June 24, 2014 Green Bay

 Wednesday, June 25, 2014

63 degrees this morning and foggy again – still.  We head for Green Bay and the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

We are gradually seeing a little less forest and more farmlands, but still plenty of both.  The corn is about a foot tall here.  We see a few deer in the grassy land and a few resorts.  We pass a gorgeous bald eagle scavenging right next to the road, but he (or she, maybe, pretty big) takes off as soon as we stop. And these turkeys wandering near a barn.

We begin to see barn quilts again, and spot two single sand hill cranes within a mile or so. 

We reach Lambeau Field and find lots of construction going on – their 10^th renovation since 1957. 

The Hall of Fame is closed (moved to a downtown museum) but the stadium tours are still going on.  Our guide, Ron, has been doing this for 15 years and is quite good.  He asks if anyone is on the waiting list for season tickets – they have been sold out since 1960 and in a town of 104,000 people have over 100,000 people on the waiting list!  How they love their Packers!  With a seating capacity of 87,750 (seats) they are number 3 in the NFL (and he takes particular delight in the fact that this is more than Dallas.)

This is the oldest continuously used stadium in the NFL and still has quite a few aluminum bleacher seats, which they are in the process of power washing. When I commented that they must be cold, he said they are heated - in June, July and August.

We go to a suite on the sixth floor, then down to the team tunnel and onto the field.  Can’t do the locker room because unlike most teams, the Packers use it year-round and the NFL says you can’t tour an active locker room.  As we walk through the tunnel to the field they play a recording of the crowd cheers – what a trip that must be to come into the stadium!

They have various banners of retired numbers, hall of famers, etc. and of course have more world championships than anyone.  Of course we visit the “Pro Shop” too.

The field is Kentucky Bluegrass, never actually freezes because of an underground heated water system.

  They got the “frozen tundra” moniker during a game referred to as The Ice Bowl where the actual temperature was -13, with a windchill in the -40s  (1967 NFL Championship against Dallas). They take pride in being rated the #1 cleanest stadium per the NFL and work at it.   Several remarks about the Vikings and Bears, as their nearest and bitterest rivals.

We drive downtown to the Neville Museum to check out the Hall of Fame display. 

Lots of history, beginning in the early 1900’s.  Curly Lambeau worked for the Indian Packing Company and that is who sponsored the early teams – hence, Packers.  Quite a bit about Vince Lombardi who had a 75% win record over 9 years.  Not much about Brett Favre, though they did have his jersey and shoes on display.  Beth posed with Aaron Rogers.

Had lunch outside the museum, by the river, where a children’s day event was going on – very busy.

We headed next for Sturgeon Bay and Door County which is on a peninsula between green bay and Lake Michigan. The Sturgeon Bay visitor center had lots of info. Referred to by some as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”.  It is a mix of quaint harbor towns with shops, galleries, etc., other small towns, and many many homes along the water, from small fish camps to huge estate homes.  Today we drive up the eastern (quieter) side.

We pass a few lighthouses and follow a rustic, windy road to Cave Point County Park for  a walk and some photos – and a rock for our growing collection!  

 We also stop later and buy some fresh strawberries at a roadside stand – yum.  There aren’t a lot of bookdocking opportunities, so we end up back at the Sturgeon Bay Walmart. What a desert!