A Grand Tour of The Entire Midwest, But Mostly Wisconsin (UPDATE 11/12--BONUS Texas TR NOW COMPLETE)

Just give me some scrambled eggs.
Or eggs Benedict.

Then it's perfect.


oh. And orange juice.

My perfect breakfast would involve (in no particular order) french toast (with cinnamon sugar, like Disney does it), eggs, thick-cut bacon, hashbrowns, OJ and Kona coffee. Now I'm hungry.

Hmmm... no. No, I don't think that's it.

Well, I know she's not with me for my money.

Oh, I do know that feeling.
I've actually gotten a hole in one (short one. 100 yards? Less?) once and thought "Wow! I'm good!"


No. I'm not.

I'm jealous! A hole-in-one is on my bucket list. Just once before I die!

Standing by!

Should be any minute now.

Actually... live sports are always so much better than TV. And never having seen it live....

I'd probably pick the golf. Just to see it one time.

This is true. It is pretty amazing to see in person how far these guys can hit the ball. Or stop it on a dime. TPC Sawgrass is a fun course to watch because you can see the pros play the island green.

You can't anyways. That's a Husband rule.

Truth. ::yes::

You've mentioned that. I also mentioned it to someone else when I saw it on FB.

:thumbsup2

"No, honey. Put the other finger down... for contrast."

I would never encourage her to do anything of the sort!


...while Julie's around.

I told you. My second favourite is the Cheeta.
You have to ask me what my favourite is.

sheesh.

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood. So what's your favorite? Hamster? Platypus? Porg? Newt? Balrog?

Until the Chinese restaurant opened.


Wait.... that's cats.

Get your stereotypes straight!

I wouldn't do that to you!!


So, anyways.... Victoria & Albert's ADR is done.

Excellent! It's going to be fun telling them we only want water. And what's a guy got to do to get a decent burger in this place?!

I get that. I've had some really bad ones... but the really good ones are worth it.

I agree with that. My chances of getting good ribs were probably higher in Texas, for sure.

appreciate that, Clark.

Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead?

Just need a place to lie down and it's the perfect trifecta.

Wish I could have helped you there. The sidewalk didn't look comfortable.

You will. Once it's in your head...

Oh, all right. I just have so many books in the queue I haven't read yet.

:laughing: Yup. Still enjoying it! :)

Excellent! :thumbsup2

That's actually a good point. Why do we read these things? :)

I dunno. Beats doing work, I guess.:confused3

Great to hear!!!

:goodvibes She's a tough kid.

Glad to hear that everything went well with Sarah's surgery and that her recovery has been better than expected! I bet the Oblivious household is feeling just a wee bit lighter these days with surgery in the rear view mirror.

Definitely nice not to have to worry about anything going wrong anymore. We have a strong community around us of friends and family and even people we don't know so well in our church who have really been amazing in support.

Great wrap up of your Texas trip! You guys really covered a lot of ground in Texas! Did you like traveling over spring break? Any plans to do so in the future?

I really did like getting out of town and traveling over spring break. But the key there is that we didn't go to a popular destination. I would not be nearly as happy if I'd had to deal with immense crowds.

I'm hoping we can do a spring break trip to Yosemite in a couple of years, because I'd like to avoid the summer crowds there. The only downside is that it's a 50/50 shot whether the road to Glacier Point would be open at that time of year.

I love your map and am looking forward to hearing about your deep south tour!

I'll try and get it started soon!
 
My perfect breakfast would involve (in no particular order) french toast (with cinnamon sugar, like Disney does it), eggs, thick-cut bacon, hashbrowns, OJ and Kona coffee. Now I'm hungry.

Not bad! Not a huge French toast fan (I like it enough, but I'll take other stuff over it) so I'll substituted my eggs Benedict.

Well, I know she's not with me for my money.

Obviously. "Hey Scotty. What do you think the odds are that I can get pkondz to pay for our meal?"

I'm jealous! A hole-in-one is on my bucket list. Just once before I die!

So stop playing golf and you'll be immortal.

I would never encourage her to do anything of the sort!


...while Julie's around.

Thanks for clarifying.

