Munstream.adventures: 4th of July at Merrick State Park in Wisconsin

Our Munstream adventure brought us to Merrick State Park in Wisconsin, the scenery and the park were lovely, but the flooding was unavoidable, in fact, over half of the State Park was closed because the roads were flooded. To make matters more interesting, it rained most of the time we were there. We did our best to get out and explore during breaks in the rain. We drove into LaCrosse and went on a river tour and saw what we could beyond the flooded riverbanks. We enjoyed the scenery and snacks and just as the tour finished up, we were caught in a downpour. We raced to the nearest restaurant and warmed up with a snack and beverage. We did a bit more looking around but kept getting stuck in the rain, so we called it and headed back to the campsite, with a quick stop for pizza and ice cream at David's (a highlight).

The following day was sunny!! We made the most of it and found a beach. We swam and picnicked and made it back to have a campfire dinner and felt like were finally getting back into a groove and then the rain came again, forcing us to pack up the following morning. Total bummer, but we did detour to Okoboji to get in some Arnold's Park fun, so everyone was happy. We were happy to be home in our dry house and to get an extra day of unpacking ahead of our upcoming Europe vacation. 

Truck stop photo op. 

River Ratz Saloon, where all of the 's'es are 'z'es
and the conversations are interesting, to say the least ;).

Inside River Ratz (notice the menuz). 

The River Cruise boarding zone detour. 

Our River Ratz at The Charmant Hotel.

Racing to Big Al's Pizza Shop for 
a t-shirt for my bro. 

The rain stopped long enough for a stop at 
David's Creamery. 

A beach day in Winona, MN (across the river 
from the State Park we were staying at.) 

My grandmother's grave in Minnesota City, MN. 

Our fake 4th of July photo (it was the 3rd). 

Sweet G. 

Feeling very American. 

Our set up. 

Dave and Piper taking out the trash. ;)