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Discussion » Questions » Travel » Have you ever visited or lived in Wisconsin? Would you?

Have you ever visited or lived in Wisconsin? Would you?

I've been in the state, but haven't spent time there. I like cows and cheese, I think it would be cool to visit. It might even be cold. 

Posted - September 17, 2021

Responses


  • 52903

     

      My unit was scheduled for a six-month deployment to Norway, so in preparation for it, we went to Wisconsin from our base, Camp LeJeune, North Carolina for TDY (temporary duty), specifically, Cold Weather Training. The town was called Sparta, and I believe we were there for two weeks. We also went to Bridgeport, California for ski two weeks of ski training. When we got back to LeJeune, we were set to board ship a few weeks later for Norway, when all of a sudden, our orders got changed and instead we boarded planes for a six-month deployment to Okinawa, Japan; the tropics. Go figure.
    ~





    This post was edited by Randy D at September 23, 2021 11:35 AM MDT
      September 17, 2021 10:53 PM MDT
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  • 10029
    How did you like the town of Sparta, WI? I'd never heard of it. Beautiful scenery, it appears. I saw the base near there; Ft. McCoy. 

    Military life requires the ability to easily adapt to changes, doesn't it? 

    Could you bring to memory that Wisconsin cold to help deal with the tropical heat? 
      September 18, 2021 1:20 PM MDT
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  • 52903

     

      I really don’t remember much about the town at all, I believe it must have been very small and offered little in the way of attractions. We were on a pretty intensive training schedule to acclimatize ourselves to living in the field in cold weather conditions, so it’s possible the entire two weeks was spent out in the boondocks. Part of it included being dropped in the wilderness for several days with only a knife and one canteen of water and surviving off the land while navigating on foot back to friendly lines without being captured, wounded or killed. No map, compass, food, weapon, just the uniform on your back. 

      Yes, changes, both constantly evolving ones and frequently occurring ones are part and parcel of military life. The better one is able to adapt to the unexpected and overcome it, the higher the probability of success.

      Lol, no on the reminiscing about Sparta to get through in the tropics, but I like the way you think. 

    ~

      September 20, 2021 7:01 AM MDT
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  • 10029
    That's some serious wilderness training! 

    In my experience, no matter how small the town, if there's a large enough military presence, there will always be certain "attractions" nearby. If you know what I mean. 

    I recently used that technique (bringing to mind how cold I was last winter when I got my car stuck in a snow drift) during an outing on an insanely hot day. I do think it helped! 
      September 21, 2021 7:19 AM MDT
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  • 52903
      September 21, 2021 9:59 AM MDT
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  • 16197
    I fronted a band called The Milwaukee Groove, but neither I nor any of the band members had ever been there. We did mostly 50s covers, so the name was in keeping with the Happy Days shtick.
    I don't think I could live there. Too cold.
      September 17, 2021 11:57 PM MDT
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  • 10029
    That's almost as cool as The Fonz! 

    I guess I'm still young because I'm not particularly averse to the cold yet. Ha!
      September 18, 2021 1:23 PM MDT
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  • 16197
    You didn't grow up in Australia. In summer, slides burn kids' legs, rubber soles melt on the asphalt when crossing the road, and a safety belt buckle becomes a pretty good branding iron. 90F I find comfortable.
      September 26, 2021 12:43 AM MDT
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  • 5455
    I have family in Wisconsin so I go there once a year for my family reunion.  My family there is in the southwestern part of the state.  My brother and my half-brother both went to boarding school for high school in Wisconsin.  My half-brother got along well at boarding school but it was complete hell for my brother.  My mom wanted me to go to school there also, but my dad absolutely refused.  I’m really happy about that.  When we went to Wisconsin to drop off and pick up my brother, I really loved stopping at the restaurant that delivered the food to the tables on a model train.

