In 1938 at ten years old, Gary Schlosstein discovered a Civil War musket in a used goods shop. He saved up his allowance until he had the three dollars he needed to buy the musket. Once he got the musket home, he loaded it with gunpowder, put a marble in it, and aimed it at his sandbox. He never did find the marble again. Fortunately, the musket didn’t explode, either. But that musket started a lifelong passion of collecting historical memorabilia. Over seventy years later, Gary founded the Castlerock Museum in Alma, Wisconsin, which specializes in arms and armor. Read more
Alma Wisconsin
Podcast: Great River Road Days 5-8
Listen to our adventures as we drove the Great River Road from the Headwaters in northern Minnesota to the Quad Cities. On days 5 through 8 explored the area from St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Dubuque Iowa. Read more
Podcast: Great River Road Day 8
Day 8: Fountain City, Wisconsin, to Dubuque, Iowa
Back on the road, we again crossed back and forth between Wisconsin and Minnesota, stopping for Mass at the Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse and brunch at the shrine’s restaurant, Culina Mariana Café. Coming into scenic Iowa, we hiked at Effigy Mounds before finishing our day in Dubuque, at the hotel named for the city’s founder, Hotel Julien Dubuque. Read more
Podcast: Great River Road Day 7
Day 7: Saint Paul to Fountain City, Wisconsin
After picking up a healthy road trip snack food at the Saint Paul Farmers Market, we got back on the road. We passed back and forth between Minnesota and Wisconsin and stopped in Alma, Wisconsin. In Alma we visited the Castlerock Armor Museum, stopped at an overlook, and ate dinner, before continuing to our glamping experience at the Sleepy Hollow Campground in Fountain City, Wisconsin. Read more
Podcast: Great River Road Day 6
Day 6: Explore more of Saint Paul
We try to tour a state capitol whenever we visit a capital city. So, on Day 6 that’s what we did in Saint Paul, followed by historic Fort Snelling. We ended our day relaxing on the deck of the floating Covington Inn Bed & Breakfast, our Saint Paul accommodations. Read more
Podcast: Great River Road Day 5
Day 5: Great River Road through Minnesota: Saint Cloud to Saint Paul
Early on Day 5, we left got back on the Great River Road in Saint Cloud and continued to our destination in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where we would stay for the next two nights. Read more