Oak Leaf Trail & Lakeshore State Park -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin

For 4th of July weekend 2021, we took a roadtrip to Wisconsin to ride the Oak Leaf Trail along the lakefront. 

Milwaukee by Bike tour -- July 2, 2021
14-mile ride

Welcome to Wisconsin!

We arrived midday on Friday.  Our plan was to do a bike tour that afternoon so we found a food truck in the parking lot where our tour was going to start.

She had the Dr Pepper braised pork shoulder taco with jalapenos and I had the grilled chicken thigh taco. The chips and salsa were excellente!

Behind the sign is where the shipping container of rental bikes was located. https://milwaukeebybike.com/

Unique art showing the wildlife of the area all in one mural

Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse

The Milwaukee skyline from the bay

Three hour tours....

Beach on Lake Michigan 

North Point Water Tower https://city.milwaukee.gov/water/about/North-Point-Tower

Cool octopus mural

"Heineken!? F😇k that sh😇t! Pabst Blue Ribbon!" 

 

Steamboat Captain and Beer Baron Frederick Pabst  (the statue, that is......  The pensive guy is Steve.)

Root Beer drinking Hot Momma!

Patron Saint and King of Beer & Brewing, King Gambrinus.

Gandhi

Aaaaayyyyyy!  We touched the jacket and lived!

Milwaukee Riverwalk

Originally the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Co, now the Milwaukee Rep theater

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Dinner at Kopp's Frozen Custard, recommended to us as a Milwaukee-must-visit.
Building looks like an old Bank  https://www.kopps.com/

The apparently famous "line of cows" in the back parking lot

Steve had a Bacon Cheeseburger with grilled onions

Hand for reference.  Hamburgers were huge!

We shared onion rings

She had the July sundae of the month -- Smores.  Yum!!!!

 

 

Oak Leaf Trail and Lakeshore State Park-- July 3, 2021
32.5 mile ride

Saturday we got up and got on the Oak Leaf trail right from our hotel parking lot

Only took about 5 miles to get back to the waterfront

Getting her seagull fix!!!! 

Yes that is Lake Michigan outside those breakers

Looking south towards the city skyline

The two tallest buildings in town  -- US Bank and Northwestern Mutual duking it out!

Perspective

Somebody drew a fun face on this pylon!

Milwaukee Art Museum. Very unique building. The wings on the top can raise and lower.

Interesting shimmery art installations. I don't know the story behind them. But they are cool.

Schooner built in 2005 (I think) by the Milwaukee Discovery Center science museum

Bird sculptures are titled ReBirth.
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2021/06/11/visual-art-five-foot-tall-birds-coming-to-lakeshore-state-park/

Beaver Alert! We actually spotted this beaver sunning himself on the rocks as we rode by.

That black dot in the water is the above beaver later taking a swim.

Rocking the Beaver Shots!       (OMG, stop! -- the wife)

Snack time!  Enjoying a Repleo Bar! https://www.repleo-nutrition.com

Southshore Beach
https://county.milwaukee.gov/files/county/parks-department/Park-Maps/southshore.pdf

Contemplation.. Do I touch it? :D

Oooh! That's cold!

Lakeshore State Park

Tallest 4-sided non-chiming clock in the world!

Stopped at Riverfront Pizzeria for lunch and some cold beverages! She had root beer on tap and I had Summer Shandy.  
https://mkeriverfront.com/

Sat out on the patio along the Milwaukee River

We shared a yummy Thai Chicken Pizza

The birds have taken over!

Nap time.  So cute!!!!

Bradford Beach was packed this 4th of July weekend.  Covid is still a thing.

Northpoint Lighthouse.  You can't even see this lighthouse from the shore now, but it used to be cliffside.

One of the 8 lions of "8 Lions Bridge" keeping watch over the lighthouse.

I absolutely adore cats. Even majestic stone ones. 

 

 

OK, so check this out. In 2014, a semi truck, whose driver was apparently following what the GPS was telling him/her/they to do, drove down this bike path in the middle of this park (literally the middle of this park -- I invite you to Google Map Northpoint Lighthouse and look at how deeply into the park on this bike path s/he/they actually drove -- it's mind blowing).

Source: www.WISN.com

Neat Urban Ecology center along the trail

Waiting while I take pictures of the mural!

Community garden

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Dinner on the rooftop at Good City Brewing  https://www.goodcitybrewing.com/

Relaxing on the rooftop after our 32+ mile bike ride!

Got to have the cheese curds when you are in Wisconsin!

For him: Mac & Cheese w/Grilled Chicken

For her: Nicoise salad: Green beans, potatoes, olives, tomatoes and blackened tuna

Hit the DQ on the way home for some ice cream!

 

 

High Trestle Trail, Madrid, Iowa -- July 4, 2021
12-mile ride

 

To break up our 9-hour drive home, we stopped and did a 12-mile ride along the High Trestle Trail from Madrid to Woodward. We have ridden this before more than once. Here is our blog post of one of rides in 2014: http://just-keep-pedaling.blogspot.com/2014/08/high-trestle-trail-slater-to-oasis-and.html

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