We'll be gone for a few days, but if you don't hear from us in over a week you should organize a search party because we've probably gone feral in Hell's Canyon.
Friday, August 10
The last of the last for a couple of days
A few photos from the last few days to tide your desires until we return to civilization.
We'll be gone for a few days, but if you don't hear from us in over a week you should organize a search party because we've probably gone feral in Hell's Canyon.
We'll be gone for a few days, but if you don't hear from us in over a week you should organize a search party because we've probably gone feral in Hell's Canyon.
Two thoughts, one result
Trefor goes to bed at a reasonable time.
I tend to stay up a few hours later.
Generally I use this time to work on projects I'm trying to get done, or sometimes to get a little exercise.
Tonight I took the opportunity to walk around downtown Deer Lodge. It is a sad little town on the outskirts of what looks (from here) to be a sad little city.
This is what this trip is about. We write about the things we've seen and the people we've spoken to, but so much of what is happening is impossible to relate. The feel of the terrain, the different climates we're passing through. The world around us goes through amazing phases. We're spending hours on end in the car, but you'd be surprised how many of those hours are spent being in awe of the beauties of the lands we're driving through.
Walking through this little town in the middle of the night and feeling what a place like this in the midwest feels like. That's what this whole thing is for.
I tend to stay up a few hours later.
Generally I use this time to work on projects I'm trying to get done, or sometimes to get a little exercise.
Tonight I took the opportunity to walk around downtown Deer Lodge. It is a sad little town on the outskirts of what looks (from here) to be a sad little city.
This is what this trip is about. We write about the things we've seen and the people we've spoken to, but so much of what is happening is impossible to relate. The feel of the terrain, the different climates we're passing through. The world around us goes through amazing phases. We're spending hours on end in the car, but you'd be surprised how many of those hours are spent being in awe of the beauties of the lands we're driving through.
Walking through this little town in the middle of the night and feeling what a place like this in the midwest feels like. That's what this whole thing is for.
Farewell to Sid Meier
Just a heads up. We will probably be out of contact for a couple days while we enjoy Hell's Canyon. Knowing Jim he will probably post a couple more things tonight before he retires but after that you probably won't hear from us for a couple of days.
Maybe we'll find a wifi hotspot in the canyon. Maybe.
Maybe we'll find a wifi hotspot in the canyon. Maybe.
Because you don't hear enough from me
Jim seems to have covered everything that happened in the really long day and a half en route to and in Deadwood. Since I don't contribute much, here are some random pieces of the day.
South Dakota has a hall of fame sitting on I-90 right near where it crosses the Missouri river. We had to stop for gas anyway so we checked it out. Eh.
I got tired while driving today. The sky started to look like ice cream. I don't even know what that means now that I am awake. I pulled over and let Jim drive after that.
We crossed the continental divide today. It was marked on an overpass. That's all.
We also hit 3000 miles on the trip odometer today. That was kind of neat. 1000 was at the Par-King minigolf place, 2000 was in the middle of nowhere, and 3000 was about 10 miles from tonight's campsite.
Oh and you should shut up. Not me, you. You know who you are.
South Dakota has a hall of fame sitting on I-90 right near where it crosses the Missouri river. We had to stop for gas anyway so we checked it out. Eh.
I got tired while driving today. The sky started to look like ice cream. I don't even know what that means now that I am awake. I pulled over and let Jim drive after that.
We crossed the continental divide today. It was marked on an overpass. That's all.
We also hit 3000 miles on the trip odometer today. That was kind of neat. 1000 was at the Par-King minigolf place, 2000 was in the middle of nowhere, and 3000 was about 10 miles from tonight's campsite.
Oh and you should shut up. Not me, you. You know who you are.
Cow Tally Addendum
Took today off because it was less fun in actual cow country.
Also, why is that all of the cows along I-90W, regardless of state, are on the right?
Also, why is that all of the cows along I-90W, regardless of state, are on the right?
Conversation between myself and a cop with a drug-sniffing dog
Cop: Do you have any drugs in the car tonight?
Dog: [starts running around in the backseat]
Jim: Not to the extent of my knowledge.
Cop: When was the last time you took drugs?
Dog: [begins to bark]
Jim: I don't do drugs.
Cop: You haven't even experimented with recreational drugs?
Dog: [runs and barks wildly]
Jim: No... Is your dog getting worked up because it hears you saying, "drugs"?
Cop: No. I wish it were that easy. All of his commands are in Dutch or German. He doesn't speak much English.
Dog: [starts running around in the backseat]
Jim: Not to the extent of my knowledge.
Cop: When was the last time you took drugs?
Dog: [begins to bark]
Jim: I don't do drugs.
Cop: You haven't even experimented with recreational drugs?
Dog: [runs and barks wildly]
Jim: No... Is your dog getting worked up because it hears you saying, "drugs"?
Cop: No. I wish it were that easy. All of his commands are in Dutch or German. He doesn't speak much English.
Conversation between myself and a kid with a bmx bike
BMX Kid: Why are you taking pictures for the newspaper?
Jim: I'm not.
BMX Kid: You're not taking pictures?
Jim: No, I am. But not for the newspaper.
BMX Kid: Then why are you here?
Jim: I'm getting gas next door.
BMX Kid: You don't work for the newspaper?
Jim: No. I wish I took pictures for a newspaper.
BMX Kid: Oh.
Jim: How long have you been involved with bmx biking?
BMX Kid: Three and a half months. This bike cost three hundred dollars.
