Day 5: Wisconsin Dells, WI to Sioux Falls, SD

We repacked our car - hopefully for the last time before we get to Denver - before setting out on our big drive. Arielle set up a very efficient clothesline in the backseat to dry the bathing suits and water shoes that were still wet as we drove. We drove three hours straight to Albert Lea, Minnesota (state #33 for Arielle), where we filled up gas and tried two vegetarian soups - broccoli cheddar and tomato basil Parmesan - at local chain Erbert’s and Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop.

We looked at our directions and decided to do something crazy - reroute slightly to make it to both Iowa and Nebraska (states #34 and #35 for Arielle) on our way to South Dakota (state #44 for Abe and #36 for Arielle).

We went south into Iowa to visit Sioux City, passing by the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor, a must-visit for our next trip here, to go to the Jolly Time Koated Kernels Store, which is half popcorn museum and half very functional shop with many, many popcorn flavors to sample. While a slow-moving freight train threatened to make us miss the store experience, we were delighted to find that Robbie Rohlena, the great-granddaughter of Jolly Time founder Cloid H. Smith, was more than happy to stay past the 5:30pm closing time to tell us all about the history of the family business, including a tour of the kitchen with unbelievable quantities of popcorn made daily. We tried many flavors, and ended up purchasing small bags of the Root Beer Float (for Abe), the Salted Caramel (for Arielle), and the Cinnamon Roll (to share). This is absolutely one of those very worthwhile roadside stops on any cross-country tour.

We drove less than fifteen minutes over a bridge to South Sioux City, Nebraska to visit Freedom Park, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, DC that includes the names of 99 soldiers from Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. A quote entering the park read “All gave some, some gave all.”

Our directions took us straight over the bridge back into Iowa, where we drove the hour and twenty minutes or so to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We were shocked to see the speed limit rise to 80 mph, which meant a quick trip the rest of the way. We went for dinner to Roll’n Pin Cafe and Grille, where Arielle had fried haddock with steamed broccoli and a garden salad to start, and Abe finally tried the regional walleye fish with Cajun seasoning and baby red potatoes and green beans. It was a great meal! We checked in to the massive and beautiful Sheraton Sioux Falls and Convention Center, the first official USY on Wheels hotel that we stayed in on this trip. We took a quick drive to Parlour Ice Cream House, a fancy place that smartly shows pictures of each of its flavors on a screen. Arielle got the Teddy, which is caramel ice cream with chocolate fudge and chocolate pecans, and Abe opted for the simpler Frozen Chocolate Mousse, which is dark chocolate gelato.

We returned to our hotel wishing we were staying longer because of how big and nice it was, but alas, further adventures in South Dakota and beyond await.

Approximate number of miles covered: 513

Day 4: Wisconsin Dells, WI

Though we had access to Noah’s Ark again, we opted to try a few other things in the Dells. The drizzly skies agreed with us, and so we set out for Mr. Pancake, one of the top-rated breakfast establishments in town that is located literally across the street from the entrance to Noah’s Ark. It was crowded, but we were seated within minutes. We ordered our standard combination of hot chocolate (whipped cream on the side) and chocolate milk to share. To eat, we chose the Iowa corn pancakes and the banana pancakes. The former proved to be less than sweet, but was made tasty by the addition of honey, and the banana pancakes were pretty standard. The hash browns we got on the side were great, and the best part was that horrific add-ons such as peppers could be ordered separately (clearly, we did not get them). While the food was not incredibly memorable, the experience was great, and the line was considerably longer by the time we left.

We spent a bit too long at the nearby outlets and then went to lunch at MACS, which stands for Macaroni and Cheese Shop, a Wisconsin chain with six locations. We split two of the three vegetarian MAC options on the menu, and two regular size dishes proved to be the perfect amount. The Original MAC had cheddar and mozzarella, and the Veggie MAC featured Muenster, mozzarella, sautéed onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, and spinach. Both were spectacular, and we learned a lot about cheese in the process by reading the facts that decorated the wall.

We then drove to the nearby town of Baraboo, where our visit was dampened by Arielle being pulled over and given her first-ever speeding ticket...for going 40 in a 25. Luckily, the misery was short-lived thanks to our arrival mere minutes later at Circus World Museum. Arielle’s family is obsessed with the circus, and so the chance to visit the birthplace of the Ringling Brothers and where our favorite circus began couldn’t be missed. The circus performance was small but impressive, featuring a 25-foot unicycle, a dancing elephant, a mesmerizing costume change show, and a trapeze artist who at one poking hung by her face. We explored the museum to learn more about the history of the circus and its founders.

We drove to the Wisconsin Dells Riverwalk, which provided beautiful views of the river, a history lesson about the area, and a chance to see more of the city, which included countless outdoor and indoor waterparks, adventure experiences, and a frightening-looking training center for the zombie apocalypse. Along the walk, Arielle saw a ladybug and found a penny, comforting and familiar signs that remind her of her late grandparents wherever she goes. We went to Sprecher’s, a local pub recommended to us and renowned for their homemade beer and sodas. Though Arielle was intrigued by the Pretzel-Crusted Walleye, upon learning it was very fishy, she opted for a Beyond Burger patty in a pretzel bun with sautéed mushrooms, crispy onions, and provolone cheese. Abe tried the sirloin, the less expensive of the two steaks on the menu, which the waiter recommended. Both were great, and accompanied by very good sweet potato waffle fries and tasty beer bread. Our night was capped off by the trip to Culver’s, which we had planned to try the night before. We created our own custom concretes - Arielle mistakenly combined vanilla custard with peanut butter and Andes mints, while Abe was happier with his mix of chocolate custard, bananas, and brownie pieces. This fast food chain wouldn’t be our first choice for dessert again. Next up - our first big drive in a few days!

