Started my travels with a trip to a little place we do not have in Portland anymore, Chili's in the Chicago airport. The choice of Chili's was made in the following way: I'm hungry. What's close? The answer was Chili's.
I ordered a watermelon margarita and a bowl of the chicken tortilla soup. Normally, I would have ordered a sandwich or burger but the jerks put the calories for the food on the menu and I was guilted into the soup choice. Thankfully, the calories for the margarita were not listed and therefore it was calorie free...I am assuming.
I landed in Central Wisconsin Airport in the late afternoon and made my way to the care rental desk. I flirted relentlessly and was assigned an upgraded Chevy Malibu. It was a nice ride for the next 40 minutes to get to Marshfield.
I then checked in to the nicest hotel in Marshfield, the Holiday Inn of course.
I then tried to drive around to find food. I was looking for something kind of healthy and passed a Subway. I placed that location in the back of my head, in case I needed it. Not that finding it would have been a problem considering there is only one main road in town. I then saw a McDonalds, Dairy Queen and then Hardees. Hardees is the equivalent of Carl's Jr. in Oregon, so I thought they may have some of the salads I like. Yeah, no. The entire menu consisted of what I can only describe as a FRIED ONLY menu. I am not even sure if they offered tomatoes and lettuce on the burgers. I promptly drove back to the Subway.
Now here is something only the traveling mom can understand...I got to watch HGTV on my hotel bed while eating my sandwich with BOTH HANDS. This is monumental for a couple of reasons:
1. I got to watch what I wanted. Not Mickey, not Super Why, but what I wanted to watch. ALL NIGHT.
2. A hotel bed gets cleaned for me, so i can make a mess and ask for it to be cleaned the next day. No laundry on my part involved.
3. Eating a sandwich with BOTH hands is like seeing a beautiful sunset. You don't know how much you miss it until you see it again. Hello old friend of eating without having to coax/bribe your child to also eat with the other hand.
I promptly unpacked my suitcase and took a shower. After exiting the shower, I realized that I forgot not only my toothbrush, but also my brush. So I put on the same clothes I traveled in (ewww) and went to the front desk becuase they had a sign on the bathroom sink saying that they would be happy to give me a toothbrush, toothpaste and a comb upon request. I went to the front with my tangled, wet hair and they informed me they did not have combs. But they did have this:
OK, so that was half the battle. Now how am I going to remove the tangles from my hair? Glad you asked. The front desk lady told me there was a Pick 'n Save across the street where I could buy one. So I marched myself down the block and across the street. I got catcalled twice on my way over there (at 9 pm, lord only knows what would have happened earlier in the day).
If you haven't had the joy of walking into a Pick 'n Save in central Wisconsin 45 minutes before they close, you haven't lived. All of the staff is super friendly and I had a very pleasant conversation with a gentleman about his garden while he restocked the chip aisle. My walking away clearly gave him the signal to continue talking and in order to be polite I stood there for another 5 minutes discussing his garden.
I decided that I would need something to get me through the day. So, this happened....
I also decided to treat myself to a nice toothbrush instead of the crappy hotel version. Holla
We had a meeting all day with the client that went well and then decided to do some "sightseeing." Marshfield is acutally know for one thing in particular. The World's Largest Round Barn. Here I am basking in the glory...
And here is the historical information I know you want...
The World's Largest Round Barn is actually located at the fairground where there is also the home of the Marshfield Curling Club.
I also found this little jem that I believe was important to share. This statue is on the main thoroughfare of Marshfield and is pretty hard to miss. I knew I would need to have a picture of this and would need additional help because there was not easy pull off area to get it. A big shout out to my new boss for dropping me off, circling the block and picking me up in my need for this picture.
Yes, that is a gynormous statue of Jesus standing on the world with "Christ Guide Us On Our Way." I am not sure if the flags are because of my trips timing close to July 4th or if they are there all the time, but I think they certainly add to the whole situation. One other thing to bring to your attention is that the North and South America are pointed toward the street because GO 'MERICA!
They have clearly gotten complaints about this and so they have to display this:
PRIVATE PARK
THIS ENCLOSED PROPERTY IS NOT OWNED OR MAINTAINED BY THE CITY OF MARSHFIELD, NOR DOES THE CITY ENDORSE THE RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION THERON.
God bless our American right to erecting ridiculous shrines and calling it free speech.
My last little adventure involved a little place called Nutz Deep II. It was located across the street from the Holiday Inn and was recommended to me as a good place to eat. You cannot see it very well, but the windows are actually heavily tinted. Walking up to this place, you definitely expect to need a stack of one dollar bills.
On the inside, however, it is just a bar with greasy food. LAME. WHAT A LET DOWN. The only thing remotely interesting about this place is that it is called Nutz Deep II, with no Nutz Deep 1 and a second location of Nutz Deep II. Maybe counting is not their forte...
Here are the tings I have learned about Marshfield,WI:
1.The people there are extremely warm and helpful.
2. Fried cheese curds are delicious.
3. Jesus is standing on the Ozone, which is probably causing global warming, if it actually existed
4. The city has obviously received complaints about #3.
5. I would not mind going back. (see #1)
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