USA Trip – July 17-August 7, 2010

My last trip to the U.S. was in 2008 and the Snook’s was in 2007, so it was definitely time for another visit. Our plan was to fly to San Francisco and spend a few days with the Carbos before heading on to Indiana. We finished up with a couple days to ourselves in Wisconsin (including THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK!) and then two very quick stops in Chicago and L.A. on the way home. Now, the photos!

Amy and Indie

My sister picked us up in San Francisco and took us to their house in Petaluma. That night we all went to the Lagunitas Brewpub for dinner. It was great! Here’s Amy and Indie in the beer garden, which was full of families enjoying the warm night.

Me and Indie

Me and Indie. The last time I saw her she was a tiny baby! Now she’s a an actual little person.

Snookums

Snookums enjoyed the Lagunitas beer. They served it in these really cool glasses that looked like Mason jars. (We actually bought a couple of them and brought them back to Sydney with us.)

Snookums and Buster

Back at the Carbo house, Snookums reunited with his buddy Buster.

Me and a roasted marshmallow

The Carbos have a firepit in the backyard, so we got a little bonfire going and introduced the kids to S’mores. (Snookums had never had one either!) Here’s me enjoying (a little too much) my first roasted marshmallow in years.

Settlers of Catan

Once the kids were in bed, Amy and Dan introduced us to their favorite game: Settlers of Catan. To no one’s great surprise, Snookums turned out to be a prodigy and won his first three games.

On my run

The next morning, I used RunKeeper routes to plan a run through Petaluma. There are some nice trails and I ended up running alongside the small airport. That’s where I stopped to take this picture. It was sunny but not too hot.

Dan and the kids

We took the kids to their favorite playground…

Me and Rodd

Do we look jet lagged? 🙂

Snookums and Indie

Back at the house, Snookums and Indie watch TV together.

Penn, me, and Indie

The next day, we took the kids to Children’s Fairyland in Oakland. Here’s me, Penn, and Indie sitting on some flower chairs.

Penn and me

Penn and I rode a little train called the “Jolly Trolley”!

Me and Rodd

While the kids played, the Snook and I enjoyed the warm weather and the novelty of being on vacation.

Sleepy kids

It was an exciting day, so all three “kids” conked out in the back seat pretty quickly on the way home.

On Bolinas beach

Another day, Amy took us and the kids took their favorite beach: Bolinas Beach. It had been a warm and sunny day in Petaluma, but once we got down to sea level it got cool and foggy.

Penn and Rodd

Penn and Rodd get to work digging in the sand.

Rodd

As you might imagine, the Australian was rather grumpy about this “beach” experience. Too cold!

Rodd and Indie

Indie and Uncle Rodd.

Amy

My sister rests on the beach… UNDER A BLANKET. I told you; it was a weird day. We did see a sea lion off in the waves though.

Me and Rodd

On our last night in Petaluma, we went to see Dan’s softball match. His team won!

Me and the kids

Before we left, we took the kids to the library in Petaluma and then out to lunch. Finally it was time to say goodbye, and yeah, some tears were shed. It was so great to get to see them…

On the bus

We caught the Airport Express to SFO, and it was actually really nice! They even have free Wi-Fi on the bus. Highly recommended.

Anchor Steam

We had some time to kill before our flight, so we hit the Anchor Steam pub for a pint before flying to Chicago.

Breakfast in America

Finally we were back in the Midwest! We got in late so we spent the night at an airport near O’Hare. The next morning we went next door for breakfast and were once again staggered by American portion sizes. (This would be two full breakfasts in Australia.) It sure was tasty though – and SO CHEAP.

Me and my Mom

We picked up our rental car and drove to my Mom’s house in Indiana. Here she is!

Me and my brother Anthony

We went to get some lunch and visited my brother Anthony at work. He’s all grown-up!

Snookums in the pool

It was nice and hot in Goshen, so we wasted little time in jumping into the pool.

In the pool

Me, Joey, and Snookums were having a great time out there.

Me and Dad

We met up with a big group of family for dinner that night. Afterwards Rodd and I went with my Dad and Cindy over to The Chief for ice cream. Here’s me and my Dad. Dig that Hawaiian shirt, Pops.

Snookums and a tiny dog

We went to a family reunion at my Aunt Soonja’s house. Here’s the Snook with her tiny, tiny “teacup” chihuahua.

Me and Snookums

My aunt lives on a lake, and it was so nice to be by the water. I’ve missed that.

Me and Jaden

My cousins are all having babies! This is me and my first cousin once removed Jaden. What a cutie.

The water slide

Someone in the family brought this huge inflatable water slide for the little kids. It was crazy.

The water slide

Me and my Grandma Harter. Love her!

On the bus to the race

Then it was Race Day! The Snook and I had agreed to run the Elkhart County Fair 5K Road Race with my Mom. (You can hear audio from the day in Geek Girl Runner Episode 9.) Here we are getting bussed to the starting line.

Waiting to start

It was a hot day, and we had to wait while they cleared the traffic on the streets. (We were running on the actual parade route right before the parade.) Here we are trying to keep cool.

