Wisconsin Trip - Hodag, Lambeau Field, and Dead Animals

in #travel7 years ago

This trip was taken back in 2011; I recently found the photos while going through some old albums on Facebook and wanted to share. My grandparents are always going on road trips around Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, and sometimes they take a grandchild or two.

One of my favorite memories of the trip was the Hodag of Rhinelander! Don't know what a Hodag is?
"This mythical creature is the official symbol of Rhinelander. It was created in 1896 by Gene Shepard. Rhinelander pioneer timber cruiser and famous prankster. Shepard claimed to have discovered the animal in the woods near Rice Creek. He "captured" it by blocking the mouth of it's den with rocks and rendering it unconscious with a chloroformed sponge on a long pole. Actually fashioned by a skilled woodcarver named Luke Kearney, the original Hodag was seven feet long and thirty inches high, black and hairy, with two horns on it's head, twelve horns along it's spine, and short powerful legs armed with long claws.

For years Shepard exhibited the Hodag at county fairs in a dimly lighted tent, controlling it's movements with wires. Many spectators believed the animal was real. Shepard would assure them that he had captured it on "Section 37" and that it ate "nothing but white bulldogs and those only on Sundays."
Hodag.jpg

Say Cheese.jpg
Say cheese! (it is Wisconsin, after all)

A farm scene along Lake Winnebago was a beautiful sight
Lake Winnebago.jpg

And a perfect spot to read this interesting historical tidbit
Brotheton Indians.jpg

On to Green Bay!
Lambeau Field.jpg
The best shot I could get of Lambeau Field; going there that day would have been too out of the way.

You know how a lot of people like to say "Only in Texas", or "Only in Colorado"? Well, this is one of those times when I could truthfully say, "Only in Wisconsin" ...
Beef-Fense.jpg

A freighter!
Green Bay Freighter.jpg

And that water was freeeeeeezing. Several times, I got sprayed in the face when the wind would shift, and it instantly froze. I watched the ice forming on these rocks:
Icy Rocks.jpg

Our one-day trip turned out to be a two-day trip, so we stopped in Mercer for the night.
Claire Da Loon.jpg
Hello, Claire Da Loon.

I can't remember the name of the hotel now, but it was beautiful. Packed full of taxidermy wonder.
Motel.jpg

Moose.jpg

Woodcocks.jpg

Grizzly.jpg

The next day we found, among other things, this Wilderness Pole in Tomahawk:
Wilderness Pole.jpg

Because of where it's located, I wasn't able to get a very good photo of the entire pole.
Wilderness Pole-Bear.jpg

Wilderness Pole-Eagles.jpg

Waterfalls, piles of bones in the woods, concrete art, and so much more were wondered at before we wound our way back home late the second day. Not all of my pictures came out due to so many being taken from the car, and I was also quite sick with a head cold.

If you want me to do more posts like this one, upvote and leave a comment saying where your favorite travel place is!

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My nephew plays football with the Rhinelander Hodags!

A creature that looks like someone who came from Stranger Things world, ☺

i've always wanted to stay in a place like that, a cabin. Hopefully my next visit in the US, or Canada (which im going in a few days)

This was an awesome experience

My dad have always wanted to travel the who country, for starters we have done both east (new york - florida) and west(california) He did mention Wisconsin as a next trip in the near future, so hopefully.

Haha it does look like that, yes! I find it so funny that people believed the guy.

There are plenty of cabins and cabin-esque hotels/motels around here. Wisconsin is a great travel place! Just don't come during the Winter months unless you really love cold and snow.