5968. Go to the Ludington Tug Boat in Kewaunee

 When planning our annual Door County Cherry run, I gave the hubby a couple options of things to do that we've not done before. I didn't get past option 1 which was the tugboat in Kewaunee. He thought that was a good idea.

Ludington Tug Boat is located in the Kewaunee Harbor. It is open daily 7-3:30 from April 15 to October 15. There is a donation of $5/person to visit. We just parked on the street but there is a parking lot nearby as well. Tours are self-guided.

Ludington Tug Boat was built in 1943 specifically for World War II. The Germans thought tugs were too small to waste torpedoes. It was part of the D-Day operations towing ammunition barges across the English Channel.  After D-Day it spent the rest of the war in Cherbourg France assisting in Harbor Operations.

Climbing aboard Ludington Tug Boat, I turned right and went into the hull of the tug where I saw the galley, engine room, bathroom, and sleeping quarters. By no means was it big or luxurious. We went allow below deck.  

Back topside, I ventured into the wheelhouse.

I did not venture to the front of the ship. 

I won't lie, I was a little afraid exploring the tug by myself. There were ladders to get to the main part of the tug and I wasn't wearing proper footwear. I was afraid of slipping and falling. I am not a huge fan of ladders to begin with. The hubby stayed on dry ground and read about it instead. 

It was definitely worth the $5. I would have liked to have a volunteer there to show you around or answer questions but then again it properly won't be open so much if they did. If you ever find yourself in Kewaunee check out the Ludington Tug Boat which is almost across the street from the giant clock. 

5063. Go to the Vulcan Replica House in Appleton

 While on my urban hike, I noticed that the Vulcan House was open for tours on Sundays. I made a mental note of this and informed the hubby of it. He said he would like to check out too. Due to rain, we couldn't that weekend but found some time a few weeks later.

The Vulcan House is actually a replica of the original Vulcan House built in 1882. It is only open for tours Sundays May-October 12-3 weather permitting. You can also call for tours during those months as well. It is free to visit and is run by the Appleton Historical Society.

Thanks to Heather pointing out where I could park to walk the new walking bridge, I knew where to park. We ended up parking in the old Neenah Paper Mill lot off of Lawe Street. It was a very short walk to the Vulcan House. The lot Heather showed me would have been a much farther walk. 

The Replica Vulcan House is really just a lean to shed. It was built to produce hydroelectric power to the Hearthstone House, the Appleton Paper Mill, and 4 other homes in the area. The replica was built in 1932 for the 50th anniversary of the first house to be powered by hydroelectricity. 

Inside the house is not much. It contains 2 leather belts, a replica water wheel, and an original Edison K dynamo. These pieces of equipment worked together to produce water power from the Fox River. It is very noisy. The person in charge would watch 2 light bulbs to determine if more or less power would need to be generated. I am sure it was a very boring, lonely, and probably cold/hot job. 

The Edison K dynamo was a generator that helped produce the power needed. The one in the Vulcan Replica was donated by Henry Ford himself. When they were building the replica, a group of individuals traveled to Dearborn, MI in hopes of securing one. When Mr. Ford heard of what they were looking for and why, he graciously donated it to the individuals.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend taking an hour on a Sunday afternoon to go check out the Vulcan Replica House. Then go to tour the Hearthstone House and learn all about the family that brought hydroelectricity to the Fox Valley. 

1743. Go to De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton

 When I saw that De Soto National Memorial was in Bradenton and the Pirates play in Bradenton, I knew we were swing by De Soto National Monument before the baseball game. 

De Soto National Memorial honors the landing of Conquistador Hernando de Soto and his army of soldiers, craftsmen, and clergy in 1539. The Monument is open 8-5 every day except holidays with the visitor center being open 9-5. It is on the bay and all the way on the edge of Bradenton. 

The Visitor Center has a small museum to learn about De Soto and the Spanish Conquistadors. There is an opportunity to dress up as a Spanish Conquistador. The hubby wouldn't let me put on anything more than a hat. 

Majority of the park is outside. There is a Nature Trail that winds along the shoreline and is about a mile long. There is a shorter trail as well. The first part of the trail is all boardwalk and then it is sand. The hubby vetoed the sand trail so we did not explore much of the short trail. Along the trail are interpretive signs that tell you about what De Soto would have encountered. 

