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SPRING 2017 ISSUE 01 / VOL. 02
The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin, is a chilling reminder of what evolution might come to.
Our next day is meant to take us most of the way to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where we’ ll take the Badger across Lake Michigan, the last coal-fired ferry on the Great Lakes and a piece of carbon dioxide-belching history that’ s being dragged into the 21st century by emissions standards. But first we stop to see the bizarre collection of fishing paraphernalia at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward before moving on. Counties in Wisconsin identify their roads by letter rather than number. At first I thought this may be in an effort to limit counties to 26 roads, but you’ ll find them with
double and triple letters too, and most of them are a good bet for motorcycling. As straight as they look on a map, on the ground they bob and weave around lakes, trees, barns and farm animals. We take B, W, Z, S and, I think, sometimes Y. We have coffee and pie made from local berries and tasting of mum’ s kitchen at the Crystal Café in Iola, and then we head to Manitowoc to board the ferry. At the time of our crossing, Lake Michigan is what mariners call“ a bit lumpy.” Both my wife and I take Dramamine and the experience turns out to feel a little like a party I went to back in 1975. I can