife and three kids were all there making for a very fun group for running through the 15 acre corn maze. We split into three teams and spent about an hour and a half trying to solve the puzzles of the maze. Another great time!
5) Madison, WI, October 11, 2026 - Heath's son Hudson expressed an interest in our Zero electric motorcycle so when Alan needed to run the bike back to the RV before we all went off on a group outing Hudson donned Jonna's jacket and helmet and came along for his first motorcycle ride. It was a short hop but I think Hudson enjoyed getting to experience riding a motorcycle.
6) Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf, The Dells, WI, October 11, 2026 - Heath's teen daughter had school work to do (not to mention being old enough that hanging out with us wasn't as appealing as staying home!) but Hudson and Callum joined us "old folks" for a trip to the Wisconsin Dells for an afternoon of playing mini-golf, eating ice cream and generally having fun. We all gathered for a family dinner that night where we said our farewells. Another fun visit and another stop allowing Jonna to maintain ties with her small extended family.
7) Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, WI, October 12, 2026 - From Madison we drove northeast where we made a slow drive up the Door County penisula. We stopped a few times along the way to see some of the small towns, scenic overlooks and orchards along the way. In the evening we set up our RV in the South Nicolet Bay campground in Peninsula State Park. The Fall leaves were beautiful and the crisp cool autumn air amplified the seasonal feel. We unloaded the Zero electric motorcycle and rode a loop through the state park including a stop at the restored Eagle Bluff Lighthouse which was built in late 1800s. Nice views out over Green Bay and an interesting collection of historic buildings.
8) Eagle Trail, Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, WI, October 13, 2026 - Our first full day in Peninsula State Park allowed us to get out in the morning to do a hike through the park. We started with the Minnehaha Trail that started right in the campground. Then switched to the Eagle Trail that ran along the shore of Green Bay under 100+ foot high stone cliffs and culminating with the Eagle Observation Tower. From there we moved inland on the Sentinel Trail which went through a mixed maple, beech and pine forest. Great Fall colors, lots of interesting mushrooms and deserted so we had the trail to ourselves. Finally, we used a short section of the Lone Pine Trail to return to the campground. Exactly what we were looking for in visiting Door County.
9) Peninsula Players Theatre, Fish Creek, WI, October 13, 2026 - Another thing we had one our "to do" list when visiting Door County was visiting the Peninsula Players Theatre. Our friend Kristin in Colorado had told us about this regional theatre and we were lucky to find that the next-to-the-last show of their 2026 season was being performed while we were in the area. In the late afternoon we took the Zero out for a cruise north to see the towns of Ephraim and Sister Bay. We grabbed dinner on our way back south when going through Ephraim before continuing south through Fish Creek and to Juddville. We arrived just before sunset at the Theatre and got to watch the sun set over Green Bay and to hang out with the pre-show crowd by the campfire in the Beer Garden. The sunset was beautiful but the campfire was a bit disappointing.
10) Peninsula Players Theatre, Fish Creek, WI, October 13, 2026 - After the pre-show in the Beer Garden we went into the playhouse and enjoyed their presentation of "Murder Girl". A nice evening and a bit of culture to go with our nature time in Door County.
11) South Nicolet Bay campground, Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, WI, October 14, 2026 - The next morning we headed back out for another hike in Peninsula State Park to enjoy more of the colorful trees. However, we even had a spectacular group of trees right at our campsite!
12) Range Light Boardwalk, The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor, WI, October 15, 2026 - The next day we took the camper on a drive down the south coast of Door County peninsula including stops in Bailey's Harbor and Jacksonport. One of the highlights was stopping in Bailey's Harbor to do a beachwalk along Lake Michigan and hiking a short loop through The Ridges Sanctuary. In addition to enjoying The Ridges nature reserve we also found the Upper and Lower Range lighthouses interesting. Two lighthouses with the upper one being built higher than the lower one. Before GPSes ships could align the two lights to navigate a safe path into the harbor. As we continued south along the coast we also stopped at Whitefish Dunes State Park to hike on the beach there. Finally. we camped for the next two nights at Daisy Field South Campground in Potawatomi State Park.
13) Obama Presidential Center, Chicago, IL, October 17, 2026 - After another day of hiking, this time on the Ice Age Trail in Potawatomi State Park, we started our trip back home by driving due south to Chicago, Illinois to visit with Alan's cousin Kelly. We arrived in Chicago in the early afternoon where we set up the RV at Wild Blossom Meadery. We then immediately grabbed a ride-share to the Obama Presidential Center so see the grounds of the Obama Library and to experience a little of the No Kings rally that was taking place. Unfortunately, tickets to go into the library are sold out for at least a year so we had been unable to get tickets to go inside but at least we got to walk around the grounds and share in the generally positive mood of all the people that were also enjoying the area. In the evening we headed to the West Loop neighborhood for some traditional deep dish pizza and then we walked the 4 miles to the Humboldt Park neighborhood to the Facility Theatre. That night we saw the Sam Shepard play "Geography Of A Horse Dreamer" that was presented by Sweetback Productions - my cousin Kelly's producing theatre company. Kelly's husband Mike, her son Max and Kelly were all acting in the play and it was an excellent, if intimately gritty, presentation. After the play Kelly drove us back to our camper so we had a chance to catch up with her. Unfortunately, Kelly's sister (and thus also Alan's cousin) as out of town so we missed getting to see her on this visit. For the next two days we bombed down I-80 west to return home to Colorado ending this Fall's RV trip.
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