After the finish

And here we are at the finish! The last half mile was inside the grandstand. Volunteers were handing out icy cold rags to the runners as they crossed the line. The Snook and I both met our goals and finished within 35 minutes.

After the finish

The runners! Me, Rodd, my Mom, and my brother Joey (who ran in the children’s race). We all did such a great job.

A major prize win!

While we certainly didn’t place in the race, Snookums actually won the grand door prize for the day: tickets to see “Lonestar” (a country band) perform at the Fair that week. Needless to say, we gave them away. 🙂

At the Fair

After the race it was time to explore the Fair. Ahhhh, the smell of deep fried food on a stick.

Giant Corn Dog

I like corn dogs, but this is just about the least appetizing thing I’ve ever seen in my life!

Ice Cream

We finished up with some yummy ice cream. Here’s Rodd and Joey enjoying theirs.

Back in the pool

Back in the house and back in the pool! Snookums and Joey are chilling.

Isaiah

My brother brought over his boys Isaiah and Mason. Isaiah had a lot of fun on that slide!

Snookums in Lagrange

Another day, the Snook and I drove to LaGrange where I went to high school. Here he is in front of a mural near the courthouse.

Me and Grandma and Berbie

We visited my Grandma Veva and my Great-aunt Berb.

Red pants

We stayed for a few days at the Bakers (my aunt and uncle). While there, we made a pilgrimage to Old Navy at Mishawaka to shop. Here’s the Snook showing off his new red trousers. RED TROUSERS.

Breakfast in Lagrange

Breakfast in Lagrange. (One of the waitresses at the diner was in my graduating class. That was slightly awkward.)

Bazinga

Bazinga. Man, I love Indiana in the summertime.

Snookums and Tucker

One night we had dinner at my brother and his wife Kara’s house. Here’s Snookums with their beagle Tucker.

Me and Mason

Me and Mason. What a cutie!

Dad and Isaiah

Dad and Isaiah.

Snookums and Boner Lake

Our last stop in Indiana was my Dad and Cindy’s new house on Boner Lake. (Yes, really.) Here’s Rodd looking out over the lake.

Cindy and Snookums

Cindy shows Snookums the pier of the old abandoned church camp next door. It’s all very Scooby-Doo.

My view

My view from the back porch. You can smell the serenity, can’t you?

Giant Fosters

Snookums was amused to find giant cans of Fosters for sale in the local grocery store.

Fishing

Ant and Isaiah fish alongside Rodd.

Me and Rodd

Me? I don’t fish. I secretly think it’s pretty boring.

Happy birthday, Snookums!

Dad and Cindy threw a party for Snookums’s 34th birthday and got him the most over-the-top American cake they could find: a giant hamburger! (The “bun” was the cake; the rest was all frosting!) Isaiah helped him blow out the candles.

Sugar high!

All that icing led to quite a sugar high.

Cake is awesome!

Cake is awesome! Snookums decided to re-enact the T-shirt he was actually wearing.

Me and Snookums

We joined Dad and Cindy on a pub crawl in Syracuse. Here’s me and Snookums at our first stop, the Huntington Street Bar & Grill. Great food!

Dad and Cindy

Here’s Dad and Cindy.

On the boat

Anthony took us out on his boat on Lake Wawasee. Beautiful day for it!

Snookums on the boat

Snookums on the boat.

Dad and Isaiah on the boat

Dad and Isaiah on the boat.

Snookums and his bass!

Back at the house, Snookums caught a fish! He caught a delicious bass!

Us and the Madison Capitol Building

Finally it was time to say goodbye to Indiana and head north. After a long drive that led us straight through Chicago and out the other side, we ended up in Madison, Wisconsin. Here we are with the Capitol Building.

Snookums at the Old Fashioned

Max had highly recommended dinner at The Old Fashioned, so that’s where we went! Here’s the Snook enjoying a burger.

Me at the Old Fashioned

I went for the sausage. So good!

Snookums at the Great Dane

While we were in the city, we decided to check out the Great Dane Brew Pub as well. Only Snookums partook of the beer, but he enjoyed it.

The pool at the HOTR Inn

Our hotel was the House on the Rock Inn. Their pool area was CRAZY! We finished the night in the hot tub.

Me and Snookums at the HOTR

Finally it was time for the House on the Rock. We’d first heard about this attraction in Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods and we’d always wanted to go. We got there bright and early.

The Japanese Gardens

Snookums enjoys the Japanese Gardens, which apparently were a recent addition to the House complex. We wandered through the Alex Jordan museum before finally getting into the House proper.

The Infinity Room

The highlight of Section 1 was the Infinity Room. Here Snookums looks down and suddenly realizes there is very little holding us up, hundreds of feet above the ground.

On the roof

Other than that, Section 1 was mostly the actual original house (i.e. the residence). It was really neat, but also rather weird and claustrophobic – and not nearly as bright as the website makes it look – so it was a relief when we finally popped out on the roof.

On the roof

And here’s me. See that white structure behind me? That’s the roof to the Infinity Room, stretching out over the nothingness.

