Travelog for: Tipsy

Hello! My name is Tipsy. I am so excited to be a Toy Voyager! I am ready to see the world one small place at a time!

My travel plans...
2entropy - USA (Wisconsin) - HERE NOW & HAVING A BLAST!
goofychicken - The Netherlands
BlackCat - Germany

What a fun first trip! I went this weekend with my owner to Baltimore to see the Boston Red Sox play the Baltimore Orioles. Even though we were in Baltimore, we were cheering for the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez (who hit his 500th home run!). Here I am before the game Saturday...

And here I am during Sunday's game...

What an amazing morning we had! Today was the National Race for the Cure, a huge 5K race to raise money for breast cancer research. There were 50,000 people (and four toy voyagers) that walked and ran in the race today! (and Mara says that there are usually more, but the crazy heat kept a lot of people at home) First, we had to get ready. I skipped the sunblock, but Snuggles helped me and Plaid Moose to pin our race numbers on...

Then it was time for the race. It was hard to take pictures because of how many people were there and the weather (it was really hot, and the morning started really foggy), but here I am on the race course...

The women in pink t-shirts are cancer survivors! And here I am at the finish line! (the building in the background is the one of the Smithsonian museums - The National Museum of the American Indian)

We were really proud of our race - here we all are on a bench afterwards...

...and here we are catching a moment of shade under a plant near the Smithsonian Castle!

Of course, before we got back in the car, I stopped for a picture in front of the Smithsonian Castle!

We had a fun day today! When Mara got home from work she told us that a package arrived! First, we tore off the tape...

And then out popped Muumipeikko!

But there was still noises in the traveling case...

It's Mausi! But there was one more surprise...

HitchaRideMo! Here we all are -

We told them all how hot it has been here in Virginia - over 100 degrees each day - so we have been keeping cool inside in the air conditioning. But it is finally starting to cool off a bit, so we will go on an outing with everyone soon!

I'm so excited! My flight leaves this afternoon for my first trip - to Wisconsin! I can't wait!

I have arrived safe and sound to Platteville, Wisconsin, located in the south-west part of "America's Dairyland!"  Plenty of cows here, so I should fit right in and shouldn't get too homesick.



My hosts have informed me that I am lucky to have missed all the rain here last week.  Many nearby areas experienced heavy flooding!  The flooding has been wide-spread throughout the Mid-West USA and some are calling it a "500-year flood!"  Even some cows were affected in nearby Spring Green, Wisconsin, but they got out OK.  Here's a picture of it (photo from June 12, 2008 located on www.nbc15.com):



This afternoon we are going to get a "MOOVE" on it and visit a farm. Maybe we'll see some cows. I can only hope! 

This afternoon it rained so the visit to the cows didn't occur.  However, we stopped to watch the 20 windmills between Cobb and Montfort Wisconsin.  This windturbine farm can supply enough energy to power approximately 9,000 average Wisconsin homes and are each as tall as a 33-story building.  They don't look so big in this picture.  See the tiny windmills to the right of me?


We also saw many farms along our drive like the one below.


Lastly, we took time to smell the roses.

I had a busy Father's day today, but still haven't seen any cows up close yet!  Oh well, that's OK because there are other neat things to view here, too. 

One of Platteville's main tourist sites is the world's largest letter "M" located on the Platte Mound.  No, the M doesn't stand for "Moo", it represents the mining history of this area, and was built by University of Wisconsin-Platteville students in 1937.  The M is 241 feet (73 m) high and 214 feet (65 m) wide, made of whitewashed rocks.  You can climb the 266 stairs up to the top if you have lots of energy!


Speaking of mining, we stopped by the Mining Museum in Platteville, too.  You can find out about the history of mining in this area here and even go underground to visit a mine.  Cows don't belong underground so I didn't venture there!

I've been enjoying a relaxing week with my host family.  We haven't traveled far, but my new 3-year-old friend carries me around and makes sure I don't miss anything.  Luckily, I don't weigh 1,000+ pounds like some real cows!  Did you know that June is "Dairy Month" in Wisconsin?  Here is a site all about dairy in Wisconsin - http://www.wisdairy.com/

I've especially enjoyed lounging on the deck.  The weather has been gorgeous!  I also was spotted at a baby shower this weekend and had a lot of fun, but no pictures of me there.  Sorry!  More to come this week...

