Waterpark Capital of the World

If you were trying to attract thousands of visitors to the rural countryside of Wisconsin, what would you do?  Well, someone thought up the brilliant idea of creating a mecca of indoor (and outdoor) water parks (with about 5 million visitors annually--crazy!).  While it's no Paris or Cape Cod (or any other classy place), I have to admit the Wisconsin Dells is still pretty dang awesome.

Last weekend, we trekked 3 1/2 hours up there with a bunch of friends to stay at the Wilderness Territory--the largest indoor waterpark.  We had a fabulous time and Chris was pretty much in heaven.  Ella was terrified for the first twenty minutes, but then warmed up.  Thanks Wortleys, Mulcocks, and Burgons for such a fun weekend! (Coles, you were missed).

Our adventure started with a stop at "the best dollar store" Chris has been to (and he's a connoisseur of dollar stores) and then on to Madison, Wiconsin (a place I've wanted to visit ever since reading Wallace Stegner's "Crossing to Safety").  I immediately fell in love with the town--the capital building and university are stunning.  The best part, however, was Ella's Deli--a place we stumbled on and decided to stay for lunch.  How could we resist stopping at a place surely named for our baby?  This place had a carousel in the parking lot, all manner of crazy things hanging from the ceiling, and pretty good food for this kind of dive.

We checked into our hotel/cabin and immediately headed over to the waterpark.

Doesn't Ella look so excited in her new swimsuit from Grandma and Grandpa Pabst?

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Our friends joined us later that night and we spent all day at the waterpark.  But first we started with a yummy crepe breakfast.

The boys and the babes

Now for the park!  The whole crew.  We appreciate the Wortleys (in the middle) for holding Ella so much so Chris and I could go on rides together.  They are big Ella fans and the impetus for this trip was to see them (they recently moved to Minneapolis and met us there).  We heart Don and Liz!

We took turns taking care of the babies.

Jeff and cute little Max (notice Chris' photo bomb in the background)

Ella and her buddy Jane.  Her mom, Lindy, and I go for a lot of walks together so usually their interaction is limited to smiling at each other and reaching toward each other from their strollers.  This time they were able to offer each other some real support.

These cute girls didn't know what was coming...

Ella looking a little terrified.

Commiserating on how to get out of this mess...

Jane looking for some protection from Ella (after all, she is 4 months older).

Ella finally warms up to the place!