Jim: Wow.
Jim: I'm not.
BMX Kid: You're not taking pictures?
Jim: No, I am. But not for the newspaper.
BMX Kid: Then why are you here?
Jim: I'm getting gas next door.
BMX Kid: You don't work for the newspaper?
Jim: No. I wish I took pictures for a newspaper.
BMX Kid: Oh.
Jim: How long have you been involved with bmx biking?
BMX Kid: Three and a half months. This bike cost three hundred dollars.
Jim: Wow.
A blog to prove to my mom that I shouldn't be a professional writer
Story:
Motels make it easy to sleep late, so we do. Once we're up we feel it's necessary to move quickly. The Deadwood area has a lot to offer and we're supposed to be there already. Fortunately deadlines don't mean much to also. Also fortunately, Mitchell, the town in which we arose, is home to the Corn Palace. We dawdle there for a while, then decide that breakfast is necessary. Less than a block away is Jitters, where Trefor gets a breakfast burrito and I get pancakes with eggs and bacon (which Trefor eats). We scurry past Uncle Zeke's Jewelry and the Doll Museum to get out, after which we drive for Deadwood with all of our hearts. A few hours out we have passed thousands of billboards and we are intrigued by the ones for a petrified wood garden, so when it comes up, we get off. Trefor picks up a couple rocks for to show his students. We keep going and a few miles more down the road I just have to see the six ton prairie dogg and the prairie dogg farm, so we stop to check them out. Luckily for us, they on the road that leads into the badlands. We cruise the badlands, we get sunburned, we get our hearts broken, and we follow the highway out straight into Wall Drug. Trefor gets a hat. We roll back out with intent to make it to Mt. Rushmore in our brains, but soon stop for gas and are distracted by kids riding bmx bikes. We have to go through Rapid City to get to Rushmore, and Rapid City contains Dinosaur Park, which we are clearly obligated to stop at. It takes longer than we anticipate to get to Rushmore, and we arrive after dark. We both get hats. On the way we noticed an indoor black-light mini-golf course, so we play a round. Trefor wins. Sturgis Bike Rally is on, so we decide it's on, and we go. I get a hat, Trefor gets a shirt. On the way out I get pulled over for crossing the median on the way out of a stop sign. We sleep in the car. In the morning we wake up, freezing cold. We head to Presidents Park, which isn't open yet, so we hang out in Deadwood for a while, then head back and take pictures of all the presidents. We noticed a sign the previous night for "99¢ all you can eat cowboy pancakes". We go to where it pointed us. We arrive fifteen minutes after they stopped serving. We make snacks in the parking lot of the Cosmos Mystery Spot. Then we enjoy the mystery. Currently we are in the car moving toward Montana. We're currently crossing the Wyoming state line.
Glossary:
corn palace: The Corn Palace is cute. They cover a building in corn every year. It serves as the recreational center for the town as well as being a tourist attraction. They started it to prove a point.
jitters: Jitters is a coffee shop and diner. Mostly a coffee shop. The woman who owns it cooked for us, and she made my meal into a big face on my plate. She made the fluffiest pancake I've ever been privileged enough to wrap my maw around. Trefor seemed to enjoy his food also. The owner and her cashier girl were both stupendously friendly and congenial.
petrified wood garden: The man who let us in was very grum. A bunch of things glowed in the dark. It was more interesting than I imagined it would be, and the sheer amount of petrified wood available was impressive.
prairie doggs - The six-ton prairie dogg isn't made of prairie dogg, it's actually made of concrete, so don't let it excite you too much. The actual prairie doggs are wicked cute, and free to look at. We spent a while taking pictures and video. We didn't go inside the store. I bet that made someone sad.
badlands: The badlands are both huge and amazing. We stopped at the first couple places that were set out for us, but maybe we should have paced ourselves. There are a lot of places to stop and get out and look. The heat was unreal. Also there were ostensibly rattle snakes, but we saw none. Everything there is beautiful. We had a brief discussion of taking over a small plateau and declaring independence from the US. There were also two really cute girls in a car that was obviously packed for a road trip, and it seemed for a moment that they were headed in the same direction as us, but when we left the badlands and turned west, they left the badlands and turned east.
wall drug: Convenient that the badlands place you right on top of Wall, because we intended to go here anyway. Wall Drug is a little smaller than I imagined, but still rather large. It sells things. That's mostly it. We got lunch there. Trefor got a buffalo hot dog and I got a grilled cheese and a chocolate milkshake. We both got homemade doughnuts. We picked up a couple supplies. It is worth noting that Wall Drug has bought a few houses in the area and converted them into dormitories, and they bring in people from all over the world to work there for the summer and they put them up in their housing.
bmx kids: There was a tiny open bmx park right next to our gas station. While Trefor was filling up I wandered over and took a few pictures. I talked to one kid, then turned to look at the car and it was gone. I ran towards the gas station in a panic, and Trefor called me from behind, where he was videotaping the kids. It was cute. They were really bad. One of them was riding a little kid bike instead of a bmx bike.
dinosaur park: Dinosaur Park is full of giant, goofy-looking dinosaurs and kids who play on them.
rushmore: Mount Rushmore is awe-inspiring for a few minutes. We got there in the dark and they were doing a service with a lot of talking and a lot of video and it was long and we were afraid that we would have to come back in daylight, but eventually they lit it up and it was really huge. That, I think, it the biggest thing it has going for it, is that it is the biggest thing.
