first highlight: I slept in my Subaru Outback for the first time at a rest stop in Nebraska during a huge horrible storm. We were going to camp but the weather became too yucky so we grabbed our pillows, sleeping bags, and my blankie and slept in the front seats of the car. I kept being for sure something bad was going to happen but we were fine. And I actually slept-a little.
second highlight: Stopping at a place I believe was called L.T.'s Organic Farm restaurant outside of Des Moines, Iowa. I was starving we couldn't figure out where to eat when all of a sudden we see a sign for this restaurant and we decide we can't pass it up. We pull up and the farm is being worked entirely by Indian people (yes Indian not Native American's). We ask if they are open because we are the only people there they say yes and take us inside the big farm building to the restaurant. The place is excellent because there is only one thing on the menu and you can have in vegetarian or not-we opted for not since we had just seen the chickens running around and knew they were free range and organically fed. It turned out that day the food was Indian although they do Caribbean, and Mediterranean as well. We ended up with one large plate of chicken masala, spinach sauteed with garlic, bean mixture in tomato and coconut milk broth, and rice. Oh my gosh it was some of the best food I have ever eaten in my life I would highly recommend it.
third highlight: Decorah specifically, camping a pulpit rock, visiting a couple of friends and meeting their new pup. I love Decorah in a bittersweet way, it holds very pleasant and very daunting memories for me. I stayed just long enough to see the river and wake up to its banks. Did eat some T-Bock's which I always love, especially those white cheddar cheese curds and local beef. Played with a cute and pretty well-mannered pup. Saw people I needed to see, and ate whippy dip and went to bed. It was probably the most well-rested I had been on
the whole trip.fourth highlight: Viroqua, Wisconsin. we were going to stop here to get organic ice cream but the farm that makes Sibby's wasn't open yet so we opted for the Viroqua Co-op which sells Sibbys. It was a great find. We got organic no hormone cheese curds, breakfast which was delicious, and sweet potato chips, homemade hummus. Some really great car snack food which made the drive to the Dells that much better.
fifth highlight: Wizard Quest, Wisconsin Dells. It was a treat getting to see the Dells anyway, especially this year after the flooding when I wasn't sure we were going to be able to go at all. But we made it through some pretty severe road detours, we are assuming due to water damage, to Wizard Quest. It is an interactive fantasy game where you must enter the realms of fire, water, earth, and air. In these realms you have to answer questions in order to unlock and free the wizard of that realm. If you do it in an hour and a half you win. Well it was awesome although a little cheesy-but honestly it was so cool. And we were the only people there without children but oh well. At one point I had to crawl through a tunnel that was in a pit of balls and I honestly thought I was going to get stuck there and die. I finally made it through although I pulled a hip muscle in the process-but it was a blast and we won!
sixth highlight: Going to West Bend and meeting the gentleman's family. It was quite humorous. Meeting her niece and nephews was a trip, it was the epitome of "Look what I can do!" And they wanted to come to Colorado to live with us, which we weren't too sure about but we played a long so they would help us unload our stuff. I also had my first hard roll experience, which, wasn't as good as I thought but fun to try. Also went to a real Midwest Wedding, as one of two queer lesbians in attendance. That was a pretty interesting experience-talk about a place a person might feel like they don't belong. But it was fun and alcohol always eases those sorts of things. And the people there were very nice and they love the gentleman, they are her very good friends from high school and she was playing in music in the wedding-which was awesome. In the end her family sent us home with so much food we had to pack some extra sacks to take it with us and we were both a little sad to leave.
and with that we returned home to a life of chaos and craziness. Oh well it was good while it lasted!
--
