Distance: 290 miles
Snowstorms: 1
Memories:
Danny: Bouncy place; cotton candy and the view from our room.
Grace: Jello eating contest
Miracle of miracles, we made it out the door on time. Off we went to Rochester.
There was zero interest in my soliloquy on the worldwide renown of the Mayo Clinic and the notable dignitaries who visit. However, our surprise to "Bounce World" was a definite highlight of the first day.
The kids bounced for about an hour and had a great time. I surprised them with cotton candy which Danny lists as one of his best memories of the day.
We drove through an Iowa blizzard to Decorah, our next stop. We hoped to visit the Eagle's Nest which has a web-cam which is visited around the world. The next was way cool and we got some pictures with the camera which I'll post later. However, there was no visitors' center. The next was literally in a tree in someone's back yard. So we headed to the DNR fish hatchery across the street.
Once again there was no visitors center. But there were rows upon rows of concrete fish bunkers. For a quarter, you could buy more fish pellets than your hand could hold and feed the fish to your heart's content. We got a big kick out of the flurry of tails and fins each time we tossed a handful of food into a tank. The wind was whipping and the snow was flying but stalwart Minnesotans that we were, we hung in there for about half an hour.
Off we went to our Hotel. During our drive we listened to "Harriet the Spy" which I realized, after the main character said "I'll be damned if I take dance lessons!", might be a bit more appropriate for an older audience.
The kids didn't know that the hotel came with a water park so it was a wonderful surprise for them to discover not only a water park but a spring break bonus: a clown doing magic tricks. Gordon and I were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful view of the Mississippi River both windows of our corner room!
No spring break is complete without Jell-O shots so why not start 'em young? The last event at the water park tonight was a Jell-O eating contest. The kids had a blast getting to eat Jell-O with their hands behind their backs. Grace enjoyed it so much she finished off Danny's portion.
Now it's a little after 10:00 pm and both kids are sound asleep.
Tomorrow we dilute the sugar and chlorine with some cultural experiences including the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.
Photos: 1 - 3: Bouncy Place; 4: Cotton Candy Coma; 5: Iowa blizzard; 6: Fish Hatchery; 7 - 8 the view from our room; 9: Violet the Clown does magic
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