putz 'n glo: Trefor may have beaten me, but I'm still up two to one on mini-golf games.
sturgis: It sure is a bike rally. Lots of bars and places selling Sturgis shirts. In fact, in Wyoming we're still passing places that sell Sturgis shirts. Everyone looks distinctly like a biker. I have serious questions about the biker's sense of style.
get pulled over: I drifted slightly over the median after a stop sign leaving Sturgis where the cops are out in full force. The cop had me come back and sit in the front seat of his car, which was a new experience. Also he asked for my license but not registration or insurance proof. When we got to the car he talked to me for a while about his drug-sniffing dog and asked if we had any drugs in the car and when the last time I used drugs was. Then he wrote me a warning and sent me on my way.
sleep in car: Due to my confidence that there would be biker shanty towns in the area we didn't plan any lodgings in Deadwood. I ended up driving around looking for a place until around two, and then I found a place to pull off out in the woods where everything was so dark and the trees were so tall and the sky was so gorgeous. The car is comfortable to ride in, but not so comfortable to sleep in. Also we left the sunroof open for airflow and it got to be forty degrees, so we were pretty freezing. Not the best sleep I've had, but it wasn't a total failure.
deadwood: Deadwood is totally lame.
presidents park: Presidents Park is a beautiful companion to Rushmore. It's certainly less awe-inspiring, but there are twenty-foot-tall busts of every president, along with boards telling highlights from each's life and career. Of note: the first twenty or so First Ladies got real raw deals.
fail to get pancakes (ft. hays): I'm sad that we didn't make it in time. Unlimited cowboy pancakes for a dollar is possibly the best deal ever. They offered us lunch for four dollars, but it was either a buffalo hot dog or a barbecue sandwich. I don't eat either and Trefor was too sad to.
cosmos: We've been looking forward to hitting some Mystery Spots the whole trip. This was our first. It was grand. Water flowed uphill and balls rolled all over the place and sober bikers pretended to be drunk. There were a few things that we have not yet been able to reason out. Also our tour guide was named Peter and he looked like our friend Jeremy Stamas and he had our sense of humor (hostage! HA!) and he was clearly the best tour guide they had to offer. He says he's only been working there for three and a half months, so probably it's a summer job, but if anyone ever gets to go there they should ask to be in his group. Tell him we sent you.
Motels make it easy to sleep late, so we do. Once we're up we feel it's necessary to move quickly. The Deadwood area has a lot to offer and we're supposed to be there already. Fortunately deadlines don't mean much to also. Also fortunately, Mitchell, the town in which we arose, is home to the Corn Palace. We dawdle there for a while, then decide that breakfast is necessary. Less than a block away is Jitters, where Trefor gets a breakfast burrito and I get pancakes with eggs and bacon (which Trefor eats). We scurry past Uncle Zeke's Jewelry and the Doll Museum to get out, after which we drive for Deadwood with all of our hearts. A few hours out we have passed thousands of billboards and we are intrigued by the ones for a petrified wood garden, so when it comes up, we get off. Trefor picks up a couple rocks for to show his students. We keep going and a few miles more down the road I just have to see the six ton prairie dogg and the prairie dogg farm, so we stop to check them out. Luckily for us, they on the road that leads into the badlands. We cruise the badlands, we get sunburned, we get our hearts broken, and we follow the highway out straight into Wall Drug. Trefor gets a hat. We roll back out with intent to make it to Mt. Rushmore in our brains, but soon stop for gas and are distracted by kids riding bmx bikes. We have to go through Rapid City to get to Rushmore, and Rapid City contains Dinosaur Park, which we are clearly obligated to stop at. It takes longer than we anticipate to get to Rushmore, and we arrive after dark. We both get hats. On the way we noticed an indoor black-light mini-golf course, so we play a round. Trefor wins. Sturgis Bike Rally is on, so we decide it's on, and we go. I get a hat, Trefor gets a shirt. On the way out I get pulled over for crossing the median on the way out of a stop sign. We sleep in the car. In the morning we wake up, freezing cold. We head to Presidents Park, which isn't open yet, so we hang out in Deadwood for a while, then head back and take pictures of all the presidents. We noticed a sign the previous night for "99¢ all you can eat cowboy pancakes". We go to where it pointed us. We arrive fifteen minutes after they stopped serving. We make snacks in the parking lot of the Cosmos Mystery Spot. Then we enjoy the mystery. Currently we are in the car moving toward Montana. We're currently crossing the Wyoming state line.
Glossary:
corn palace: The Corn Palace is cute. They cover a building in corn every year. It serves as the recreational center for the town as well as being a tourist attraction. They started it to prove a point.
jitters: Jitters is a coffee shop and diner. Mostly a coffee shop. The woman who owns it cooked for us, and she made my meal into a big face on my plate. She made the fluffiest pancake I've ever been privileged enough to wrap my maw around. Trefor seemed to enjoy his food also. The owner and her cashier girl were both stupendously friendly and congenial.
petrified wood garden: The man who let us in was very grum. A bunch of things glowed in the dark. It was more interesting than I imagined it would be, and the sheer amount of petrified wood available was impressive.
prairie doggs - The six-ton prairie dogg isn't made of prairie dogg, it's actually made of concrete, so don't let it excite you too much. The actual prairie doggs are wicked cute, and free to look at. We spent a while taking pictures and video. We didn't go inside the store. I bet that made someone sad.
