History and Eagles

September 5, 2026

Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed reading. I can lose myself in a good book so easily. And one of my favorite authors since childhood has been Laura Ingalls Wilder. In fact, my mom and I both reread her Little House books many times.

And on Day 16 of our latest journey, I got my Laura Ingalls Wilder passport stamped at the museum of her birthplace in Pepin, Wisconsin. I was a little disappointed that the museum seemed to have more artifacts that were not about the author than those that were, but you don’t know until you know.

We also drove 7 miles up the road to visit the Wayside Cabin, which is a replica of the Little House in the Big Woods, the title of the first book in the series she wrote about her pioneering life.

Since seeing these two sites didn’t take long, we decided to pop into Minnesota for lunch at Herb+Arrow in Wabasha, known as the Eagle Capital of America. We sat outside near the Mississippi River bridge and were delighted when 3 bald eagles soared over us as we waited for our food!

After I enjoyed the chicken alfredo and Terry a panini, we took a lovely walk along the river. Then we drove to Perrot State Park to camp for a couple of nights before we headed back to the cabin.

Unfortunately, the shower/restroom facilities did not quite meet our expectations. I guess I was wrong in assuming all Wisconsin State Parks would be as nice as Peninsula SP. It was quite disappointing.

And so, the next morning we pivoted yet again! Stay tuned to find out where we went next!