Our Griswold-style Family Vacation

Here is our vacation tale; including all the interesting and mundane bits that I can recall.  It's my blog, I can be tl;dr if I want to.  There are a lot of pictures.  I made them appear small, but you can click to enlarge.

On June 1, we won four Wisconsin Dells Season Opener Cards from 95.5 WIFC.  These cards give free or $3 admission to attractions, discounts on hotel rooms and 10% off in stores and restaurants.  They have to be used by July 1.  Our calendar was pretty full for the month, but we were able to find time in the last week.  Our original plan was to go Thursday the 28th through Saturday the 30th.

Passports to Doom

Several days after I had made reservations, Mark was asked if he wanted to film behind-the-scenes of an independent horror movie being shot about 40 miles from the Dells.  This was to happen on Wednesday evening, so we added an extra day to our trip.  Filming was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.

Three days before our trip, I noticed Mark was rubbing at his bicep.  There was a flat red rash covering it, and he had a bandage over a place he had been picking at.  When he removed the bandage to show me, I saw that it was a bullseye rash, just like when Eric had Lyme Disease had two years ago.  There was also a second infection because he had been picking at it.  The rash had appeared a few days before and was starting to fade.  Like a guy, he was just trying to ignore the whole thing.  I diagnosed him with the power invested in me by Doctor Google, and made him go to Urgent Care on a busy Sunday.  Two hours later he had a 40-day prescription for doxycycline, with a warning that it could cause photosensitivity and to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight.  Just the thing one wants to hear before hitting the waterpark.

Please enjoy these deer tick images.
The picture of Mark's rash and infected
wound is too disgusting to share.

Checking the weather forecast the day before our departure, I saw that there was a Severe Heat Advisory for Thursday, with an index up to 105° and the advice to stay indoors.  Fantastic.  In addition, I faced a problem that women have to deal with on a regular basis.  If you don't know what I mean, too bad.

On Wednesday afternoon, we left home a little earlier than planned.  We were making excellent time for the first two-thirds of the trip.  As we were passing the villiage of Endeavor, a strange high pitched noise started from the rear passenger side of the car.  We pulled off to a little gas station (BP?) near the freeway and discovered a flat tire.  As Mark unloaded the trunk to get at the spare tire, I went inside the store and interrupted the conversation of the regulars to tell them what had happened.  The man working pulled out his phone and called someone to come help.  Mark could have done it, but our jack was a puny little thing and it didn't seem like a good idea when there were other options. Dale McDaniels of McDaniel's Auto Repair had a big sturdy jack.  He had the flat tire off and the spare on in a matter of minutes.  There was no apparent reason for the flat; the tire had just died.  Dale said it was in rough shape and not worth repairing.

If you're near Endeavor and find yourself in need of a mechanic, call Dale at 608-697-8944.

From there, we made our way slowly down County Road CX into Portage, where there was a Wal-Mart with a tire center just off the exit.  That is where we met Betsy.  She is hilarious and made our emergency stop fun.  I can't relate our conversations, as they got pretty personal.  Mark was calling her Buttercup by the time we left.  Since we had been intending to get new tires in the fall anyway, we had all four replaced.  So much for a cheap trip!

Mark was shown up by a man with bigger tools.

The remaining miles to the Dells were uneventful.  We arrived at the Carousel Inn a little after 4:30pm, which was only slightly later than we had intended.

When we've been to the Dells in the past, it is usually a day trip or we stay in a nice resort hotel on the off-season.  This time, we decided to pick a motel from the $49/night section of the discount card - The Carousel Inn & Suites.  One deciding factor in this choice was the location.  It was in walking distance of a few places that we wanted to visit.

It isn't an inn and the suites are not sweet, despite the candy theme of the building decor.  The website calls itself a resort.  No, it really isn't.  I was going to take a bunch of close-up pictures before we left, but I was unable to do so.

