October 12, 2017 Potosi, Wisconsin to Western Springs, Illinois

Before we left Sunshine Apple Orchard we dropped back in the talk to Janet, the grandmother to thank them. The apple orchard has been run by their family for 4 generations.

John talking to Janet in the juicing room. They press the apples in the press behind John and then put the juice into the 5000 gallon tank- the red one behind John. We saw a huge tanker truck come pick up about that much. Their cider is wonderful. We stopped at the Carr Valley Cheese dairy. Igor the mouse with cheese out front. A few of the fancy cheese shapes they make. The dairy is in Fenimore, the turkey hunting capital of Wisconsin and the birth place of the Gideon bible.

Some more cheese shapes and some foam cheese hats. The Wisconsinites are know as Cheese heads and many fans wear cheese hats at the football games. I am modeling one here. There were cheese pencils and here is the cheese packing facility.

The bus is camped by the Potosi National Brewery museum for the night. They are a harvest host so we stay for free. It is in the historic Potosi brewery which was recently restored. It has been producing beer since 1845. The museum has everything to do with beer. Beer labels, posters, mugs, taps etc. It is for the American Breweriana Association members to show off their collections. They have 3000 members and they change the exhibits every 6 month. It was amazing. Across the street in the bottling building is the Whispering Bluffs Winery. We tasted there too. 

Across the street in the bottling building is the Whispering Bluffs Winery. We tasted there too. The beer cave where they age their lager and darn we are missing the flea market and breweriana  sale this Saturday.

Wine is like duct tape, it fixed everything. Next door to the winery is a creamery Wisconsin Cows  Wisconsin made ice cream. A tray from the historic Gesundheit brewery in Pennsylvania. The pub and tasting room for the Potosi Brewery has bacon popcorn. It tasted pretty good.  I went for a walk, town is surrounded by fall colored woods. 

John tasting wine. Between the winery and the creamery was a local woodworkers shop Gary David. He makes fabulous furniture and his son started woodworking when he was 6 and at 14 developed a unique wood coloring method of rubbing crayons with a rag on the wood in the lathe. He markets the candlesticks. The last photo is the woodshop behind. 

With the museum we also got a ticket for a free beer in the tasting room and we had the bacon popcorn. Gary David made the bar behind us. We had dinner there later.

Downtown historic Potosi. This is all of it, the brewery, museum and bottling building. Gary Tyler bought the whole thing in 2000. He started a foundation to restore the brewery and they started selling beer in 2007. 

The rules for the museum and tasting room. I love the don't drink the memorabilia. Today we headed into Illinois. 

We drove through Dickyville and stopped at the famous Grottos and shrines. They were built in 1920-30's by Father Mathias Wenerus. Took him 10 years to make the main shrine and he had help for the with the rest of the shrines. Some detail. It is very intricate art work. Some yellow roses.

Here we are parked in Western Springs in front of John's sister  Bridget's house. The masterpiece is looking more baskety now.