badlands: The badlands are both huge and amazing. We stopped at the first couple places that were set out for us, but maybe we should have paced ourselves. There are a lot of places to stop and get out and look. The heat was unreal. Also there were ostensibly rattle snakes, but we saw none. Everything there is beautiful. We had a brief discussion of taking over a small plateau and declaring independence from the US. There were also two really cute girls in a car that was obviously packed for a road trip, and it seemed for a moment that they were headed in the same direction as us, but when we left the badlands and turned west, they left the badlands and turned east.
wall drug: Convenient that the badlands place you right on top of Wall, because we intended to go here anyway. Wall Drug is a little smaller than I imagined, but still rather large. It sells things. That's mostly it. We got lunch there. Trefor got a buffalo hot dog and I got a grilled cheese and a chocolate milkshake. We both got homemade doughnuts. We picked up a couple supplies. It is worth noting that Wall Drug has bought a few houses in the area and converted them into dormitories, and they bring in people from all over the world to work there for the summer and they put them up in their housing.
bmx kids: There was a tiny open bmx park right next to our gas station. While Trefor was filling up I wandered over and took a few pictures. I talked to one kid, then turned to look at the car and it was gone. I ran towards the gas station in a panic, and Trefor called me from behind, where he was videotaping the kids. It was cute. They were really bad. One of them was riding a little kid bike instead of a bmx bike.
dinosaur park: Dinosaur Park is full of giant, goofy-looking dinosaurs and kids who play on them.
rushmore: Mount Rushmore is awe-inspiring for a few minutes. We got there in the dark and they were doing a service with a lot of talking and a lot of video and it was long and we were afraid that we would have to come back in daylight, but eventually they lit it up and it was really huge. That, I think, it the biggest thing it has going for it, is that it is the biggest thing.
putz 'n glo: Trefor may have beaten me, but I'm still up two to one on mini-golf games.
sturgis: It sure is a bike rally. Lots of bars and places selling Sturgis shirts. In fact, in Wyoming we're still passing places that sell Sturgis shirts. Everyone looks distinctly like a biker. I have serious questions about the biker's sense of style.
get pulled over: I drifted slightly over the median after a stop sign leaving Sturgis where the cops are out in full force. The cop had me come back and sit in the front seat of his car, which was a new experience. Also he asked for my license but not registration or insurance proof. When we got to the car he talked to me for a while about his drug-sniffing dog and asked if we had any drugs in the car and when the last time I used drugs was. Then he wrote me a warning and sent me on my way.
sleep in car: Due to my confidence that there would be biker shanty towns in the area we didn't plan any lodgings in Deadwood. I ended up driving around looking for a place until around two, and then I found a place to pull off out in the woods where everything was so dark and the trees were so tall and the sky was so gorgeous. The car is comfortable to ride in, but not so comfortable to sleep in. Also we left the sunroof open for airflow and it got to be forty degrees, so we were pretty freezing. Not the best sleep I've had, but it wasn't a total failure.
deadwood: Deadwood is totally lame.
presidents park: Presidents Park is a beautiful companion to Rushmore. It's certainly less awe-inspiring, but there are twenty-foot-tall busts of every president, along with boards telling highlights from each's life and career. Of note: the first twenty or so First Ladies got real raw deals.
fail to get pancakes (ft. hays): I'm sad that we didn't make it in time. Unlimited cowboy pancakes for a dollar is possibly the best deal ever. They offered us lunch for four dollars, but it was either a buffalo hot dog or a barbecue sandwich. I don't eat either and Trefor was too sad to.
cosmos: We've been looking forward to hitting some Mystery Spots the whole trip. This was our first. It was grand. Water flowed uphill and balls rolled all over the place and sober bikers pretended to be drunk. There were a few things that we have not yet been able to reason out. Also our tour guide was named Peter and he looked like our friend Jeremy Stamas and he had our sense of humor (hostage! HA!) and he was clearly the best tour guide they had to offer. He says he's only been working there for three and a half months, so probably it's a summer job, but if anyone ever gets to go there they should ask to be in his group. Tell him we sent you.
Wednesday, August 8
Video Podcast Five - Science, Industry
Wherein I learn how to do a video podcast, and bring you glimpses of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Link
Link
Halfway to Deadwood
The Anthony Motel.
Down the street is the County Fair Grocery Store, which is open all night.
We have wifi and hbo, the new and the old standard in attracting guests.
The rates are raised because of Sturgis, but they're fine.
Mitchell is the town. Home of the Corn Palace.
We spent the morning and early afternoon with my friend Lara. It was great to see her. It was nice to see a little of St. Paul. There was a woman who sold bean bag chairs. She talked to us for a long time. Her product was great: giant bean bags that, when unzipped, unleashed a rather comfortable bed unto the world. We hung out for a while on them, and then we talked with her for a long time about all of our current situations and near-future plans, and she told us about vacation disasters she's had. It was all very nice.
Then we drove a bunch.
Down the street is the County Fair Grocery Store, which is open all night.
We have wifi and hbo, the new and the old standard in attracting guests.
The rates are raised because of Sturgis, but they're fine.
Mitchell is the town. Home of the Corn Palace.
We spent the morning and early afternoon with my friend Lara. It was great to see her. It was nice to see a little of St. Paul. There was a woman who sold bean bag chairs. She talked to us for a long time. Her product was great: giant bean bags that, when unzipped, unleashed a rather comfortable bed unto the world. We hung out for a while on them, and then we talked with her for a long time about all of our current situations and near-future plans, and she told us about vacation disasters she's had. It was all very nice.