I'll sum up it up for you:

• The front desk is in a gift shop, not a lobby.  The online pics show a lobby, but it is all gift shop now.  The other half of the building is a Pizza Ranch, which had a steady stream of people coming in for the buffet.
• The guest rooms are in three buildings.  The front-most building is what you can see from the street.  It matches the themed decor.  The buildings at the back are more utilitarian.  One online review calls them 'warehouses'.
• The ice machine for the back buildings was outside, by a pool, which was locked up at 10pm.
• Our room key was a traditional metal key and it was enormous.  3" long and 1.5" square at the top.
• There was a perpetual wetness in the hallway and room.  The air conditioning worked to make it cool, but did nothing to take the humidity from the air.  The choices were hot & humid or cold & damp.
• The window faced streetlights and the curtain was not the black-out type.
• The sound of the a/c provided some white noise that helped drown out the hallway noises.  The doors did little to block out sounds.
• We had a mini fridge.  I thought there was supposed to be a microwave, but found out they are only in some of the rooms.
• There was not a coffee maker in the room.  This is pretty minor, but if you know me you will also know why it matters.  As a friend put it, "That isn't fair to your family."
• In theory, they had wifi internet.  The signal was weak and frequently dropped.  Even getting the weather to load took ages.  Also, it seemed to only work during business hours.  We think that it was shut off when the office closed.
• There was a general-purpose soap dispenser in the shower.  We did not use it, I had brought my own shampoo and body wash.  I did get a picture of it though!
• There was a tabletop sign in the room warning us against stealing towels and bedding, and the charges for stealing each item, such as $10 per washcloth and $125 or so for the bed cover. I've never stayed in a place that felt the need to tell people that stealing is wrong.  I pulled a blurry still shot off a video.
• The lights are wired directly into the walls.  There were only two outlets in the room.  One by the bathroom and one behind the tv.  I guess people steal lamps too?

*** Despite all of this, I need to tell you that the room was immaculate.  Housekeeping is fantastic and there was not so much as speck of dust in the place.  I wish I could take one of the housekeepers home with me.  The room was cleaner than my house. ***

After checking in and unpacking, we walked down the road to Sprecher's Restaurant & Pub, where we had a fantastic meal and great service.  The salmon was perfection!  10% off with our savings card.

We returned to our room for a bit, then walked down to the 8:30pm Tommy Bartlett Show.  Our passes were for free admission to the bleacher seats that were off to the side in the back, but we upgraded for $3 each and got to sit in the reserved seating near center stage.  We all liked the show, but I think Mark enjoyed it most of all.  We didn't know at the time that there was another family at the same show that we would meet the following night.

"Chuckles" was on the trail down to the seating area.

 We got back to our room around 11pm and settled into bed soon after.  It was really difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep, given the climate, light and noise issues.  I gave up around 7:30am and got up to read.  Mark and the boys woke up close to 9:00am.

As I mentioned already, there was no coffee to be had so the entire state was in peril until I got some caffeine in me.  Around 10am, we went to Mr. Pancake, where - in addition to the coffee - we had the most amazing pancakes and waffles that I've ever tasted.  Also 10% off. The portions are huge, so the kids split an order.  They do charge $2.50 when you do that, but it is still a lot cheaper than buying two and throwing one away.

After breakfast, we spent a fair amount of time in the Carousel's pools after slathering on the SPF 90.  The outdoor water pools are just fine.  We enjoyed playing in them.  At the time we were playing, the biggest waterslide was closed due to a 'tummy ache' but it opened up later on. Close up, the painted features are faded and chipped.  The indoor pool was missing it's features.  The frog slide was still there, but the floating candy and such had been removed.  Aside from the occasional dead bug which is typical anywhere, the pools and surrounding areas were very clean.

We had brought picnic food with us in a cooler and ate lunch in the room around 2:00pm while the kids watched Cartoon Network.  We don't have that channel at home, so it is a big deal for them.  The Carousel advertizes satellite tv, but fails to mention that there are only 9 channels.  It didn't matter to us, since Cartoon Network is the only channel that anyone cared about.

We went to Noah's Ark in the afternoon.  I hadn't been there since I worked there in 1996.  The old free pass deal was only good for certain rides, but the new owners made them good for the whole park after 3:00pm on weekdays.  We walked in and got our tickets at 3:02.  Our kids are not into big water slides, so we spent our time in the wave pools, kid areas and the Adventure River.  Ethan was game for trying the Congo Bongo family raft slide.  He loved it and went twice.  Mark tried the ziplines in the Paradise Lagoon.  He is so tall that his rear hit the water before he let go!  Eric's favorite thing was the Big Kahuna wave pool.  The kids were also thrilled that we let them get big souvenir cups and fill them with Icee drinks.  Thanks to the SPF 90, none of us were even the slightest bit pink after all the hours in the sun.

