Richard was up early to prepare the mighty Truckasaurus for travel action. He has owned the truck ever since it was built back in 1988, and every time we see the price of a similarly-equipped new truck we feel a bit better about putting effort into the one we have. This morning it was time for an oil change, since it's been about 3000 miles since we had the engine rebuilt this spring (and one condition of the warranty is regular oil changes). So around the bay to Lakeside Auto in Baraga, where the fluids were swapped and items checked, while the official shop puppy took a very friendly interest in what Richard was nibbling for breakfast.
Once the hood was shut, it was back to the motel one more time to load our piles of stuff back into the truck and prepare for departure after our six-night stay. Our check-out was delayed a bit by the owner, who asked for a quick summary of the in-state effects & reaction of the new Arizona immigration law before accepting the key (this is happening a lot these days). Once the political commentary was completed, we waved and turned north into town to cash in a few cans and get one last trip to the Frostie Freeze, and then took our blue tongues southward on US 41 for the day's travel.
Our first stop was in Sidnaw to drop some mail on cousin Pam for a few more minutes of family fraternization, and then westward to Ironwood for a lunchtime meet-up with Uncle Dennis & Aunt Millie and their daughter Sheryl, who Suzanne hadn't seen for several decades (due to the trivial detail that Sheryl is typically teaching in Southeast Asia). What we thought might be a half-hour hello turned into a full three-hour visit, as everyone caught up on old and new times. Not only that, Duncan discovered a penny on the floor which turned out to have wheat sheaves on the back and a date of 1937 on the face - same age as Dennis!
Once the final hugs were exchanged, we entered Wisconsin on US 2 and continued west as we watched several long-distance cyclists heading the other direction up and down the hills. Several miles along, we cruised the mural-enhanced main street of Ashland, looking at all the most interesting shops and stores - all of which had closed precisely eleven minutes earlier. Maybe next time...? :(
A turn left a few miles west of town brought us onto US 63 for some scenic cruising through the Wisconsin northwoods, with the rhythmic thumping of the pavement joints matching up with the intermittent massage of a small back seat child's kicking feet.
About an hour or so of driving had us saying hey to Hayward, and a yell of "Look! It's a monster!!" from the back seat had us making a quick turn to see the terrifying sight of the toothy jaws of a humongous muskie towering over the town's skyline. However, the impressive fiberglass residents of the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame were securely locked up for the afternoon, and so we stayed safe behind the fence as the gargantuan gilled ones loomed behind us. Next door was a combination outdoor outfitters and miniature golf course, and although the thought of whacking some colored spheres around was very tempting, the clock was insistent on reminding us that we still had many miles to go in the waning hours of this day.
"Are we there yet?" "No."
"Are we there yet?" "No."
"Are we there yet?" "No."
"Are we there yet?" "NO!"
We squeezed into Spooner amid all the traffic congregated for the big rodeo, and then continued onward, noting that Luck was not in our direction as we made the turn toward Turtle Lake. Then some veering to and fro brought us to the edge of Wisconsin, and we crossed the lift bridge over the St. Croix River into the overaffluent bustle of Stillwater as the sun settled over the horizon. Then down toward the far edges of the Twin Cities, watching the long lines of bumper-to-bumper vehicles heading in the opposite direction, and a stop for SuperAmerica fuel before braving the construction-choked beltways of 694, er, make that 494. Then a loop onto US 52, a stop for some late-night chow at A & W, and then a few minutes after 10 PM CDT we rolled to a stop in the driveway of Suzanne's brother's house in the south suburb of Rosemount. The only one there to greet us right then was Lexie the fuzzy friendly kitty, and so we loaded in for a long-anticipated layover without having to worry about waking everyone up. Then onto the beds and couches for a good night's rest, and thoughts about tomorrow's Twin Cities fun.
Day 17 pix!
