Milwaukee 2022

 31 March - After doing our delayed "Spring Break" trip in November, Nick and I decided that we would take the kids on a surprise trip this time around. We kept the kids in suspense all the way until Thursday of Spring Break week, when we told them to pack for a few days. They knew we were driving less than a day's ride away, and that it would be new to us. 

We left after lunch and headed south. This spring hasn't been very warm and today was no exception. We stopped at our usual place in Madison supercharger to give the Tesla more battery, then turned our vehicle east. We arrived at our Airbnb in Milwaukee shortly after 4. The kids figured out our destination when the navigation counted down our time to arrival. They were not disappointed. 

We checked into our lovely Lower East Side upper apartment on N Humboldt, relaxed a bit, then headed downtown for our dinner reservations. We found our way to the parking garage I had reserved, and then walked to the Safe House. I gave Iris the code just before we walked in, and it was perfect, her hurried whispering of the pass phrase to the gatekeeper. I'd never been there before, and was delighted to find a theme restaurant that was worthy of the hype. We were seated in a secluded nook and enjoyed our first dinner in Milwaukee by completing the scavenger hunt, eating our spy-themed meals and enjoying some fun beverages. When finished, we were given fake mustaches, which I unashamedly wore while purchasing the spy swag the kids wanted (a stress ball in the shape of a grenade for Felix and a voice changer for Iris). We braved the very short walk back to the car, then back to the rental for the night.

Once in, we got cozy in PJs and played a family round of sheepshead. Iris declined a second game in favor of Roblox, but Nick, Felix & I played Perudo while watching some MST3K. It was a very pleasant evening. More surprises in store for tomorrow!

Agents reporting for spy duty

1 April - We slept in a bit this morning. We decided to head out to get breakfast at around 9. It looked like there were several options nearby, so we walked a bit north and found ourselves on Brady St. Despite it looking like there was more nightlife than morning-life, we found a coffee shop that also served some breakfast (Nomad). Nick and Felix shared a stuffed waffle, Iris got a Nutella waffle, and I got a breakfast sandwich. Good, wrong coffee for the grownups, while the kids got their first lattes. After eating, we walked back to the rental to let the food settle. 

First Lattes

At 10:30, we headed out for our next adventure: Discovery World. The kids enjoyed all the science stuff with which they could interact. Iris liked the aquarium best, while Felix was fascinated by the variety of gears. It crept into lunch time, so we left at 12:30 having been through all the exhibits. We drove back to Brady St, where we picked up some Jimmy John's sandwich to go, and ate them back at the rental. 

The kids enjoyed the Discovery World aquarium

We spent a few hours resting before our biggest surprise for the kids: going to a Bucks game! We parked at the same lot as yesterday, then hurried through the brisk coldness (come on, Wisconsin, think Spring!) to our 4:30 dinner reservation at Mader's. The kids like yesterday's theme restaurant, so we thought we'd try a new theme tonight: German. It also helped that they took reservations and the area was going to get crowded as game time got nearer. We had a very nice dinner. I'm proud of the kids because they each ordered something that was decidedly German and not American. Felix got the Bratwurst and Knockwurst, while Iris ordered the Kassler Rippchen (slabs of salty ham). I got a cold meat and cheese starter which I shared around, and helped myself to some of Nick's Schnitzel and Scallop sampler. He got a tripel for a beverage and then helped me finish off my liter of dunkelweis.

Photo credit: Iris

Sated, we walked the short distance to the Fiserv.Forum for the game. It was pleasant to get inside after standing in line outside for a while. We got there plenty early, giving us time to find our seats (section 109, row 11) and look around. Game highlights? Not many, as the Bucks were crushed 153 to 119 against the Clippers. None of the regular Bucks starters played at all, so we missed out in seeing Giannis, Brooke Lopez, and Kris Middleton play. Giannis was there, however, and was honored during the first quarter for becoming the Bucks leading scorer in team history. Our highlights? A man in front of Felix caught one of the t-shirts tossed into the crowd and gave it to Felix. Souvenirs? I got a nice jacket, Iris a giant pillow (naturally), and Felix a new cap. Other highs? Clearly somebody near us because we smelled weed *a lot*.

Row 11!

One of the few highlights

Felix on the left, Iris in the middle

The game finished around 9:30, so we made our way through the crowd back to the car (the blowout had the upside of many people leaving early), and made our way back to the rental within a half hour. The kids got ready for bed, then we followed suit. Nick and I turned off the lights around 11.

2 April - I woke at 7 (this place has white blinds which don't keep the rooms dark) and rested until 8. Nick and I got up to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee while the kids slept. I did my Duolingo for the day (634 straight days of Spanish!) and relaxed. We don't have plans for the day, just this evening, so we're going to leave it up to the kids as to what we do today. The kids were content to stay in and play Roblox this morning. It was snowing wetly out, so we didn't want to push going out.

We did take them out for lunch near E North Ave at Fusion Poke. The kids shared small sushi rolls while Nick and I got poke bowls. And boba teas! Yum! Thus fed, we took them to our next surprise: a cat cafe! And cue instant disappointment, because we didn't know we had to make reservations and they were booked. 😞 We looked in for a couple minutes, then left. Unsure where to go next, I suggested a bowling alley on the same block. We turned lemons into lemonade by having an enjoyable time bowling a game. We all did... okay. We don't bowl often enough to do well. Once finished, we drove down to the 794 bridge which Felix saw yesterday. Unfortunately, the snow and low clouds resulted in low visibility - we could only see the road and very little beyond that. We headed back to the rental to rest and recharge for the evening.

