A day that was dominated by colors; an unexpected link to four very different sites.
We continued our explorations in an around Madison, WI. The town itself reminds me very much of Boulder, CO. Not quite as "groovy crunchy 12 grainer hipster politically correct pseudo cause new agey" but similar in size and look..... oops! Did I offend any Boulderites? Not too worry, your Oddasee fascination will counter balance any such realities. Guess the college/university lifestyle has some commonalities.
1. YELLOW -- The Mustard Museum -- this one was on our list but we had decided to skip it. Then while on a quest for a smoothie and decent cup of coffee, we accidentally bumped into it. As an example of Oddasee devotion, we actually killed 30 minutes (smoothie and coffee-less I might add) for this pillar of historical significance to open it's doors.
Yep, as billed, it's a museum completely dedicated to the yellow prince of condiments. Downstairs were thousands of bottles of mustard and spices. There are mustard pots, related photos and other ephemera. Now let me emphasize there are thousands of samples on display. Upstairs is a retail store featuring but one thing....... mustard. The variety included combinations ranging from mango to beer to flower flavors. good gawd!! Who knew. The owner of this quirky place has a great sense of humor and there were many tongue in mustard filled cheeks moments to be seen.
Before we proceed, a few words about Wisconsin Dells:
We make jokes about the "Cheeseheads" and aside from the Green Bay Packer fans, that moniker is usually kind of derogatory. The assumption is that this particular nickname came from the plethora of dairy farms and products to be found every where. There is another fact at play..... Wisconsin is the capitol of cheesy attractions/crap. Oh my oh my, this place rivals the tacky Hell-Hole of Panama City and the Florida panhandle. If they are the "Redneck Riviera" then this town is the "Farmer Vegas". It is over-run with water parks, roller coasters, mini-golf, theme restaurants, theme gas stations, theme restrooms, theme Walmarts and there is no end to these culture sucking businesses. The main strip makes Colfax Ave. in Denver, Academy Blvd in Colo. Springs or Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe look like the friggin' Champs Elysees. Shoot, I think the local "Ripley's Believe It or Not" venue is embarrassed to call this place home. GACK!
2. RED -- The Torture Museum in Wisconsin Dells -- You guessed it... this crimson is of the blood and gore variety. Okay, now who are we to talk, we paid to go to this pathetic attraction. It has only a few authentic items and the displays are so amateurish that it's pretty funny. There are a few ooky things to read about and it's impossible to not be appalled at what humans have done to each other. It wasn't (serial torturer and murderer aside) painting of the Seven Dwarves was genuinely creepy. A highlight was the Joan of Arc display - what a babe!
Note One: Caption of 'torture 11.jpg - "Clown? What clown? Did you read this?"
Note Two: The last pic is of R. after realizing that we actually paid money for this "museum".
3. WHITE - "The Top Secret Upside Down White House" -- another cheese festival in Wisconsin Dells. If it were actually made of cheese, we might have opted to go inside. Instead we took a few photos and got some laughs.
4. RAINBOW -- "Ella's Deli" -- Back in Madison, we followed our Roadside Attraction research and sought out this very quirky eating emporium. Now keep in mind, we do not have videos of this joint. What should that matter you ask? Well, in the photos you will see many characters and objects in every corner, on every wall and hanging from the ceiling..... most are animatronics. Flying back and forth on wires above us was a flying Mighty Mouse. There was a Sargent Pepper calliope, a singing robot, a carousel and stuff spinning everywhere. Thankfully the volume was not uncomfortable and the food was actually very good. Hard to describe but the deli aspect went on as if there were no batmen flying above or bouncing hot air balloons. Every table was some sort of moving display or interactive game under glass. The place was packed and that seemed to be quite normal. Kids and adults alike were sucking down food or ice cream concoctions with smiles on their face.
That sums up a very diverse day. It was hardly life-changing, emotionally charged or intellectually stimulating but we had a great time.
Love and condiments,
Rodney and Susan
No comments:
Post a Comment