7: A Space Place DONE!

Dr. Evermore's Forevertron, Wisconsin Dells, WI. October 2012. I had heard about this place for years and it was so great to finally get to see it! Dr. Evermore built this amazing time travel machine out of repurposed materials. It needs a huge amount of energy to work, so it has to be struck by lightning before we will know for sure if it works, but there's no doubt in my mind that it will.

There are also tons of amazing sculptures, including a whole orchestra of birds made out of musical instruments. The next picture has Ama sitting in a machine that lets you listen to space...we talked to a man who explained to us where a lot of the building materials had come from. The big square listening piece above Ama's head used to be used in silent movie theaters to amplify the music (before there was any type of powered amplification).

Here is the Forevertron in all its glory! We wandered around the yard looking at stuff for a long time. Ama particularly liked the oversized frying pans and Cook liked the collection of mini robots.

These are the faces the kids made when I told them to imagine what face they would make if they were stepping onto the Forevertron to be blasted into space forever. I was surprised at how much feeling they both showed, kind of like a combination of fear and resignation:

8: An Animal Rescue Center DONE!

Central Dakota Humane Society, Mandan, ND. May 21, 2011. CDHS is a really, truly wonderful organization that we have supported for years. They are the area's only no-kill shelter, which means that animals can stay here for as long as it takes for them to find a home. Also, if they get animals that are too sick or have really specialized needs they sometimes keep them forever and make sure that the animals get all the accommodations they need.

Cat kennels!

Dog kennels!

And we managed to get in and out without

adopting anything, despite the protests of both kids!

9: A Superlative Place DONE!

The Mall of America, Bloomington, MN. May 29, 2010. This is the largest mall in the United States (based on total enclosed square footage). Cook rode on one of the biggest roller coasters they had at the indoor amusement park called Nickelodeon Universe. Three times! Here is his victory photo:

As a side note, while at the amusement park, Ama ate what might be the biggest piece of pizza in the known universe:

10: A Faraway Island DONE!

Storybook Island, Rapid City, SD. June 2013. Grandpa and Grandma took Cook and Ama to this amazing park and they both really liked it, especially Ama. It is full of life-size fairy tale scenes that you can play on. We tried to take Cook here when he was just a few years old, but it was closed, so when he finally got the chance he might have been a little too big for it to be magical. But it's a cool free park if you are looking for something memorable to do in Rapid City!

11: An Antiquarian Bookstore DONE!

Midway Bookstore, St. Paul, MN. September 2012. This is a huge 3-level bookstore that specializes in rare and out-of-print books. We didn't even make it to the basement. Maybe next time. Cook was particularly interested in the comic book section. He bought a Spawn and a Simpsons comic, and I got a Louis L'Amour novel. Ama picked out a postcard for grandpa and grandma.

 
Cook also had a massive allergy attack while we were in the store that ended up lasting for 24 hours before I finally gave him a dose of Benadryl. Guess he won't be working in a used bookstore when he grows up.
They didn't have much for kids books beyond very old, collectible, boring stuff, so Ama lost interest pretty quickly. Also, she wasn't feeling too well that day. Chris didn't find anything to buy. Rowan was very patient with the whole business.

12: An Old-Growth Forest DONE!

August 2014. Itasca State Park, MN. We were in Bemidji and decided to go over to the headwaters since we were so close. When we went into the visitors' center at the park, we discovered that the lake is actually surrounded by an old-growth forest made up of three different types of big pines. Here is Ama posing by the information plaques.

Then we went to the place where you can walk across the Mississippi River (at the headwaters that come from Lake Itasca). There were a ton of people, and Rowan and Ama couldn't resist the water, so they got pretty wet, but it was the perfect day to explore northern Minnesota wilderness!

13: A Ghost Town