THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI RIVER ROAD AND THE DRIFTLESS COTTAGE

Although there are many scenic highways in Wisconsin, my favorite is the GreatMississippi River Road. It curves along the river surrounded by towering bluffs, state parks, and old river towns. It offers views of ferryboats, barges, locks & dams, bridges, trains, bald eagles, wildflowers, wetland habitats, canoe trails, wildlife viewing, and numerous historic and scenic viewpoints. There are remnants from native cultures along the way including fascinating American Indian burial and effigy mounds.

There is one section along Highway 35 that I travel frequently because it leads south from La Crosse (pop. 48,000) to De Soto (pop. 282) where my son has been renovating an old home that he calls “The Driftless Cottage.” Over the past several months, he has managed to convert it into a comfortable two-bedroom home, with large window views of the surrounding woodlands and valleys. It's now available for rent on Airbnb—“The Driftless Cottage,” De Soto, Wisconsin. I won't be able to visit as often as I did during the renovation, although it's exciting to know that others are enjoying the benefits of my son's hard labor and talent.

This spectacular area along the Mississippi is considered part of the Driftless Region of Wisconsin because it was never covered by ice during the Ice Age. The landscape consists of steep hills, forested ridges, deeply carved valleys, and cold-water trout streams. It's also home to countless bird and wildlife species.

Here are some of the places along the 29-mile drive from La Crosse to De Soto – including a much-loved side trip across the River to Lansing, Iowa.

                      MISSISSIPPI RIVER WITH OLD STONEWALL

                    STONE BUILDING, CIRCA 1920, GENOA, WI

                          VIEW FROM MT. HOSMER CITY PARK IN LANSING, IOWA

LOCK AND DAM #8, GENOA, WI OPENED IN 1938. ONE OF 29 LOCKS AND DAMS ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI.

ABANDONED NORTHERN WISCONSIN CO-OP TOBACCO POOL – GENOA, WI

VIEW FROM THE GREAT RIVER ROAD INTERPRETIVE CENTER AND FISH HATCHERY IN GENOA, WI - HERE YOU CAN FIND  HISTORICAL EXHIBITS, AQUARIUMS, HATCHERY TOURS, AND WALKING TRAILS

                                             TUGBOAT NEAR LANSING, IOWA

         COFFEE ON THE RIVER LOCATED IN AN OLD HISTORIC BUILDING IN                                                      LANSING, IOWA (POP. 2,647).

MY GRANDDAUGHTER, SIENNA, SPYING ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM THE DRIFTLESS AREA EDUCATION AND VISITORS CENTER. LANSING, IOWA.

The total drive takes about 45 minutes. One of the popular restaurants along the way is the Great River Roadhouse located about two miles north of De Soto. It has great pasta and pizza. Another favorite is Coffee on the River in Lansing. It offers coffee, a great breakfast wrap, and seating on the river.

“Rivers are places that renew our spirit, connect us with our past, and link us directly with the flow and rhythm of the natural world.”                                                                     -Ted Turner

WHERE THREE RIVERS MEET- LA CROSSE, WI

 

We finally arrived at our new home in La Crosse, WI. We're glad to be settling in rather than dealing with the stress of moving and packing everything we thought we needed into boxes. Moving is not pleasant, but change is good, and we're looking forward to another new adventure.

     Our stuff was delivered to the new apartment by Allied/Atlas moving company. Fortunately, we were lucky and had great people to work with. There are a lot of internet moving scams out there and it's important to stick with one of the top five companies – which is still no guarantee of things going smoothly.

We drove 2,000 miles from San Diego to La Crosse in three days, just in time to arrive before our furniture. We had to move fast because our movers decided to arrive on the first day of the 18-day window that we were given for the delivery.

LaCrosse (pop. 51,000) is a place where three Rivers meet—the Mississippi, the Black, and the La Crosse. It's located in the Driftless Area, a region in the Midwest that escaped the flattening effects of glaciation during the Ice Age, leaving behind steep forested ridges and deep narrow valleys. It is considered one of the most beautiful areas along the Mississippi River.

The city was named for the game of lacrosse that was popular with the Winnebago Indians who were here when the white settlers arrived in 1842. The area was considered neutral grounds and a place where the white settlers and Indians competed in athletic contests.

The La Crosse Metropolitan area has a population of over 135,000 and is an important regional technology, medical, education, manufacturing, and transportation hub. Companies based here include Organic Valley, Logistics Health, Kwik Trip, City Brewing, and Trane. In addition, the area is home to the Gunderson and the Mayo Health systems. Today over 20,000 students attend the three major schools located here: the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Viterbo University, and Western Technical College.

A favorite place is Riverside Park and the International Friendship Garden located at the north end of the park. We've been enjoying morning walks along the river and biking on the nearby trails through the marshlands. There are bluffs in the distance to enjoy and lush green trees everywhere you look. And the birds never stop singing.

Life in this small river city is considerably different than Southern California which, of course, we'll miss in many ways. One of the biggest changes is that life is “easier” here. We didn't make the move for that reason and didn't think about it beforehand, however, now that we're here, this “quieter and more gentle lifestyle” suits us just fine.