Olney....

...Illinois, where the squirrels are white,
and that's not all, but, the squirrels are white,
about 200 of them live in this town,
and that makes Olney - world renown.

There are probably gray and red one too,
but these are white, oh, there is no blue;
the whole thing started with just two,
but they did whatever it is that squirrels do.

Top: The Olney Welcome Sign
Middle: A white squirrel
Bottom: Ah spring!

Vandalia....

....Illinois, the first Capitol of the state,
in the heart of Lincolns land, but had a different fate;
also was the terminus of The National Road,
stretched from Baltimore, opened up the mother lode.

Also first home of the 'Madonna of the Trail';
shows a hearty woman who is far from frail,
holding a baby, her son tugs her skirt,
rode the covered wagon, her husband looking for pay dirt.

Top:  The Capitol Building, now a Historic Site.
Middle: The Madonna of the Trail, there are twelve throughout the USA.
Bottom:  On the outskirts of town.

Taylorville...

....Illinois,  The Last Stop, as it's known,
where pigs no longer are allowed to roam,
Abe Lincoln asked for a writ of quietus,
to stop the swines squeal, and got a hush.

It was the last stop for the eighth circuit court,
when Mr. Lincoln was a lawyer, and not short,
the town has a statue of him and the pig,
rub the pigs nose for luck, is now the in jig.

Top:  The Christian County Courthouse.
Middle: Mr. Lincoln and the pig, the only statue with Lincoln smiling.
Bottom: Jump!  A local business.

Bloomington....

....Illinois, home of the Kickapoo Pow Wow,
and a center of business, that's what it is now;
from insurance to Beer Nuts, that all started here,
and Beer Nuts are still made here, if you have a beer.

Abe Lincoln practiced law here in the courts,
and Adlai Stevenson 2nd is still here in sorts,
this is a larger town than most we go to,
maybe we'll hike the Constitution Trail, before we are through.

Top: Dancer at the Kickapoo Pow Wow
Middle: Abe Lincoln takes a break from court
Bottom: State Farm Insurance building, the cities largest employer.

Mendota....

....Illinois, where corn is a cash crop,
in this state where corn is over the top,
but most corn grown is not the sweet kind,
we need to eat it, or be in a bind.

Also home here for a railroad museum too,
a nice collection to benefit me and you,
from the old engine forty-nine seventy-eight,
for a small town this one rates: Great!

Top:  Welcome sign
Middle: 4978, retired steam locomotive
Bottom: The Railway Museum

Rockford....

....Illinois, the is the place that was in first many times,
among them electric garage door openers, and change machines,
now these things are common, but the first ones were here,
at one time they even had their own brand of beer.

The movie A League of Their Own in a way,
based on the Rockford Peaches, once used to play,
right here in town, but none of the real players were depicted,
but they were real, and real good as was predicted.

Top: One view of the City
Middle: The Rockford Peaches in 1952
Bottom: A different view.

Fox Lake....

...Illinois, what a find this village is, a vacation spot,
located in a 'chain of lakes', noted for what it's not;
in the 1920's the old Mineola Hotel had a frequent guest,
someone who'd be looked upon by us, as a kind of pest.

The summer location of gangster Al Capone,
and you can bet he didn't stay alone,
sure there were the standard guns then,
what a learning experience this visit has been.

Top:  As seen from the air.
Middle:  Three guesses, yep, the one and only Al Capone
Bottom:  Sunset at Fox Lake

Waukesha....

....Wisconsin, a very busy place,
take your time enjoy, you're not in a race;
voted one of the best places to live,
obviously it has a whole lot to give.

On the Fox River, with imported boats,
a River Walk and parks with anything that floats,
former missle sites turned into parks,
out in the countryside, sung to be larks.

Top: Downtown river front - notice the "imported" boats.
Middle: A park on land formerly a missle site (not in this spot).
Bottom: Section of the River Walk, very nice.

Oshkosh...

....Wisconsin, b'Gosh, it's real, and it works too,
this is a place we liked a lot, and maybe you would too.
It is the headquarters for Oshkosh B'Gosh, that you know,
and the Oshkosh Corporation has serious trucking to go.

If you like airplanes of all different types and sizes,
the AirVenture show has races with real prizes,
the Experimental Aircraft Association puts on the show,
it's huge it's got planes everyone should know.