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood. So what's your favorite? Hamster? Platypus? Porg? Newt? Balrog?

Turtle.

and it only just occurred to me that my faves are known for being the fastest... and the slowest.

Excellent! It's going to be fun telling them we only want water. And what's a guy got to do to get a decent burger in this place?!

This really got me thinking.
I thought "Can you imagine what they'd do?"
Then.... I suspect they would remain completely polite and deliver a platter of some of the best Kobe beef burgers you've ever had in your life.

Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead?

This is sounding more and more like the DISdads thread. ;)

Wish I could have helped you there. The sidewalk didn't look comfortable.

Fail!

Oh, all right. I just have so many books in the queue I haven't read yet.

I know the feeling!

I dunno. Beats doing work, I guess.:confused3

Bingo!
 
Not bad! Not a huge French toast fan (I like it enough, but I'll take other stuff over it) so I'll substituted my eggs Benedict.

To each their own. I could, of course, be convinced to include chicken & waffles. :rolleyes1

Obviously. "Hey Scotty. What do you think the odds are that I can get pkondz to pay for our meal?"

Wow, it's like you were right in our car on the drive down!

So stop playing golf and you'll be immortal.

Would that be worth it, though? I think not.

Turtle.

and it only just occurred to me that my faves are known for being the fastest... and the slowest.

Interesting. I'm sure that means something, but I have no idea what.

This really got me thinking.
I thought "Can you imagine what they'd do?"
Then.... I suspect they would remain completely polite and deliver a platter of some of the best Kobe beef burgers you've ever had in your life.

This is probably true. But it's still fun to imagine a meat-and-potatoes guy like me trying to survive in there.

This is sounding more and more like the DISdads thread. ;)

::yes::
 
To each their own. I could, of course, be convinced to include chicken & waffles. :rolleyes1

I know a place!

Wow, it's like you were right in our car on the drive down!

Why on Earth would I do that? I have a perfectly functioning microphone that takes care of things like that.

Would that be worth it, though? I think not.

:laughing:

Interesting. I'm sure that means something, but I have no idea what.

Beats me! I didn't even realize it until just the other day!

This is probably true. But it's still fun to imagine a meat-and-potatoes guy like me trying to survive in there.

::yes::
 


So I had a DIS-meet last month. After a near-miss in Fargo, North Dakota over the summer of 2017, I was finally able to get together with the estma- estimi- estimeb- famous @pkondz , proud member of the DISBoard Hall Of Fame. He was returning home after a solo trip to WDW, which I’m sure we’ll get to read about any minute now, and had a layover in Washington D.C. D.C. is only about a 2-hour drive for me from Delaware, so once he had his plans set we tried to work something out. Despite the fact that Dulles International Airport is on the opposite side of the city (well into Virginia), and the fact that in order to meet up he’d have to brave the D.C. Beltway during rush hour (sort of like the trials Indiana Jones has to pass only without the payoff at the end), he was willing to meet me halfway in Annapolis, Maryland.


This was about 10 days after my daughter’s surgery, so she was laid up and resting back at home, and my wife stayed home with her. Two of my sons opted to stay home as well, so I traveled down to Annapolis after work with Scotty, who has been known to “happen” from time to time. Shockingly, the Beltway was a parking lot, so Scotty and I wandered around the historic area of the city while pkondz fought traffic and texted me his updates (hopefully not while moving):

“19 miles away…Google Maps says it will take 3 hours.”

(45 minutes later)

“18.7 miles away…wait, now there’s an accident.”

And so on. Eventually I told him to turn back, because there was no way Scotty and I were worth all that trouble, but he fought on and eventually we met up at a little restaurant near the waterfront called The Iron Rooster. I really like this place—they serve breakfast all day as well as other comfort food items, including their homemade pop tarts of varying flavors. We all had chicken & waffles since pkondz had never tried it before, and he seemed to enjoy it. I love their version—I can get it with maple syrup and a pepper gravy on the side and take turns making it savory or sweet.


