DAY 5: Chicago, Illinois to Wisconsin Dells #fiveexplore #roadtripusa2020 #travellingduringcovid19

Day 5 – July 21st

Wisconsin. The state that forgot COVID (but COVID never forgot).

I awoke early to ready myself for the twin celebrations of Zaria’s birthday and our wedding anniversary. The usual assortment of Moonpig cards and WhatsApp messages filtered through and I was given a sharp reminder of my daughter’s age by her grown-up presents. Fitbits rather than plastic toys, cookbooks instead of LOLs. Her one wish for the morning was to devour a McDonalds breakfast.

However, our favourite golden arched fast food joint had deemed breakfast off limit during COVID. Instead, we persuaded our children to eat lunch for their first meal. It was strangely gratifying to devour a quarter pounder with cheese and bacon before midday. I typically don’t eat meat – however on a twenty-one day American road trip I realized I need to compromise my principles. (Plus, have you ever eaten a Filet-O-Fish?)

We headed north again and said goodbye to Chicago. The journey was mostly nondescript. A brief glimpse of O’Hare airport. The occasional hidden police car to quicken the pulse and dampen the speed. The backdrop was mostly trees, flat fields and cloudy skies. A glumly familiar sight to a northern European. We called relatives during the drive and they tried to feign interest as we showed them the scenery around us. I proudly told Lyra I had saved us forty minutes thanks to some expeditious driving. I was largely ignored and informed one-hundred minutes would have gained her attention.

We arrived at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. A place that can only be likened to an American Butlins. I was handed a welcome pack with bands, cards and keys by the receptionist. Another man insisted I pick up two books of coupons to use during my stay. The bright garish shops and restaurants took me back to Harry Ramsdens and KFC on the English coast. Ninety five percent of people were not wearing masks, including some of the receptionists. There was an occasional hard to read sign asking people to be careful. Staff allowed masks to hang under their chins. A half-peeled sticker on the floor whispered something about social distancing.

If Ohio and Indiana seemed inconsistent, then Wisconsin did not receive the COVID bulletin. The odd family wore a mask, however most people partied like it was 2019.

We rushed to the outdoor water park and enjoyed a variety of tubes, flumes and rivers.

To our surprise there were indoor parks open as well. In these heaving, humid, crammed spaces swimmers wondered back and forth jumping into wave machines and bumping into each other. We decided to stay outdoors although Zaria insisted we rode one indoor flume as it looked irresistibly scary.

We filled our faces at an all you can eat restaurant that was well organized (despite the plethora of single use plastic). We then returned for an evening session in the wave machine hoping it would be quieter. It was still crammed. The tension was palpable. I wanted Zaria to enjoy her birthday, yet I did not feel this place was safe. I felt angry at other swimmers, yet I understood they just wanted to have a good time. Trying to make sense of right and wrong was difficult. I relented and we had some fun in the waves, although I looked like a demented madman as I continuously screamed and dragged my daughters away from potential local COVID spreaders.

We returned to the hotel room, exhausted from hours of swimming and driving. Zaria had enjoyed her birthday and that was ultimately all that mattered. As we tucked Alaina under her covers, she asked, “Is it OK if I pick my nose?” We were too tired to do anything other than acquiesce.

In addition to this daily blog, you can check out our Instagram feed for more photos and short posts documenting our 2020 road trip @fiveexplore