Bowlin', bowlin', bowlin'

We left at 4:30 and to the parking garage shortly after. Shortly after arriving, I realized I left the phone charging at the rental. 🤦🏼‍♀️ We got lovely Neapolitan pizzas at Proof Pizza. Then we headed back with the leftovers to the rental so I could grab my phone.

Back into the parking garage, we had 20 minutes before our final surprise: a Milwaukee Wave major arena league game against the Dallas Sidekicks. (I had bought tickets for the scheduled Brewers game tonight, but the lockout cancelled the series. Boo.) But it ended up being a lot of fun. We were 4 rows from the field, which gave us a great view. The Wave were playing for a playoff position, so they were in it to win, which they did, 8-2. It was a lot of fun, with nearly constant party hits of the 80s, 90s and today, lots of kids, and giant buckets of popcorn. The game ended at 8:15, and we walked back to the car. We stopped at a nearby grocery store for some ice cream, wine and muffins. 

Our first Wave game

Row 4!

Celebrating the Wave victory!

Once back, we put on the MST3K Channel and played a family game of Chutes & Ladders from the available games (Felix just edged me out). We said good night shortly after that.

3 April - We were up, packed and ready to go shortly after 9:30. We headed out back towards Madison. We stopped at HyVee to charge and grab an early bite for lunch. After an uneventful drive, we got back home to Roary and Robin at 1 pm. The kitties were very happy to see us. 

Afterthoughts:

Iris liked going to the games best, while Felix preferred the Bucks game. Iris now thinks the Safe House is the best restaurant ever. I would definitely recommend a Wave game. Nick couldn't pick a favorite thing. 😀

Orlando 2021

23 November 2021 - We're finally taking our Spring Break 2020 trip! COVID-19 protocols and masking are still in place, but this trip is doable now. we pulled the kids out of school a day before their Thanksgiving break, so they didn't miss much. My parents are joining us for this trip, and went down out of Minneapolis earlier in the day. We were packed up and the house was set early, and we were on the road to Milwaukee by 8:45 am. I spent over an hour on the phone making sure our tickets for Disney were good. Beautiful, chilly day. We stopped in Madison for some charging and a snack, then drove on to Milwaukee. we were going to eat lunch near the Oak Creek supercharger, but the brew pub was closed. We ended up pairing off for lunch - Felix and I got Potbelly's sandwiches while Nick and Iris got 5 Guys burgers. After we finished, we drove to the airport to park. We quickly got ourselves settled and on a shuttle to the terminal. We got to the gate with about 2 hours before our flight, after checking bags and going through security (no hassles with either). We relaxed at the gate until it was time to board (shared a Starbucks coffee while waiting - had to keep Iris from drinking too much). The kids handed all that well. Our 3:25 pm flight took off on time, and we were able to sit in the same row. The flight was uneventful, though Felix was nervous when we took off. We got to see a beautiful, cloudless sunset. We got in around 7 pm local time. It took us about an hour to get our bags and rental car sorted (better than the two hours my folks had). We chose a Kia Forte among the midsize options available (though Nick was not thrilled with any of the choices - he's so spoiled by his Tesla 3 now). We managed to make our way to our Airbnb at the Villas of Somerset in Kissimmee, a half hour away. We stopped for some provisions at a Publix near our destination (grocery prices are high!). Our condo suits are needs (large rooms, three bedrooms, two baths, full kitchen - all a bit faded and very 1980s, but not too bad), and we settled in. We ate dinner at 9 pm before watching some Robin Hood: Men In Tights before bed.

Ready for takeoff!

Sunset with a hint of Gulf coast

24 November - I woke up at 7 am after a decent night of sleep. We were up and ready to go by the time Mom and Dad arrived at our rental, bearing coffee. We relaxed a bit and showed them around before caravanning to Animal Kingdom. We got there around 9 and made our way to the gate, where the trouble began. I was told my tickets needed to be "woken up." I proceeded to spend over an hour while several staff tried to figure out how our tickets had gotten screwed up (likely happened when I made these reservations - we were given admission, but the ticket's weren't attached from the old system). Very frustrating, but I stayed calm and polite, and they were very apologetic. I could see the spirits of the rest of the family falling the longer I waited... Once they finally got everything sorted (or sorted enough that we would have working tickets), they gave our party free ice cream and each a free Lightning Lane pass.

It felt very good to actually enter the park after all that. Much relief! We made our way though the throngs of people and strollers towards Africa. We used our Lightning Lane passes to skip the 1+ hour line for the safari ride. (Almost made all the ticket stuff worth it. Almost.) We saw numerous interesting African animals (no big cats, unfortunately), and the kids liked it overall. After our ride, we decided to get some lunch. Mobile ordering made that easy. We got a table and enjoyed our lunch and beers. Afterward, we took the train to the conservation area because Iris wanted to go to the petting zoo. 

All aboard!

Silly Geepa

Petting a sheep

The kids enjoyed that interlude, and it wasn't terribly crowded. Once they had their fill, we headed back and made our way to Asia. Iris wanted to go on the Expedition: Everest coaster, so I went with her while the others went to the river ride (which was closed, unfortunately). They chilled while Iris and I waited about 50 minutes for her to go on her first real rollercoaster. I think it might have been a little intense for her, because she doesn't want to go on it again for a few years. 

