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River Falls - the start of two college towns Next up on Highway 29 is River Falls (pop. 14,015), "The City on the Kinni", as it calls itself. River Falls is definitely a college town: about 14,000 regular residents and 6,000 college students. The city is home to UW-River Falls, which served as the summer practice facility for the Kansas City Chiefs until 2009, and Chippewa Valley Technical College. River Falls is also increasingly a Twin Cities suburb. Highway 35 branches off and heads north at this point; Highway 29 continues its push east. After a short coupling with U.S. Highway 63, State Highway 29 head east into Spring Valley (pop. 1,189), home of Crystal Cave, "Wisconsin's Longest Showcave!", as it says. Spring Valley is clearly a valley - as you cross the Eau Galle River, you can see the bluffs and ridges on either side. Swimmers frequent the Eau Galle Dam and Recreation Area, home to the largest earthen dam in the Midwest.
Heading east from Menomonie and past the Hoffman Hills Recreation Area, Highway 29 parallels I-94, which runs just about 1-2 miles to the north, over to Elk Mound, when the two routes cross. At this junction, which features a store called Private Pleasures (I'm guessing it's an adult store; I didn't stop in, honest), Highway 29 begins its voyage as a 4-lane expressway, which it continues as all the way to Green Bay. The upgrades to Highway 29 have been going on for almost two decades and the result is a new, smooth, fast highway that lets you jet across the middle of the state with ease. It's more interesting, of course, to stop and check things out, so that's why I recommend stopping off in some of the towns the upgraded Highway 29 now whizzes past. Chippewa Falls (pop. 12,925) is Eau Claire's northern counterpart and calls itself "Gateway to the North Woods." A drive on the old 29, now known as "Business 29", takes you through the city on County X, River Street and Seymour Cray Blvd, named after the famous engineer who took supercomputers to a whole new level in the latter half of the 20th century. From Minneapolis-based CDC to his own company, Cray Research (you may have heard of the Cray-2 supercomputer, for example), Seymour Cray played a key role in making computers what they are today. He died in 1996, and Highway 29's Business route through Chippewa Falls carries his name in memoriam. BREWERY ALERT!
Above: The Leinenkugel Brewery has been at it since 1867. Tours are extremely popular, so be prepared for lots of thirsty and appreciative cohorts. Their tasting area (right) offers a wide variety of Leinie beverages and a gift shop where you're pretty much guaranteed to find something you'll like. Chippewa Falls is known to giddy female movie-goers worldwide as the hometown of Jack Dawson, Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the movie epic Titanic. The famous hole in the script deals with Lake Wissota, which actually did not exist when Titanic sunk -- it was developed in 1916, when work on a dam created the now-famous body of water.
As you pass Lake Wissota east of Chippewa Falls, Highway 29 continues its path as a major 4-lane expressway. The "old" 29 parallels this road just to the north as County X, which runs you right through the center of towns like Cadott, Boyd, Stanley and Thorp. The new 29 as an expressway provides exits to each of these towns. Cadott, at the junction with Highway 27 (Exit 91), features the Wisconsin Veterans Tribute.
On the Clark-Marathon County line at the junction with Highway 13 is Abbotsford (pop. 2,000), known as "Wisconsin's First City". It's "first" in terms of the alphabet, by the way, not in population or age (those distinctions go to Milwaukee and Green Bay, respectively). The downtown drive on Highway 13 is a good example of a Wisconsin main street. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, THE CENTER OF TWO HEMISPHERES?? Well, yes, you can be. Following the County M turnoff from Highway 29, approximately at mile marker 149, you can go about 5 miles north, take a right on County U and then left at the Geological marker sign, onto Meridian Road. The meridian of which it speaks is the 90th Meridian, halfway between the Prime Meridian (London) and the Int'l Date Line. In other words, you're at the central point of the Western Hemisphere. But that's not all. At the Geological (shouldn't it be a "geographical"?) Marker, about ¼ mile north on Meridian Road, you're also at the 45th Parallel, which is halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. So right there in the middle of the cornfields, you're at the center of both the Western and Northern Hemispheres. Stand there and feel the self-absorption!