Last evening I visited a university!!  UW-Platteville is a very picturesque place with lots of beautiful landscaping and interesting buildings.  Here I am in front of the sign:


The Pioneer Tower is Grant County's tallest building.  See it right above me on the left side?  I am also sitting in the door handle in the second picture! 



UW-Platteville is also home to the largest recorded Northern Catalpa tree in Wisconsin!  The tree is a designated "Champion Tree," and measures 20 feet around it's trunk.  See the tree with all the pretty white flowers behind me in this picture?  That's the one!


Here's another view of the campus.  You can see Williams Fieldhouse on the left, the smokestack of the heating plant, and the 5-years new Pioneer Student Center on the right.  This year UWP is celebrating 100 years of engineering (little sign on the bottom of the picture). Both of my host parents attended the engineering school!

YEAH!  After a long wait, I finally met some of my own kind today.  The Pioneer Farm is part UW-Platteville's of the School of Agriculture.  I visited the new Dairy Center today.  Me standing outside the building! (Wacky picture because the camera wasn't working quite right)


The Dairy Center has many free stalls for the cows to stay in.  Here I am in this area, hanging out with one of my new friends. 


See, there are both Holstein and Brown Swiss breeds here.  Which one am I? A Holstein!


Yum, Yum...Hay and Feed.  The feast was delicious!

I had a GREAT 4th of July!  I participated in Heritage Day at the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museum in Platteville.  First I helped decorate a straw hat at Rountree Gallery.  Isn't it lovely?


I sat on an antique Platteville firetruck. (Yes, I did get permission to pose on it.  The owners are very nice!)


Then I watched the train outside the museum.  I was not brave enough to take a ride myself, so I sat on the fence!


Later that night, I watched Platteville's exciting display of fireworks.  (It was a much bigger display than what is shown in the picture.) What a perfect ending to Independence Day!

We took a short daytrip today to Dubuque, Iowa.  I saw the mighty Mississippi River.  Mississippi is such a fun name to spell!  While we watched the river, the Spirit of Dubuque paddleboat passed by.  Wonder if they allow cows on board? Hmm, this may not be for me...would hate to TIP overboard.


Here, in this closeup you can see the paddlewheel in action!

Apparently, even if you are a cow, you can't visit Wisconsin without tasting some good beer, so the adults and I took a trip this weekend to the Potosi Brewing Company and National Brewery Museum located in Potosi, Wisconsin.  The brewing company just had its grand "re-opening" a couple weeks back and is the talk of the area currently.  The company was orginally founded in 1852 and at one time was one of the largest in Wisconsin, but in the 1970's it ceased operation.  A restoration project has been underway for several years, and the result is a pretty nice travel destination.  Here is a picture of me outside of the building which, by the way, is located along the longest main street without an intersection in the world (3 miles)!   


Here I am perched on the Potosi Brewing Company beer wagon, happy as a cow!


In the restaurant we ordered a few cold ones, brewed here right in the brewery.


Of course, we had to taste test the beer! 


After a couple sips, I got a little tipsy-silly and danced on the bar.  The bar was handcrafted by local artist Gary David, and it really is quite impressive. Hope he didn't mind a cow sitting on it!


The Brewing Company is also home to the National Brewery Museum sponsored mainly by the American Breweriana Association and also the Potosi Brewing Company Transportation Museum so there are lots of different memorabilia related to beer to look at there, too. 
Here's the CAVE, where beer used to be stored.  A spring runs through there and provides a nice, cool environment.


Me overlooking a whole bunch of signs!!  Recognize any brands?  There are a lot of them!


The most important part...


To end the trip we stopped in the gift shop, and I made a whole bunch of new friends.  All in all, I rate the restored brewery two hooves up!

I haven't seen a cheese factory yet but I did get a chance to sample some cheese at my host's home.  Their favorite cheese is Muenster, and here I am cutting a slice just for me.  Smile and say cheese!