Other Day 2 Information

We came up with the story we'd tell people if they asked who we were and what we were doing touring Wisconsin while at the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha.  Our names were to be Kyle and Roxanne Tomden (names we came up with when we started our Craigslisting adventure), from 1234 Marigold Lane in a Wyoming city.  We were newlyweds (married July 14, 2011--the day before the trip started!) and were taking a honeymoon scavenger hunt in Wisconsin.  Why?  We met when we were in elementary school when Kyle stood up for Roxanne after a bully stole her milk.  Kyle then gave Roxie his milk (yes, Wisconsin dairy!) and the rest was history.  We then thought it was only right that we honeymoon in Wisconsin and learn about the state as much as possible, though it meant leaving our beloved pet hamster, David Hasselhoff, with a friend back home.

We got so excited about the Kyle and Roxanne story that we missed our exit for the Jelly Belly warehouse and we wound up in Illinois.  But that didn't ruin the Wisconsin-exclusive trip!  It made us certain that Illinois would be a good state to tour with Amanda the next summer, even though we weren't even there 10 minutes.

It was, in general, a day of being lost due to sketchy RoadsideAmerica.com descriptions and inaccurate Google Maps directions.  We decided that, from this day on, if we weren't certain where we were going that we'd break out the Garmin, seeing as we spent about eight total hours being lost on Day 2.  Pity.

Did we mention that our trip, from July 15-July 18 2011, took place in the hottest weekend in July?  Did we also mention that not only did Kellen's truck have no radio (lots of word association games and storytelling therefore occurred!), but that the truck also had no air conditioning?  Physically, we were exhausted by all this, but it didn't slow us down.  Well, when walking we were slow, but otherwise no.

Originally we had planned to camp in Sparta at a DNR campground.  However, being about 3:00AM when we got to Sparta, we said, "Screw it.  We're sleeping at Walmart."  Kellen parked the truck at the edge of the parking lot, and he flossed his teeth while Rachel peed under a security camera, believing that directly under the pole would be off the tapes.  Then we put on clean clothes, reclined truck seats, set an alarm for 6:00AM, and attempted to sleep.  But it was terribly hot.  And if we didn't cover up, the flies would come in through the truck windows and crawl on us.  Neither of us had a more terrible night of sleep before that night.

In the morning, we went into the Walmart to get some breakfast, freshen up, and to get Kellen cough drops (his throat was sore from the yogurt raisin incident).  We probably looked like the motley-est crew that ever stepped into that Walmart buying Lunchables and cough drops at 6:00AM, but the ladies who checked us out were nice to us.

Feeling barely refreshed and somewhat like zombies, we got back into the truck and drove off to our first stop of Day 3--practically as the sun rose.  And no, we didn't appreciate the sunrise.  We'd have rather been sleeping in at a Motel 6.

A photo Kellen accidentally took while running back to the pickup in fear at Dr. Evermor's.

Another of Kellen's accidental photos--there's something Blair Witch Project-esque about this one.

Day 2, Sight #23: Dr. Evermor's Forevertron, North Freedom WI

Dr. Evermor's Forevertron was so hard to find in the dark!  But when we found it, it was really interesting.  However, being so early in the wee hours of the morning, we spent forever being lost trying to find it.  Rachel even wound up scaring the living daylights out of Kellen when she left the truck to explore a nearby store, Delaney's Surplus, out in the middle of nowhere, that clearly had "NO TRESPASSING" signs.  It turns out that where we turned around the first time was Dr. Evermor's, and boy, did we feel dumb!  Haha!  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

"Ooo, let's take one more to be sure it's good!"--Kellen

"Now let's get the hell out of here before some weird crazy people come shoot us for trespassing!"--Kellen

Day 2, Sight #22: Giant Sinclair Dinosaur, Wisconsin Dells WI

The address for the Giant Sinclair Dinosaur was wrong.  And we were lost in the Dells.  How original for us this day, right?  We stopped at another Sinclair gas station to get snacks (Funyun'd for the win!) and to ask for directions to the real dinosaur.  The attendant and the man in line behind us were excited to give us help, and even said, "We hope you win!" as though it were a local version of The Amazing Race!  Feeling lucky, Rachel bought her first scratch off lottery ticket for $2 and lost.  Perhaps that was a sign.  But Kellen and Rachel were determined to find the dinosaur! 

We drove across the Dells, back the way we came, and found the giant dino at a closed, dark gas station.  After Rachel  took pictures of the dinosaur by himself, we asked a young boy, about 17 years old, to take our picture.  After blatantly lying and telling our Kyle and Roxanne story of our honeymoon adventure and the boy ecstatic because he was "so happy to help a young couple and I want to be a great husband one day and good luck to you both," he took our picture and walked back to the next building over where we found him.

After returning to the truck and Rachel put the address for the next stop into the Garmin, Kellen backed the truck up in the dark.

CRASHBANG!

We backed into a gas pump!  WE ALMOST DIED AGAIN!  We could have exploded!  The young boy appeared shocked, and we realized we could have scarred him for life if we'd have burst into flames.  That poor boy never would have got married!  But it's okay--we're still alive!  We skedaddled out of there.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

He's a big dinosaur!

