MFF 2012: Day Two - The Time We Saw Wisconsin Forever
Day two of the convention started earlier than we anticipated. We’d planned to meet leonard_arlotte and athelind at the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Wisconsin, around mid-morning. However, athelind had to cancel his part in the jaunt, and we ended up waking earlier than we expected. So, we bundled leonard_arlotte into the back of the Mausmobile and drove northward in the bright, bright sunshine... little suspecting the horrors that would await!
The ride up to the Cheese Castle was fine. Bright sunshine, bright conversation. We stopped for breakfast at an enormous truck stop and entertainment venue called The Brat Stop, as in "bratwurst". Despite seating 2000 people (no, really) it somehow managed to be cozy and quiet. We had bratwurst and eggs and a lot, lot, lot of coffee.
Onward we ventured, to the new Mars Cheese Castle! It was certainly bigger and brighter than the former establishment, though I think perhaps it has lost a tiny bit of charm. Nonetheless, we managed to buy a lot of cheese and fantastic Wisconsin root beer.
I fear kores_rabbit has little respect for posted regulations and the rule of law, however!
Following the Cheese Castle, we paused for a few minutes at nearby Bobby Nelson's Cheese Shop in order for leonard_arlotte to obtain some pickled eggs. While he was shopping, a question arose as to the location of our parking pass. I emptied my coat pockets in search of this item, and placed the contents on the roof of the car. The pass was located, and we zoomed off on the highway, south 93 kilometres. We were in high spirits, relaxed and full of cheese. Little did we realize the DOOM ahead.
We dropped Leonard at the con hotel, and I realized all my badges were gone, including the one I needed to enter convention space. And, the character badge I had done at my first furry con in 2002, and the one Koray had commissioned for my birthday this year. I called the cheese shop, but they saw no badge in their parking lot. After a little thinking, we decided to head back on the highway, thinking it would only eat 90 more minutes out of the day.
We decided to avoid the toll road north and took old highways and surface streets north into Wisconsin. It took longer than expected, but once at Bobby Nelson's, Koray and I combed the parking lot and road side, before moving our attentions to the highway on ramp. I was ready to call it quits after venturing about 10 yards onto the side of the I-94. Koray, it must be said, is made of sterner stuff...
She activated her mark of finding and patrolled the shoulder as trucks and cars whizzed by.
She found all three badges scattered over a lengthy section of the highway. My heroine! They had been run over and damaged, but were generally whole.
The ride home turned into a bit of a nightmare as traffic built throughout the day. As the sun set, we stopped at Superdawg for supper. I was very tired, as is clear in the above photo, but the Superdawg still managed to wake my tastebuds.
We finally got to the hotel around 7:30 p.m. The dealer's room was closed, we were tired beyond words, but happy to have retrieved the badges. Friday was something of a wash as far as the con was concerned. We ambled about, and I got some new badge clips...
...from this chap, wingywoof, who happens to read my blog! He likes my pictures! So I took one of him.
We said hello to a few folks, then crashed for the night.