Ready to ride Expedition: Everest

We got off the ride and found the others. We walked to the Dinoland area. It was cloudy and cooler after this morning's upper-60s and clear skies. We redeemed our ice cream voucher and enjoyed them before the kids played at the playground. We chatted while listening to the variety of Christmas music playing (too soon!). Once the kids were done, we gave them a souvenir-buying opportunity (both chose enormous lollipops), and walked over to Pandora. That area wasn't open on our last visit, so we walked around to see what it looked like before calling it a day. 

All parked out

We headed out around 4:30. We saw some missing states in the license plate game as we found our vehicles. We headed out and drove to Walk-On's Sports Bar and Bistreaux for a Cajun dinner and to watch the Badger basketball game. We stayed for the first half while enjoying our meals. The kids were getting testy and our patience was running on fumes, but we made it through. My crawfish-two-ways was good. Mom and Dad went back to their hotel afterward. We ran to Aldi to get breakfast foods for the rest of the trip. We got back to the condo around 7. We tried to let Iris swim at the complex's pool, but found it's closed for the rest of our time here. Instead, they played sheepshead while I caught up on this entry. They're impatient for me to join them so we can play four-hand. :) Once I stared playing, it wasn't long before everyone had it. Had to lecture Felix about kindness. Grrr.

Felix's big burger

25 November - Happy Thanksgiving! We all slept in this morning, waking around 8, then had a leisurely breakfast with our groceries from last night. Mom and Dad came over a little before 10, then we piled into our cars and headed to EPCOT. We had another beautiful day! No ticketing problems today (cue happy dance)! The kids were excited to see the World Showcase, so we headed there first, starting with Canada. Nick and I decided to try a beverage in each country, so we split a Blanche Chambly while taking a look around. 

O, Canada!

Not much was open there, so once we took a few pictures and finished our beers, we walked on to the United Kingdom. There, I ran into an old coworker from my KL Engineering days (Michael Plessel) of all people amongst the tens of thousands there. Chatted briefly, then joined the others for another beer (Smithwick's). I didn't get much of a chance to stand and savor it, because I was helping Iris find some popcorn to ease her hunger. Alas, none there, so we took our beers and walked on. We found some at the next gift shop and the kids were placated. They ate their rainbow popcorn while we finished our beers and walked to France. It was pretty crowded, but we found the wine line. I treated this time, buy the folk $8, 3-oz pours of Vouvray, while I got a $14, 5-oz Nicolas Feuillatte champagne to share with Nick. We enjoyed those on a wall outside the shop, and did some people watching while the kids had some French suckers. 

Viva le vin!

Once we finished there, we escaped the crowds of France for the quiet corridors of Morocco. Iris enjoyed the fountains, but little else, as not much was open. 

Moroccan beauty

We headed to Japan, where we caught part of a drum show. The kids were hungry, since it was 12:30 and they're always hungry. We joined the line for the quick meal eatery there, and got three orders of sushi and an udon order to share. The kids enjoyed the novelty of the noodles. Mom and Dad snagged us a table in the shade outside. That was nice and topped up our energy levels again. Nick had a plum wine while I got a Asahi Extra Dry. The kids liked the giant koi in the pond as well.

Watching the koi

We stopped briefly at The American Adventure before walking to Italy. Mom stood in line to get the kids gelato cones while we picked out some wine I got the Moscato d'Asti while Nick got a red with a longish name we can't remember. Mom and Dad got the same two. We didn't have many seating options, so we stood at a table under the sun. It felt a lot warmer than the forecasted 77°. We finished our wine while Iris threw a quarter in a fountain, then we walked on to Germany.

Italy-ish

Nick got us beers (a grapefruit radler and a dunkel) while Iris and I picked out a Christmas tree ornament (a little wooden own with an Austrian hat and a pretzel in its beak). A group let us have their table as they left, so we all had a place to sit in the shade while Mom and Dad ate their bratwurst lunch and we enjoyed the Gemütlichkeit. We had a cast member joke to Dad about spilling some beer, and how that wasn't allowed in Germany. We told her we're from Wisconsin and understand. :)

After enjoying the shade in Germany, we walked to China, then over to Norway to use the restrooms, before going back to China. We were just in time to go in and see the 360° show about China's landscape and culture. The kids fell in love with the marionettes being sold there, but we told them no souvenirs until the end. We walked back to Norway after that. We skipped the Frozen Ever After ride because the wait was about 2 hours and Iris is done with Frozen anyway. We did enjoy some of the gift shop offerings, though. 

The giant troll in Norway was not for sale.

Next, we walked to Mexico. Nick and Dad stood in line to get us tequila-based drinks. I got a cucumber margarita, while Nick got himself a Negroni. Mom and I looked over the souvenirs there with the kids while we waited, but nothing really jumped out at us.

Salud!

Since we had been to all the countries, we let the kids pick their souvenirs. We walked back to Japan to get Felix a shiba inu plush. Nick ran to Morocco and got us white sangrias while I helped the kids in the store. We sipped those as we walked back to China, where Iris got a dragon marionette. We walked back to find Mom and Dad as the sun was setting.

Souvenirs acquired

Nick and the folks took our stuff to the cars and brought back sweatshirts as the kids and I waited. Once they returned, we stood in line for Spaceship Earth. The wait was about 25 min. The kids enjoyed the virtual games at the end of the ride.