Uqg_TFNrx4obwzH5uc5-a95RVpT7em-j0sNnGhCwnRsCMHu4xjWjJXJr7IdVt2hN0E6UcQeVK9KMpnin9l1ZHRbzqZ3QqNPOtNv5PWN9c8V_PykLV3-CdawlJdlfzA_lO304n_ayob7h8NYhcT6G0YLuwBiTLgy2ZPmOujHrVL77azj5W_cICjy-ZA4mK7hooT4J31x60KkyVGFwknyL-1bo2nc8lvq75e_yE_o9phW1fodSPxQk7vVspe2_Kd2Ucsj3KyJQeWeb--wQASvKqSnA5xdLTCOdjUA1cK5d2DOwdAfYAH50vYkDa4aPaYLguvsPWpLg51jW0z47Y2Y9HELOc_D-88RzQMexorwrB0EnpoNh0ExfN6DdD8EV3E6X2F91e8hjqg1U-wRqeXyTR6kk40mVyjMokHvmqrrrgDq19ajoNlkDOfyGrK9d6ke7hkYx2J486-ceRIC7hC9kKXybFEQgTTuwjnnO8xv4A2mKIAuNRhhdzUH7mmaIUj44wFYWAOQkMp38clzdQ6PoaM1alccWEq3gikonYyNbpRbzu2-9OdGKbFEmOnEDqydvipYoVkBftE7kdk-EeHTKvDbvfZgFhfJJzvuvU164V0k=w1123-h842-no



Somehow, the world did not come to an end despite these three idiots being present in the same place at the same time. He had graciously brought gifts for my entire family from Canada (which they loved), including a bag of candy for me and Julie to sample (the Wonderbar was a big hit in our home). We had a relaxed, easygoing conversation, joked about every single one of you behind your backs, and then I pushed him to give me all the answers to his quizzes ahead of time so I could finally win one. And I fought him for a good 20 minutes over who was going to pick up the check.


Pkondz, I really appreciate you being willing to fight all of that traffic to come meet us. Next one’s on me.


Keep your eyes peeled for a brand-spanking new TR coming soon!
 
This is the 16th hole, considered the signature hole on the golf course. It’s a par 3 that is unique due to the bunker sitting right smack in the middle of the green. At first glance, this might seem like an especially cruel design feature, but I think it’s much harder on the pros. My shots never end up anywhere near the middle of the green, so I doubt I’d ever have to worry about that particular hazard.

You can actually hit the ball?!

Impressive.

I'm not sure I'd even be able to get that far.

Drew targeted them with his trusty rocket launcher. He had found one in the souvenir shop.

Nice aim, Drew!!!

a lot of back roads since Google said the highway from San Antonio to Austin was more crowded than the EPCOT security line.

Is that even possible? And more importantly, was it the same 4 billion degrees out while experiencing them?

We played the obligatory half-hearted “you don’t have to do that” game

Hey! I know that game!

As it turned out, he had borrowed a book from Sarah a couple of days earlier and had been furiously reading it in the car for hours. We think that had messed up his head enough to make him sick.

I've read some pretty bad books, but I usually stop before I get that ill.

Once they opened the doors, it moved smoothly. I’d say it still took us almost 30 minutes to get to the front to make an order.

:faint:


:lmao:

As a side note, if you ever want to read a great "what if?" story, try Stephen King's novel, 11/22/63. It's not his usual horror story. More of a sci-fi/thriller/time-travel/love story. It's over 800 pages, and I never wanted it to end. Just a great read, and one of my favorite books.

That sounds super interesting! Might pick that one up!

See that big hole in the deep south of the U.S.?

No. I see a very big on in the upper lefthand corner. ;)



Awww, I can only imagine what you guys are saying about all of us.

joked about every single one of you behind your backs,

SEE!?! Called it. (What did you say about me?)

nd then I pushed him to give me all the answers to his quizzes ahead of time so I could finally win one

In your dreams.
 
Great that you guys got to meet up, and talk about us all behind our backs.

But I don't get it, did @pkondz stay over in DC for a few nights in DC and you drove down to meet him? Normally when one has a layover they don't have hours to spend parked on the beltway! :lmao:
 
So I had a DIS-meet last month.

So weird! So did I!

the estma- estimi- estimeb- famous @pkondz ,

Infamous is the word you're looking for.

proud member of the DISBoard Hall Of Fame.

typo.
That's Hall of Flame.

