Monday July 6th, Blackhawk Park, De Soto, WI

The day has ended in a complete contrast….camped right beside the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, and it is a beautiful warm evening with a breeze blowing. Sitting in my chair with a cold beer, writing my blog, and hoping to see one of the huge barges cruising down the river. Evidently they are the size of football fields and pass by quite often.

It has been a very hot day in the high 80’s. We stocked up on supplies in Decorah and ambled around the village.

Had read about the Seed Savers Heritage Farm about 10 miles north of the town, so headed north.(www.seedsavers.org) It was a very interesting place, where we wandered around in the demonstration gardens and checked out some rare poultry and a few White Park Cattle. They preserve more than 20,000 rare vegetable seeds as well as selling a number of heritage seeds. It is funded by trusts and government grants, and income from sales. A most interesting stop.

After a lunch stop in the carpark, we set off on a route heading south east to cross the Mississippi into Wisconsin at Praire du Chen. Really enjoyed it, passing through rolling green farmland, with a contour like NZ, but all in maize and corn. Quite a few large scale dairy units.

What I love about this way of travelling is happening upon the unexpected. Most of the small towns we had passed through were remnants of their past, and struggling to survive, but we arrived at McGregor beside the river….one of the old river towns, that had been kept alive, probably by the tourists. Enjoyed a walk through town, and the highlight was The River Junction Trade Company (www.riverjunction.com) a store that manufactured 19^th century clothing, gun belts, felt hats etc. Felt liked we had stepped back in time. Most of their sales are done by mail order, and they supply the film industry and other companies needing old fashioned gear. Thought Ian should buy some braces!

Crossed over the river at Praire du Chen and called into the Information Centre, to see about a campsite on the river. They suggested we head north 30 minutes to this Corp of Engineers camp, and excellent call.

Met up with a delightful chap as we booked in for camp. Don kindly offered us a copy of the directory for all the COE camps in the US, and popped along to see us after tea. He has been on the road for the past 6 years, travelling in a small camper, spending about a week at each spot, getting to know the area. This year he has been following the Mississippi and its tributaries. Next year he plans to walk the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to New England, a trip which will take him about 6 months. If you are reading this Don, good luck and we look forward to hearing how it goes.