Trying to power a virtual city

We decided to get dinner, and went with the easiest option (fish and chips from the UK). We scored another table, albeit in a poorly lit area, and ate our meal. Nick and I shared a Bass and a Harp. After we finished eating, it was about 8 pm. We walked around and got in the Test Track line, which had a wait of only an hour. It took exactly that from start to end. The kids especially Iris, enjoyed "making" a car and riding the ride (my first time on it, too). 

Iris's crazy car

After we finished up there, we walked back to Canada to find a place to see the night show. We waiting about a half hour in a good spot. nice water/lights/fireworks show lasting about 15 minutes, set to Disney music. 

We then joined the thousands of people leaving the park as it closed at 10. 

The orb beckoned.

We got back to the rental at 10:45 and put ourselves to bed for the night. If only I could sleep!

Only missed China and Norway. Cheers!

26 November - 7 am came early. We all got up and got ready for our last full day in Florida. Mom and Dad came over about 8:30, and we set off for the east coast. It's another beautiful, clear-skies, to-be-mid-70s day. We got to Kennedy Space Center about 10 am. There were far fewer people than at Disney, but it got busy. We already had our tickets, so we went right in. Nick, Felix and Dad examined the Rocket Garden. Mom, Iris and I took a look at the gift shop. 

Rockets and blue skies

We met up to go in the Atlantis attraction. We had to deal with a cranky Iris, who wanted to go in the kids play area first. we reminded her that we are doing things for everyone, not just her. We watched the short films about the shuttle program, then got to see the Atlantis shuttle and other components up close. The kids like that. 

In the command module

Next, we stood in line for the play area and gave the kids 15 minutes while inside. Nick and I sat on the floor and I meditated. We met back up briefly. Mom and Dad went to the IMAX show, the kids and Nick tried to find another open exhibit, and I picked up some souvenirs (t-shirts for the kids, mugs for Nick and me, socks for Nick, a winter hat for me, a magnet, and a necklace for Iris). We went to the Mars Exploration exhibit and show, which ended at the same time as the IMAX show. We met up with Mom and Dad, and headed out. We saved the bus tour for our next visit when we have more time. While getting in the car, Nick rolled up the window as my hair was blown through. Ouch! We drove down to Cocoa Beach from there. The folks and the kids got subs at Jimmy John's. Nick and I treated ourselves to poke bowls from Poke Fin up the road. We met up at Lori Wilson Park, where we ate, then changed into swim stuff before heading to the beach. The water was chilly, but the sun and breeze were nice. The kids swam a bit with the waves, Nick and I waded, and the folks rented beach chairs and watched for the hour we were out there. It was a good time, and the kids enjoyed it. Iris especially like it because it was her first dip in the ocean. 

Nick, kids, biplane

We got dried off and to the cars as clouds rolled in. We headed back to the Orlando area. Mom wanted us to eat dinner at the Celebration Town Tavern, so that was our destination. My dad's bag tag is by the bar from a previous visit. We found it and ordered drinks while waiting for our table. I got a Daytona Dirty Blond ale because when in Florida... Unfortunately, I spilled Iris's kiddie cocktail as we were going from the patio to our table, but it was quickly replaced. It was quite a busy restaurant. Felix wanted to try lobster, but we told him he couldn't order anything marked "market price," so that ended up being a thing... Nick got lobster chowder and a crab cake. I got a fried oyster roll. The kids got mac and cheese. We had a nice dinner overall, and caught a little of the UW volleyball game on Mom's phone. We bid the folks goodbye in the parking lot, since they are also flying back in the morning. we arrived back at the rental around 7. We all packed up and the kids showered. Nick was feeling a bit frustrated about Felix, so we talked. All set and ready for bed around 9 pm. Slept better tonight.

27 November - I woke at 6:45 and got ready. the rest of the family followed suit. We got everything packed, everyone fed, and out at 7:30. We fueled up ($5.59/gal!!) and returned the rental. Long lines for bag drop and security. We forgot Iris's full water bottle in her carryon, so that was a wait only to have it confiscated. Oh well, only $4. We got to the terminal, got beverages (coffees and smoothies), and waited for a half hour before they started boarding our 10:30 flight. Uneventful flight, but I can go a long time without smelling another dirty diaper... We got to Milwaukee around 12:20, quickly collected our bags, caught a shuttle and were in our car and on our way home. We picked up some sandwiches while charging in Madison and got home around 3:45 to two very relieved kitties (Roary and Robin). 

Final thoughts:

• Iris's favorite thing: She loved it all, but definitely wants to do the beach again. 
• Felix's favorite thing: He loved EPCOT and KSC, but everything was great, and he loved having the room to spread out (not being in a small hotel room).
• License plates: 47 of 51! We missed Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and New Mexico. Bonus: Nuevo Leon, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario.
• I wrote a long email/letter to Disney about the issue with our tickets, but was sure to mention favorably the two people who helped us the most. Not sure if I'll hear anything back, but it was good to get that off my chest.

Superior & Duluth 2021

31 March 2021 - After over a full year of COVID-19 social isolation, cancelations, telework and virtual school, we decided we needed to get out of our house for a few days. Nick and I were vaccinated 10 days ago, so we feel slightly more comfortable about putting ourselves in social situations - but not entirely, which is why I planned a waterfall-hunting trip centered around Superior. Nick and the kids have never been up here, and I was a sophomore in college the only time I visited (and that was only overnight). I found a nice two-bedroom Airbnb apartment and started planning from there. I asked my parents (now fully vaccinated and fully immune) if they'd like to join us, and they rented a hotel room nearby for a few nights. 