You're welcome.


(And... hardly! Lots more estimable folk in there.)

he’d have to brave the D.C. Beltway during rush hour (sort of like the trials Indiana Jones has to pass only without the payoff at the end),

pfffttt... Indy had it easy.

he was willing to meet me halfway in Annapolis, Maryland.

Least I could do!

Two of my sons opted to stay home as well

Ah. So they inherited Julie's smarts. Thank goodness for them!

so I traveled down to Annapolis after work with Scotty,

I didn't know you worked with Scotty. I presume he's your boss.
(If it's IT... he definitely is.)

texted me his updates (hopefully not while moving):

Nope.

But don't worry. There was a lot of "stationary" in my route.

“19 miles away…Google Maps says it will take 3 hours.”

(45 minutes later)

“18.7 miles away…wait, now there’s an accident.”

I kept our conversation, actually. This was never said.
But.... it's eerily accurate.

Eventually I told him to turn back, because there was no way Scotty and I were worth all that trouble,

Nope. You were definitely worth the trouble.
And it really wasn't. Just driving.

including their homemade pop tarts of varying flavors.

Ah. My one regret from the meal.
You asked if I would take a taste, so I did.
I thought "Meh". And then you tell Scotty. "Have some from the middle. Where the good part is."

Well, that would explain it.

Need a do-over.

We all had chicken & waffles since pkondz had never tried it before, and he seemed to enjoy it.

::yes::

Somehow, the world did not come to an end despite these three idiots being present in the same place at the same time.

Evidence of a higher power.



Wives. probably.

We had a relaxed, easygoing conversation,

correct! :)

joked about every single one of you behind your backs

Also correct.

and then I pushed him to give me all the answers to his quizzes ahead of time so I could finally win one.

And... correct too. I don't know what you're going to do with all that misinformation.

And I fought him for a good 20 minutes over who was going to pick up the check.

Time flies! It felt a lot shorter!

Mark (reluctantly): "I guess... if I have to.... I could maybe... since you're the guest.... pay... for me and Scotty."
Me: "Oh, no. I'll p..."
Mark: "OKAY!!!!!!!"

Pkondz, I really appreciate you being willing to fight all of that traffic to come meet us

It was my pleasure! Really! Glad we finally got to meet. :)

Next one’s on me.

We'll see. ;)

Keep your eyes peeled for a brand-spanking new TR coming soon!

Looking forward to it!
 
You can actually hit the ball?!

Impressive.

I'm not sure I'd even be able to get that far.

I can! It took years of practice. Haven't mastered the art of making it go where I want it to go, though.

Nice aim, Drew!!!

He became a crack shot fairly quickly.

Is that even possible? And more importantly, was it the same 4 billion degrees out while experiencing them?

Actually, yes! Texas heat is not much more forgiving than Florida heat.

Hey! I know that game!

I'll fight over the bill, but I won't fight forever!

I've read some pretty bad books, but I usually stop before I get that ill.

:rotfl2:

I rarely ever quit on a book or movie. If I do, it has to be really, really bad. I guess I'm an eternal optimist.

That sounds super interesting! Might pick that one up!

Loved that story! Keep in mind that it is still Stephen King, however, so the content is very R-rated.

No. I see a very big on in the upper lefthand corner. ;)

I'm working on it! I promise!

Awww, I can only imagine what you guys are saying about all of us.

Us? Never!

SEE!?! Called it. (What did you say about me?)

Oh, right. Um...we said you were very dapper?

In your dreams.

Sadly...yes.

Great that you guys got to meet up, and talk about us all behind our backs.

That's what we do!

But I don't get it, did @pkondz stay over in DC for a few nights in DC and you drove down to meet him? Normally when one has a layover they don't have hours to spend parked on the beltway! :lmao:

At risk of spoiling his eventual future TR, he arrived at Dulles early in the afternoon and his flight out wasn't until early the next morning. Out of all the things he could have done in the D.C. area, he met up with me. I still don't know what he was thinking.
 
So weird! So did I!

Wow! What a coincidence!

Infamous is the word you're looking for.