Approximate number of miles covered: 35

Day 3: Wisconsin Dells, WI

We woke up around 8am to prepare for our first day not involving out-of-city travel. After a quick stop at Walmart for some breakfast items and a waterproof camera (that we’ll probably return because it didn’t work well), we drove about 5 mins down the road to Noah’s Ark Waterpark. Wristbands for each day of our stay at our hotel were included for free, so all we had to pay for was the $15 for parking. Arielle was hopeful that Abe would try a number of rides despite his lack of affinity for such things, and he didn’t disappoint! We went together on the Congo Bongo, the Bermuda Trinagle, Flying Gecko (which was almost all dark and covered) and Kowabunga, where Abe legitimately thought he was going to bounce out of the giant tube on the way down the sloped slide. We stood in line for what was mostly a kids’ short zip line into the pool and laughed as one child dropped immediately after stepping off the ledge, but then Arielle did the exact same thing, and Abe lasted about a second and a half longer. That proved to be the most scarring experience of the day, with our hands and arms feeling sore for hours afterwards despite mere seconds of participation in this child-friendly activity. We threaded through the Wave pool and even rode down one of the Monkey Rapids into the Adventure River, which was mostly a lazy river until buckets of water poured onto us. Arielle did one ride on her own - the Raja - a brand new ride billed as the World’s Largest King Cobra - and was quite terrified to be spit out into the cobra’s mouth backwards. Abe captured a great photo below.

Arielle was thrilled to find a kosher Hebrew National hot dog (and pareve bun) for purchase in the park (for less than at a Mets game) and Abe enjoyed food from Johnny Rockets. We capped off our culinary experience a few hours later with the LoL (lots of layers) size of dependable park dessert Dippin’ Dots, which, despite not having caught on as the ice cream of the future, are delicious. Being at Noah’s Ark was made especially seamless by Arielle’s use of a waterproof fanny pack that has three separate zippers and kept all of our belongings dry, as well as an inflatable water bottle. The weather got a little colder so we left around 5pm and went back to our hotel, where we enjoyed the pool-size hot tub adjacent to the “indoor waterpark” that thrilled a number of young children.

We had passed a restaurant on the drive back that looked appealing, and opted to check out HuHot Mongolian Grill, a chain with locations mostly in the Midwest. We were beyond impressed with the treatment of Arielle, deemed a VIP, with the V standing for vegetarian. When she handed her white bowl (not black or blue like those available at the buffet of raw items) to the grill warrior, he promptly cleaned the grill multiple extra times and then set up a barricade of plates and spatulas to make sure that her food was kept separate. Arielle has never felt more confident that her food in a restaurant was truly vegetarian. This chain is highly recommended, both for its accommodation of dietary needs and its deliciousness. We returned to our hotel room, where our hopes of driving a few blocks down the road for custard were dashed by frighteningly wondrous lightning storms visible from our window and pictured below.

Approximate number of miles covered: 10

Day 2: Cleveland, OH to Wisconsin Dells, WI

We woke up around 8:30am to catch the end of a pretty decent if unextraordinary breakfast at the La Quinta. We packed up the car - not the easiest feat - and set out for Indiana, with our new car mezuzah put up (thanks, Teri and Aaron)! This was a new state for both of us, #42 for Abe and #31 for Arielle. We arrived in Fremont, Indiana to visit Abe’s cousins Kenny, Amy, and Xavier at their lake house. They took us out on their boat on Snow Lake, which was beautiful, and we docked at a restaurant called The Waterfront Bistro. Arielle enjoyed a delicious Caesar salad (one of the best she’s had - the dressing was not fishy at all) and fish and chips. Abe’s king salmon fillet with grilled asparagus was excellent. The family time was very nice, and both Abe and Arielle even got to drive the boat. It was drizzling a bit but the ride was comfortable and peaceful despite Arielle’s anxiety about the speed of the boat.

We said goodbye to our cousins and hit the road for our next state, one both of us had been to before, lllinois. Though Abe’s parents were flying out of O’Hare Airport just a few miles away, we made sure to avoid Chicago as much as possible to miss traffic, stopping only for gas and for $1.50 scoops of Baskin Robbins on the 31st of the month in Oak Park. We crossed into Wisconsin, state #43 for Abe and #32 for Arielle, while it was still light out, arriving at Mars Cheese Castle around 8pm. We decided to share two legendary grilled cheese sandwiches, an original with cheddar and mozzarella on marble rye and a far crazier one, the Sweet Salut, with port salut cheese (described as a hybrid of Muenster and Brie), sliced apples, and honey on multigrain. Both were quite appetizing and beyond filling. This place is highly recommended for anyone driving through Wisconsin, provided you don’t have a dairy allergy. We left the cheese to drive the remaining two hours to the Wisconsin Dells, where we were promptly greeted by overwhelming sights of outdoor waterparks from the highway. We pulled into our hotel, the Grand Marquis Waterpark Hotel and Suites, around 10:30pm. Next up: our adventures at the largest waterpark in America.

Approximate number of miles covered: 524