June 11 Wisconsin Dells

We woke up in Green Bay to some bird whistling nicely.  Today (12th) a bird was whistling-maybe the same kind-here in Wisc. Dells.  It was raining when we left G.B. and rained most of the 3+ hours drive, including 2 of those torrential downpours where the wipers can't keep up.  We drove through Kaukauna and I wondered if that's where those little containers of cheese are made.  There were Golden Corrals in Appleton and Oshkosh.  (I was asst mgr at one in Ks. and 2 of our kids worked for me there).  We saw a yellow VW bug that looked like a Packers helmet-G on the side and big grill like the helmet.  As we drove through a small town we saw the first peonies we've seen-white, light pink and dark pink.  I remember how we always hoped they'd bloom in time for Memorial Day in Sioux City. 
    Once we left those 2 cities we drove in farmland the rest of the 130 miles.  Huge dairy barns and others.  Then we were on the worst highway we've driven on and it was 4 lanes.  For many miles our bodies were actually bouncing.  Everything in the camper survived intact though.
    We got into Wisc. Dells and what a tourist place!  Blocks of tourist shops, countless motels and hotels and resorts and unbelievable amount of stuff to do.  If you want someplace to spend lots of money with kids, this would be the place to come for several days.  America's largest indoor/outdoor combo waterpark has 49 slides, 2 wave pools, 2 endless rivers, 18 hole mini golf, arcades, shopping, golf), wld's largest waterpark and 18 others!  Stock cars, magic shows, zip line to be done soon, comedy shows, country music shows, deer petting zoo, horse rides, haunted house, aquarium.  One place called Top Secret, which is supposed to be the White House, landed in Wisc Dells, upside down.  None of the ads say what it is about, though.  Huge, strange looking building.
    One resort is called Mt. Olympus.  300 room hotel with Roman and Greek themed rooms and countless things to do-probably 1-1/2 to 2 blocks long.  The big white mansion in our pictures is owned by the owners of this resort.
    The MooseJaw brewery is a huge building and has 3 parking lots.  We haven't been there yet, but took pics for our friend who loves moose.  It's 7:50 A.M. Sat. and the 2nd freight train of the morning just went by.  We've decided KOA campgrounds are required to build near train tracks!  We've stayed in 3 or 4 of their parks and had trains right next to each one.  Tom said he's going to start asking what the noise index of a park is before we book!
    A company here owns the largest fleet of Ducks-WWII amphibious vehicles in the world.  Since we have been on so many boat trips we weren't going to go on them, but campground gave us 1 free ticket, so we did and really enjoyed it.  Ours was named Old Glory.  We went in manmade Lake Delton, on the highway, through neat subdivisions, through the woods and on the river, seeing rock formations from millions of yrs ago-similar to the Pictured Rocks we saw in Mich.  There were a lot of swallows around them and the guide said they migrate from So. America every summer.  Tom asked how they repair the ducks since they haven't been built since 1946 and the guide said they buy some just for parts (what he figured)  and they have also been able to use parts from deuce and a half Army trucks like Tom has.  We passed a graveyard of ducks and trucks that have been parted out.  As soon as we reached the lake he went real fast down a hill into the water.  It was interesting to see how often he had to change the wheels etc, according to where he was driving.  He said when we left Europe after the war, many were sunk because it would have been too expensive to ship them back to America.  They cost $10,000 ea to build then.
    Last night we went to a country music show that included dinner.  Bill Anderson from Nashville and other legends has a show today (Sat.) but it was all sold out.  We really enjoyed this 2 hour one though, with 6 band members who also all sang and 2 vocalists.  One did only Patsy Cline songs.  Rocky Top and Orange Blossom Special were big favorites.  We sat next to a group from Felton, Mo. who said a Chrysler plant just closed there.  Thousands of employees and a million sq ft. plant now empty.  One is 58 and had worked there 41 years, so he's just taking some time off.  The older couple who own the barn where the show is are from outside St. Louis.  They come up here every summer to do this and had a beautiful home built 7 yrs ago to replace the 100 yr old farmhouse.  It is so nice, right there next to the barn.  She said they get 2 Springs, 2 Falls, cold winter, but not much snow down there, and don't have all the snow up here.
    94 degrees and humid by mid afternoon.  There was a short thunder storm while we ate in the barn, but the day was much nicer than we thought it might be.