We got everything packed and left Rapids about 10:30 Wednesday morning in Nick's Tesla. Low 30s, but mostly sunny and smooth sailing to Eau Claire. Our plan was to supercharge while eating lunch, then get to Superior around 3-3:30. The supercharger had other plans... What should have charged at ~75 kW/h charged at 10, meaning we had to stay well over an hour and a half to get enough charge to make it to Superior. (To kill time, I took Iris on a walk to the nearby mall, buying a pair of leggings and gum for her, and a 5-pack of face masks for me at Old Navy.) It turned out that the charge we got was barely enough. We found a 13+ mph wind from the northwest the entire way, which cut into our power. Initially, we were concerned we wouldn't make it (which made Felix (and us, if I'm honest) nervous), but Nick dropped our speed and we pulled into the Duluth supercharger at 5:20 pm with 8% charge remaining. Whew! We walked a little ways downtown to a quiet Iris pub (the Dubh Linn). The kids played darts and my folks joined us for dinner and a beer. This was our family's first time eating indoors at a restaurant since March 6, 2020. Felix kept his mask on, but it being a large, mostly empty space made us feel better about sticking around and chatting. We left ~7:30, made our way over to Superior, and got into our quaint apartment in a house built in 1911. Got ourselves settled, then relaxed for an hour of MST3K on Netflix. Got us all to bed.

Chilling in our Airbnb apartment

1 April - Never a great night sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but got enough. Woke around 8 am. Attempted to make breakfast (fried eggs, turkey patties, toast), but the electric stove and nonstick pans thwarted us a bit. Made do. Mom and Dad came over and we all got ready and left around 9:45 to start today's adventure. Felix picked Amnicon Falls as our first stop. It was chilly (below 30°), but pure sunshine. We put on our hiking boots and took in the covered bridge and roaring falls. Beautiful! 

Upper Falls at Amnicon Falls

We walked the loop to see the falls, including a fall of ice in one area. The kids were impressed. We could walk on the rocks and be inches from the rapids. Gorgeous to see. Deafening to hear. Mom and Dad brought their walking sticks (forgot ours...). We spent about an hour and a half walking, exploring, taking pictures. Cool to see the ice formations hanging like chandelier crystals above the rushing water.

Family by the Upper Falls

We drove on quiet county highways to Pattison State Park. Our first stop was the Little Manitou Falls. Nice little hike down and around. They were bigger falls, which perked up progressively grumpy Iris. (Nick carried her, which helped warm her cold legs.) 

Next, we drove to the parking lot for the Big Manitou Falls (highest waterfall in the state). Wow, very high and impressive (even for Iris). We saw it from the far side first, then walked over the bridge and to the near-side lookouts. Felix made my heart sing, telling me how amazing he found the waterfalls. :) It warmed up to the mid-30s. We placed an order for sandwiches for lunch(since we were done looking at the waterfalls around 1 pm), then drove up to Duluth to pick them up from the Northern Waters Smokehaus. We took them back to the folks' hotel room, where we ate while watching the Brewers' opening day game versus the Twins. Iris got impatient, so after 5½ innings, we all went down to the pool. We had fun spimming and playing with the kids in the little pool Even Mom and Dad got in briefly. We got out and back up to the room in time to watch the Brewers rally and win the the 10th. Woo! After a quick Kwik Trip stop for butter, we headed back to our apartment. Mom and Dad joined us to watch the UW volleyball team win the Big Ten title, have a snack dinner and play many hands of sheepshead. We also put on some MST3K. Nice evening.

Big Manitou Falls

2 April - We were up and eating breakfast by 9 am (butter today made everything better). We headed over to Duluth for a charge. We had to wait a bit, but got some coffee and split a doughnut while we waited. We were finally ready to go around 10:30. We headed north on highway 61 to Tettegouche State Park. It was in the 40s and windy. We all decided to hike to the High Falls. 1.5 miles from the parking lot. So much mud! It took forever (nearly 2 hours) to walk a mile. Nick and Iris didn't want to go so far, so they went to the Twin Falls instead. 

Twin Falls

We trekked the 0.5 miles to High Falls. It was nice to see, but given the trail conditions, I'm not sure it was ultimately worth the interminable hike. We got slowed so often by mud or ice-covered areas, and there were many, many elevation changes. Drier conditions would have made it easier on all of us, I think.

High Falls

Mom and Dad (who were such troopers) rested at the top of the stairs. Felix and I went up more stairs to the the top of the falls. A little further on, we found a swinging bridge over the river. No one else was around, so it was cool being up there, just the two of us. 

Swinging bridge above High Falls

It was drier on the way back, so we made much better time. We did the return hike in 40 minutes. There was a very cold wind blowing off the lake as we ate a hasty lunch on a picnic table outside the visitors center. My hips ached, but I wanted to see the shore, so Felix and I walked along another path down to a rock-strewn beach. We found some interesting pebbles for souvenirs and I took some pictures. 

