Checking out the Udderly Euro Car Show

 Heading to DQ we saw that Wisconsin Ave in Neenah was going to be closed for a car show. The hubby likes car shows and I have learned to enjoy them. Since the hubby didn't think he would get home in time to go, I decided to check it out myself.

The Udderly Euro Car Show is a car show that features European cars. It is located in and around Shattuck Park in downtown Neenah. It is free to go check out the cars and the cars are on display from 3-7.

It was a beautiful day to walk around and check out cars. There were parked on Wisconsin Ave, in Shattuck Park, and in the lot in Neenah 1. There were a few food trucks as long as a couple merchandise tents. It was a very well planned and organized event.

I knew this was a European Car Show but I didn't expect so many VWs, BMWs, and Audis in one place. There were very few other European brands. It was mainly VWs and BMWs. 

There were a ton on VW bugs and campers.

Maybe it's because I am the wife of Ford guy but this crowd was not my type of car show. Yes the cars were cool but I felt weirdly out of place. Even though I owned a BMW in the past, I just was not digging this car show. I wouldn't say it was pretentious but the vibe was just different than most car shows.

I am glad I checked it out and really don't need to go back. If someone asked me to meet them down there I would. If you are into VWs, BMWs, or other European cars, I would suggest checking it out. 

2352. Conquer the Three Dune Challenge at Indian Dunes State Park

 Heather wanted to go to Pullman National Monument to get her stamp and I wanted to go to Indiana Dunes National Park. I figured the hubby would not want to hike or see the dunes because he doesn't like hiking or sand. He said he would like to check it out but I figured Heather and I would get to do some hiking instead of just whatever minimal sightseeing the hubby would insist on. Since it was only 30 minutes or so from Pullman to Indiana Dunes, Heather was game since she didn't get to see much of the park when she was there with the family.

Indiana Dunes National Park spans the northern coast of Indiana along Lake Michigan from Gary to Chesterton. The main visitor center is in Porter with a Nature Center in Gary. The hubby didn't want me to go to Indiana Dunes because we'd have to go to Gary. Then I had to educate him about the size of the park and told him we were going to Porter. 

New this year, Indiana Dunes National Park started enforcing an entrance fee -- $25/car for 7 days. Since I have the National Park pass this year, we had no fee which is another reason I wanted to go. You may your fee or show your pass at the Visitor Center. Also in the visitor center is the movie which we did not watch, the gift shop, passport stamp, and very informative rangers about what to hike.

After showing our pass and getting our stamps, Heather and I looked at the map and tried to decided where we wanted to explore. We kept coming back to the 3 Dune Challenge. The 3 Dune challenge is in Indiana Dunes State Park and would require a separate fee. I looked at it before we left and kind of wanted to do it. I said if you wanted to do it, I'll pay the fee. After getting some guidance from a ranger, we headed over to the state park.

The State Park is on the same road as the visitor center about a mile or so further. After paying our daily fee of $12, I directed us to the start of the trail which was at the nature center. 

The Three Dune Challenge is exactly that. You climb the three highest dunes in the area -- Mt Jackson, Mt Holden, and Mt Tom. It is a 1.5 mile loop. The trail is clearly marked which makes getting lost pretty hard to do.

We started out and there is a small dune that isn't even marked. I laid down. I thought it was Mt. Jackson. Oh no. It was just a small hill. 

We got to Mt. Jackson and it was a 176 foot climb in the sun on sand. I wore hiking sandals thinking I won't get sand in my shoes. Yeah but I had hot sand and sticks on the bottom of my feet. Not a wise move. The climb wasn't too bad. The hot sand made it worse than it really was. 

Then we came to Mt. Holden. O.M.G. I thought I was going to die. Mt. Holden is 184 feet in elevation at 38% grade. That's almost half a right angle. That's steep. The only saving grace was it was in the shade for the most part. There was also spots to stop and rest and catch my breath. I'll be honest, I didn't think I was making it to the top. It was that tough. Made I made it. 

Unlike Mt. Jackson, there were no benches to sit on at the top of Mt.. Holden so I found a shady spot on the sandy and rested. There was a path to the beach but what you climb down you must climb up. So we opted not to. 

We continue on way to the last dune, the tallest dune Mt. Tom. We come down the hill and Mt. Tom shows us his hand.. or more like a glorious stair case. Yup to get to the top of Mt. Tom you can climb a set of stairs. No near vertical climb for us. 