Guns

Section 2 is where you find a lot of weird collection stuff. Check out these guns! The fun – and frustrating – thing about these collections is that very little is labelled or categorised. You’re not meant to really learn anything about what you’re looking at. Instead you’re just meant to go, “Whoa, cool!” I guess. Anyway, there’s a lot of steampunk-ish stuff like this at the House.

Rats

Plenty of creepy, macabre stuff too! These were taxidermied rats dressed up in clothes and posed in scenes. *shudder*

The Drunkard's Dream

There were plenty of machines and novelties throughout the House that required special tokens (which you could purchase). I was excited to find this one: “The Drunkard’s Dream.” Gaiman specifically writes out it in American Gods! We had to play that one.

Streets of Yesterday

Here’s Snookums in the Streets of Yesterday section, which actually recreates an entire 19th century street. Each little shop front is filled with yet more collections of stuff!

Snookums and the Wages of Sin

Snookums checks out some “French postcards” on a movie viewer. Instead of the promised ladies, he got a vision of hell!

Me and Esmeralda

We found Madame Esmeralda, the fortune-telling machine mentioned in the novel. I couldn’t resist getting my fortune told. Thankfully it was better than Shadow’s!

Tape works?

The lack of labelling made me question the authenticity of some of the collections, like this one of weird medical stuff. Tapeworms? Really?! EWWW!

You have to keep in mind that I only snapped a few representative photos of things. This is like 1/1000th of the stuff there. It would take you YEARS to take in everything they have. Hundreds of dollhouses! Suits of armour! Crazy old cars! Weaponry! Teddy bears! Dead bugs! Giant music boxes with self-playing instruments! It’s just nuts.

Whale ear drums

The Heritage of the Sea section was full of weird sea-related stuff, like this pair of “whale ear drums.” Lots of stuff from shipwrecks too. Also a crazy music box that played the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” over. and over. and over.

Giant sea monster

The entire room is dominated by an enormous 200-foot sculpture of a sea monster fighting a giant octopus. You literally walk up and around the thing on elevated walkways. It’s breathtaking.

Creepy Puppets

Creepy puppets.

Burma-Shave

Snookums disagrees with some Burma-Shave ads in the Tribute to Nostalgia.

Garuda

A creepy statue. Is it a garuda? (Note: I swear, 75% of the stuff at the HOTR could have “creepy” applied to it.)

Our first glimpse of the carousel

At long last we were nearing the the carousel. They advertise it as the world’s largest. It has 296 handcraft animals, none of them horses. In American Gods, Shadow and the gods ride the carousel into the mind of Odin. This was our first glimpse down a dark hallway.

The carousel

And suddenly you step into the carousel room and it’s thundering before you and all around, and it’s 100 times more intense than you imagined. There are lights and music and crazy naked angel mannequins and carousel horses and robotic, self-playing instruments covering every inch of the floor and ceiling and the music is crashing but all you can look at is this intense whirling carousel before you.

Snookums and the carousel

Snookums tries to take it in.

Me and the carousel

I’m overwhelmed.

The Gate to the Organ Room

The demonic gate from the Carousel to the Organ Room.

The Organ Room

The Organ Room is like being in a steampunk engine room built by a mad-scientist giant. All kinds of cool-looking industrial stuff has been joined together into something that looks like it might work but probably shouldn’t. This giant lighted “chandelier” was actually supposed to have an office inside for Alex Jordan himself!

The Organ Room

Lights and statues.

Us in silhouette

Us in silhouette.

Lookout point

We finally left the house about five hours after we entered. It was intense, and so worth visiting. Here we are at a nearby lookout with the house far off in the distance behind us.

Hillside

Our other stop in Spring Green was Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio. (It’s also the MURDER HOUSE where his family got chopped up!) We had booked in for the “Highlights Tour.” Here’s the Snook trying not to wilt in the heat and humidity outside Hillside, Wright’s architectural school.

Hillside

Here’s a view of Hillside from the outside, where we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes. (We were only allowed to take photos outside.)

Taliesin

Snook and I outside the front door of Taliesin.

Taliesin

And another. Look, I’m gonna be honest, we probably shouldn’t have done the tour. We were tired from the House; it was hot; and we’re not really huge architecture buffs. (In fact, I intensely disliked some aspects of Taliesin.) So I’d only recommend it if you really, really like Wright and have a high-tolerance for shuffling through shoddily-built buildings with low-ceilings wearing special booties on your feet.

Chicago

Sweet Home Chicago! We headed back to Chicago to meet up with a bunch of friends on our last night in the States. Here’s Kel, me, Sal, Rodd, and Crawfy at the Brauhaus. Jen and Jenny came along too. It was lots of fun!

Me and PJ

I got in a few cuddles with Kel and Jen’s son PJ before we left.

Me and Liz

We had a 5-hour layover in L.A., so Liz (aka Pants) picked us up and took us to dinner. Here we are on the beach. It was so great to see her!

And that’s it! We made it back to Sydney to two supremely indifferent cats. Thanks to everyone who housed us or met up with us on the trip. We miss all of you already.