15 Jun 2025 - Father's Day, Bavarian Bierhaus, Last Day at Racine WI

 

We had a fantastic last day and Father's Day here at Cliffside Campground near Racine WI!  But things started out a bit shaky at 00:53 this morning when we received a water alarm from our home in Ankeny IA.  I have extensive alarm, telemetry and camera systems throughout our house including 16 water sensors, and the water sensor near our furnace and floor drain indicated it was wet.  I have a camera on the drain and it verified we indeed had water coming from somewhere. 

If any of the sensors detect water they signal our home automation hub and it does several things including notifying me, but it also shuts off the water to our home incase there is a leaking pipe.  After viewing the camera it did not look critical, so I waited until the morning and called our son Dan.  He went over to the house and confirmed my suspicions that the water we were seeing was coming from the condensate of our central air conditioner.  Apparently the condensate drain was plugged and so the A-coil pan overflowed.  Dan contacted a co-worker who will come over tomorrow and correct the issue.  In the mean time I shut off the air conditioner and Dan set up a fan to dry up the floor.

With that under control, Doreen, Liberty and I walked over to our daughter's RV for breakfast.  She prepared biscuits and gravy with bacon from the Blackstone grill.  It was delicious!  After breakfast she created a couple Bloody Mary's and we toasted Father's Day for Keith and I.  

Spicy pickled egg, asparagus spears, dill pickle, pickled mushroom 

and of course a spicy Bloody Mary mix and some Tito's!

We broke out the lawn chairs and had some great conversation.  Later, we loaded up and headed down to the Bavarian Bierhaus in Milwaukee which is a Bavarian-style restaurant and brewery with craft beer, German comfort cuisine, live music, events, and it is the home of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's original Oktoberfest.  Obviously it is not October but today they had an outside celebration complete with German-style food, music, beer and other amenities.  

As we arrived we were greeted and both Keith and I were given a ticket for a complimentary bier of our choice for Father's Day!  I chose Unkel Dunkel which is an awesome Munich style dark lager. Smooth, nutty maltiness with moderate hop bitterness.  They make all of their own biers here.  

Michelle and Keith have been here before during Oktoberfest and have the bier steins to prove it!  

My dunkel

Keith and Michelle with their steins.

Soon grandson's Joe and Jon arrived and joined us.  Jon works at the Yogi Bear campground and he just got off work for today.

As we enjoyed our biers we were entertained by the Freistadt Alte Kameraden Band which is rooted in the “Pommern” culture that emigrated to Southeastern Wisconsin and maintained a musical heritage that is literally hundreds of years old.  Brass choirs, folk music, celebrations, and dancing were part of their ancestor’s legacy carried, successfully to Wisconsin in 1839.  

Supplementing the Freistadt Alte Kameraden Band was the Spielmannszug Milwaukee Drum and Bugle Corps which was founded in 1957 by a group people who wanted to maintain the German Culture and its Music in the U.S.A.

In addition to bier, there was various German food and beverage for purchase so the six of us shared a huge German-style pretzel.  It was served with cheese and sweet mustard, and we could not finish it!  It was delicious!

  They were also serving roast pork and chicken along with German-style potato salad and other specialties.  We were still full from a late breakfast, so the pretzel was enough!

Chickens cooking

Roasting pork, head and all!

Another unique beverage we tried was a Kleiner Feigling which is a natural fig liqueur!  It was served cold and was very tasty!  I had never heard of this before.

Before we left, Michelle took us up to the actual Bavarian Bierhaus which was closed today because of the outside celebration.  This is an authentic German bier hall.  I can only imagine this place when it is cranking!  Normally you can make a reservation and enjoy a bier and a meal in here, but not today.

This place is massive!

We had an outstanding time at the Bavarian Bierhaus but it was time to head back to the campground.  Traffic was not too bad and the commute was quick.  At the campground we started a game called Tetris Tumble XL.  This involves a dish-shaped base and Tetris-shaped pieces.  Participants roll a die and have to stack one of two Tetris shaped pieces on the base.  This becomes more difficult as the stack grows in height, and eventually someone will place their piece and the whole thing falls over.

Doreen rolling the die

Michelle stacking pieces

Joe carefully balancing another piece

Jon adding his piece

We played several games and then started a nice campfire as the temperature started to drop.  A truck drove by and stopped, commenting on Michelle and Keith's Alliance RV.  They own one also, located in a different part of the campground.  It was the Dennis and Marchele Horton, who we had corresponded with previously in the Alliance Owner's Facebook group!  We talked to them for quite a while.  Marchele was originally from Racine WI!  What a small world!  They are also headed west from here as we are also, so we might reconnect out west somewhere.  It was great to see them!

Soon we called it a day.  Tomorrow morning Michelle has to go to work at the Naval Base.  Keith will take their RV to another property for storage and we head west to Cedar Falls Iowa, our next stop. 

What a great several days and Father's Day with the Ervins!  It is so nice that we were able to get together with Michelle and her family and we are very appreciative of their hospitality and their time!  We really enjoyed spending time with our grandkids and getting caught up on what they are up to. They are growing up way too fast!  Doreen and I are so proud of them all!  There is nothing better than FamAlly and family, especially when it is your own!!!

Next report, Cedar Falls IA!