View of Shovel Point from the beach access

We joined Nick and Iris back at the car, where they had been watching Netflix while the car was charging (hooray for destination chargers!). We left Tettegouche and headed back toward Duluth. We stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park with low energy and expectations. Boy, were we amazed. it was very busy (good tip-off). We took the easy walk from the parking lot to the spectacular Middle Falls. From there, we broke into three groups to do the falls loop (a 1.0-mile hike). It was easier with much less mud. Nick went ahead with Iris. Mom took Felix back to the bathrooms before doing the loop, and I hiked with Dad. It was such a nice hike with great scenery that it really lifted our spirits despite the many miles on our legs today. 

Middle and Lower Falls

We ordered pizzas to pick up at 6, then headed back. We took the two-lane scenic route hugging the coast on the way back. Mostly trees and cabins to be seen, but got nice (hazy) views occasionally. Felix is captivated by freighters. We made a quick stop for lotion to ease itchy skin, then got pizzas and a growler of their beer (souvenir!). [While I was waiting, I was approached by a 30ish man in a beret who asked if I was a farmer. I said, um, no. He said that it was kind of hard to tell with our masks on, but I looked like a mushroom farmer with whom he's been communicated. Okay... I told him I was just a tourist and never raised a mushroom in my life, though it would be interesting to try. When I told Nick, he said he was expecting this to end with a cheesy pick-up attempt.] Mom and Dad met us at our apartment and ate with us. We put on MST3K's Mac & Me, which the kids love. They left around 8:45, and the kids went to bed. We didn't stay up much later. I'm going to be moving slowly tomorrow...

3 April - I didn't sleep well, and everyone else rose early too. We made breakfast and relaxed for a while. Shortly after 10, we made our way to the touristy area in Duluth by the harbor. We looked in a few shops in the DeWitt Building. Iris picked out a stuffed animal for a souvenir (no surprise there), while Felix got a little keepsake box with things that we saw on the trip on it (freighter, lighthouse, Gooseberry Falls). We treated the kids to some sweets at a candy store (ordered through plexiglass, no one allowed in the store). Mom and Dad met us there and did a little looking of their Mom's own. She bought two waterfall prints to frame and hang. Once we were done there, we drove over the lift bridge and along the island. We stopped at the park at the end of the road and let the kids run across. It was partly sunny, mid-60s, light wind - pretty nice. It was about noon, so we made our way back t a nearby restaurant away from the touristy ones (The Silos Restaurant). We had some local beers and everyone found something reasonable to eat. And it wasn't very busy, which was nice. Mom and Dad left to drive home after we ate. We headed inland to Enger Park to take in the views. The park was still closed for the winter, so we parked on the shoulder near the park entrance and hoofed it from there. We weren't alone - many other people had the same idea. We saw some nice views of the cities, harbor and lake. 

Enger Park views

We each rang the Japanese bell and we climbed up by the tower. Felix noticed a freighter going from the river to the lake, so we headed back by the rocks to watch it. Over the course of 20 minutes, we saw the lift bridge rise, the ship pass under, and the lift bridge lower. I took a time lapse video to show Nick and Iris (who headed back to the car to get out of the sun). From there, we went to the charging station to fully charge in preparation for our trip home tomorrow. I walked to a nearby game store and bought a new family card game and a variety of dice. Once we were done, we headed back to our apartment. It was about 4 pm. We spent a quiet rest of the day there. The kids played in the backyard, we tidied up, and we played a round of the new card game (Guillotine). We ate leftover pizza for dinner and watched the Brewers game before bed. 

4 April - We got up around 7:30 am, got ready, got our car packed and were on the road by 8:10. After a quick coffee stop on the way out of the area, we had an uneventful drive to Eau Claire. Nick dropped Iris and me off at Walmart so I could get some groceries, and went to supercharge, which worked much better today. It took only about 30 minutes to charge enough to get home and pick us up. It was fair and warm (mid-70s). We should be home shortly after 1. We're all looking forward to seeing the kitties. 

What did the kids think about the trip:

• Iris: It was one of the best trips because we spent more than two days there. The only thing she didn't like was our apartment was old. "It felt like sleeping in the '90s."
• Felix: It was great. He liked seeing the views of the lake and the waterfalls.