The happy couple who didn't know they were nearly about to die.

Day 2, Sight # 21: World's Largest Flamingo, Wisconsin Dells WI

Even though there's no real proof it's the world's largest flamingo, the world's largest flamingo was big!  She resides at none other than the Flamingo Hotel.  The unlit side of the sign she was sitting on gave us a great photo, but when we asked two different people for photos on the other side of the sign, all the photos sucked butt from all the red light.  Oh well, you can still make us out!  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

Isn't the big flamingo a beauty?

Can you find the Wiscavengers in the sea of red flamingo light?

Day 2, Sight #20: Bigfoot, Wisconsin Dells WI

Bigfoot appears to be a pleasant critter to spend time with outdoors--he's just so tall that he burst through the outhouse's (or whatever he's standing in) room.  We asked a very pregnant lady to take our picture.  At first she seemed scared because it was late at night, but when she heard about our Wiscavenger Hunt she was more than happy to take our picture.  She'll make a great mom someday.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

See?   Doesn't this look like an outhouse?

Bigfoot, whatchu doin' in dere?

Pregnant (or was pregnant) lady, we hope your baby doesn't get this tall!

 

Day 2, Sight #19: Muffler Man Cowboy, Wisconsin Dells WI

If everything's bigger in Texas, we doubt they've seen the Muffler Man Cowboy in Wisconsin Dells!  Standing proud like a true cowboy, he kindly obliged to let us photograph him so late at night.  We found some foreign girls about our age (they had very heavy accents and somewhat broken English) to take our picture with him.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

He's a big guy with a big gun.

Yay for climbing his base!

What we saw looking at him while standing on the base.

He looks oddly like Burt Reynolds, eh?

Adios, Cowboy!

Day 2, Sight #18: Troll-Infested Town, Mount Horeb WI

Mount Horeb is quite the trolling city.  Up and down the streets are not only troll-themed shops and eateries, but actual troll statues as well.  We met a few people who directed us to the nearest troll; one on a bicycle next to a bike trail.  Then we found some young, strapping males leaving the Grumpy Troll Brew Pub who took our photo with the biking troll.  We then decided to have a picnic in this trolling place and thought it'd be entertaining to troll the local cops by eating on the tailgate outside Mount Horeb's police department.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

The Grumpy Troll Brew Pub.

Trolls ride bikes.

If trolls ride bikes, Rachel is not a troll.

Roxanne and Kyle--the happy newlyweds touring Trollville, USA.

Kellen enjoying the picnic and beginning to look wore out.

 

Day 2, Sight #17: Nick Englebert's Grandview Folk Art Environment, Hollandale WI

To those of you headed to Nick Englebert's Grandview Folk Art Environment, beware.  We got lost in the most lovely countryside (hills, forests, fields, sunsets, farms...) we've ever seen for about 2 hours...  That's when we decided Google Maps had misled us and broke out the Garmin.  There are two different locations with the same address.  But when we got there, it was definitely worth the wait.  Everything was gorgeous, and was all cement with broken glass and unwanted children's' art leftover from school art projects smashed to pieces and artistically arranged on top.  The shed wasn't quite finished, so it was there that we learned how the decorating occurred.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

Some info on Nick Englebert's if you care to read it...

So excited to be here after being lost for years it seemed!

A phoenix or some other bird that happens to have two heads...

Organ grinder perhaps?

A house decorated in broken glass, shells, you name it!

Is this a Viking?  Perhaps...  Ah, Norsemen...

Hobo!

Monkeys too!

A buck like the one Kellen wants to shoot!

So this is where babies come from!

Some detail of their work...

Inside the house--some more museum!

Rach thought the flowers were pretty.

A basement Rachel wanted to venture into but Kellen advised against.

Inside the workshop!

Unwanted children's art.

Is this Snow White having a seance with the dwarfs?  There's only five, maybe two died...?

The coolest attraction yet!

Closeup of the art...

More closeups...

I spy...  Corn!

Someone got bored and played tic-tac-toe!

Where the art was not yet finished...

Art supplies.

Broken bowling ball art supplies!

Unwanted children's art for smashing and sticking on the wall!

More art supplies--breaking all that glass has to be a stress reliever!

Day 2, Sight #16: The Toy Train Barn, Argyle WI

Highway 78.  How beautiful you are...

At quarter after 4, while still at the zoo, we called the Toy Train Barn.  The lady who answered said that they close at 5, and that from Madison it takes an hour to get there.  She told us she'd have gladly stayed open for us, but that she had a picnic to go to.  Too bad when we got there at 5:15, we caught her weeding her garden!  Ohoho!  We didn't get to see the barn up close because she hurried into the house and took her big black dog with, but we took a picture of the barn and photographed ourselves as best we could in front of the sign.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

The Toy Train Barn!  How cute!

A Must See..  The lady didn't want us seeing it though!

Wiscavengers' best photo!

Aaaaah, my eyes!  The sun!