Wisconsin Dells!

During the Memorial Day weekend Dale and I decided to take a little day trip to Wisconsin. We ended up at one very unusual place: The Wisconsin Dells! Sprung up around the spectacular natural beauty of the Wisconsin Dells is the most unnaturally beautiful place I've ever been! The Dells is filled with the following:

Wacky theme hotels (often attached to very large waterparks)...
(that's right, it's the Colosseum)

large fiberglass people, animals, and things...
(that's right, it's Paul Bunyan)

wacky cars (and wacky swimming pools, though not in this post)...
(that's right, it's a moose strapped to the hood of a PT Cruiser)

places to buy cheese...
(that's right, it's a big mouse eating a big piece of cheese on top of a store)

flashy retro/vintage neon signs...
(and the fabulous motels they sit in front of)

bizarre tourist attractions...
(I don't know what Wizard Quest is, sorry)

even more bizarre tourist attractions...
(yes, it's that weird)

and restaurants....
(Wally's House of Embers, est. 1959).

It might be my favorite day trip of all time.

Needless to say the Roadside Curiosities blog will be updated with lots of new posts with more pictures of the Dells in the coming weeks.

Mississippi River Flooding in St. Louis

While stopping to check out the St. Louis Gateway Arch, we saw this statue that was mostly submerge under the muddy waters of the Mississip! At first we thought it was some weird water statue but it turns out that flooding submerged what is a very big statue! You can view the riverfront without water by clicking here. Normally, there are two men and a dog on a base! So the flooding was pretty serious.

The extent of the flooding was further proved by the sign asking us to park in the river.

And another sign advising us to NOT park in the river.

Ramps that go into the river!

Followed by stairs that walk right into the river!

A submerged fire hydrant.

Nasty debris engulfing another flooded area.

More debris!

Oddly rigged riverboat, due to flooding issues.

Another Roadside Attraction

On our quick roadtrip to Memphis we spotted a pretty sweet antiques market.
I made Dale pull over to get some pics. Check out the rest here.

St. Louis Gateway Arch

We went to Memphis last weekend to see my mom and to lend some support to my stepdad, Gary. Along the way, we opted to take I-55, which cuts right through St. Louis. Unable to resist the chance to stop and see the Gateway Arch up close, we pulled off the highway and Dale took a few shots of the landmark arch.

A view from the waterfront, looking up to the park that serves as the base of the arch.

The sun shining behind the arch, looking up the stairs.

A view from the side of the arch.

I thought it was pretty cool that there is an underground area where you can learn all about the arch and watch a movie, get a snack, and, of course, pee.

Woo. Freaky angle.

From our parking spot near the river, the arch is pretty spectacular.

The Statue of Liberation

Dale was so excited about this wacky roadside attraction that he wanted me to cross post it from my Roadside Curiosities blog to our personal blog:


I was in Memphis last weekend and saw one of the best roadside attractions I've stumbled upon in years! This takes the cake, people! This is the Statue of Liberation through Christ aka The Lord's Lady Liberty. For a complete FAQ click here.

I can't tell you how excited I was when we spotted her, standing on the corner of Kirby Parkway. She beckoned to us and we had no choice but to submit.

So enchanted were we, we had to circle her to get a better look. To what did our wondering eyes appear?

Better than reindeer. This liberated lady features a tiny chapel/altar under base/skirt. There is a spot to kneel and pray (for forgiveness?), a "tomb" made of sprayed plastic foam that features the slogan "HE IS RISEN" above an alcove that I'm guessing is supposed to be where Jesus chilled out before he woke from the dead. I like the white sheet that provides a shroud of Turin flavor. Crappy soothing relgious music is pumped in below the altar.

The statue is rife with amusingly heavy-handed symbolism, including my personal favorite: The Lord's Lady Liberty is shedding a tear. "THE TEAR represents Lady Liberation’s despair over America’s rapid decline from its Judeo-Christian values. She weeps for our nation’s self-destruction as the protective hand of God is removed. Yet, she realizes that there is still hope for America if we return to God through Jesus Christ."

There were scads of flags about the property and we were quite confused by what looked a lot like a rebel flag. I'm still not sure what it was. We caught this photo of the US flag and (I think?) the state flag? Anyway, this baby is WELL worth the trip. She's a beauty!

Wedding in Jacksonville!

My friend Heather got married to a very nice gentlemen named Michael last Saturday! We're very happy for her! And can't wait to invite them to visit us in Chicago!

Happily, we also got to meet up with my friend Fumie and her awesome husband, Ben. Fumie is pregnant and we're very excited for them to greet their first baby!

