Bruce's Travels

 By Bruce Shawkey The annual Fall circle tour is a tradition started many years ago by my sister, Dawn, and me. It takes in many points of interest combined with family memories. We start on the West Side of Madison, heading northwest on U.S. Highway 12. The route was originally signed as WIS 12 in 1917 prior to the creation of the U.S. Numbered Highway System in 1926. The first atop is a McDonalds in Sauk City for a large coffee to have with our apple pie we will eat at our next stop, Ski Hi apple orchard.  Ski Hi apple orchard has been around for a century. Founded in 1925 by the Bassett family, it has long been part of our family history. My grandfather used to go there every Fall in the 1960s to buy apples. Today, Ski Hi offers some 30 varieties of apples throughout the harvesting season. Currently, Honey Crisp is our personal favorite (and their biggest seller) but their website urges people to sample Ginger Gold, Tolman Sweet, Snow, Macoun, Idared, Golden Russe...

Tues Sept 23 Up at 2 a.m. Parked the Camry at the Dutch Mill Park and Ride. Took Uber to airport. First to Minneapolis. Breakfast at a nice little diner style restaurant: Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, hash browns, and coffee. Boarded Delta, crammed into seats, had loud obnoxious woman behind us screaming F-bombs. Arrival Seattle -- 2 p.m. Ubered to our motel, the Hampton Inn and got settled. Dinner at Elliott's on the water. White clam chowder for appetizer, prawns and scallop scallops on a bed of risotto for main course, chocolate mousse and coffee for dessert. Clam chowder, crab cakes, and a salad for Dawn.  Back to Hampton Inn and to bed. Wednesday Sept 24 Up at 8 a.m. and to Lowell's for breakfast only to find them closed. We later learned they had plumbing issues. We instead had pastries and strawberries and coffee. From the public market we Ubered to the Space Needle and Chihuly glass exhibit.  Then to McDonalds for a $20 lunch. Back to Hampton. We went to an Irish pub...