Then we drove a bunch.
Casual... on the go
Tired.
That means that I am sleeping soon so this is Trefor's day to be abrupt and lacking in detail.
Late-ish start to the day. I couldn't figure out how to make Lara's shower actually shower. I nearly broke the handle off while trying to figure it out.
Went to the Mall of America for a walk-around. Almost got some shoes, but didn't.
Grabbed some lunch at an all you can eat Chinese buffet. My fortune from my cookie told me to "fight for it" and I would win. Also, it taught me how to say "still single" in Chinese.
Used book store after lunch. Always good. Always. Got a copy of "The Rule of Four" and a stereoscopic book on bugs. For a dollar each!
Stopped for gas in a town in Minnesota called Welcome. Couple of pictures of signs later we got back on the road.
Long drive out of Minnesota. Nothing eventful. Nice looking country but we didn't stop for anything. Made it into South Dakota right at sunset so maybe I got the welcome sign.
Sunset lasted about three hours and was incredible the whole time. Jim came up with some new slang for cool but neither of us can actually remember it right now, some maybe it isn't going to catch on.
We ended up in Mitchell South Dakota for the night. Found a motel called Anthony Motel. It is perfect for what we wanted, though it looks a little like the Bates motel. DQ burger for dinner for me and a frozen pizza for Jim.
Watching Little Miss Sunshine on our free HBO then bed.
That means that I am sleeping soon so this is Trefor's day to be abrupt and lacking in detail.
Late-ish start to the day. I couldn't figure out how to make Lara's shower actually shower. I nearly broke the handle off while trying to figure it out.
Went to the Mall of America for a walk-around. Almost got some shoes, but didn't.
Grabbed some lunch at an all you can eat Chinese buffet. My fortune from my cookie told me to "fight for it" and I would win. Also, it taught me how to say "still single" in Chinese.
Used book store after lunch. Always good. Always. Got a copy of "The Rule of Four" and a stereoscopic book on bugs. For a dollar each!
Stopped for gas in a town in Minnesota called Welcome. Couple of pictures of signs later we got back on the road.
Long drive out of Minnesota. Nothing eventful. Nice looking country but we didn't stop for anything. Made it into South Dakota right at sunset so maybe I got the welcome sign.
Sunset lasted about three hours and was incredible the whole time. Jim came up with some new slang for cool but neither of us can actually remember it right now, some maybe it isn't going to catch on.
We ended up in Mitchell South Dakota for the night. Found a motel called Anthony Motel. It is perfect for what we wanted, though it looks a little like the Bates motel. DQ burger for dinner for me and a frozen pizza for Jim.
Watching Little Miss Sunshine on our free HBO then bed.
Imaginary conversation between myself and a child with a pegleg
Jim: Hi there.
Pegleg child: Hello.
Jim: That's a nice bracelet you have on.
Pegleg child: It's green.
Jim: So I see. What's your name?
Pegleg child: Peggy.
Jim: Oh... is that because of... your leg?
Pegleg child: No. It's because my name is Margaret. Peggy's just a nickname.
Jim: Of course.
Pegleg child: Hello.
Jim: That's a nice bracelet you have on.
Pegleg child: It's green.
Jim: So I see. What's your name?
Pegleg child: Peggy.
Jim: Oh... is that because of... your leg?
Pegleg child: No. It's because my name is Margaret. Peggy's just a nickname.
Jim: Of course.
Tuesday, August 7
In which I leave out all the details
Today, my lovelies, was intense. It was an awe-inspiring blend of good and bad.
We played some amazing mini-golf (I won two out of two games, thank you), then ate at a place that was wicked expensive but also delicious. We then headed to the House on the Rock which I've wanted to see for a long time and which we decided was more important than the rest of what Wisconsin has to offer. And Wisconsin, as it turns out, has a lot to offer in the way of absurd things to look at. We got there and they essentially shut the door in our faces, however, and it was not a nice thing.
We we both very grumpy for a while. Then we got lost a lot. Then we found an amazing fast food place filled with cheery helpful people where Trefor got a burger and I got a salad and we split an order of deep fried cheese curds and then later we got vanilla frozen custard and we put our apple hot sauce on it. It was very nice. They gave us directions to the Wisconsin Dells where we paused on the way to my friend Lara's house, where we are right now.
The Dells are absurd. That's all I have to say. I wanted to take pictures but it was too much. Also it was raining.
We ended up here much later than we wanted to be. I was hoping to hang out with Lara, but it will have to wait. It is bedtime.
I edited a video podcast from the museum of Science and Industry in the car and it was really long and I got frustrated with it and I think I need to back off the visual aides for a while. I'm backed up on podcasts and pictures and everything and I feel bad about it, but I'm going to stop doing that because really, this trip is for me, not for people to see things from me. However, there will still be some stuff some times. I just make no promises.
We played some amazing mini-golf (I won two out of two games, thank you), then ate at a place that was wicked expensive but also delicious. We then headed to the House on the Rock which I've wanted to see for a long time and which we decided was more important than the rest of what Wisconsin has to offer. And Wisconsin, as it turns out, has a lot to offer in the way of absurd things to look at. We got there and they essentially shut the door in our faces, however, and it was not a nice thing.
