#wisconsindivebar Archives - The Iowa Roadie

#dive bar June 4, 2022

Oh my Cod! (A Fish Story)…Destination: Island View Lodge (Mercer, WI)

Let’s begin this Iowa Roadie adventure with a quick game of Family Feud.Top 5 answers are on the board. Here is the question…Things you pack when going on a fishing trip.Top 5 answers…You likely answered a fishing pole or bait. Perhaps even a tackle box.All respectable answers. But not the #1 answer.THAT slot goes to…Alcohol.(You’re kicking yourself for missing that one, aren’t you?)There are two reasons that alcohol is required for a fishing trip.1. You just want to kick back and enjoy the beauty of nature and the camaraderie of your buddies while drinking a cold one. 2. OR…(and this is the more acceptable rationale)…Alcohol numbs the frustration caused by fishing.I know this second statement to be a fact. Because the Iowa Roadie & husband just returned from a week-long fishing trip to Mercer, Wisconsin. Let’s just say the fishing gods were not on our side. ALSO… while I was…

General July 19, 2021

The Iowa Roadie Turns 50…Destination: Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire, WI

Last week the Iowa Roadie turned 50.My special day was heralded with some well-meaning birthday cards…and a membership solicitation from the AARP. The day also came with the realization that if asked for my ID, the server would not be verifying that I was legal to drink…but instead checking to see if I qualify for the senior citizen discount. Happy birthday to me! In any case, a birthday–especially one of this magnitude–requires a celebration. So the Iowa Roadie’s husband not only planned a long weekend trip to the Eau Claire/ Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin area BUT presented me with a birthday crown and sash. As I had never known the joy of being crowned Homecoming Queen (or even the Pork Queen at the county fair), this was my first time feeling the rush that comes with a make believe tiara.You know what else comes with wearing a cheap crown and sash?Free…

#dive bar February 26, 2021

Pudding Shots & Pinkie Fingers…Destination: Prairie du Chien, WI

Who likes road trips?If we were all sitting in a classroom together–or even connected via a ridiculous CoVid-era zoom meeting–I believe we would see everyone’s hand shoot to the sky and frantically wave, “Pick Me! Pick Me!” Perhaps we can even add some gorilla “ooh ooh” sound effects to increase the intensity of the answer. (“Ooh Ooh! Pick Me! Ooh Ooh! Pick Me!”)So I repeat my question…Who likes road trips?Ooh Ooh! Pick Me! I know the answer to this one. Ooh Ooh!The answer is WE ALL DO….or at least dive bar-seeking Iowa Roadie readers do. (All two or three of you.)So when loyal Iowa Roadie reader Joel recommended I take a trip across the border to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin…AND provided me three pages of dive bar notes…I felt it my DUTY to follow his suggestion. It’s all about making connections with readers. And if we had some Spotted Cow…