Joey and Meg vs. The Porcupine Mountains - Part III --- Running into an old friend...

Destination 3 was very bittersweet for us.

Our main destination, the Porcupine Mountains, was difficult to find directions for.  Therefore, our first address that we had thought we were going to, lead us straight through Green Bay, WI on an 11 hour drive.  So we decided that we would just stop for a night in Green Bay not really expecting much from that particular city except for a good ole' small town atmosphere.  Then, we discovered back in St. Louis that the actual address to our campground in the Porkies was much closer to Minneapolis than we thought.  However, when we had originally thought we were passing through Green Bay, we stumbled upon perhaps the most exciting discovery ever in a city.  This discovery was one of the BIG highlights of this trip and perhaps the most emotional and poignant destination on our journey.  So we decided not to scrap Green Bay and that a few hours drive out of the way was definitely worth it to be able to visit an old friend that we never expected to see again... The Zippin' Pippin'.

Upon arriving into Green Bay, we immediately dropped off our things at our hotel and jumped back into the car to find Bay Beach and Memphis's most beloved rollercoaster.  After driving through the town and passing through industrial buildings, we began to doubt that we were following the right directions, but then, tucked far behind an industrial park, in the distance, we saw it...

I might be wrong, and I sincerely, down to the bottom of my heart hope that I am, but you know the daycare in Toy Story 3, where toys go to die?  Bay Beach Amusement Park kind of felt like a graveyard of unwanted, leftover amusement park rides.  Don't get me wrong, everyone there was extremely friendly and enjoying themselves, but as I walked through the park (free admission and rides are CHEAP!), I couldn't help but look at the rides fenced off behind flimsy chain-linked barriers and wondered what cities they came from and who all made memories riding on them.

After exploring the park for a bit, we immediately headed over to the nearest ticket booth to purchase a ticket and some time to spend with our dear old friend.  I'll go ahead and admit that at this point, I was having a terribly overwhelming moment of joy and loss all at the same time.  I couldn't WAIT to be terrified of the old rollercoaster falling apart underneath us and of that last KILLER right turn, but I also felt the weight of having lost something truly special... for myself and all of the other people who loved and celebrated that ride, and for the city of Memphis and its loss of such a unique and exciting gem.

After riding the Zippin' Pippin', Joey talked me into going on a Ferris Wheel with him; something that I normally do not do.  I *love* Rollercoasters, but there's something extremely eerie about Ferris Wheels for me.  Oh well, this one wasn't to bad, and if I closed my eyes, it was actually really relaxing, so here's to giving bad experiences a second chance!

Right next to Bay Beach is the actual bay of Green Bay, so we then hopped on over for a look at some beauty.  We appreciate a little beauty every now and then.

 I love birds.  I especially love Pelicans, and while we were hanging out at the beach of the bay, a flock of white pelicans swam by!  I've onlyever met Brown Pelicans before, so as you might suspect, it was quite a delight!

For dinner we headed "downtown" (Green Bay is pretty small) and chilled out on the dock of the bay and even grabbed some dinner at a restaurant right on the bay.  The food was good, but the weather, and being outside to enjoy it, was perfect.

Shots of the moon on a low shutter speed and whirled around for fun times:

The Bridge lifting up for a passing boat:

 Joey's such a badass...

Before we headed out to Destination 4, we stopped by Lambeau Field.  It's pretty big.  Also, I liked their statues.

So all in all, Green Bay was fantastic and we're so glad that we didn't decide to scrap it on our itinerary.  Thank you to Green Bay for being such a welcoming little town!  I hope that you enjoy our old friend as much as we do/did and that you're able to ride it forever!

Happy Trails to you !

Part I

Part II

Part IV

Part V