We we both very grumpy for a while. Then we got lost a lot. Then we found an amazing fast food place filled with cheery helpful people where Trefor got a burger and I got a salad and we split an order of deep fried cheese curds and then later we got vanilla frozen custard and we put our apple hot sauce on it. It was very nice. They gave us directions to the Wisconsin Dells where we paused on the way to my friend Lara's house, where we are right now.
The Dells are absurd. That's all I have to say. I wanted to take pictures but it was too much. Also it was raining.
We ended up here much later than we wanted to be. I was hoping to hang out with Lara, but it will have to wait. It is bedtime.
I edited a video podcast from the museum of Science and Industry in the car and it was really long and I got frustrated with it and I think I need to back off the visual aides for a while. I'm backed up on podcasts and pictures and everything and I feel bad about it, but I'm going to stop doing that because really, this trip is for me, not for people to see things from me. However, there will still be some stuff some times. I just make no promises.
Epic Highs and Devastating Lows
Today was wildly up and down.
Our first stop today was a miniature golf place outside of Chicago called Par-King. It was amazing. There were two courses, a black and a red, and some excellent holes on each. We actually videotaped ourselves on the black side so there may be a video podcast of that a bit later. This minigolf place had all the classic stuff and more: rotating holes, loop-de-loops, creepy clown statues, water traps, etc. Amazing.
We had lunch nearby at a Big Bowl because I thought mom had mentioned that the one near us had been a fairly cheap, yet delicious place to eat. It was tasty, but it took a while and it wasn't cheap. I was pleased with my meal (mmm, homemade ginger ale!) but Jim was a little disappointed by the vegetarian options. And, as I said, we kind of took a while.
Back on the road we continued to be harassed by the Illinois toll system. It is really a very frustrating system for people from out of town. Poorly labeled toll amounts and oddly situated toll plazas. On the whole it was just another mark against Illinois. We were real pleased with the stuff that we did do there and the KOA folks were real nice, but Illinois on the whole was sort of disappointing.
When we finally got into Wisconsin it was amazing. Hopefully Jim got the welcome sign because it was the best one yet. Wisconsin is an awesome place for a roadtrip like the one that we are on so wee got pretty excited driving past all sorts of awesome sounding things. Jim had told me about a place called the House on the Rock and we decided that it sounded amazing enough to go the hour and a half or so out of the way to get there. They close at 7pm. That is, they kick everyone out at 7pm, the last tickets are available for purchase at 6pm. We called around 5 to make sure they were still open and get some other details. At 5:55pm we were about 4 miles from the House and Jim called to see if they could get us in if we were a little late. They not only told him no but that they were really strict about the close time. We barreled along anyway. I blasted through the driveway, dropped Jim as close to the enttrance as possible and went to park the car. No luck. I think we got there ata 6pm. Maybe 6:01. We could see people working at the desk in the visitor center. They were laughing. Man, we were depressed. The place looks awesome from the outside and I can only imagine that it is even more amazing inside. I don't think the information counter women were laughing at us but no one in the vicinity should have been at all jovial after the blow we had just received. Angry and bummed we left the grounds.
Trying to find my way back to the main highway I somehow got off on a completely wrong road. We pulled in to a Culver's to ask directions. Well, that and they advertised butterburgers and frozen custard. I didn't know what a butterburger was but I wanted to find out. I ordered one for dinner, Jim had a salad (one of only two vegetarian options in the place), and we split an order of deep fried cheese curds (the other vegetarian option). It was delicious. Well, the burger was anyway. A butterburger is a burger on a bum that has been toasted and then buttered. Awesome.
We ordered plain vanilla custards in waffle bowls for dessert. We took them outside, ran back to the car and got the green apple hotsauce purchased back at the hot sauce festival in Ohio and applied the delicious. It was excellent. It was the perfect meal to help us on our way after the devestation of missing the House on the Rock by seconds. Also, the staff at the Culver's were extremely friendly and helpful. They even gave us directions to the next place we were going.
The next place we were going was Wisconsin Dells. Imagine the biggest boardwalk you have been to. Now build a boardwalk around that and then, tucked away in the background, enough of a town to run the thing. That is Wisconsin Dells. There were water parks and museums and weird museums (something called Top Secret caught Jim's eye, it was the White House but upside down, we still don't know anything about it...). There was a thing called Wizard Quest that was a 90 minute long game were you have to answer trivia questions and riddles that looked amazing (we didn't go because we were short on time). Overall it looked like a place you could easily spend several days. Did I mention that Pirate show and the magic show and Noah's Ark (the largest water park in the country)? Because those were all there too. Only disappointment? Not enough time there to actually do anything. It was maybe 9pm when we got there and we still had about four hours of driving to get up to St Paul.
I had Jim drive the rest of the way up. As we left the Dells there was an incredible rainstorm with huge arcs of lightning. But after that I just conked out. We got in at like 1.30 or so. So thanks again to our gracious hosts. Well, enough blog, to bed.
Our first stop today was a miniature golf place outside of Chicago called Par-King. It was amazing. There were two courses, a black and a red, and some excellent holes on each. We actually videotaped ourselves on the black side so there may be a video podcast of that a bit later. This minigolf place had all the classic stuff and more: rotating holes, loop-de-loops, creepy clown statues, water traps, etc. Amazing.
We had lunch nearby at a Big Bowl because I thought mom had mentioned that the one near us had been a fairly cheap, yet delicious place to eat. It was tasty, but it took a while and it wasn't cheap. I was pleased with my meal (mmm, homemade ginger ale!) but Jim was a little disappointed by the vegetarian options. And, as I said, we kind of took a while.