A stone's throw from this center point is Poniatowski (pronounced, as I discovered, without the first "i"), a tiny hamlet featuring a few houses and a bar. In T&C's Pub, I found a friendly, if not tipsy, crowd that generously treated me to a Pabst for joining the "45x90 Club", which is the informal group you join when visiting the Center of Two Hemispheres. Making your way back to Highway 29 on either County M or H, you can make quick time to Wausau, with a nice view of Rib Mountain guiding you in. Rib Mountain (elevation 1,924 feet) is an imposing ridge that dominates the surrounding landscape and provides area residents with great winter skiing right nearby. The hill is one billion years old, but doesn't look a day over 600 million. It's the second-highest peak in the state (the highest being Timms Hill, about forty miles to the northwest) and the hill highest when compared to the average surrounding terrain, which explains why it can be seen for miles and miles around. Wausau Wausau is perhaps most famous for Wausau Insurance, but also provides numerous amenities. Recreation abounds: the Wisconsin River splits the city and widens into a lake at times and provides great canoeing and kayaking; Rib Mountain offers skiing, hiking and mountain biking; and numerous restaurants abound for aspiring competitive eaters. Wausau hosts a professional baseball team, the Wausau Woodchucks of the Northwoods League. Also worth a stop is the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum (715-845-7010), featuring numerous works of art its world-renowned "Birds In Art" exhibit. It's also worth noting Wausau lies in the midst of an area that grows a lot of Panax quinquefolius, also known as American Ginseng. The area's large Hmong population, as well as the plant's popularity around the world - especially Asia - contributes to the demand and significance of this product. "Old" 29 rejoins the current Highway 29 south of Wausau at Exit 171. From Wausau and its eastern suburbs of Rothschild, Weston and Ringle, Highway 29 is expressway all the way east to Green Bay. Bicycle enthusiasts may note that the Mountain-Bay Trail, a rail-to-trail conversion that runs the span between Wausau and Green Bay, parallels this stretch of 29 just a few miles north. Shortly after crossing the subcontinential divide (the point where water starts draining to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean vs. the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico), you reach Highway 49, which begins at Highway 29 and heads south to Elderon, Waupaca and eventually the Horicon Marsh area. After crossing into Shawano County, Highway 29 (as the now-freeway bypass) snakes around little Wittenberg (pop. 1,177), where U.S. 45 joins for a few miles heading east before heading south toward Clintonville. Bacon Alert. In the midst of this coupling with U.S. 45, Highway 29 passes Wittenberg's most famous business: Neuske's Applewood Smoked Meats. Neuske's makes "the beluga of bacon", according to the New York Times. Neuske's was founded in 1887 by Prussian immigrants, drawn to Wisconsin because everybody was immigrating here at the time and Wittenberg appealed to them - in part because of the significance of the city's German counterpart (apparently Wittenberg, Germany is where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church, touching off the Reformation. A little history note for ya.) Neuske's began with a smokehouse and during the Great Depression R.C. Neuske sold smoked bacon, sausages, hams and turkeys to budding resorts across northern Wisconsin. Long story short, today Neuske's sells through mail order and supermarkets across the nation and a few foreign markets. Their bacon (a State Trunk Tour favorite) is the preferred bacon for a plethora of famous, tony restauarants across the country, including Balthazar and An American Place in New York, Commander's Place in New Orleans, The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, and Pinot in Los Angeles. But lucky you, you can buy Neuske's right at the Wittenberg Retail Store, located on Grand Avenue between Exit 196 and 198, in full view of Highway 29. In fact, Grand Avenue was Highway 29 before the expressway was built. So there. Further east, you reach Shawano (pop. 8.298), the main city between Green Bay and Wausau. Shawano is perched on Shawano Lake and offers the most amenities on this stretch. Highway 29 officially bypasses the city to the south on a freeway bypass - which is only fitting, since the name "Shawano" is Native American Menomonee for "to the south." You can follow Business 29 into town and go through its center. Being the main city between Wausau and Green Bay, it's also the main city along the Mountain-Bay Trail. A former railroad depot in town has been retrofitted to Joe BikeLer's Bike Shop (620 South Main Street, 715-526-2216) and offers everything from bicycles to a coffee bar. It's just south of Business 29 along adjacent Highway 22. Weekends from 8am to 4pm, the Trailside Farmers Market runs late May through October and features vendors offering crafts, produce, baked goods, ceramics and more. In the downtown area, Business Highway 29 follows a stretch of Green Bay Avenue for several miles, combining 29 with State Trunk Tour Highways 22, 47 and 55. Gas tends to be a little cheaper in Shawano than surrounding areas, so just note that for the trip.
Hydro-whatting?
If you follow the Highway 29 freeway bypass - which saves probably 10-15 minutes - check out the view as you cross the tree-lined Wolf River. Especially on the eastbound run, the view of the trees framing the river makes for a great picture. If only I'd had my camera ready at the time... East of Shawano, Highway 47 combines with 29 to Bonduel and Highway 55 sticks around until Angelica. At Bonduel, check out Doc's Zoo & Muscle Car Museum (715-758-9080), which features a variety of 60's muscle cars, motorcycles, a classic 1930's Standard gas station, and a whole line of unique autos, including one of the 1958 Plymouth Fury cars used in the Stephen King classic "Christine". It's hard to miss; part of Doc's Harley-Davidson, Inc. of Shawano County, you'll notice Bo & Luke Duke's General Lee looking like it just leaped the building (yes, it's one of the actual General Lee cars used in filming "The Dukes of Hazzard."
