The first leg of our summer road trip was an epic adventure, as we drove from New Jersey to Michigan by way of New York and Canada. The next phase of our story involves a week spent with family and friends in and around eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, before beginning our return journey to New Jersey. So come along then, as we stand beside a Great Lake, visit scenic overlooks, learn about some Minnesota history, stop by a mighty motorcycle museum, eat great food, and have a wonderful summer adventure.
Let’s begin!
Michigan to Wisconsin
This would be the second half of our road trip adventure – Lansing, Michigan to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our return drive would take us from Minnesota to New Jersey, passing through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.After our epic drive the previous day from New York to Michigan, with a detour to Ontario to see Niagara Falls, we allowed ourselves a slow morning (well, slow by our standards) in our hotel. Complimentary breakfast with automatic pancake maker? Yes please!My wife took the first leg of the drive, tackling western Michigan. As we passed signs for Lake Michigan, she asked, “I wonder if there are any lighthouses nearby?” A quick search on my phone showed that not only was there a publicly-accessible lighthouse in the area, a detour there would only add about fifteen minutes of driving. We exited the highway and pulled up to Silver Beach in the town of St. Joseph, Michigan.Being from New Jersey, where “lakes” are usually about twenty feet wide, I never fail to be blown away by the size of the Great Lakes. So massive are these lakes that I’d prefer to describe them as “inland seas.”I remarked to my wife that it felt like we were arriving at a seaside town like Cape May! The beach was filled with people enjoying the beautiful weather near the lake.Shipping on the Great Lakes is a dangerous job. Estimates of the number of shipwrecks on the lakes range from 6,000 – 10,000, with nearly 1,500 recorded on Lake Michigan alone (via WTTW Chicago). Lighthouses have played a key role in keeping sailors safe on the lakes. St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights have stood watch over this part of the Lake Michigan coastline for over 100 years.As we headed back through the highway, we followed the lake south through the charming town of St. Joseph. I would love to come back for a long weekend.After a lovely diversion, we got back on the interstate and crossed into Indiana.A long hour on the highway in Indiana (a roadway in desperate need of repaving) passed without incident and we crossed into Illinois.Another two hours of highway driving done and we entered Wisconsin. Progress!Growing up in the Northeast, five hours of driving can get you from New Jersey to Rhode Island if you head north, or to Virginia if you head south. Five hours of driving across Wisconsin gets you to… Wisconsin. I often forget how compact the Northeast is, and how massive the Midwest is.We arrived at a dear relative’s house in western Wisconsin a little before dinnertime, where a fresh home-cooked meal awaited us. We had driven 1366 miles in a little under 48 hours. It felt good to put the TLX in park, knowing we would mostly be doing local driving for the next five days.
Staying Local (in WI and MN)
After an intense two days of driving, I was looking forward to spending time with family and friends. First, though, was a trip to the local car wash to remove the layer of bug guts and dirt coating my car after the drive west.Being in the Midwest meant it was time to indulge in some of my favorite treats, such as a stop at Caribou Coffee.And of course, no trip to the Midwest is complete without a stop at Taco John’s. Two Fiesta Chicken tacos and an order of Potato Oles? You betcha!We also enjoyed takeout from Pier 500, a great restaurant near the St. Croix River in Hudson, Wisconsin.Pier 500 is one of my favorite local spots. If you go, definitely order the Szechuan Green Beans appetizer. Your taste buds will thank you!My wife dined on the Mediterranean Pasta: roasted red peppers, garlic, spinach, kalamata olives, tomatoes, shallots, and olive oil, served with grilled chicken and gluten-free penne pasta.Did I get a burger? Nope. A crab cake sandwich? Also no. I positively destroyed this beer-battered walleye sandwich and the house-made chips. So very good!I also managed to play tourist a little bit. I stopped by one of the coolest buildings in Hudson – the Octagon House!Built in 1855, the Octagon House was owned by John S. Moffat, a judge whose held jurisdiction over the area of Hudson back when western Wisconsin was still frontier territory (via Wikipedia). The Octagon House offers tours, but unfortunately when I arrived the museum was closed. I’ll have to go back!I made time to visit one of my favorite places in Hudson: Birkmose Park. Set on a bluff overlooking the St. Croix River, Birkmose is a cool spot to hang out and enjoy a bit of nature. The park also features numerous Sioux burial mounds.I took the TLX into Minnesota – the further west it has been – to play tourist one afternoon.The destination? The city of Stillwater. Long inhabited by the Dakota people, the first European settlers arrived in 1843. Stillwater is called the “birthplace of Minnesota,” as it was here in 1848 that a convention was held to establish Minnesota as a US state (via Wikipedia).I headed a few miles north of the city to the St. Croix Boom Site. In the mid-19th century, Stillwater became the center of lumber trade, as the thick Minnesotan forests were harvested for timber. A “boom,” or floating barrier, was placed in the river to catch logs as they were floated downriver from sites further upstream.For over a half century, the area around Stillwater was a major center of timber production for the United States. At the peak of production in the early 20th century, Minnesota lumberjacks were cutting down enough trees to circle the Earth in a fourteen-foot wide, one inch thick boardwalk each year (via Minnesota Historical Society).The last time I was in Stillwater, it was winter, temperatures were below freezing, and several inches of snow and ice coated the ground. With temperatures in the 80s, I decided to explore a bit. Numerous pieces of public art are on display across the city.One of the most-photographed sites in Stillwater is the Lift Bridge. Built in 1931, for decades the bridge carried traffic between Minnesota and Wisconsin. The center span is capable of lifting into the air to allow shipping traffic to pass beneath. Traffic has since been rerouted to newer bridges in the area, and since 2020 the bridge has served as a crossing for cyclists and pedestrians (via Minnesota Department of Transportation).During my previous visit, I had a chilly climb up a staircase to a scenic lookout. I decided to once again scoot up the 171 stairs and check it out, this time without wearing a parka, gloves, and a wool cap.As I climbed the stairs, I passed this cool mural, painted by local artist Adam Turner, on a rock on the side of the hill.A bit hotter and sweatier than anticipated, I made it to the top. The view was definitely worth the climb!Noticing how pretty the overlook was, I hustled down the stairs and made my way back to my car, and then wound my way through the streets of Stillwater to get a souvenir photo. Nothing like a hilltop glamor shot for the TLX!!Before we knew it, our week was coming to a close and it was time to begin the return trip to New Jersey. Of course, we had to fuel up for our drive home with a proper Wisconsin Fourth of July dinner, including fresh bratwurst!
