Dairyland, U.S.A.

I was a chaperone on a band trip this weekend.

We went to the Wisconsin Dells. There is quite a bit more there than I was expecting. I don't know as though I would want to spend a whole week there, but it is a fun destination.

We started with Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory. It was like a science/math/technology fun-land that hasn't been updated since the 80s. They seemed to enjoy it anyway.

Friday night the band performed a bit of pre-show entertainment at the "Broadway Dinner Theater." Newsflash: Wisconsin is no where near "Broadway." Actually the show, Fabulous 50s, was pretty good. Most of the students really enjoyed it, which surprised me.

Friday night curfew was 11:00 p.m. As we were checking rooms we realized that there was a girls' room adjoining a boys' room. This did not necessarily mean trouble, but let's not provide opportunity. My roommate and I switched rooms with the girls to prevent any potential situations.

Saturday morning at 2:30 a.m. someone knocks at the door. In a heavy daze I stumble to the door and see through the peep hole that a freshman boy is standing outside the door. "Do you need something Tyler." (Shocked look on boys face) "Uh, is Sami in there?" "No, she's in a different room now, and I'm not telling you which one. You need to go back to your room."

I think it was quite a shock to the poor boy. I walked down to their room ten minutes later to make sure there were only four boys there. I slept well after that, but found out the next morning that other chaperones had dealt with other situations. Fortunately nothing out of the norm for teenagers on a school trip. Perhaps I should add that everything was well on the conservative side of what happened on a few trips while I was in high school.

Saturday we went to Mt Olympus Water and Theme Park. It is still early spring, so only one outdoor roller coaster and two go-kart tracks were open. After that we went shopping. Sometimes I don't feel like shopping and would rather not. It was one of those afternoons. I did find some Wisconsin cheese curds that made the afternoon worth it in the end.

Wisconsin Dells, WI is home to the largest Pirate's Cove Mini-Golf attraction. They have five courses, 90 unique holes. We had an unlimited wristband, but we only made it through 18 holes. I'd love to go back and spend a few more hours there someday.

Today we woke up, checked out of the hotel, and drove back home. I had a good time, but I will probably not volunteer to go on any school trips in the near future. Teenagers can get a little irritable when they are tired! *yawn* Time for a nap for me!