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Nekoosa Wisconsin fisherman at Walleye Days

There is a myth in Illinois that people from Wisconsin do not like Illinois visitors that come in droves over the border especially in summer. The Bears vs. Green Bay Packers rivalry helps fuel this fire.

I am sure they do not appreciate it when the people from Illinois are idiots, but I have never gotten any unfriendly vibe from anyone in Wisconsin even when I wear a  Bear’s hat. As a group of people they are as hospitable as anyone in the world.

There is also a legend that Wisconsin cops target Illinois drivers. I did get a ticket in Eagle, Wisconsin during last year’s ski season, but I failed to slow down coming into town and was going 15 mph over once I hit the village city limits. The policeman was just doing his job when he pulled me over and handed me a ticket.

A couple of years ago I was hurrying up to the Wisconsin River over Memorial Day. I was just about there and my foot started to press on the accelerator a little harder in anticipation. I looked for the camping spot, but was distracted by cherries in my rear view mirror.

It was Richland Township’s finest, and he literally pulled me over across the street from my final destination. What bad luck. I drive 4.5 hours and get pulled over in my last minute of driving.

He asked me why I was in such a hurry that it made me speed and illegally pass cars. I told him I was camping with my dad and looking forward to a great weekend in Wisconsin. He told me the fine would be over $300.00 and asked if I had the cash.

I opened my wallet, but he stopped me and told me he was only giving me a warning. He was an older gentleman, and I think the fact that I mentioned that I was camping with my dad pulled a heart string.

Furthermore, I never got my license back from him. He accidentally kept it. A few days later it appeared in my mail box with a note apologizing for not returning it.

Last weekend I spent time fishing for walleyes in Nekoosa, Wisconsin as part of their Walleye Days 2011. Once again every person we came in contact with was incredibly hospitable and friendly, so this week’s photo is in honor of the good people of Wisconsin. We met Charlie in a bar downtown and he gave us some fishing advice before he headed out to try his luck downstream.

Stay tuned,

TT

The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).