Monroe – Cheese Country
We woke up Friday morning scratching our heads as to where
to take a road trip. My husband & I
pretty much said simultaneously Monroe with lunch at Baumgartner’s.
The normal route we take is via Hwy 69 but we had time to
kill so opted for a more scenic route via County MM through Oregon to
Brooklyn. In Brooklyn we tapped onto
Hwy 104 to Brodhead. We did a little
tour of Brodhead and found just off the main drag what might be called their
square (actually rectangle) with some shops, pubs, eateries, and a park. Very cute and worth a second look some other
day.
From Brodhead we hopped on Hwy 11 which takes you straight
into Monroe but of course with more time to kill we opted to take County S
through Juda (no touring Juda – not much to tour). Outside Juda we pick-up County KS and came
across this wonderfully pristine farm.
The barn and outbuildings nicely painted white with blue trim with a
barn quilt with a blue, white and pink pattern.
To pull all of it together a solid PINK silo – yes you read that right –
PINK. It’s always amazing what you see
going down the road.
Finally reached Monroe and headed first to the Swiss Colony
outlet. This outlet not only includes
all the Swiss Colony products – yum, but also a kitchen ware, home decorating, and clothing
outlet. Fun place to shop.
Next – to the Monroe square. The square is built around a beautiful old
court house – a must stop. The square is
home to many fun shops, candy stores, and eateries including the one we made
the drive for – Baumgartner’s.
Baumgartner’s is a combination bar, restaurant and cheese
store. You can’t beat that combo. You will not find menus here just a wood
plague by each booth with a list of their sandwich offerings. The specials and soups are written on a
white board. They specialize in cheese
or sausage sandwiches or a combo. The
cheese and sausage choices even include Limburger and Brauschweiger – two of my
personal favorites. They serve and
exceptional Brat and the Tuna Fish Sandwich is really good. There are several
other sandwich selections that come with a big slice of brick cheese (their specialty)
and a pickle. You can never go wrong
ordering one of their soups or the chili.
Great meal, great staff and if you go don’t forget to stock up some
cheese for later.
We turned the car for home but again instead of Hwy 69 we
opted for County N to County C arriving in Monticello. Once more we were greeted with a site we
have not seen before – a hay auction. A
huge area with wagon after wagon of the large hay bales and lots of people
inspecting them before spending their money.
What a hoot.
We finally got on Hwy 69 and headed home. Yes - another wonderful road trip and as
usual some very nice surprises.