    When my brother went to boarding school, he was the most unpopular kid in his class.  It was official, the students posted the rankings in the dorm until the monitor took them down.  However, he had friends.  He was friends with some of the local kids, which he wasn’t supposed to do.  My brother was late for his own graduation because the night before, he was at his friends’ house smoking pot, lol.  The only thing my dad ever said to him about that was when we stopped at the restaurant with the train on the way home.  My brother said he was really hungry and my dad said “I’ll bet you are!”.

    I also remember that trip because when we went into the restaurant, I wasn’t wearing any shoes, so my dad asked me where my shoes were.  I told him they were at home.  He didn’t even notice that I didn’t wear shoes until we were on the way back home, lol. 


      September 18, 2021 12:47 AM MDT
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  • 10029
    Great story, Livvie! Thanks for sharing it. I love your dad's comment to your brother! He must have smoked a lot of weed to oversleep.  Hehehe!

    Crazy that no one noticed you didn't have shoes on until you were on the way home. 
      September 18, 2021 1:26 PM MDT
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  • 5455
    I think he overslept because he was up until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning enjoying the last time with his friends.
      September 23, 2021 5:30 PM MDT
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  • 10029
    Oh, right. I've been there, for sure. 
      September 25, 2021 10:29 AM MDT
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  • 19942
    No, I have never visited nor lived in Wisconsin.  I don't think I've even traveled through the state.
      September 18, 2021 8:14 AM MDT
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  • 9777
    A few times; it's only about 30 minutes to the Wisconsin border from here. Since I live in Minnesota, I don't find Wisconsin to be particularly exotic. 
      September 20, 2021 4:42 AM MDT
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  • 52903

     

      Oh, really?  Interesting tidbit of information. Thank you very much; I’ll add it to the database. (Cough, cough.)




    ~

      September 20, 2021 6:47 AM MDT
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  • 9777
    Yeah, let's pretend you don't know exactly where I live. 
      September 20, 2021 9:36 AM MDT
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  • 52903

     

      Of course! That’s what I do every single day, Babykins!
    ~

      September 20, 2021 9:47 AM MDT
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  • 52903

     

    *Plan 2551:
    From various starting points in Wisconsin, navigate into Minnesota for 30 minutes . . .
    ~

      September 20, 2021 9:50 AM MDT
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  • 10029
    I understand. At the same time, I'm aware and incredibly thankful that I seem to be able to find wonder wherever I wander. 
      September 21, 2021 7:07 AM MDT
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  • Yes. I spent some time in Madison this summer. I loved it. College town, lots of bike paths, decent night life, the temperatures were in the 70s. I had gone there for a wedding and spent several days exploring the city with friends. It was my first time in Wisconsin. Very humid compared to California, though, but that's true of most of the country east of the Rockies. It takes some getting used to for us West Coasters. 
      September 23, 2021 9:54 AM MDT
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  • 52903

     

    Very humid compared to California, though, but that's true of most of the country east of the Rockies. It takes some getting used to for us West Coasters.”

      You bring up a good point that makes me think that many people who have been in California for at least the past decade have become accustomed to the drought conditions we have here, so much so that traveling to areas with vastly different weather has a striking impression on us. Grrrrrrr.

    ~

     
      September 23, 2021 10:15 AM MDT
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  • Exactly. I often encountered people from elsewhere in the country saying "California is a desert!" and I would correct them and say that only the Mojave region of California is a desert, the rest is a variety of climates. But now that we're getting such little rainfall, the whole state basically is a desert. :(
      September 23, 2021 10:39 AM MDT
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  • 10029
    Nice! I think it seems a lovely town. Oh, the places I'd explore with unlimited resources (time, money)! I tend to not spend much time in cities when I do travel. Not that I don't enjoy them and observing people and local culture, architecture, etc.; as I really do enjoy that very much. I simply seem to choose the natural world with as few humans as possible around, most of the time.  

    Yes, humidity plays a big role in how we register temperature, doesn't it? It's the heat AND the humidity! :)
      September 25, 2021 10:41 AM MDT
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  • 13251
    No, no, and I have no reason to.
      September 23, 2021 10:19 AM MDT
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