You'll never know if you don't go.
You'll never shine if you don't glow.
(Smash Mouth, "All-Star")
As if it had somehow sensed my purpose, the iPod shuffled through a series of uplifting travel songs as I made my way out of Appleton. "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake was followed by Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," and Led Zepplin's "Ramble On" took me out onto the highway over Little Lake Butte des Morts.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Rather placid-looking, considering that it's named for an Indian burial mound.
After "Ramble On," Smash Mouth's "All-Star" started playing, and I got a little suspicious. It seemed wayyyy too perfect of a set list for the beginning of my saga; could the iPod somehow have become conscious? Was this the beginning of the robot rebellion?
Nope, turns out I had just made a "Driving" playlist a couple months back and didn't realize that it was what was cued up to play. GOOD JOB JULIA!
Anyway, once I figured that out I was significantly relieved and felt like I could keep driving without having to call up the government and warn them.
My route that day took me from Appleton to Madison via US 41 S, WI 26 S, and US 151 S.
Astute observers with a knowledge of the area will realize that this took me through Rosendale.
I hate Rosendale.
I don't really have a reason to hate Rosendale; even with the village's over-zealous traffic police, I'm careful never to stray more than a mile over the speed limit when driving through. But for some reason, the place just gives me the creeps.
Maybe it's the fact that although I've seen people driving through Rosendale every time I'm there, and a couple stragglers inside the gas station, there never seems to be anybody on the street. And me being me, that immediately makes me think of every horror movie or episode of the X-Files I've seen, and the many ways I'm clearly DOOMED for being in this ghost-town.
(Edit: I should mention, Rosendale is not a ghost town; it is home to just over a thousand residents and Sisson's Peony Garden, a nationally-recognized Historical Landmark. I just have a weird feeling about the place, is all.)
I do, however, have good and friendly feelings towards some of the places in Rosendale. There's one church I drove past yesterday whose sign read:
SIGN MAKER ON VACATION.
COME INSIDE FOR MESSAGE.
Maybe it's just me, but I laughed about it all the way out of town.
And the gas station is pretty nice. The place has a nice little market attached, where local food-makers and farmers send their stock, so instead of the usual gas-station "food," you can actually find real sandwiches and other tasty things!
Like, say, the 3-pound smoked chicken that I bought earlier this spring. From a gas station. What?!
That thing fed me for about a week and a half. I made delicious delicious soup and tons of sammiches.
So I guess maybe Rosendale isn't that bad after all.
I'd write some more about the rest of my trip yesterday, but the pictures from Madison are still on my camera so I'll wait until I can get those onto here.
Summary of yesterday's travels:
- Roughly 180 miles
- In roughly 3 hours
- Averaging 36 MPG
- Great food in Madison and Rockford
- Great hanging-out-with-friends in Rockford
So yeah! As I type this, I'm in a Starbucks just outside Rockford, finishing up my lunch and getting ready to head out on the road. I'll be going straight to Chicago next, because I want to check out this building, and from there I'll head back north to Milwaukee.
Once I get settled for the evening, I'll see about getting the Madison photos onto my computer, and I'll make another post for that.
From Rockford . . .
Julia
No comments:
Post a Comment