The Drive Home: Wisconsin to New Jersey
After a lovely week, we decided to get an early start on our drive and left after dinner on Independence Day. We raced the setting sun as we headed across Wisconsin.We made it as far as DeForest, Wisconsin before stopping at a Holiday Inn for the night. As we exited our car, we were treated to the town’s fireworks, visible across the hotel parking lot.After an early breakfast, we took two quick detours before getting back on the highway. First? We HAD to see the World’s Largest Pink Elephant!Pink elephant statues were sold by an advertising firm to local businesses in the early 1960s as a way to attract the attention of passing motorists. Only a handful survive in the Midwest, and this one, now on the property of a Shell gas station, is the sole remaining statue in this part of Wisconsin.When in Wisconsin… you stop for a Cheese Chalet! Between the cow and the mouse, this place won us over with their advertising.Ehlenbach’s Cheese Chalet has been in business since 1968, and the store offers a dizzying array of cheese.After enjoying our fill of tourist stops, we were back on the highway, and in less than two hours were across the Illinois state line.We stopped at the Illinois Welcome Area after crossing into the state. My wife ended up chatting with the attendant on duty who gave us directions to avoid Chicago. She then also gave us a paper map and carefully wrote out the turns we should take. We turned off our GPS and went old school!“Want to make a detour and check out some cool car history?” my wife asked. We detoured to the town of Rochelle. First up? This old gas pump that once sat beside Route 66. $0.57 for unleaded? I’ll take those prices please!The main attraction was the 1918 Standard Oil Filling Station. This was the first filling station in Illinois along the Lincoln Highway, which runs from New York to California (via Enjoy Rochelle).You just KNEW I was going to do this shot!Pretty soon, we were crossing into Indiana, having avoided the traffic and construction zones around Chicago.After a mostly uneventful drive through the Hoosier state, we entered Ohio.After seemingly endless hours spent driving down the interstate, we stopped for a well-deserved dinner at Inside the Five Brewing Co. in Perrysburg, Ohio.Inside the Five produces a wide array of beers. I indulged in a T-Town Lager, a light, refreshing beverage that went down well after a long day of driving.The food was excellent. We started with an order of Cauliflower Bites. You can order eight different toppings – we went with the honey sriracha sauce, which was quite delicious.My wife ordered a kale and quinoa bowl with grilled chicken – a tasty, healthy entree.I ordered the chicken salad sliders, served on pretzel buns. It was so tasty! Fueled up, we hit the road again.A little while later, we pulled up to our accommodations for the evening: a Holiday Inn Express just outside of Youngstown, Ohio.We got an early start the next morning and crossed into Pennsylvania – homeward bound!“Want to see something weird?” my wife asked. “Sure!” came my response. “So, you’re gonna get off the highway and make a left at the triceratops…”Bill’s Old Bike Barn was established in 1998 by a local motorcycle mechanic as a way to display his collection of over 200 bikes. It also houses a prodigious collection of American pop culture artifacts from the 20th century.Bill even created his own town within the museum: Billville. So massive and impressive is this museum that it will have its own special blog post in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!Rather than jump back on the interstate, we wound our way through a series of two-lane country roads in central and eastern Pennsylvania. It maybe took a bit longer, but the view was spectacular.After ten days of travel, we were back home! Along the way, the TLX crossed the 60,000 mile mark. It held up fantastically well, transporting us in comfort and luxury, offering performance on fun, twisty roads, while also economically sipping fuel on the highway. It was a great road trip companion, and didn’t skip a beat. Onward!
Wrapping Up
For the record:
Miles driven: 2,719.0
9 states visited: NJ, NY, MI, IN, IL, WI, MN, OH, PA
1 Canadian province visited: Ontario
Overall fuel economy: 32.3 mpg
Value of the memories we made: Priceless.
Our summer road trip was absolutely fantastic. To have stood in front of the natural wonder that is Niagara Falls was an amazing memory and worth the journey itself. Add to it driving in a new country, exploring cool sites, learning more about the history of the Midwest, eating great food, and mostly importantly, spending time with family and friends… my wife and I had an amazing trip.
Thanks for coming along on this special journey down the open road ahead!
The Open Road Ahead 
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