Back on the road we continued to be harassed by the Illinois toll system. It is really a very frustrating system for people from out of town. Poorly labeled toll amounts and oddly situated toll plazas. On the whole it was just another mark against Illinois. We were real pleased with the stuff that we did do there and the KOA folks were real nice, but Illinois on the whole was sort of disappointing.
When we finally got into Wisconsin it was amazing. Hopefully Jim got the welcome sign because it was the best one yet. Wisconsin is an awesome place for a roadtrip like the one that we are on so wee got pretty excited driving past all sorts of awesome sounding things. Jim had told me about a place called the House on the Rock and we decided that it sounded amazing enough to go the hour and a half or so out of the way to get there. They close at 7pm. That is, they kick everyone out at 7pm, the last tickets are available for purchase at 6pm. We called around 5 to make sure they were still open and get some other details. At 5:55pm we were about 4 miles from the House and Jim called to see if they could get us in if we were a little late. They not only told him no but that they were really strict about the close time. We barreled along anyway. I blasted through the driveway, dropped Jim as close to the enttrance as possible and went to park the car. No luck. I think we got there ata 6pm. Maybe 6:01. We could see people working at the desk in the visitor center. They were laughing. Man, we were depressed. The place looks awesome from the outside and I can only imagine that it is even more amazing inside. I don't think the information counter women were laughing at us but no one in the vicinity should have been at all jovial after the blow we had just received. Angry and bummed we left the grounds.
Trying to find my way back to the main highway I somehow got off on a completely wrong road. We pulled in to a Culver's to ask directions. Well, that and they advertised butterburgers and frozen custard. I didn't know what a butterburger was but I wanted to find out. I ordered one for dinner, Jim had a salad (one of only two vegetarian options in the place), and we split an order of deep fried cheese curds (the other vegetarian option). It was delicious. Well, the burger was anyway. A butterburger is a burger on a bum that has been toasted and then buttered. Awesome.
We ordered plain vanilla custards in waffle bowls for dessert. We took them outside, ran back to the car and got the green apple hotsauce purchased back at the hot sauce festival in Ohio and applied the delicious. It was excellent. It was the perfect meal to help us on our way after the devestation of missing the House on the Rock by seconds. Also, the staff at the Culver's were extremely friendly and helpful. They even gave us directions to the next place we were going.
The next place we were going was Wisconsin Dells. Imagine the biggest boardwalk you have been to. Now build a boardwalk around that and then, tucked away in the background, enough of a town to run the thing. That is Wisconsin Dells. There were water parks and museums and weird museums (something called Top Secret caught Jim's eye, it was the White House but upside down, we still don't know anything about it...). There was a thing called Wizard Quest that was a 90 minute long game were you have to answer trivia questions and riddles that looked amazing (we didn't go because we were short on time). Overall it looked like a place you could easily spend several days. Did I mention that Pirate show and the magic show and Noah's Ark (the largest water park in the country)? Because those were all there too. Only disappointment? Not enough time there to actually do anything. It was maybe 9pm when we got there and we still had about four hours of driving to get up to St Paul.
I had Jim drive the rest of the way up. As we left the Dells there was an incredible rainstorm with huge arcs of lightning. But after that I just conked out. We got in at like 1.30 or so. So thanks again to our gracious hosts. Well, enough blog, to bed.
Monday, August 6
Conversation between myself and a little boy with a rubber snake
Jim: Hey!
Boy: Hello.
Jim: Is that a snake?
Boy: It's not real.
Jim: It's still pretty cool, though.
Boy: It's not real.
Boy: Hello.
Jim: Is that a snake?
Boy: It's not real.
Jim: It's still pretty cool, though.
Boy: It's not real.
We expel to process
I am being eaten by bugs.
My computer's battery died so I have to sit outside the main building of our campground to get power. There is no protection. There is also nobody to stop me from swimming in the closed but not closed off pool. That may be step number next.
Youtube is nice because I can use it to listen to music that I don't have on my computer, even if I don't want to watch a video of a college guy impersonating a dance that a twelve year old kid did in a different youtube video.
Tomorrow is mini-golf and then St. Paul. We move fast, Trefor and I.
I think I'm starting to get comfortable with this blog thing. Just starting. I hope we're not generating too much material for anyone to pay attention to. I think we're running that side of enough. This is because we have so much information coming in right now that we need an outlet or we'll rupture somehow.
Lollapalooza was this weekend in Chicago. he woman who works at our campsite who gave us directions to get into the city pointed that out to us three times. She thought we should check it out. We bussed past it, and saw a few people in shirts exclaiming that they were there. I think that's as close as we needed to be. We also spent probably twenty minutes on the train making puns on it. That was before the math.
We saw the Creation Museum yesterday and the Museum of Science and Industry today. A nice contrast. The latter has a single backlit panel, maybe three by four feet, which offhandedly dismisses everything the former took great care to tell us. An interesting thing to note, however, is that both museums had dragons available for sale in the gift shops, but they didn't make an appearance anywhere else in either museum.
Chicago also has the most confusing public transportation I've ever used. Their subway blew my mind. I wish I could offer more detail, but I really have no idea what happened. Trains seemed to make up their own colors (pink? brown?) and change destinations while between stations and run both ways on the same track. It was like a fantasy land for mass transportation.
My computer's battery died so I have to sit outside the main building of our campground to get power. There is no protection. There is also nobody to stop me from swimming in the closed but not closed off pool. That may be step number next.
