"High Cliffs, Hamburgers and High Up to Michigan"

Southern terminus: Calumet County, at the junction with U.S. Highway 151 near Quinney

Northern terminus: Forest County, at the Brule River bridge on the Michigan state line (connecting to M-73 in Michigan)

Mileage: about 175 miles

Counties along the way: Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano, Menominee, Langlade, Forest

Sample towns along the way: Stockbridge, Sherwood, Kaukauna, Seymour, Shawano, Keshena, Crandon, Nelma

Bypass alternates at: Shawano

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 55 starts on a picturesque overlook above Lake Winnebago, cut through the eastern edge of the Fox Valley and becomes a winding highway through Seymour, birthplace of the hamburger and home to the world's largest burger, both the Menominee Indian Reservation and the Nicolet National Forest, with excellent access to campgrounds, fishing, hunting and a variety of summer and winter up Nort' activities.

The Drive (South to North): Highway 55, which once began all way down in Milwaukee, begins today where U.S. 151 veers away from Lake Winnebago on its way to Chilton. Where 151 goes east, 55 continues north, running close to the east shore of the "non-cityed" side of Lake Winnebago. While not always visible from this stretch of Highway 55, Lake Winnebago is the third largest freshwater lake in the U.S. (Okeechobee in Florida was first, in case you were curious) and is visible from space. While the lake's west side is heavy with reefs and cities - Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Menasha, and Neenah - the east side is characterized with serene shorelines and rocky cliffs.

	Highway 55, which once started in Milwaukee, now begins where U.S. 151 veers east toward Manitowoc. The highway runs up the barely-developed east shore of Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake.
Lake Winnebago is about 30 miles long and expands to 10 miles wide. It's quite visible from Highway 55 for quite a while.

High Cliff State Park is the best place for viewing Lake Winnebago. Perched atop the limestone cliff of the Niagara Escarpment, which runs from this point to Door County and then to Niagara Falls, you can picnic, camp, walk the Indian Mound Trail, check out the nature center, or climb the 40-foot observation tower and get a look across the lake to Appleton, Oshkosh and even north to Kaukauna, which Highway 55 cuts right through on this Tour.

	Several cities line the western shore of Lake Winnebago. From Highway 55, you can see the tops of buildings in Oshkosh (B'gosh), visible in the distance in this picture.
Award for "Best Tavern Name of the Day": Dub's Pub Suds & Grub". That's rhyming on the level of old-school rapper right there...
	From the "You Never Know What You'll Find on the State Trunk Tour" Department: this thing. No idea what this is... something resembling an old-style train. Just saw it by the roadside and decided it's worth a picture.

After a brief combo with Highway 114, which heads west toward Appleton, you enter Outagamie County, crossing U.S. 10 and going past the Wisconsin International Raceway into Kaukauna (pop. 12,983). Known far and wide for the tasty cheese spread brand, Kaukauna is considered the easternmost of the Fox Cities that line the Fox River from here all the way down past Appleton to Neenah and Menasha. One of the first communities in Wisconsin, Kaukauna was explored by Father Claude Allouez in 1670 and a fur trading post was established at KeKalin Falls in 1760. Back then, travelers moving by canoe had to detour by land around three waterfalls on the Fox, which connects Lake Winnebago to Green Bay on Lake Michigan; it's one of the few northward-flowing rivers in the United States.

Adjacent to Highway 55 through Kaukauna, the Veterans Memorial Bridge is a tall lift bridge.

The Grignon Mansion, built in 1837 on the site of Wisconsin's oldest deeded land. To the side is the mansion's outhouse... and yes, they cut crescent moon shapes into the door for ventilation. And because that's how outhouses always seem to look. It's not available for public use, but then, why would anyone want to use it?

Finding Freedom
Through Kaukauna, Highway 55 crosses Highway 96 and then heads north to cross U.S. 41 and heads out of town into the rural portions of Outagamie County. That's where, after several miles, you'll find Freedom. Well, actually there are three towns in Wisconsin called "Freedom", but THIS one is along Highway 55 AND Field of Scenes, one of only five active drive-in theatres in Wisconsin. Field of Scenes shows movies like any drive-in theatre, but it's also a sprawling campus featuring horse-pulled wagon rides, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a game room, and basketball and volleyball courts.

It's a straight beeline through Freedom and most Outagamie County, where you cross through southwestern section of the Oneida Indian Reservation. You can connect to Oneida Casino and Green Bay by taking Highway 54 east when you reach it; otherwise, Highway 55 joins 54 going westward for a brief jaunt into the birthplace of one of the best road foods ever created.

	Standing tall, this giant burger man in Seymour reminds you that this is where it all began.
The Guinness Book of World Records noted that Seymour is where the "World's Largest Hamburger" was cooked - right there on the Charlie Grill. In August of 2001, a 8,266 pound hamburger was cooked up and served to over 13,000 people.

Feature: Burger Fiesta 2009 Seymour's 2009 annual hamburger festival was called "Burger Fiesta", with a Mexican theme. It took place on August 8, and the State Trunk Tour was there. Amidst the bands, the model railroad museum and hungry and thirsty festival goers milling about under the statue of Charles "Hamburger Charlie" Nagreen (the hamburger's inventor), was the main attraction: a 60-pound hamburger. Sure, it's a fraction of the monstrous 8,266 pound record grilled in 2001, but it was still a monster. Left: The 60 pound mound of meat, hot off the grill. Right: It took some work, but the meat was successfully wedged within a gi-normous bun - even though part of the patty's north side fell a bit!

North of Seymour, Highway 55 is a pretty straight shot to Angelica, where you get to hop the "express" by joining Highway 29 on a freeway for a while.

Around Bonduel, you also combine with Highway 47. There, right along the highway, you can 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."

Shawano to Crandon to the U.P. is coming soon!

CONNECTIONS
South Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: U.S. Highway 151
Can connect nearby to: Highway 32 & Highway 57, about 8 miles east

North Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: M-73 in Michigan
Can connect nearby to: Highway 70, about 5 miles south

Upcoming events in places along Highway 55:
Shawano County Fair, Shawano, September 1-6, 2010
Borg Warner World Championship Off-Road Races, Crandon, September 3-5, 2010

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Best Western
Crandon Inn & Suites
9075 E. Pioneer St.
Crandon, WI 54520
(715) 478-4000
Link to hotel and reservations