Saturday August 16, 2014-Pine View Campground, Ft. McCoy WI

Today we drove over to Warren WI, the self-proclaimed cranberry capitol to see the cranberry blogs and a museum that shows the gathering and processing of cranberries.

 The museum also houses a tasting area for cranberries, cranberry sauces and pastas and cranberry wine. The building is a former cranberry processing plant that closed.

 What is Kelly looking at and Stella is hurrying to see?

 The Little Free Library. People drop off books of all kinds, including children's books to share. 

 The beginning of the museum tour was a short video that we watched. It was interesting to see the process of raising and harvesting cranberries.

A reproduction of an old wood shop, used to make tools, boxes and of course to repair items commonly used around the place.

 A display of drying crates and boxes and barrels to hold berries.

 A display of common brands of cranberry products. 

 The wine tasting was popular. Stella bought one bottle of wine but Michael and Kelly didn't. The couple on the end of the counter was just another visitor.

 A new cranberry bog being built and readied for production. It was interesting to see the technology used to level the bogs and the sprinkler system that is used when the weather gets cold. They spray a light coating of water to freeze and actually insulate the fruit to prevent damage. Don't get too close to that fence, it's electrified, and please, please control yourself in case you have the urge to use the bathroom. Wouldn't be pretty! 

We also saw the huge piles of sand that is natural to this area. They reuse the sand that is removed to cover the ice in winter. We also saw the lakes and ponds that hold the water used to flood the bogs.

An active cranberry bog. These things are huge, and I can certainly see why Wisconsin is the cranberry capitol. 

I've also got to tell you that Kelly beat me up for mentioning her looooong walk to the other side of the world that other day. I just report the facts here...

So long.