One of the great things about traveling the country is visiting places where we have family or friends. When we made our reservations in Wisconsin, we reached out to one of Will’s cousins who lives a few miles from the campground. In addition to getting to see them and catch up, which was so much fun, they gave us some suggestions on things to do and see. When they sent me a link about the Ice Age Trail, I knew we had to check it out.
Our trip to Janesville started at a local park, where we hopped on the Ice Age Trail and headed toward downtown. The trail is made up of a network of over 1,200 miles of trails within the state of Wisconsin. On the very short portion that we walked, we were on sidewalks, bike paths, and some very quiet streets. There were great signs along the way to guide us, and it was an enjoyable walk. We wish we could have explored more of the trail and will definitely seek out other sections of the trail the next time we are in Wisconsin.
Once we made it to downtown, we referenced another link that was shared with us about different art and murals throughout town. Even though there is a lot of construction going on, we made our way through town and had a really enjoyable walk.
Even when we are near small towns like Janesville, we tend to find activities to do in nature away from most civilization, but every now and then, it is fun to walk the streets of a place and really feel what it is all about.
The final local hotspot we had to visit was Bessie the Cow. Bird started mooing the moment she saw the statue, and it was definitely a highlight of our day. Apparently, Bessie has had several homes around town, but her current home happens to be adjacent to a Chipotle, so it was even more of a highlight since we got lunch out of the visit, too.
Being in the Midwest has a special feel to it, and I already see us adventuring in new and exciting ways on this leg of our journey. Small towns like Janesville are so welcoming and have a lot to offer for a nice morning outing. I cannot wait to see what other gems we find—or are introduced to—along the way.
Nurturing Adventure 