2020 Badger Rose Bowl

30 Dec 2019 - When the Badgers lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game earlier this December, we really didn't think we would be getting a trip to the Rose Bowl as a result. Lo and behold, we got the selection. Because it had been so long since Nick & I went to a bowl game, and because it WASN'T Florida, we made plans to go. My parents had already started their own plans and included us in their ticket order. That's how we found ourselves waking at 4:30 am in Green bay this morning. We drove up to Green Bay yesterday (Sunday) morning, and did Christmas with Nick's parents after watching the Packers-Lions game. We were up and ready by 5:15 am. Steve drove us to the airport as it rained. West of GB, the area was under a winter storm warning (Rapids was projected to get 6-8"). No issues in the airport, getting through security quickly. We were on a tiny plane, and were buffeted heading over the storm to Minneapolis. We actually landed a bit early and waited for my parents (who had driven over the night before) to arrive. We had to go from one side of the airport to the other, but we had at least 3 hours to kill. We decided to kill some of that time getting breakfast at the Stone Arch restaurant. We ordered a round of Bloody Marys to celebrate the trip and kick it off in style. These bloodys were garnished with huge fried chicken wings. :) After eating (I got the eggs benedict w/lox and arugula), we joined the throng at the gate. Lots of Badger fans on our flight. Since my folks checked bags, we gate-checked our carry-ons, too. Our flight remained on-time at the gate, so we got on it ~11 am. The wind was howling, snow blowing, visibility poor. Ideal flight conditions, right? It took about an hour to get the plane deiced and finally off the ground. It was nerve-wracking for sure. But it was uneventful once we were airborne. I spent most of the flight trying to sleep. We got so little sleep the night before (thoughts, uncomfortable bed, Steve snoring) and had to get up so early. My system didn't care too much for me trying to sleep and also drinking coffee. We had some nice views over Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California. We landed ~2 PST. It was nice to see palm trees & feel 60° temps. We waited for our bags, got on the shuttle to the rental car place and eventually made it out of the LAX area. My folks rented a Jeep with room for all of us. We got to experience the fabled LA traffic as it took us an hour to go ~17 miles. We were on the 405 and the 101 heading to our places in Burbank. I caught a beautiful sunset as we arrived at our Airbnb at 1402 W Victory Blvd. We were dropped off ~5, relaxing and showering before we were picked up again ~5:45. We drove to Pasadena, where we had been invited to a Badger party for player's families and friends. An acquaintance of ours invited us, as she is the aunt of a player. She was the first person we saw when we arrived at the Brookside County Club. We talked with her, met her sister and got a picture with her nephew. Nice food, expensive beer. Spent ~2 hrs there talking, eating, watching old and current bowl games. Maybe 100 people there? Feeling beat, we headed back to Burbank and to Walmart for some provisions. Despite being after 8, it was so busy! Waited a long time to check out, then for the one manager who could scan our beer purchases. So frustrating, but eventually that trial was over and we headed back. Stayed up just long enough to get ready for bed.

30 December

31 Dec - We slept in until 7, woken by the sunrise and gusty winds. We fixed ourselves eggs, toast and coffee, then the folks picked us op ~8:30. We showed them our apartment and we decided on our first destination for the day: Hollywood. It was nice, so we drove down there and found a place to park. None of us had been down there, so we spent some time taking in the classic sights and looking at all the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. Some areas were super busy, which got old quickly. We managed to kill over an hour down there before we'd had enough (we also ran into a guy who told us he'd lived in Rapids for 4 years. Small world). We headed back to the car and got ourselves on Mulholland Dr (Nick's idea). He seemed to enjoy all the switchbacks. The rest of us were glad we didn't get sick. There were some overlooks and we stopped at one looking north. Pretty clear day for LA. Also a guy smoking weed there. We finished that drive heading to Ventura Ave for lunch. We left my parents at one restaurant while we walked across the street to get delicious Poke bowls. Mmm. We washed those down the a beer by Mom & Dad. We decided to try our luck at a place listed as a Badger bar in Santa Monica. The Brü Haus wasn't very Badgery and the German beers were pricey. We didn't stay long there. It was ~3, so we headed to Pasadena, which took ~1 hr. Found a place to park, then took a walk up Fair Oaks to Colorado Blvd. There was a carnival atmosphere with people camping out for the Rose Parade, people in classic cars cruising, and people like us walking around. Mom wanted to show us a place called Barney's Beanery. We walked in and saw an empty table... between 3 tables of Ducks fans. We sat and admired the decor (so many license plates on the ceiling!). I got a NA beer, since I wasn't feeling another and I would be driving us home. People from all those three tables chatted with us. I took a picture of "Ben" and Dad. I got a picture with "Jed", who showed us a 2015 Rose Bowl Championship ring he had. They were fun and nice. When we finished our beverages, we walked to Beer & Claw, where I had made reservations. We had a drink at the bar and were joined by Natalie and their aunt Joanne and uncle Clarence. We had a good time talking with them, Nick especially. We sat down to eat at 6, ordering huge platters of Cajun shellfish. The food was excellent. I was concerned about traffic getting out of Pasadena and got irritated at Nick.We said goodbye and left ~8. I managed to drive us out, no problem. It was a mostly silent ride back. Back at our place, Nick and I got into a heated argument about stupid stuff. That, plus sleeping in a strange room with a snoring man and a wonky belly and fireworks randomly going off has me up and writing this at 11:30 pm when I should be sleeping since we need to get up early... {Got freaked out 10 minutes later when our host's cat sitter came by unexpectedly. She did not know our host had guests...}

31 December

1 Jan 2020 - I learned that shooting off fireworks to mark the New Year is a thing they do here, since I was till awake then. Fell asleep sometime after, only to have the alarm wake me at 5:45. We got ready and had some breakfast. Mom & Dad got here ~6:30, then we headed to the Rose Bowl beneath a beautiful sunrise. We easily got into a lot. It was a bit nippy, so we threw on some extra layers and walked up to the Rose Parade route. Nick and I talked through our argument last night and came to a place of understanding. That greatly eased the tension under which we had been operating. Beautiful day, so the over 2 mile hike wasn't awful. Found an alley (Big Bang Theory Way) that wasn't very crowded. I hoisted myself up on an enormous planter box set back from Colorado Blvd that gave me a good sight line. We watched ~20 floats/bands/equestrian units to see the Badger float and band. After that, we turned around and walked back to the country clubhouse. We had signed up for this morning's Badger parents/family/friends tailgate, too. Many more people than on Monday. Had some food & coffee ~10:30. Found a nice spot on the patio to sit, so we stayed there for a while. We smuggled in our won beers (the car was close) and played some 4-handed sheepshead. Decided to make one last trip to the car before heading into the stadium. We joined the masses only to realize we were better off going in near where we were parked. Once back there, got right in with no problems. We found our way to our seats - 18 row A 113-116... Three freakin' rows from the field. Great for ambiance, but terrible for actually watching the game. There was a stealth bomber fly-over. About the game... well, we lost 27-28 against Oregon. It was a close, back-and-forth, exciting game, but turnovers hurt us in the end. Good things - lots of energy in the stands (through I was exhausted), beautiful sunset, our band's much better, and it wasn't too cold by the end. {Also, courtesy of Nick's cousin's wife, we found we had been on TV. :D} Alas, we lost, so we didn't stick around the stadium long. Nick and Dad bought hot dogs off vendors outside the stadium. I nibbled back at the car. We listed to post-game radio and had a beer as the lost struggled to clear. After about an hour, we were able to get out of there without much difficulty. Got back to our apartment around 7:30. Did a load of laundry, reheated leftovers, caught up on the day. It'll be an early night for me.

