Wisconsin

Leinenkugel Beer Factory, Chippewa Falls

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

Wis. Stat. 2019  §§301.45 through 301.50

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

10 days for initial registration, after entering state, and for updates.  Employment defined as a period exceeding 14 days or 30 days in a calendar year. §301.45(3).

Per Wisconsin SOR response letter (2019), the 10 day period also applies to visitors.  No mention of any limit per month or year.

Per Wisconsin SOR response letter (2019), a procedure is available for removal from registry after departure.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Registrants must provide notice before going on school grounds.  § 301.475.

Duration & updates:

15 years to life.  Verification: SVPs – 90 days; others annually. §301.45(4).

 

Wisconsin cheese

Most recent visits: June & August 2021

For registered visitors, Wisconsin is one of the easier states to get along with. Ten consecutive days should be enough for most visits. Per Wisconsin SOR’s response to a Florida Action Committee (FAC) letter (2019), there may be no limit per month or year. However, to be safe, visitors should assume the 30 day per year limit that applies to employment in the state will also apply to visitors.

In June 2021 I decided to take Wisconsin up on its relative hospitality.  Entering from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I stayed overnight at a National Forest campground and spent the next two days seeing the sights.  At a welcome center I picked up a map of every cheese store in Wisconsin, showing which ones are located right on the farm where you can buy the fresh cheese curds that squeak in your mouth. 

In addition to eating lots of cheese, I came upon a small town “Party on the Pavement” and had street food for lunch.  I toured Milwaukee’s lakefront and Historic Third Ward, and of course I’m a sucker for cave tours – this time it was Cave of the Mounds after staying overnight at Blue Mound State Park (nice park, clean campgrounds, hot showers).

Continuing southwest, I ended up at Prairie du Chien where I tried to visit Villa Louis State Historic Site but found it still closed on account of the COVID 19 pandemic.  However, this was an opportunity to rest and have lunch at a picnic table overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River before crossing over into Iowa. 

In August 2021 I was taking a five day mini road trip to northern Minnesota but decided to swing through western Wisconsin on my way up to Duluth.  Entering at Prairie du Chein where I had left on my previous trip I headed north along the Mississippi River Scenic Highway – and yes it was scenic.  Then veered off to my intended stop on my way through Wisconsin, the Leinenkugel Beer factory in Chippewa Falls where I took the one hour factory tour.

Then continuing as far north as I could get before nightfall I camped at Amnicon Falls State Park, which is quite beautiful but unfortunately has no showers! Oh well – it was on to Minnesota!

 Michigan

Point Betsie Lighthouse, MI

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

M.C.L. 2019 §§28.721 through 28.736, as modified by HB 5679 effective 2021

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Initial registration and updates are required “not more than 3 days,” (HB 5679).  A “residence” is defined as “that place at which a person habitually sleeps, keeps his or her personal effects, and has a regular place of lodging.”  §28.722(p).  Also, “An individual required to be registered under this act who is not a resident of this state but has his or her place of employment in this state shall report” not more than 3 days. §28.725(2). 

Visitors: Michigan law does not address registration by visitors. Per MI SOR office, visitors staying more than 7 days must register within 3 business days of arrival. Updated Aug. 2022.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

1000 foot residency and loitering restrictions were repealed by HB 5679.

Those required to register after 7-01-2011 must report all email addresses & internet identifiers (defined in HB 5679).

Duration & updates:

15 years to life. Updates: T1 – annual; T2 – 6 mo; T3 – 3 mo. §28.725.

 

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI

Most recent visit: June 2021

Michigan has been much in the news on the major registrant advocacy web sites such as NARSOL and ACSOL, because of a lawsuit challenging this state’s registry has been going on for almost a decade.  In August 2016, the United State Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that various components of Michigan’s registration scheme could not be applied retroactively to individuals convicted before 2006 and 2011.  See Doe, et al. v. Snyder, et al., 834 F.3d 696 (6th Cir. 2016), cert. denied 138 S. Ct. 55 (2017).  In 2021 the state legislature adopted HR 5679 which purports to resolve the issues raised in this court ruling.  More legal challenges are likely.

Reading the news stories about this legal activity, you would be forgiven for concluding that Michigan has some of the harshest, most inhumane registry laws in the United States.  However, that would be a mistaken conclusion.  In fact there are quite a few states, including my home state of Florida, whose registry laws are much harsher and egregious than those of Michigan.  But let me be clear – I am NOT arguing that Michigan’s registry isn’t harsh or inhumane.  ALL registries are harsh and inhumane, and if the Sixth Circuit can rule that various components of Michigan’s registration scheme are unconstitutional, it just shows that many other states’ laws are similarly unconstitutional.

Having gotten that off my chest, the fact remains that compared to many other states, Michigan’s laws applying to visiting registrants aren’t too hard to comply with.  Like many states, Michigan’s laws regarding what constitutes “residency” are so muddled that it’s hard to say how long a visiting registrant can actually stay in Michigan before registration is required. 