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Today began with more vehicular maintenance, as our first stop brought us to Discount Tire for some rubber rearrangement to keep us steering straight on our way back to Arizona. Then up highway double-seven to that mecca of merchandising - the famous Mall Of America. Deceptively small on the outside, this super-duper shopping experience offers hundreds of stores, an indoor amusement park, and nearly-countless eating & entertainment opportunities.
But there was one specific store that our son was focused on as we burst through the south entrance doors - and when Duncan spotted the brick-a-rama expanse of the Lego Imagination Center, his vacation experience was "the bestest ever". Even more impressive than the Chicago location we visited back in Episode 10, this interlocking experience has an astonishing number of spacecraft, dinosaurs, characters, and other fantabulous colorful bumpy-topped figures festooning the facilities. We all made fast-wheeled race cars and fun little figures, and Duncan created several other crazily-configured creations using the bricks provided for such purposes.
But of course this isn't all that the Mall offers. We made our way to the third level (of four) to look at the shops, and just one orbit had us tired and hungry. Fortunately, food for nearly any taste and budget can be found, and so we looked out over the thrill rides and Lego statuary while grazing on teriyaki chicken, fried fish, and mixed veggies. Then back to the full-contact retail experience for a while longer, with a break for some overabundant waffle cones full of yummy ice cream, until Duncan declared that some of those rides he'd seen definitely needed riding, and that his dad needed to get with the program and make that happen.
And so it was that Duncan and his dad boarded the log ride down the flume to a watery doom, and then were spun & plunged in the "Fairly Odd Coaster" all around the park, followed by a fun little fly in a large shiny pink puppy. Then a return visit (by Duncular demand) to the loggalicious plunge for one more plop into the fun flume, and the riding was complete.
Are we done yet? No, time for more Legos, as dad picked out some odd useful parts and Duncan selected some kits with all the money he'd saved ("saved" being defined as "Dad left change in his pockets on laundry day"). We then lugged our big yellow bags of Lego loot out to the truck and returned in a roundabout way to Uncle Mike's place, looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow.
Day 18 pix!
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It's a good feeling to wake up whan you feel like it. Richard was up early writing down several delayed days of road trip action, while Suzanne & Duncan snoozed contentedly in the beds upstairs. Once everyone was roused and functional, we visited with Mike & Joan for a while on a quiet Sunday morning, catching up on everyone's recent experiences.
In the early afternoon, Joan showed off her culinary expertise by whipping up some excellent and meaty lasagna, complemented by savory salads. Suz's niece Lindsey also dropped by to say hello, and Duncan was delighted when she played Legos and cars with him.
Full of good eats and ready to go, we looked outside at the fine Minnesota summer weather and rolled the purple cruiser and red trailercycle out to prepare for a nice afternoon's ride. The helmets were donned, tires were pressurized, and Duncan was about ready to mount up...
...and that's when we heard the first loud clap of thunder from a storm that had come sneaking in from the back side of the neighborhood. So, the bikes get put away for a bit.
A few minutes later, things are looking better, with no rumbling thunder. Let's try again - and this time, Joan's getting out her bicycle and coming with us too! We all rolled out boldly into the street, wended our way through the neighborhood, climbed the railroad overpass...
...and that's when the heavens opened with a toad-strangling downpour that had us soaked and high-tailing for home in no time.
Fast forward an hour or so. Rain's gone, blue skies peeking through. Duncan's really rarin' to try out the playground up the street. So, we again roll out the bicycle/trailercycle, dry them off, get them rolling, and...
...the third time was the charm, as on this try we had an excellent ride through the neighborhoods, culminating in a long spell of fun at that playground. Then a ride back over the overpass as a Union Pacific train rumbled underneath, over to an all-too-fun pile of rocks at the end of a street, and on back to the house to clean up and prepare for a long trip to an all-too-warm Arizona.
Day 19 pix!
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Latest Historical Revisionism 22 July 2010
Scripting: Richard C. Moeur