1 January

2 Jan - Finally got a decent night of sleep. Woke up ~6:35 to another beautiful sunrise. Had plenty of time to pack up and eat some breakfast. The folks picked us up at 8 and we checked out of the apartment. We had a Warner Bros Studio tour at 9. We found parking and got in line. Didn't take us too long to get on a tram. Our tour guide was Miranda W and she did a great job. There was also a group from Florida with 5 moderately annoying 15 or 16 year-old boys. We saw costumes from Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Harry Potter. We drove through "jungle" sets and set-making departments. We saw batmobiles and oodles of props (so many chandeliers!). We got to walk into a set from Shameless and sat in Conan's audience's seats. Last, we got to see some recreated sets from Friends and The Big Bang Theory. Still an interesting tour, through we didn't really watch the shows they highlighted. After the tour, Nick drove us toward the Griffith Observatory. It was very crowded, with parking far away. If we hadn't walked over 5 miles yesterday, we might have considered the hike, since the weather was nice. Instead, we just drove the switchbacks before deciding to head to the Miracle Mile area for lunch. I found a taco place that looked good on Wilshire Blve (El Cartel). Quick, inexpensive (considering...) lunch. We snuck a couple of beers to drink while we dined al fresco. Our next stop was supposed to be the La Brea tar pits (Mom's idea), but the lot was marked as full. As we tried to drive around and find a different place to park, we spied the Peterson Automotive Museum (not that it was hard to miss with that red and silver facade), and decided to go there instead. We spent 1.5 hours looking at the collection of classic roadsters, prototypes, and vehicles from TV/movies. That was interesting for all of us. Dad like the Porsches, Nick & I liked the 1st Shelby Cobra. From there, we walked up to a pub called Molly Malone's. Despite the good ratings, it was rather lackluster. There was one other patron there when we arrived. The bartender wasn't very welcoming, so we departed after finishing our pints. We decided to head toward the ocean. We ended up parking close to the Santa Monica Pier. We moseyed down the Pier, took in the views of the waves, beaches and distant mountains in the late afternoon sun. There were a lot of people doing the same thing. We parked ourselves at the restaurant at the end of the Pier (Maria Sol). We each got a tropical drink (delicious pina colada in my case). Mom & I darted in and out several times to capture a gorgeous sunset. We decided to stay there for dinner. I got shrimp ceviche tostadas that were excellent. It was busy and the restaurant understaffed, so it took a while, but our waiter Juan was friendly. We also called the kids from the Pier to say hi. We picked up personalized license plate keychains for the kids and a magnet for ourselves. It was dark by the time we left. It was so nice to sit outside with a musician playing and the waves crashing and the heaters heating. Once back in our vehicle, we departed and headed to LAX. We got there a little before 8, saying goodbye to Mom & Dad. Security was very quick, through my carry-on did get flagged (again for snacks...). We made our way to the noisy, multi-gated mess in Terminal 3 and hunkered down for a wait. Our flight leaves at 11:40 pm and we fly this first leg to Detroit.

2 January

3 Jan - We boarded our plane and departed on time. I put on my noise-canceling headphones in an attempt to sleep. That was made difficult by the unhappy toddler in our row shrieking and crying every 10 minutes or so it felt like. Also a fair amount of jolting from turbulence. But I must have slept a bit because the flight overall felt short. (It was also unnerving to be warned about "significant rough air" but that didn't really happen.) We got into Detroit ~6:30 am EST. After deplaning, we walked the quiet concourses to our next gate. We got some coffee and joined the two other passengers already there. We were both still tired, so we took about an hour nap, walking as the sky brightened (cloudy, so no sunrise) and the general airport noise increased. We boarded our 9:55 am flight on time and got going. Had the most turbulence on the trip on this leg, but only in a few sports. In about an hour, we touched down in Green Bay. We left Steve know we'd arrived as soon as we could. Since we were in row 5, it didn't take long to get off the plane. Steve picked us up and we headed back to their house. The kids were as happy to see us as we were them. We chatted and had a light lunch before packing up and leaving. Kind of depressing to have to put our winter coats back on. It was gray and in the 30s the entire way home. I know I struggled to stay alert on the drive back, so it was better Nick was driving. We got home around 1, unloaded and greeted our three kitties: Roary, Amy & Robin.

Plates: 35 states, 2 Canadian provinces, 5 Mexican states.
Total trip cost: $4,252.12
{transcribed 2/3/2020}