Whitehall, Wisconsin: Adventures of a City Girl in the Heart of the Land of Dairy

 I arrived in Whitehall, Wisconsin not knowing exactly what to expect. I knew this is where my husband grew up and that it was estimated to be a population of 1,600.

One of the largest employers in Whitehall is Ashley Furniture. Not the retails stores, but the manufacturing  and distribution facility. A movie theater, Target, CVS, a mall and most restaurants however are an hour away. At first, the drive to the city of Eau Claire or La Crosse for shopping, dining and entertainment was like being in a foreign country. Then I realized, the farmlands surrounding Whitehall is the epitome of the heart of America. Just like what I had seen in movies. It was fascinating and beautiful.

Though I am originally from New England, this ATV and snowmobile sign on the street of my husband's childhood home was so cool. A first for me. And there was more firsts to come.

Like this traffic. The large farms had me asking "what's that?" repeatedly. What were common sites and machinery for my husband were new ones for me to learn about. 

I spent much of our extensive drive time scouting for deer. This one spooked when we slowed down for photos. I managed to capture his white fluffy tail as he bounded away. I saw several others alive and well and unfortunately several lining the sides of the road. When driving at night, we kept a lookout for shining deer eyes hoping to avoid contact. Success, quite thankfully.

Since I was in the heart of dairy, I couldn't resist taking a before and after photo:

Before

 

 

  

After. When they squeak as you bite into them, that's a sign of a good cheese curd.

 My next adventure while visiting Whitehall, Wisconsin was the gun range in the nearby town of Blair.  I was outfitted to the hilt, including my new Wisconsin Badgers sweatshirt (it was cold for me here, even bought socks to wear inside the house).

I did shoot the pistol.

And I shot this rifle, which was my favorite despite the little bit of kickback. I got a bulls eye and even shot a bottle off the top of the wood target structure.

Pooft (that's me blowing off the tip of the barrel of my gun in appreciation of my good shooting).

Whitehall is also known for biking. If you happen to bike through or wish to use Whitehall as your base, check out Oak Park Inn. http://www.oakparkinn.com/ 

I enjoyed driving though--to see the farms, the Mississippi, the Amish and whatever wildlife chose to make an appearance. Bald eagles can be spotted along the Mississippi, but they hid from me.  Next time!

Though I am a city girl, Whitehall and the surrounding areas are a fascinating part of the US that I am glad I was able to visit.

Where in the US have you had "first" experiences?