Jungle Golf was closed, and the Jungle Rapids slides were blocked off with construction fence.  I wonder if they are going to build something new in those areas.  The Endless River was not running.

For dinner, we went to Denny's.  I had been hungry, but I lost my appetite for no reason and ended up getting a box for my grilled chicken salad.

Back at the Carousel, it was time for more Cartoon Network while Mark and I tried to make the internet go.  We gave up after awhile and read the books we had brought with us.  I got hungry, but opted for cereal instead of my salad.

When we went to bed that night, we all had a much easier time falling asleep.  After our active day we were all exhausted.  Around 2:00am, I awoke to beeping and shouting.  I put on my glasses and looked out our door.  The hallways was filling with smoke.  The building was on fire.

Firemen at work.

 I flipped on the light and Mark and I woke the kids.  There is the question, "If the house was on fire, what would you grab on your way out?"  Well, now we know.

Eric woke up quickly and put on his shorts, shoes and glasses in seconds.  He grabbed his favorite stuffed kitty and was ready to go.  Ethan was too groggy to realize what was happening.  I put shorts on him and Mark grabbed his shoes.  He didn't put his glasses on or take his beloved baby doll.  I told Mark to take the kids and go to the car, which was parked just outside our window.  I was just seconds behind them, having grabbed my purse and put on shoes.  The boys were out quickly, but my trek out was slow going as there was an elderly woman with a walker that needed a little help.  By the time she and I were out, flames were coming out of the attic.

Mark and the boys were not at the car; they were in the parking lot outside the door.  Mark had not taken his wallet, keys or phone on the way out of the room.  He had grabbed a video camera.  It was far too late to go back to get the car keys.

The fire started in the dry bushes just outside the window of the corner room.  There had been a family of six in there. We met them in the parking lot of the House of Embers (ha!) across the street.  They said that they had woken up to smoke, and then the window shattered.  The father was the one to break the emergency glass and get a fire extinguisher.  It was too late to put out the fire, but triggering the alarm before the fire spread any further probably saved everyone.  At least one person had to leave by a window, but there were no injuries.

We talked to other people from the building, and it was amazing how few people brought their keys with them when they ran out.  Many people didn't have shoes and one man was in his underpants.  He thought he had grabbed shorts on his way out, but it was his daughter's swimsuit skirt. A tow truck arrived on the scene and pulled a few vehicles away from the building. At least one truck was damaged by the heat though.

As we watched the fire spread, we wondered where the fire trucks were.  It felt like forever, but in reality it was only minutes before the first truck arrived.  All in all, six fire departments were on the scene.  The fire climbed up the outer wall and went right into the attic, where it started spreading across the building from the top.

Firemen entering through the roof.

The kids were cold and tired.  I gave Ethan my flannel shirt and he curled up to sleep on Eric's lap.  After awhile we moved them to a place behind the restaurant that was out of the wind and away from the smoke.  Unfortunately, it was near a dumpster so the smell wasn't great. A little while later, the Red Cross came with bottles of water, cookies and bananas, and quilts that are made by volunteers for disaster victims.  Eric and Ethan cuddled up with each other and Ethan went back to sleep on the cement.

Eric was an amazing big brother, letting Ethan hold his kitty, keeping him comforted and feeling safe.  I could tell that Eric was scared, but he held it together well.  The kids from the family we met also huddled around, and all the kids looked out for each other while the adults waited for information and to see if we'd be able to retrieve anything from our rooms.  I was hoping that the fire would not spread through the lower building, as our vehicle and others were still parked right next to it.  The most important things in the room - us - were already out and safe.  What I wanted now was our car and the key to it so we could get the hell out of there.

Fortunately, the firemen were able to get the fire out after ripping out part of a wall and hosing it down from the inside.  One by one, room numbers were called so that firemen could escort people to their rooms to see what was salvageable.  Since our room was closer to the other end of the building, we had smoke damage but nothing burned or got wet.  Mark and I left our kids in the care of the other family, and went in together.  We were able to retrieve everything, but we left the pillows we had brought with behind.  There would have been no saving those anyway.  Mark made the fireman laugh when he asked me if I wanted to take my salad.

