Mammoth Site and Wind Cave National Park

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Our first stop after leaving Fort Robinson was Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD.  Discovered while excavating for a housing development, this Ice Age sink hole trapped 59 mammoths, 56 Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths. A building was built over the site and paleontologists continue the dig. It was well worth the stop.

                                                                                        

Wind Cave National Park was our final destination for the day. We spotted bison and pronghorn as we entered the park. The cave, with more than 130 miles of explored passages, is one of the largest in the world. We covered just 1/2 mile (including 450 stairs) of it on the "Fairgrounds Tour." This cave didn't have the usual stalactites and stalagmites, but had some unusual formations called boxwork resembling honeycombs.

We decided to "dry camp" (no electric, water, or sewer hookup) for the night at the park which is no problem in our Roadtrek. At $6 a night, the price and location was great. We caught the Park Ranger talk at 9 pm to learn about the Park's wildlife which includes bison, pronghorn antelope, elk, black footed ferret, and prarie dogs.





Fort Robinson, Nebraska

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 7-9, 2012

Pam and Doug suggested taking route 20 across Nebraska.  A two lane road all the way, but we only had to pass three times and cars passed us only twice...across the whole state!  There was no traffic and we had nice views of the sand hills and buttes on the Western end.  We stopped at Fishberry Campground, Valentine, NE, on the top of a windy hill about mid-way across the state for the night. The wide open skies, sandhills, and buttes on the Western side of the state were inspiring.
Also at the suggestion of Pam and Doug, we visited Fort Robinson which was established March 29, 1874. Over the years the Fort has served as a military camp at the Red Cloud Agency; home to the "Buffalo Soldiers," an African-American garrison in the segregated army of the times; a mounted soldier depot during World War I; a K-9 corps training center during World War II; and a German POW camp.  Quite a history. The Fort was also where the great Lakota warrior Crazy Horse surrendered in 1877 and was mortally wounded and died. One side of the story states he was wounded resisting imprisonment, while another version indicates he was accidentially wounded by a young soldier.

We were fortunate to visit the park on the same weekend as the Thirteenth Annual Intertribal Gathering sponsored by the Lakota indians. This wasn't a powwow for tourists, but a gathering for the indians to which the public was invited. There was drumming, singing, storytelling, and dancing. We attended the Grand Entry the first evening which included a dance competition. The costumes were incredible. They had a ceremony honoring one of the members where they randomly handed out gifts to the audience. Mel received a little leather pouch, two pot holders and a kitchen towel. The fellow next to us received a sweatshirt, others blankets. We enjoyed the Grass Dance, Men's Fancy Dance, Women's Jingle Dance, Women's Fancy Shawl among others.We were happy to have our bikes along as they were handy in getting around the large Fort to visit the various museums. Of course there were lots of vendors selling indian made items and food booths where we enjoyed buffalo burgers and cowboy beans.
One of the museums, Trailside Museum of Natural History, displayed a pair of bull mammoths  who died while locked together in battle which were discovered nearby.  Amazing. We could have spent several more days at the Fort as there were many activities available...horseback riding, a summer repertory theater, tubing, kyaking, hiking. We finished our visit with an evening Jeep ride to the top of one of the buttes to view the wildlife. Up a dirt fire road, we passed through a herd of bison to the top where we saw mountain goats. Unfortunately I accidentially deleted the best of the photos. I'm slowly learning how NOT to delete photos...

It was a very interesting stop. A few additional photos follow. Can't seem to get them to show up across the page, so you will have to scroll down.

Army Convoy training at Fort Robinson...guess it is still a Fort!

Heading South

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 5-6, 2012
We got an early start to the Ramsey RV dealer in Minneapolis to fix the small leak we had in our bathroom sink. The fellow did a very neat job which was covered by our warranty. Thanks to the tips from Doris Ann, we missed all the road construction around the Minneapolis area. 

Our destination was Fort Dodge, Iowa to visit with college friends Pam and Doug Sanders. Pam is a retired high school art teacher who is both an accomplished printmaker and a silk painter. Doug, is a retired administrator at Iowa Central Community College. Both are actively involved in their community.

Pam took us for a tour through some of her favorite spots which included the Blanden Memorial Art Museum where she had a solo exhibition of her prints several years ago and where she currently acts as a docent.  We also had an opportunity to see her work in the Fort Dodge Historical District where the banners she designed designate the area.

Valero Plant

The tour Doug took us on included the high tech Valero and Cargill bio-refineries which produce ethanol and Iowa Central Community College which helps to train their employees.  We also were treated to a tour of the new Bioscience and Health Service Building at the College where ethanol research is being conducted.

Who would guess I'd learn how to make cotton candy on a road trip to California. I accompanied Pam to her lesson in preparation for the Rotary Club's cotton candy sale at the Saturday Farmers' Market. Pam is an active member and was scheduled to help at the Saturday fundraiser.

