Brenda Novak Road Trip Adventure -- Year 2

 Brenda Novak has another new release The Summer That Changed Everything. She challenged us to take a picture with the book. Since summer is for adventures, what is more fun than taking your book on an adventure with you.

This year's adventure takes us to Two Rivers, Wisconsin. A quick 90 minute drive up I-43 from Milwaukee and an hour or so east of Appleton and the Fox Valley, it made a perfect day trip for Stacy and I. We already had the trip planned and on a whim, I grabbed my book to include it in our adventure. Some people bring trolls, stuffed animals, or other toys, I bring a book on my adventures.

Stop #1 -- Sputnik crash site

Our first stop was not in Two Rivers but in Manitowoc. On September 5, 1962 a piece of the Russian Spacecraft Sputnik crashed in the middle of the street in Manitowoc. Being weird enough, it was something I wanted to visit. We actually missed the actual circle in the street but saw the sign and a monument plaza in front of the art museum. Inside the  Rahr-West Art Museum, is the piece that crashed outside. We did not go view it but one day I will.

Stop #2 -- Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum

Two Rivers was big in the printing press industry. The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of the printing press. They still produce signs and posters to this day. It was amazing to see they went from printing presses to washing machines. It was a perfect place to explore especially with a book being printed material. 

Stop #3 -- Roger Street Fishing Village

Before the printing industry came to Two Rivers, fishing was the way of life in the early days. Being on Lake Michigan and two rivers, the water was a great source of income. The Fishing Village is a small museum complex that explains the history of the fishing industry in Two Rivers as well as the Coast Guard and the famous Christmas Tree ship that went down in the waters outside of Two Rivers. There is a wonderful audio tour that allows to learn about everything the buildings. 

Stop #4 -- Cool City Brewing Company

After our history filled morning, it was time for lunch. We opted to go to Cool City Brewing since it was near the Fishing Village and the Washington House. Even if you are not in to beer, the also have coffee. The menu is small but it does have plenty of healthy options and not to so healthy options. We split 3 different flights -- a cheese curd flight, a taco flight, and a flatbread flight. All were wonderful but it was a lot of food for 2 people. The beer was good too. 

Stop #5 -- Washington House

Even though we were full from lunch, we headed to the Washington House which is the home of the Ice Cream Sundae. It is also a treasure chest of days gone by. Besides having an ice cream parlor it is also a museum. Each of the rooms in the former boarding house and bar, depicts history of Two Rivers. We were even lucky enough to have an accordion player entertain us. After the browsing the museum, we each got a dish of ice cream. I have been here a few years ago and indulged in an ice cream sundae then. 

Stop #6 -- Spirit of the Rivers

Our second to the last stop of the day was an impromptu stop at a statue along the lake. We saw a sign for the Spirit of the Rivers and decided to check it out. It is a statue that honors the birch bark canoe which was a vital part of the Native American history in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes. 

Stop #7 -- Mariner Trail/Lake Michigan

On our way back to my car, Stacy mentioned we should check out the giant rocking chair. She just knew it was a in park by her friend's house. The park was Lighthouse Park in Manitowoc along the shores of Lake Michigan. The rocking char is not huge but it does give you a good view of the lake and a place to rest when walking the 6 mile Mariner Trail that connects Two Rivers and Manitowoc.  

If it was a nice day out, we probably would have enjoyed the beach but it was cold and windy. But it was still nice to take a few minutes to read on the beach. 

Overall it was a fun filled day. There is plenty more to see and do in Two Rivers/Manitowoc that we did not hit including the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. So if you ever find yourself in the definitely take a day to explore the history of Two Rivers and Manitowoc.

Stay tune in 2026 to see where my Brenda Novak Road Trip Adventure will take me next. 

5963. Go to Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers

 I stumbled across the Printing Museum in Two Rivers that sounded really cool but I knew the hubby won't want to go. I love printing and signs so this was right up my alley. A fun type of art museum. So when Stacy and I started to plan our day trip to Two River, I had to make sure this was open.

Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is open Wednesday-Saturday 10-4. Parking is on site. Admission is $10/person. It looks like an old warehouse or factory because it is still a working print shop. 

Since it is a working print shop and museum, depending on the day you might get to see work being done. We weren't so lucky. They were just setting up the presses when we got there.

The first part of the museum exhibit showed other items manufactured by Hamilton such as washing machines and a physician's examining table.

In the main exhibit hall, there was plenty to see with different block sets and styles. It was fun to look at all the different styles of letters.

The other main room showed examples of signs and more different types of presses. 

I just liked looking at all the different types of letters and fonts.  And reading all the signs they made.

The history part was interesting but I really liked the art part of it better.

There is a scavenger hunt for kids. Our mini me had tons of fun trying to find all the objects. We struggled for a bit on the last one until we realized we had to walk out towards the gift shop. 

The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is definitely worth the visit. They do offer classes and special events as well if you want to get creative. Print shops are not all that common any more and it's great seeing old school art still being made. 

5961. See where Sputnik landed in Manitowoc

 Stacy and I always talked about doing a day trip to Two Rivers to check out some of the museums that are open seasonally. We finally got around to actually making it happen. One of the things I wanted to do was see where Sputnik landed in Manitowoc. We decided to start our day in Manitowoc and then head to Two Rivers

Sputnik was launched by the Soviets in 1960 as a satellite. It failed to re-enter due to mechanical issues and for two years orbited the Earth until it fell from the sky over Wisconsin. Most of it burned up upon re-entry except one hunk of metal that crashed outside the Art Museum in Manitowoc. 

We found the Rahr-West Art Museum just fine. 

We found a Memorial Plaza dedicated to the Sputnik Crash.

We saw some cool sculptures.

We never found the actual spot where Sputnik crashed... 

Apparently we need to actually look on the street itself. Who would have thought?

I also learned that Rahr-West Art Museum has a replica of the piece of Sputnik that crashed on display. 

Guess there is another trip to Manitowoc is in the future so I can see the actual spot and maybe explore the art museum. Stay tuned for Sputnik Part 2 in the future. Because what we did see, was kind of disappointing. It was nicely down but it wasn't the crash site.  

5534. Go to the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum in Madison

 Last year we did not have much time to explore while at the state tournament. This year because of the format and other changes, the hubby didn't hang out at the softball complex all day. This meant we could explore. I checked the bucket list and made a list of a couple options that seemed feasible. One of these were the Geology Museum which was only about 0.5 mile from the hotel so we decided to check it out.

University of Wisconsin Geology Museum is located in Weeks Hall. It is open 8:30-4:30 Mon-Fri and 9-1 on Saturdays. Admission is free. You can find street parking around campus. We got lucky and parked right across the street. 

Upon entering Weeks Hall, we headed to the second floor to the museum. It is very well signed. The museum took up a good portion of the second floor. but it was not large by any means. I do have to admit the building does smell like a university/college science building. There is just an unique smell about it.

The first part of the museum was filled with various rocks and minerals mainly from the country and North America. 

The size of some of those rocks, gems and minerals were impressive.

My favorite part of the rocks and mineral section was the glow in the dark rocks. They lit up when exposed to black light.

There was a small cave to walk through.

Then you got to my favorite part of Earth Science/Geology -- Fossils. Some of these fossils were billions of years old.

There were some fascinating dinosaur fossils and replicas.

One of the surprising displays was the one about meteor impacts across Wisconsin. I didn't realize how many there were. 

Depending on the time of year and day, you might actually see students and professionals working in the lab. We were not that lucky.

The Geology Museum was a nice break from softball. It was definitely worth exploring. Even the hubby was interested. It is definitely worth checking out the next time you are in Madison. Then go get some Babcock Ice Cream from Babcock Hall.