There was a sign on the tv stating that smoking was strictly prohibited and any room found to have smoke in it would incur a $200 fine.  I hope not!

We loaded up the car, unaware that there was a news crew filming.  You can see us halfway into the first video clip as we load the car on the NBC15 site.  I made a couple screen captures.

The property manager, Tom Stankiewicz, was a superstar.  During the fire, he not only offered to drive people to the Wintergreen Resort two miles down the road, he gave his own shoes to an older man that was barefoot so that the man could go into his room to retrieve items.  The next day, everyone in the building was given a full refund.  We saw Tom around 11am when we had our refund processed and I'm pretty sure he had not been to bed at all.

We got to the Wintergreen around 4:30am.  I can't believe that the two places are sister-sites.  From the little time we spent there, it seems that the Wintergreen has nicer everything.  I would have liked to stay there for the remainder of our intended vacation, but they were already booked up for the weekend.  The people displaced from the fire were basically there to sleep for a bit, but we had to leave by noon.  After we got the kids calmed down and in bed, Mark brought some of our things in.  There was a balcony to our room, so I put much of it outside to air out.  We went to bed at 5:00am and slept until 9:00.  The kids ate cereal and watched...you guessed it...Cartoon Network.  The Wintergreen has many channels, btw.

I took a few pictures in the morning, to compare to the Carousel.  Fancy towel folding, a pod coffee maker, a proper lobby, nice soaps.  You couldn't hear much from outside the room.  There was also a microwave and balcony view of one of the pools.  They use key cards.

After repacking our things, we loaded up the car and checked out.  We had to go back to the Carousel to get a refund.  Poor manager Tom looked so tired.  While we were there, I got some photos of the building in the daylight.

Being a Friday the weekend before Independence Day, I knew trying to get a room for the night would likely be futile.  We decided to make the best of the day and then head home.

We went on The Original Wisconsin Ducks tour, which was on our discount card for $3.  It was so much fun, we all enjoyed it.  It was a good choice on a hot day too, as the movement kept a steady breeze going.  On the way in line, they stop you to take your picture so they can sell you a package after the tour.  We liked the picture, so we bought it.

Tourists?  Yes, we are!

After this, we went to a très fancy lunch at McDonald's.  It seemed like the best food ever.

Ethan had spotted the Wisconsin Deer Park and really, really, really wanted to go there, despite the heat being oppressive.  Eric was a good sport about it.  They had a good time feeding the deer unseasoned RyKrisp crackers and corn/pellet feed.  One young deer in particular followed us around for awhile.  It is a pretty neat place, but it would be so much better to visit in the spring or fall when the weather is cooler.

This little guy followed us around.

There were also other animals to see.

Next, we went to Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory.  It was another $3 pass from our cards.  No, the robots have not changed a bit since they were put there forever ago.  The kids loved every minute of it, from the robots to the hands-on activities.

Ethan took this photo of Mark.

By the time we left the Exploratory, we were all starting to drag.  It was after 4pm.  The kids said wanted to do more things but they had both reached short-temper stage and I was starting to get a headache.  It was time to head home.  The traffic was atrocious until we got out of the Dells/Delton area, but we got home without incident.

The kids went to bed by 9:00pm and slept until 10:00am.  Mark and I went to bed a little later, and I didn't wake up until almost 11:00am!

I unpacked and started doing laundry and cleanup.  I threw away a few things that didn't matter.  I've been doing laundry with vinegar to get the smell out.  Almost everything has come clean.  My swimsuit had been washed twice, but the foam lining in the top was holding in the smoke smell.  Friends suggested vodka, so I soaked it for a few hours and laundered it again.  The smell is entirely gone!

The family we met is from our general area, a little north of us.  The wife gave me her email, so I'm going to contact her in a few days.  I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of their story from after that night.  If I remember correctly, they were supposed to stay in the Dells through Sunday.  I wonder if they found a place to stay.

I came home with an unusual souvenir - one of the keys to our Carousel room!  Mark left his by the phone in in the room when we were in there packing up, but mine was in my purse.  We usually like to get an ornament for our Christmas tree when we take a trip.  Mark suggested we put a hook on it.  I agree!  It will remind us of our National Lampoon's Wisconsin Dells Vacation!