The wedding was on Saturday afternoon and on Saturday evening we headed to the ocean to see the water, enjoy a walk along the pier and have a delicious sushi dinner with Fumie and Ben!

Dale was very excited to see surfing! Surfing on the ocean! He has always wanted to try surfing and enjoyed seeing the folks brave the March waters.


Beautiful sunset image of the shore from the pier.

The pier was filled with prehistoric creatures!

Also known as pelicans!

Dale's Trip--California!

This is Dale in Sedona, Arizona, contemplating another picture. Chase snapped this one of Dale.

And this is the resulting shot of the photo above's quiet contemplation! The Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona, Arizona.

Seals on the beach near La Jolla, California. They have a special section all to themselves!

Paraglider flying high at the San Diego glider port.

Crazy insane adorable seal, leaving little seal prints in his wake! Awwwww!

Dale in La Jolla, California, shooting the seals. With his camera!

Wittle Seals, lounging on the beach.

Dale and Chase's host in San Diego was Michigan native and old friend Rod. He moved to California to enjoy the sun and surf. Seems to be going well!

Dale's Trip--some quick photos

Dale emailed me a few photos of his road trip with his best pal Chase. Chase is moving to Arizona, as I mentioned before, and Dale drove out with him. They arrived in Arizona yesterday and Dale emailed me a few pictures of the trip so far. I'm sure he'll have plenty more to share later. The above photo is Dale in Taos, NM at the Rio Grande.

This is a shot of Chase & Dale at the Painted Desert. Dale said it was a little late to get the full effect at sunrise but this gives you the flavor!

This amazing place is where a meteor hit the earth! Look at the size of that crater! It's crazy! Dale says it is 3/4 of a mile across and 800 feet deep!

Dale cracked me up by providing his first impressions of Phoenix (Dale is not a big fan of very hot climates):

Phoenix is a god forsaken land of dirt with a smattering a foliage just scraping by to exist; seriously it feels like God is in the sky trying to burn all the people on the ground with a magnifying glass. No human was ever meant to live here; for example the houses have industrial air conditioners mounted on the roof. It appears to be a constant battle between the bastard burning sun and a desire to live.

Spotlight: Brittania!

Our first stop in Scotland was at the Royal Brittania!

Our host, Ginni, is a fan of the royal family and she explained that occassionally the non-royal lovers demand the royal family appear less affluent. So they made their family yacht (the queen's ship--she's head of the Royal Navy, natch) a tourist attraction. Once the commonfolk saw it they were a little relieved--it's not a Donald Trump-esque ship! It's beautiful but classy and not ostentatious (in spite of being a yacht).

The Royal dining room! It took three hours to set the table! The used a ruler to measure each place setting. This is where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip entertained many dignitaries, including Ron and Nancy Reagan.

When it is necessary for the Royals to come into shore from the Brittania, they would take this hot little number right here! Additionally, there is a vintage Rolls that is stowed away on the deck of the yacht. They would have to slide it in sideways into it's little garage make it fit--Queenie has to have proper transport, don'tcha know? They used a crane to get the Rolls on shore as necessary.

There were several bars on board, including this one. As I recall, this is the officer's bar. The royals had their own, of course, and then one for guests. But I might be getting confused. At any rate, excellent use of space. Ha!

This is a lounge area where guests would congregate. It's next to the long dining room. Corporations now rent out the yacht for private parties. I believe you can even rent it out for weddings and such.

For more on Brittania you can check out this link. Most Americans seem to like the fact that Princess Diana and Prince Charles took their honeymoon on the yacht. Famously, Diana broke royal protocol and, after a prolonged absence from her children, greeted them with motherly hugs and kisses in front of the press onboard Britannia and not the cool handshake usually reserved for royal children.

Back from Edinburgh

Long time no blog! We're back from Scotland and still recovering from jetlag and general travel exhaustion. I took the snapshot above at Edinburgh castle. Will be posting a ton of pics, as well as a HUGE gallery of our photos in the coming weeks. We need time, people! We're tired!

Anyway, above is a photo taken of some famous stairs at Edinburgh Castle, which is actually more of a fort from my perspective. The castlefort overlooks a really nice Starbucks. But the damn coffee shop closes at 7 p.m. Crazy country! Everything is the same but just a little different. For example the Dollar Store is called Pound City. Seriously. I didn't believe my eyes at first but I saw several of them. Coke tastes more like Pepsi. The cars drive on the opposite of the road, as do the drivers. Heh.

Anyway, lots more to come, just wanted to post my favorite picture so far.