Top:  A restored neighborhood in Oshkosh.
Middle: Part of the show during AirVenture in 2009.
Bottom: An Oshkosh Terra Max, 15 ton truck, it's big!

Stevens Point....

....Wisconsin, host to a historic preservation,
part of a program that truly leads the nation;
standing for a proud heritage is good,
blending the new with the old, done the way it should.

Central Wisconsin is a very busy place,
paper mills and farms, dot it's very face;
proud people live here in country or towns,
and one seldom sees on faces any frowns.

Top: Historic preservation results, the building was painted gray and the windows blacked out.
Middle: A National Trail (1100 miles completed) goes through Stevens Point.
Bottom: McDill Pond at sunset.

Wausau....

....Wisconsin, home of the insurance logo, and a lot more,
the small city has a lot to offer, can a lot in store;
the historic district is a sight to behold,
the photo above is just one of many, a story to be told.

First it was lumber that supported the town,
now it's diversified, lots of business, and non going down,
the area that surrounds it is the beauty of nature,
great place to visit, an eyefull of adventure.

Top:  Only one of many historic buildings
Middle: A view from the mountains, Wausau means seen from afar.
Bottom: An aerial view of Granite Peak ski area.

Rhinelander....

...Wisconsin, home of the Hodag, shown above,
a local myth, adopted, locally showered with love.
This city has history, shown in Pioneer Park,
lumbering and railroads, not open after dark.

Rhinelander really is very nice,
and hometown of the great Gene Rice;
National Ice Fishing contest held every year,
and it's in Wisconsin, do they have any beer?

Top:  The Hodag.
Middle: Clear Lake, looks nice to me.
Bottom: Sunset on the lake.

Lac du Flambeau...

....Wisconsin, a land of lakes with a fancy name,
we're really glad to be here just the same.
There are 260 lakes and you can paddle 72 miles,
that would bring some people a lot of smiles.

And there's a casino, The Lake of Flames,
The Ojibwe language would have other names,
this is their homeland, harvesters of wild rice,
and we admit - it is very nice.

Top:  A sunrise on a lake.
Middle: An area map, how many lakes?
Bottom: Aurora in the region.
Note: You can click on a photo to enlarge.

Ashland...

....Wisconsin, we're in a new state,
Americas Dairyland, isn't that great?
Here is the northland on Superior Lake,
there are many choices of trails to take.

And the huge ore dock, fifteen hundred feet long,
eighty feet high structure soon will be gone,
ore's no longer shipped out of this port,
a one year project makes the dock short.

Top:  A scene from Apostle Island
Middle: The Soo Line Ore Dock
Bottom: A walking trail provided by the City of Ashland

Two Harbors....

....Minnesota, a place of beauty and Split Rock Light,
and birthplace of 3M, much to their delight,
the beauty of the lighthouse is unique,
photos will follow, so you can take a peek.

It sits high on a bluff the yellow painted light,
beauty and function shining through the night,
a most photographed place, loved by all,
why not take a trip and visit, in the fall.

Top:  Split Rock Light at sunrise.
Middle: (1) The Town of Two Harbors.
Middle: (2) Split Rock Light high on the bluff.
Bottom: A closer look.

Duluth.....

....Minnesota, zenith city of the unsalted seas,
said T P Foster in 1868, and you should see the sea;
the port ships to the seven seas, via the Atlantic,
and when the weather warms, activity is frantic.

This is a city afterall, here on Lake Superior,
busy places, universities, arts, not seen in the interior,
but natures bounty is close by in vast array,
Abby want's to visit more, but I want to go away.

Top:  The entrance to the port, in winter.
Middle: Grains are shipped from here as well as iron ore.
Bottom: A ship on Lake Superior.

Grand Rapids....

....Minnesota, up in the Land of Lakes,
real people here, no phonies, no fakes;
this is one fabulous place,
ice fishing, snowmobiles, and a snowshoe race.

Of course there's summer, following spring,
and many more opportunities they will bring,
but this town lives on paper, the mill is here,
turning out paper for a good many year(s).

Top:  Grand Rapids promo
Middle: One view of the lakes
Bottom: Is it cold in the winter?