Youtube is nice because I can use it to listen to music that I don't have on my computer, even if I don't want to watch a video of a college guy impersonating a dance that a twelve year old kid did in a different youtube video.
Tomorrow is mini-golf and then St. Paul. We move fast, Trefor and I.
I think I'm starting to get comfortable with this blog thing. Just starting. I hope we're not generating too much material for anyone to pay attention to. I think we're running that side of enough. This is because we have so much information coming in right now that we need an outlet or we'll rupture somehow.
Lollapalooza was this weekend in Chicago. he woman who works at our campsite who gave us directions to get into the city pointed that out to us three times. She thought we should check it out. We bussed past it, and saw a few people in shirts exclaiming that they were there. I think that's as close as we needed to be. We also spent probably twenty minutes on the train making puns on it. That was before the math.
We saw the Creation Museum yesterday and the Museum of Science and Industry today. A nice contrast. The latter has a single backlit panel, maybe three by four feet, which offhandedly dismisses everything the former took great care to tell us. An interesting thing to note, however, is that both museums had dragons available for sale in the gift shops, but they didn't make an appearance anywhere else in either museum.
Chicago also has the most confusing public transportation I've ever used. Their subway blew my mind. I wish I could offer more detail, but I really have no idea what happened. Trains seemed to make up their own colors (pink? brown?) and change destinations while between stations and run both ways on the same track. It was like a fantasy land for mass transportation.
Sunday, August 5
Chi-ca-gone
Our campground is about sixty miles outside of Chicago so we left the car here for the day and took the Metra commuter train in to town (roundtrip only $5 on the weekend!) We wandered for a bit, saw some of the city.
Millennium park not incredible but nice. The big shiny bean sculpture (not actually called the Bean, but it should be) was actually really cool. Met a man on stilts who chatted with us for a bit. I asked why he was there and he told us that Mayor Daley was not happy with the lack of crowds at Millennium park so he sponsored a whole bunch of activities and crowd pleaser type things. Apparently "stilt walking juggler" is now a government job.
We then caught the number ten bus down to the Museum of Science and Industry. This place is cool. There were a couple of rooms that reminded me of the new Air and Space museum (whole planes dwarfed by the sheer size of the room). Actually this museum kind of reminded me of every science museum I have ever been to. It had some boring text heavy sciency stuff in one place, but then they had many interactive rooms and awesome ideas for exhibits. In the submarine room there were periscopes that looked outside; there was an amazing exhibit on old toy robots; and there was a model of Chicago that took up a huge amount of space. We spent about two and a half hours there and it was not enough. Not by a long shot.
We caught the ten bus back, then hopped onto the subway (I got to ride the El!). We tried to stop for dinner at about 7pm only to realize that that is when Chicago (at least where we were) shuts down on a Sunday. Even the restaurants. We found food eventually at a sports bar. Eh. Pretty American, I guess.
There were a lot of cute girls in Chicago. Props to the city. Not sure why there seemed to be so many, but we appreciated it.
On the train ride back we entertained ourselves for at least 45 minutes on math. We first spent a chunk of time figuring out what time after 9 o'clock the minute and hour hand made a perfect line, then we figured out the formula for the general solution. Then I showed Jim how to figure out the next perfect square given the one before it and number you want squared. We may be nerds, but we were definitely the most entertained people in our age group on board that train.
Millennium park not incredible but nice. The big shiny bean sculpture (not actually called the Bean, but it should be) was actually really cool. Met a man on stilts who chatted with us for a bit. I asked why he was there and he told us that Mayor Daley was not happy with the lack of crowds at Millennium park so he sponsored a whole bunch of activities and crowd pleaser type things. Apparently "stilt walking juggler" is now a government job.
We then caught the number ten bus down to the Museum of Science and Industry. This place is cool. There were a couple of rooms that reminded me of the new Air and Space museum (whole planes dwarfed by the sheer size of the room). Actually this museum kind of reminded me of every science museum I have ever been to. It had some boring text heavy sciency stuff in one place, but then they had many interactive rooms and awesome ideas for exhibits. In the submarine room there were periscopes that looked outside; there was an amazing exhibit on old toy robots; and there was a model of Chicago that took up a huge amount of space. We spent about two and a half hours there and it was not enough. Not by a long shot.
We caught the ten bus back, then hopped onto the subway (I got to ride the El!). We tried to stop for dinner at about 7pm only to realize that that is when Chicago (at least where we were) shuts down on a Sunday. Even the restaurants. We found food eventually at a sports bar. Eh. Pretty American, I guess.
There were a lot of cute girls in Chicago. Props to the city. Not sure why there seemed to be so many, but we appreciated it.
On the train ride back we entertained ourselves for at least 45 minutes on math. We first spent a chunk of time figuring out what time after 9 o'clock the minute and hour hand made a perfect line, then we figured out the formula for the general solution. Then I showed Jim how to figure out the next perfect square given the one before it and number you want squared. We may be nerds, but we were definitely the most entertained people in our age group on board that train.
Sleeping like a dewed-upon baby
KOA Kampgrounds are not for what I would consider camping. However, they are perfect for what we're doing. Cheaper than a motel and located near everything. The people who own this particular KOA are sweethearts, as well. I am into it.
Also there was a monstrous rainstorm last night. Lightning all up in our grills.
Also there was a monstrous rainstorm last night. Lightning all up in our grills.
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