The stairs were easy compared to Mt. Holden and then you were greeted with views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago Skyline. 

To get back to the visitor center, it was more stairs, a walk through the campground and a short hike. Easy-peasy.

We did it. We conquered the Three Dune Challenge and lived to tell the tale. We also got a sticker and a bought the shirt. Now I can truly say, been there, done that, got the shirt.

If you are ever at Indiana Dunes National Park or northern Indiana in general, go do the Three Dunes Challenge. Just wear good shoes, take water (my saving grace), take your time, and go early. We did it mid afternoon and it wasn't too bad but it can be a scorcher especially climbing Mt. Jackson. 

Now maybe one day, I can go back and explore the rest of the National Park.

98. Go to Pullman, IL

I am not sure where I first learned about Pullman but ever since I learned about it, I wanted to visit. Pullman, IL was a company town founded for the workers making Pullman train cars. It is located on the south side of Chicago. I am not sure because the concept of a company fascinated me or the Pullman cars themselves fascinated me but either way I wanted to. 

The hubby is not a city slicker and tries to avoid Chicago at all costs. When Convention was in Chicago, it wasn't feasible to make it to Pullman. When Stacy and I did the first bucket list adventure 20 years ago to Chicago, I didn't think I even realized where Pullman was located. It was a made a National Monument in 2015 and Heather really wanted to go to get her stamp since it didn't work out to go when she was in the area for Nationals. Road trip!

Pullman National Monument is located on the southeast side (E 111th and Cottage Grove) about a mile or two off the Bishop Ford Freeway. Besides having to deal with construction in downtown Chicago, it is a fairly easy drive. It is about 3.5 hours from here. Doable in a day. 

Admission and parking is free. 

Our first stop was the visitor center, once we found it. GPS had us going to the old visitor center, I believe. In the visitor center, we stamped our passports and toured the small museum. 

The museum tells about the history of Pullman, the Pullman strike, and life as a worker in the Pullman community. It is very interesting and interactive.

There is a self-guided walking tour as well as a ranger led walking tour if you're lucky enough to get there when the walking tour is scheduled. We were not. Due to the time constraints, we opted to skip the walking/driving tour. Many of the buildings are private residences. The monument actually spans from 103rd to 115th streets.

We did see what was left of the erecting shops. They are not in good shape. I would have liked to see more but time just did not allow for it. What we did see was just a small piece of the history of the Pullman life. I can't image living and working there.

The hubby was a bit concerned about the area but I felt safe. The area was another reason I didn't really want to go exploring too much even if the police precinct was just down the block. I would have been much happier exploring on a ranger lead tour. Maybe next time.

We came. We saw. We stamped. That was our mission for the day -- get our passport stamp at Pullman National Monument. Mission accomplished. 

Hopefully one day I can go back and explore more but at least I can say I have been there and was able to complete my first original bucket list adventure of the year. 

One Last Mihm's Burger

When I heard that Mihm's was closing at the end of the month, I knew I needed one last Mihm's burger. The hubby likes Mihm's but is too busy this time of the year to indulge. So instead Rosie and Tara joined me.

Mihm's Charcoal Grill in Menasha is a hole in the wall burger joint that has been around since the 1950s. They serve true butter burgers a slab of real butter on top of the butter. The owners decided to retire and no one has bought the place.. yet. So as of June 25th, they will close their doors forever. And gosh darn it, I was going to get one last burger.

Rosie beat Tara and I there and secured our name on the wait list. Since they are crazy busy and have a teeny tiny dining area and no place to wait, you give them your name, go wait outside, and they will call your phone when either your food is done (to go orders) or your table is ready. We lucked out. It was only a 5-10 minute wait for counter seats. I feared the worse on a Friday night after a coworker had a 30 minute wait during lunch the week prior.

Mihms has no menus. You order off the sign above the grill. I had a cheeseburger, cheese curds, and a milkshake. I even got the hubby a burger to go. 

The wait for our food was about 40 minutes. While we caught up, I also watched the small, dedicated staff do it all. It was about 4-5 person operation. If you are seated at the counter you can watch them cook your food as well. No hidden kitchen in this place. 

The food was as good as I remembered. I thoroughly enjoyed my last Mihm's burger. 

I will be sad to see them go. Well me and a whole lot of other people. Hopefully someone will buy it and re-open it. Until that happens we will all have to reminisce about our Mihms burger. Maybe it will become stuff of legions and lore. Hopefully not.