Just northwest of Green Bay, Highway 29 ducks into Brown County, and then Outagamie County for such a short time, you can see the Brown County sign ahead of you again. The signs themselves are small, but you literally cut the northeast corner of Outagamie within a few blocks. On the west edge of Green Bay itself lies Pamperin Park. No, it was not named for the female-targeting pain medicine (that's Pamprin.) Pamperin Park is the largest park in Brown County, which holds the Green Bay Metro Area. The park offers a huge wooden children's playground area, a stone pavilion, fireplace, gardens and a picturesque suspension bridge. Pamperin serves as a nice recreational stop for relaxation or letting kids get their energy spent before resuming the journey.
GREEN BAY
For Lambeau Field seekers on this route, the "frozen tundra" lies about 3 miles south of Highway 29; you can cut south to it via Oneida Street or Military Avenue. Trust me, you WILL be able to find Lambeau, the home of the Green Bay Packers...the cross street is Lombardi Avenue, after all.
As Highway 29 enters downtown, it crosses the Fox River, one of the few northward-flowing rivers in North America. Here, bridges are lit up at night with condos, bars and shops springing up. At the intersection with Broadway, a Farmers Market offers produce and other items on Wednesday afternoons from June through September from 3pm-8pm. Highway 29 is also Walnut Street here, and just north along Dousman Street (U.S. 141) is the Neville Public Museum, which focuses on art, history and science for northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. There is also a Children's Museum, currently undergoing redevelopment. East of the Fox River, blocks adjacent to Highway 29 feature an array of bars and restaurants. Places to party include Kittner's Pub, Hip Cats, Liquid 8, Confetti, Washington Street Pub, the Fox Harbor Pub & Grill, and Stir-Ups (Stir-Ups is a country bar - yes, think about it.) Green Bay's party crowd hangs out in this area, and it's not uncommon for Packers players to be seen, getting asked what it was like to play with Favre.
For train enthusiasts, Green Bay is the site of the National Railroad Museum (2285 S. Broadway, south of Highway 29 via Highway 32), which features over 70 locomotives and train cars, including the world's largest steam locomotive, known as "Big Boy." East of downtown Green Bay, a strip known as "Olde Main Street" offers a variety of shops. Around these points, Highway 29 meets up with Highway 54 and Highway 57 before heading out of town on what is also US Highway 141. This commercial strip was the main road to Milwaukee before I-43 was constructed. Leaving Green Bay, Highway 29 turns southeast heading out of Green Bay, crossing over I-43 on the way to Bellevue (pop. 13,836), a fast-growing village that turns 5 this year. From Bellevue, Highway 29 becomes a two-lane road again and makes a beeline toward the remaining 22 miles to Lake Michigan. On the way, it's mostly farmland. But you do go through Poland, in this case not the country but an unincorporated burg named after the nation that is indeed the source of approximately 60% of all lightbulb-changing jokes. It might be best to skip telling them here. However, if you want to share your theories about aliens from other planets, well, the UFO landing port (slogan: "We're not the only ones") in Poland is a good place to do it. Featured in RoadsideAmerica.Com, the port is owned by Bob Tohak and he maintains it in anticipation of aliens landing someday. And you thought immigration was a wild subject now!
Into Kewaunee County, you also hit little unincorporated Pilsen, named after Czech town where Pilsener beer was invented, so I think you know how to salute the place. In wine is more your thing, the Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery can be found just south of Highway 29 along Sleepy Hollow Road. Parallel 44 is named for its geographical location along not only Kewaunee County but also the Bordeaux region of France and the Tuscany region of Italy - two of the finest areas in the world for winemaking. While the climate in Kewaunee isn't quite the same as Tuscany's (shame, isn't it?), owners & winemakers Steve Johnson and Maria Milano manage to grow a variety of French hybrid grapes that have led to award-winning wines. Their first harvest was in September, 2007 and in the coming year they plan to release an ice wine. Stay tuned. They offer tours and complimentary tastings - within reasonable limits! Weekly tours are available Saturdays at 3pm, and you can call them at (920) 362-1550. The final stop on Highway 29 is Kewaunee (pop. 2,833), where on this particular day I happened upon Troutfest, an annual event saluting - yes - trout! An Art Fair, motorcycle run, Venetian boat parade, fireworks, music, and a parade are all part of the festival. The final few blocks of Highway 29 in downtown were closed for the parade, actually, so I detoured through town and happened upon this:
Yes, you never know what you'll find on the State Trunk Tour. Near Lake Michigan, Kewaunee is a hilly town and as I stood at the eastern end of Highway 29, at its downtown intersection with Highway 42, listening to a marching band playing Blink 182's "All The Small Things", I couldn't help but marvel at how fun the 300-mile trek across the state was, from the Mississippi River all the way to Lake Michigan.
Post-trip Summary: Total miles on the trip: 300.7 Upcoming events in places along Highway 29:
Prescott to River Falls ![]() River Falls interactive map Menomonie interactive map ![]() Chippewa Falls ![]() Below: a Google Earth shot (apparently taken during winter) showing the spot along Meridian Road where you can stand at the center of both hemispheres (45N, 90W). It's about 5 minutes off Highway 29 near Poniatowski. Click the interactive map to find your way around! ![]() ![]() Wausau
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