To be on the safe side I am recommending that you follow a seven consecutive day rule that appears elsewhere in the state’s SOR law.  Seven days is a short time period but not terrible. There also appears to be no limit on repeat visits per year, so in theory you could leave the state for one night after Day 6 (because you must assume that Day 7 would trigger registration) making sure to document that night with out-of-state receipts, and return to Michigan the next day to continue your visit.  The state’s former 1000 foot residency and loitering restrictions were repealed in 2021 by HB 5679. 

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants who do have to register are placed on state’s website. Whether there is a procedure available for removal from registry after departure is unclear, so I would take no chances on the possibility of being required to register.

I had traveled through Michigan years ago, before I flushed my life down the toilet for the sake of a few internet jollies, so I knew it was a state with a lot to offer visitors.  In June 2021 I entered from Indiana and traveled northward up the lower peninsula’s west side.  I stopped at Grand Rapids, which turns out to be a very pleasant town with an active downtown.  I visited a museum there and watched part of a skateboarding competition.

I stayed overnight at a Lake Michigan front state park with nice facilities, which was no problem because, as I said above, all the residency and loitering restrictions have been repealed. Continuing north into the Upper Peninsula, I stayed the next night at a Hiawatha National Forest campground which was completely empty. 

I visited Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – both very nice! – before heading southwest toward my next destination, Wisconsin. Michigan is a beautiful state.

 Cross-country travel on the cheap

It occurs to me I should say a few words about how I travel cross-country multiple times per year on the limited budget available to a senior citizen on a fixed income.

I often talk to people who say, “I want to get an RV, pack up and just go!”  Unfortunately, as a registered citizen it’s never that easy – see “Your first hurdle: Permission to leave town” on my main page.  Once you’ve jumped over that hurdle, an RV can be an expensive to maintain gas-guzzler.  You can’t park it at just any campground because you’ll need water and electric hook-ups.  And if it’s your only vehicle as you travel cross-country you’ll have trouble finding parking for it at in-city destinations.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  I use a standard minivan, from which I have removed all the middle and rear seating to create a wide open flatbed space, into which I slide a standard twin size mattress, made up just like I would at home.  In my case that’s plenty of room because I usually travel alone, but if you are a couple “traveling on the cheap” you should be able to make do with it too.   Remember to bring a few extra blankets in case you run into a little cold weather.  There’s enough room left over for suitcase(s) and other belongings.  Now I have a minivan with a bedroom in back that can go anywhere and do anything.

Because I bring my bedroom with me I don’t need a tent, sleeping bag or blow-up mattress.  This eliminates a lot of daily campground prep and clean-up.  At the end of a relaxing evening I just climb into bed behind my driver’s seat.

If you are over 60 years old you should know that the National Park Service offers a “Senior Inter-agency Pass” available at any park office.  At $80 for a lifetime pass it’s a real bargain because it lets you into every national park for free – some of the more popular national parks can be $50 or more per vehicle per day!  Also, every National Park or National Forest or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) campground is half price!  What a bargain!

But what about a bathroom and shower?  The good news is that almost any improved campground will have a bathroom of some kind.  The bad news is that while most state and national park campgrounds have hot-water shower houses with electricity and sinks so you can shave and brush your teeth, most national forest and BLM campgrounds do not.  You get what you pay for, because these campgrounds are also super cheap.  With your Inter-agency Pass you may pay only $5-10 per night.  Just get used to the idea that you won’t be showering every night.  Plan your trip accordingly and throw in a state or national park campground or cheap motel every few days.  Or go to a truck stop, most of which offer very nice showers and overnight parking for a low price.

Many travel destinations have museums, aquariums, theme parks, trolley tours, historic railroads, private cave tours and other attractions that can be pricey.  But really, it’s up to you how much you want to spend on that stuff, depending on your budget.

What about food?  Well that’s up to you.  Some states or cities have cuisine you’re supposed to indulge in so you can tell your friends and relative you did it – lobster in New England, Creole in New Orleans, barbeque in Memphis, Kansas City and elsewhere, perhaps a buffalo burger in Denver etc. etc.  That can add up but the truth is that Americans in the 21st Century do a lot of expensive eating out or delivered food anyway.  Bottom line – food needn’t be an extra expense when you travel because you’d have to eat even if you stayed home.

If you’re looking for cheap eats on the road there’s always drive thru fast food.  You’d probably be eating that at home anyway.  Also, supermarket delis have a lot of prepared foods you can buy in bulk, store in a cooler and eat over a few days.  I’m so lazy I don’t want to be bothered building a campfire and cooking food after a long day of travel, so I usually stop at the last town before the campground and pick something up.  Then I relax at the campsite picnic table and chow down.

Having cut back on expenses everywhere else, that leaves the cost of gasoline.  If you’re dragging a big RV across the U.S. it’s gonna cost you a bundle.  Even with my old minivan gasoline is the biggest travel expense.  So that’s something you have to budget for no matter what.

Lastly, I always have a print-out of my 50 state visitor guide on hand to refresh my memory about the laws that might affect me whenever I enter a new state.  Remember, you have to obey all relevant laws of the state you are traveling in.

Enjoy your trip!