The day began at 8:15 and 70 degrees under clear blue skies as we headed for Sturgeon Bay, WI. The road we were going to travel to get there was closed, and this got us a bit off track for a while, but we found one further east and we were on our way. As we drove north, my eyes caught sight of a small duel engine plane when the rays of the sun bounced off of its shiny silver fuselage. It was flying low and appeared to be circling around. As I watched it, I caught sight of another small plane and then another and another, all flying at about 500 ft. in a circle and it hit me. OMG. We were in Oshkosh!!!! I knew from my flying days that there is one BIG airshow in Oshkosh every summer and people come for miles around, and pilots fly in from all over the country for this week-long event. And there it was…acres and acres of RV's and pop-ups and cars., and planes performing like a parade for everyone to see. There were low wings and high wings and bi-planes and even ultra-lights in this formation. We had arrived in the middle of this grand event. Oh, if only I had known, we would have stayed a day or two, but at this point, we knew there was no room at the inn. But I can say, at least, that I was there in 2015. Smile. And the word for today is PLANES.

So, a little disappointed, but happy to have seen a wee bit of the event, we drove on to Green Bay and up the peninsula that divides Lake Michigan into Green Bay and the rest of that body of water that always reminds me of a mitten. You know…the hand and the thumb? We arrived in Sturgeon Bay around noon after driving through miles of fertile farmland…acres of mature corn and dark green soy beans, wispy golden wheat and yellow hay, all surrounding family farms with white houses, red barns and silver silos. It warmed up to 82 degrees, and the sun never quit on us for the entire day. It was like a summer day in Maine…those rare days of summer that feel so awfully good.

We crossed the draw bridge in Sturgeon Bay, parked the car below the bridge and spent some time enjoying the view, which included a marina with yachts, a ship yard with tall cranes and even a slip for the US Coast Guard. We never considered Lake Michigan as part of our coastline, but apparently the US Government goes. After driving around the area for a while, we stopped at Potawatomi State Park, drove deep into the park to the water’s edge, parked the car by the boat launches, and had launch looking out over Green Bay. The water was smooth and almost glassy, disturbed only by the motion of the teenaged girls paddling around in their kayaks while parents stood by watching.

After lunch we pointed the car toward Wausau and arrived at our hotel late in the afternoon. No special accommodations tonight, but we got the best that the hotel has to offer and it was very comfortable. Tomorrow we head to Fargo…that city immortalized in the Academy Award winning movie of the same name.   You betcha!