There is the Living History Camp which is open January-April Thursday-Sunday. We were there on Wednesday so it was not open. There were also concerned about Red Tide so they were not sure if they were going to be any interpreters while Red Tide was present.

Red Tide is a harmful algal bloom that affects people with breathing problems. It is supposed to have a horrible smell but we thought it didn't smell any worse than Lake Winnebago in summer. 

You can also do a ranger lead Kayak tour from June-October. That would be cool to do but the hubby wouldn't do it. You can also launch your own kayak and canoes from the beaches.

De Soto Monument is also pet friendly so you will see dogs on trails. 

There is also a small display on the housing that De Soto would have lived in across from the visitor center. 

There is a lot to do at De Soto Memorial and you can chose to do as little or as much as you want. We only saw a portion of the park but I would love to hike the whole trail or even do a kayak tour.

Late Night Visit to the Traveling Vietnam Wall

 Scrolling through Facebook, I noticed that the traveling Vietnam Wall was going to be in Oshkosh for a few days. I mentioned this to the hubby and he was I'd like to see that. Now I had to figure out how to get there. It was arriving in Oshkosh on Wednesday, October 6th and leaving Sunday, October 10. I think it would be there all day on the 10th but it was leaving at noon. With the hubby's schedule we didn't really have an opportunity except for Saturday after the Brewers game if it wasn't too late. 

The Traveling Vietnam Wall was going to be at Sunnyview Expo Center and it was open 24 hours a day while there.  Since it wasn't too late after the game and dinner, we decided to check it out on way home. We got there about 10 PM. There were very few people there.

When I saw the Vietnam Traveling Wall in 1998, it was on the bluff in Port. I assumed it was going to be outside at the Expo as well. I was wrong, they actually had it set up inside the expo. They curved it around so it would fit inside the expo.

Even though it was late and I've seen both the traveling wall and the Vietnam Wal in DC, it was still a very somber experience. Just to see how many were killed in Vietnam during the 60s and 70s was quite moving. Neither the hubby nor I really knew any that was inscribed on the wall. We know a few people that fought but his grandpa and my dad were in the service between Korea and Vietnam so they saw no action. 

In addition to the wall, there were smaller markers for the Persian Gulf War and the War on Freedom. 

There was another one dedicated to 9/11.

I am glad American Legion and Veterans of Oshkosh helped bring the wall to the area. It is always worth going to see and paying respect to those that fought for our freedom. I wish it was outside. I didn't get the same feeling as I did when it's outside. It was to contained in the expo. Seeing it spread out from one side to the other makes a huge difference. The arch was great in the instance but the straight span seemed to have more meaning for me.

If you ever get the chance to check out the Traveling Vietnam Wall or the one in DC, please go. Remember those that fought for us even though you may not know anyone specifically. It is a honor to see it and thank those that help make it is possible to see.  

A Small Random Piece of History -- The Hiker Monument

 We had some time to kill before the Oshkosh Public Museum opened and we could go see the Titanic Exhibit. Since it was warm out, we opted to kill time sitting in the shade. 

I noticed a random statue and wandered over to check it out. It turns out the random statue was actually a war memorial. I see war memorials all the time. I've even visited a few random ones myself. However, this one struck me as very random and a bit out of the ordinary. It was for the Spanish-American War. 

I am used to seeing Memorials for the World Wars, Vietnam, Korea and even the Civil War. Occasionally if I'm in the right part of the country, I'll see one for the Revolutionary War. I don't ever recall seeing one for the Spanish-American War.

For those that a quick history lesson, the Spanish-American War was fought between the US and Spain (duh) in 1898. It lasted about 8 months and was fought in the Philippines and Cuba. It was a conflict that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America, according to Wikipedia. 

The monument is called the Hiker and is located in Hiker Park. I honestly didn't even know it was in a park. I thought it was part of the Paine Art Center Property. There are several Hiker Monuments scattered across the country honoring those that served in the Spanish American War. 

While I am grateful for the Hiker, I am still shocked that there is a monument in Oshkosh marking those that fought. You never know where you are going to find a piece of history. Who knows how times I passed it and assumed the man was a person of significance to Oshkosh History. 

After finding the Hiker, I think I am going to stop and check out more random statues and monuments because you never know what you will find and learn. I'm just glad I was able to learn about this small piece of history.