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!

 

Day 2, Sight #15: Vilas County Zoo-Home of Winkie the Elephant, Madison WI

So Winkie the Elephant hasn't lived at the zoo for many years.  There isn't even a sign or a statue to commemorate this great critter.  We were told by some very helpful information ladies that the zoo wasn't large enough for Winkie and that they couldn't afford to expand.  The women weren't clear, but it sounded as though, because of the lack of space, Winkie accidentally hurt or killed a worker, and now Winkie lives (or lived until he died, we're not sure) at an elephant sanctuary in Minnesota.  He lived where the rhinos are now kept, so we had our photo taken there by a stranger.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

The Henry Vilas Zoo!

So excited for the home of Winkie!

Woah, Stranger!  We need both of us in the photo!

Kellen and Rachel at Winkie's original home.

 

Day 2, Sight #14: Paul Bunyan Murals, Madison WI

After Rachel was in semi-panic state from all the downtown Madison navigation, Kellen got us safely to the UW-Madison Union.  In the Paul Bunyan room, the murals of Paul and his blue ox, Babe, were intricately detailed and gave off an old-time, lumberjack-y feel.  We found a stranger couple, who seemed like they'd make wonderful grandparents, to take our picture.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

Big strong Paul and Babe!

Babe is fierce!

With the murals...

 

Day 2, Sight #13: The Green Bay Packer House, Madison WI

The Green Bay Packer House was very easy to find once we got to the street on which it is located.  It was a cute little house--Aaron Rodgers would be proud to live there.  However, the really amazing part of this stop was meeting the mailman.  Not only do we both agree he was very cute, but he took time out of his busy day delivering mail to the Madison citizens to take our picture in front of the house!  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

Wiscavengers and Packer Fans unite!

A cozy little place to live, right?

Green and Gold!  Hardcore Packer Fans here!

Maybe a Packer does live here?

Day 2, Sight #12: The Birthplace of the Coffee Break, Stoughton WI

We got fucking lost all over Stoughton because of road construction.  After deciding not to give up after taking way too long to figure shit out, we arrived at our pre-determined coffee shop, True Roasters, to celebrate the birthplace of the coffee break.  After getting iced coffee from a girl who looked like a model, we asked a nice woman to take our photo while telling her Kyle and Roxanne's story.  It was definitely the best experience of our lives!

Finally!  We made it!  And we jumped for joy and exclaimed, "PIZZA PARTY!" when we got there!

Just got our iced coffee...

Feeling much better after a sip of the cool beverage!