22 A Magical Night

Chapter 22 A Magical Night The House on the Rock! There actually was such a place! Who knew? The brochure showed a photo of a Japanese- style house high up on top of, what else—a rock. The twins read the first lines together. "As glacial seas receded, they left a towering spindle of rock.... Then came a man filled with grand dreams and soaring visions. When Alex Jordan first climbed that rocky pinnacle, his imagination took flight. The result is the attraction known worldwide as The House on the Rock—a one-of-a-kind adventure and treasure trove of some of the world's most unique architecture and eclectic collections filled with the exotic, the

whimsical, and the unexpected." Coke's first reaction was anger—at himself. If he had simply done a Google search after they'd received the first cipher, The House on the Rock would have turned up. But it had never even crossed his mind that The House on the Rock was the name of a real place, an actual destination that thousands of people visited every year. He just thought it was some regular house on a rock somewhere. Even so, he should have known about it, he told himself. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his brain, he must have seen, heard, or read something about The House on the Rock. The brochure went on to describe a sort of Willy Wonka-ish magical museum filled with gigantic sea creatures, dolls, mechanical music machines, jewels, weapons, the largest carousel in the world, and hundreds of strange objects of all kinds. "That guy Alex Jordan who built The House on the Rock must be a piece of work," Pep said.

While they were looking over the brochure, Mrs. McDonald returned, and Dr. McDonald came over from the bench where he had been sitting. "Let's blow this pop stand," their mother told the twins. "The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices closed a long time ago. I'll take the blame for this one. My guidebook was out of date." "It's okay, Bridge," Dr. McDonald said. "It's all part of the cross-country experience." "We found someplace even better where we want to go," Pep said. "Where?" "The House on the Rock," the twins said together, showing their parents the brochure. "This place looks like a tourist trap," Dr. McDonald said after examining the brochure. "We like tourist traps, Dad," Pep argued. "The House on the Rock sounds way cool," Coke said. "They've got the largest carousel in the world there, Mom. You can write about it

for Amazing but True. They've got all kinds of historical stuff, too, Dad. It will be educational. We really have to go." Pep pulled out her cell phone to double-check the date. June twenty-fourth. They had to be in The Infinity Room at The House on the Rock at one o'clock the next afternoon. "Please, please, please, please!" she pleaded. "It will be our birthday tomorrow!" "Where is this place?" Dr. McDonald said grumpily. The twins could tell he was bending. The little map on the back of the brochure said The House on the Rock was in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The distances from a bunch of cities were listed, and it was 275 miles from Minneapolis. "We could drive there today and visit The House on the Rock tomorrow," Pep suggested. "Like, just before one o'clock in the afternoon." "It's still early," Mrs. McDonald said. "I suppose we might even be able to get there

before it closes today." The twins looked at each other. Today was no good. They had to be there on June twenty- fifth. "It will take hours to see the whole place," Coke said. "It would be better to go tomorrow and get an early start." "Yeah," Pep agreed. "Going to The House on the Rock would make a great birthday present. Please, please, please?" Mrs. McDonald opened her laptop and went to Google Maps to see which direction Spring Green, Wisconsin, was in relation to Minneapolis/St. Paul. "It's east of here, Ben," she said. "We could stop there on our way to Washington." Dr. McDonald sighed. "All right," he said. "Let's go." "Yippee!" Go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/). Click Get Directions.

In the A box, type Minneapolis MN. In the B box, type Spring Green WI. Click Get Directions. They headed out of Minneapolis on Interstate 94 East. There were so many other attractions in Minnesota that Mrs. McDonald would have liked to see. She really wanted to go to the town of Preston and visit JailHouse Inn, an 1869 jail that had been converted into a bed-andbreakfast. Two Minnesota towns—Rochester and Olivia—claim to have the world's largest ear of corn. She would have liked to settle the argument once and for all. But no, all the kids wanted to see was The House on the Rock. Just twenty-five miles out of St. Paul, they crossed the Mississippi River. On the other side of the bridge was a sign...