November 2009

November ‘09

Ever since we moved to Illinois 10 years ago, we had wanted to visit Notre Dame, home of the iconic Fighting Irish (though not fighting terribly hard this season!) We flew into South Bend. Because Notre Dame had a home game we were unable to get a ride, so we rented a car. FYI – and there is a $20 ramp fee.

Be forewarned, like Green Bay, this is a town that takes its football seriously.

It was such a fun day to be on campus. The weather was perfect – in the low 70’s – such a departure from Madison where it was sooo cold. Notre Dame was playing Navy, so it seemed like everyone was wearing school colors. Our first stop on campus was the Bookstore. I have never seen such a huge bookstore – it was like being in a department store on black Friday – 2 floors jammed pack with people. I don’t think anyone walked out empty-handed. I must say we do our part to help the economy on these trips!

The visitor’s center has a short film on the history of Notre Dame. We toured the gold-capped Main Hall, the Basilica, the Grotto and the Art Museum.   But, of course, no Notre Dame trip is complete without seeing the stadium, the statue of Knute Rockne (he’s the bronze one) and the “touchdown Jesus” (seriously, I didn’t make that up).

 

 

 

It is such a beautiful campus. Of course the parking lot was filled with tailgaters (we parked on the street a few blocks away). We had lunch at Legends which is on the campus. I think my favorite part was when 2 F-16’s flew over the stadium just before the game was to begin!

While Frank was preparing for the flight back, I enjoyed chatting with some of the Citation Jet pilots who were passing the time away waiting to take their passengers back after the game. Do you know it takes them 16 minutes to go from Midway to South Bend!  (Note from Frank:  “Chatting” is an understatement.  You’d think she was Amelia freakin’ Earhart the way she was regaling these poor guys with tales of her flying adventures.)

November ‘09

We had heard some recommendations for Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant at Griffith/Merrillville airport. It is located in the FBO, open from Mon-Sat 10:30am to 10:00 pm, and Sunday 8-8. They serve breakfast all day.

Not much in the way of ambiance – rather plain, but boy does it have wonderful food. Frank and I both had the chili del mar which was 2 poblano peppers stuffed with crab, shrimp and haddock with a garlic cheese sauce – yum!   The way we eat on these trips, Frank calculates weight & balance both before and after just to avoid a thrilling ride down the runway with no takeoff.

Flying there makes for a nice flight as you fly by Chicago’s scenic skyline (and then Gary’s yechh!).  So it makes for an ideal trip with guests. Because the airport is only a few miles south of Gary, rather then getting involved with transitioning thru Gary, Frank charted a course that after passing the hotels south of Chicago, homed in on the Lambert VOR which bypassed Gary’s airspace and then turned straight east to Griffith/Merrillville which lines you up with the runway. We were surprised however at the amount of traffic this untowered airport has (at times, a real test of see and avoid).

September and October 2009

September and October ‘09

We had been looking forward to our first trip to Door County. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans, so because of the cloud layer we couldn’t take off until 11:30. We flew into Cherryland Airport at Sturgeon Bay. (FYI – apparently you need to reserve a car quite a bit ahead of time in the fall and they seem to have the market cornered, as it is quite expensive – like $70 – so bring friends (preferably ones with wallets)! (I seem to recall we couldn’t get a ride into town – but a new FBO took over in October so maybe that will change).

We had gone up the end of September so we were hoping to see the leaves turning, but they had barely started. We had lunch in town at the Inn at Cedar Crossing – very nice and reasonable. We then toured the Historical Museum ($2 donation), which is a couple of blocks away. It has 3 floors of informative displays explaining the history of the area. Then we went back to 3^rd Ave to stroll the shops. Don’t miss the Hallmark store – it has 2 floors of gift items.

So, on October 17 we flew back to Sturgeon Bay to finish seeing what we had originally planned. On the flight up, we actually flew thru some light snow at Manitowoc for a minute but finally, we saw the fall colors.

Back in town we checked out the Farmer’s Market which features baked goods, produce and crafts. We got the cutest 2 person cherry pie for $2 that I looked forward to having all day with vanilla ice cream. It didn’t disappoint! We then toured several cute gift shops at Jefferson and 7^th, and then back to the Inn at Cedar Crossing for lunch as we enjoyed it so much on our first trip.

We then went over to the Maritime Museum ($7.50), which is very nice and included an exhibit on the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 in which 12 freighters sunk.  Don’t miss looking through the periscope for a view of Sturgeon Bay from all angles!

 

Next stop was Potawatomi State Park ($5 for one hour or $10 daily), which is located just north of Cherryland Airport. Driving thru the park was just gorgeous as the leaves were so beautiful. We scampered up (ok – Frank scampered and I trudged up) the 75’ observation tower for wonderful views of the bay.   (Hey, I made it…eventually.)

 

 

The view from the top.

 

We then drove up to Carlsville. On the way up we stopped at Grandma Tommy’s Country Store (4030 hwy 42/57 in Sturgeon Bay). They have everything cherry imaginable from wine to syrup to soda and so much more!  The cherry wine is AWESOME!

October ‘09

On October 31 we flew up to Madison – this time to actually do some sightseeing. (The FBO will give you a loaner car but for only up to 2 hours). Turns out we had picked a chilly day because of the wind – even though it was 45 with the wind chill it felt 35 – brrr!  (Of course, everything is relative.  As I’m writing this in January and it’s 3° out, even 35 seems tropical)  I wish I had worn my long johns as it was a little chilly touring the Dane County Farmer’s Market. It was the last day of the market for ’09. This is the largest producer-only market in the US. It surrounds all 4 sides of the Capitol, which we then toured.

You can see the Capitol either on a self-guided tour, but we were able to catch the top-of–the-hour tour (free) which gives you access to the chambers. The Governor’s Conference Room is especially beautiful – it is copied after the Council Chambers of Doge’s Palace in Venice, featuring murals and gold leaf adorning its walls.

 

We had lunch at Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. a few blocks away. They are known for their Brat and Bacon Pretzel Burger which lived up to its’ reputation.  No fooling, this burger is worth flying in JUST for the burger (which Frank has subsequently done).  It consists of a ⅓ pound beef burger, topped by a ¼ pound brat burger, topped by bacon, sautéed onions, melted cheddar all on a pretzel bun.  Boy, those Wisconsinites know how to eat, there’s probably not a dieter in the whole state.

Then back to Capitol Square where we toured the Wisconsin State Historical Museum ($4 suggested donation) and then the Wisconsin Veteran’s Museum (donations); both very nice. The Veteran’s Museum has 4 galleries on different wars that Wisconsin veterans participated in, starting with the Civil War.

Stay tuned for November!