Hello Wisconsin

July 2nd - Minneapolis, MN to Madison, WI

I wasn't sure what to expect in Wisconsin. My only "experience" with WI has been "That 70's Show" which I find pretty fantastic, but not necessarily a provider of much actual state history or geography.

What we saw were a helluva lot of brick silos - one with a pumpkin perched on top (see below). I think I'd like to have a nice cute brick silo of my own some day. Oh, and a ridiculous number of water-parks. And an unholy number of Christmas tree farms. I can only imagine that Wisconsin exports Christmas trees to the rest of America, and possibly Canada, in order to justify the number of trees they grow. I am certain there aren't enough people in the local states to support these farms.

DB was able to find Wisconsin's highest altitude in the back of our atlas... something around a couple thousand feet. This provided a great deal of giggles for me as I repeatedly exclaimed "Wisconsin's highest point!" and pointed at a nearby hill.

We also saw a very interesting rendition of the "deer crossing" signs, of which I wish we had a photo to share. The silhouette of the deer is a bit more vertical, with a bit larger body and head, giving the slight appearance of a potato.

Ironically, even though we saw at least 7 state troopers pulling folks over on the hwy, there was something about all the firework stands claiming "bigger, louder, deadlier" that just gave me this overall feeling of unease.

Our favorite cafe in Wisconsin is definitely Acoustic Cafe... In fact, it's just about the only business still open in downtown Au Claire which appeared to have an 80 percent vacancy rate in their businesses district. Ouch! Too bad, because it's actually an adorable town. Interestingly, the sprawl that surrounds on the way between the town and the interstate seems to be thriving (this is where all the chain stores).

Madison is kinda cute. If I hadn't already pledged my allegiance to Minneapolis, I'd live in Madison. Maybe. Do I get free cheese for saying that?

Anyway, we stayed in a hostel. I thought it was pretty rad. DB had some weird anxiety thing about it, but maybe that was the Uno's cookie talking.

July 3rd - Madison, WI to Chicago, IL

Got some cheese on the way to Chicago, and ice cream, too. Can't go to Chicago without stopping for ice cream along the way, I always say.