Hey, you said it.

typo.
That's Hall of Flame.

You're welcome.


(And... hardly! Lots more estimable folk in there.)

We probably all have different nominees.

pfffttt... Indy had it easy.

Compared to D.C.? I'd say so. He only had to deal with one trap at a time.

Least I could do!

You had the hardest part!

Ah. So they inherited Julie's smarts. Thank goodness for them!

Indeed! I say that every day.

I didn't know you worked with Scotty. I presume he's your boss.
(If it's IT... he definitely is.)

He would have been an improvement over some of them over the years.

Nope.

But don't worry. There was a lot of "stationary" in my route.

Story checks out.

I kept our conversation, actually. This was never said.
But.... it's eerily accurate.

I may not have quoted verbatim, but I went for the general flavor of it.

Nope. You were definitely worth the trouble.
And it really wasn't. Just driving.

Very kind of you to say that. It was more than just driving. It was a lot of stopping, too. And starting, and stopping. And gesturing out the window.

Ah. My one regret from the meal.
You asked if I would take a taste, so I did.
I thought "Meh". And then you tell Scotty. "Have some from the middle. Where the good part is."

Well, that would explain it.

Need a do-over.

Yeah, I think you may have gotten all crust. Sorry about that.

Evidence of a higher power.



Wives. probably.

::yes::


Whew.

Also correct.

I'm on a roll!

And... correct too. I don't know what you're going to do with all that misinformation.

I'm still trying to figure out how you got across the border.

Time flies! It felt a lot shorter!

Mark (reluctantly): "I guess... if I have to.... I could maybe... since you're the guest.... pay... for me and Scotty."
Me: "Oh, no. I'll p..."
Mark: "OKAY!!!!!!!"

Einstein did prove that time is relative.

It was my pleasure! Really! Glad we finally got to meet. :)

Me too! So glad it worked out. Hope we can pull it off again sometime.

We'll see. ;)

Well, it's a matter of public record now.

Looking forward to it!

Me too!

Oh...I guess I should start writing it.

Shall I tell you the answer?
Or would you rather wait for the TR... that should be... oh... in about a year.

:faint: I went ahead and spilled the beans.
 
At risk of spoiling his eventual future TR, he arrived at Dulles early in the afternoon and his flight out wasn't until early the next morning. Out of all the things he could have done in the D.C. area, he met up with me. I still don't know what he was thinking.
Smarts ain't my strong suit.
 
Hey, you said it.

I did! Right here:
Infamous is the word you're looking for.

We probably all have different nominees.

::yes::

Compared to D.C.? I'd say so. He only had to deal with one trap at a time.

See!!!

He would have been an improvement over some of them over the years.

Funny.
When you're old enough to legally work, you're already too old to really know what's going on with computers.

I may not have quoted verbatim, but I went for the general flavor of it.

Very close, actually.

Very kind of you to say that. It was more than just driving. It was a lot of stopping, too. And starting, and stopping. And gesturing out the window.

Nah. No gesturing. I just went with the flow..... when it actually flowed.

Yeah, I think you may have gotten all crust. Sorry about that.

Yep. Nuttin' but crust.
I should've just grabbed that bad boy and scarfed it down and handed you back an empty (urp) plate.

I'm still trying to figure out how you got across the border.

I know a guy.

Einstein did prove that time is relative.

Which is why when your relatives come over, time stands still.

Me too! So glad it worked out. Hope we can pull it off again sometime.

::yes::

:faint: I went ahead and spilled the beans.

No worries! :)
 
Smarts ain't my strong suit.

Agreed.


Er, I mean...Don't be so hard on yourself.

Funny.
When you're old enough to legally work, you're already too old to really know what's going on with computers.

So true! Since I moved into management, I've lost touch with all of the different programs I used to use.

Nah. No gesturing. I just went with the flow..... when it actually flowed.

I'm just glad you made it!

Yep. Nuttin' but crust.
I should've just grabbed that bad boy and scarfed it down and handed you back an empty (urp) plate.

That would have been pretty funny. Irritating, but funny.

Which is why when your relatives come over, time stands still.

:rotfl2: I'm totally stealing that one.
 

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