Before we left, Doug pulled out a memory from the past, a gift from Bill Coulter. We couldn't talk Doug into putting it on, but I'm sure it would have fit.  Remember this one, Flash? 

Our conclusion after visiting the Sanders, Fort Dodge is a great place to live and raise a family.  Thanks, Pam and Doug for a great visit.

On to Northern Wisconsin

Tuesday, June 3, 2012
Arrived after lunch in Sarona, WI to visit my third cousin, Doris Ann (Dorie) Washburn, and her partner Janene, who live in their self built, completely "off the grid" home in the country.

A beautifully built oak post and beam house, it has solar powered electric and hot water. They built the house together, but Janene did the oak cabinetry throughout the house. Doris Ann is a retired anesthesiologist and Janene is still working as a radiologist.

Fun garden gate they made from an old
bed headboard decorated with a collection
of rocks and sea glass.

We enjoyed dinner our first night in Sarona with Doris Ann, her 94 year old mother Anita, and Janene.

Janene made this gate from
found wood and stones.

Wednesday, June 4, 2012

We took a morning bike ride down the country road which lead us to a cranberry bog. The plants were just getting a start, but we could see from the way the fields were set

Cranberry bog.

The garden was in bloom.

in the ground, how they would be flooded later in the season when the berries are ready to harvest.

We spent the rest of the day lounging on the screened in porch surrounded by a garden full of flowers enjoying the sun and catching up on computer time. Thanks Doris Ann, Janene and Anita for the time catching up, the great food, and the recipes!

Janene, Candy, and Doris Ann.

Wisconsin Bound

Friday, June 1, 2012 

We arrived at Carolyn Kallenborn's home in Madison, WI mid-afternoon. Carolyn and I served on the SDA board together for several years. She managed several of our international conferences while teaching at the Kansas City Art Institute. Carolyn now teaches at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. As a fiber artist, Carolyn is getting ready for an exhibition in Oaxaca, Mexico next month. Her documentary film, Woven Lives, tells the story of the Zapotec weavers she works with in Mexico.

Carolyn took us out for an evening on the town. For dinner we sampled some Wisconsin cheese at the Graze restaurant directly across from the capitol building.  Greatest mac and cheese we've ever had, with a delicious beet salad.

We then took a walk to Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. The Center was first designed by Wright in 1938 but not actually built until 1997. 

The view of the capitol building at night from the terrace was spectacular.  From there, we headed to the University's Memorial Union Terrace overlooking the lake to hear The Modern Sound, a jazz group from Chicago performing as a part of the Isthmus Jazz Festival.  Whew! We had the grand tour.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Up and out with Carolyn to the Madison Farmer's Market, definitely a must when visiting the area. Thousands of people, including a few cows, gathered around the Capitol building to sell their cheese, veggies, flowers, honey, bread, donuts...all grown or produced in Wisconsin. The side streets were filled with craft vendors.

With the recall election for the Wisconsin Governor's seat coming up  Tuesday, there were signs, protesters, and musical commentary on the Capitol lawn.

And then there were the cows and grilled cheese sandwiches. What more could you ask for? 


We said good-bye to Carolyn around 1pm and headed to Black Earth, WI to have lunch with college friend, Connie Janousek at an historic grain mill near Black Earth. We had a good time catching up on the years inbetween our last visit. Connie dropped us off at The Shoe Box, claiming to be one of the largest shoe stores in the United States. Thanks to Connie (and store manager Steve), we managed a 20% discount on the two pairs of shoes we just couldn't live without.  Next stop, further North to Sarona, Wisconsin.

More friends to visit

It has been a while since we have had access to wireless...the last few days follow.

May 28, Monday
We stopped to visit another "old" high school friend, Marilou Cerveny Haworth, and her husband, Les, in Elgin, IL. We spent a lovely evening together catching up on old times. Marilou has been keeping busy with training their very well behaved dog, singing with a group, and keeping a beautiful garden.

Mel found a few jobs to help Les out with.

While in the area we purchased a small battery operated fan to put into our refrigerator...now we have a cold refrigerator again. Thank goodness!

May 29, Tuesday

After leaving Elgin, we took a drive through Wheaton to check out Mel's old family home. It looks about the same.

Next stop, Highland Park, IL to visit a Surface Design Association friend of mine, Kathy Weaver, and her husband Nelson. On the way, we drove by the Mary Adams House (1905) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It has just been restored and looks unoccupied at the moment.

Kathy is a fiber artist who does incredible work with the air brush. She lets her imagination take her into a magical world of robots on cloth, paper and in scupture. I enjoyed seeing Kathy's spacious studio and having the opportunity to see some of the new work which will be going into her next exhibit, "Weaver's World -- Robots: Drawings and Mixed Media", June 8 - July 14, 2012, The Art Center, Highland Park, IL.

May 30, Wednesday
After a delicious breakfast (thanks for the cappuccino, Nelson), we took a walk along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Fort Sheridan with Kathy and Nelson. The walking path is just a short walk from their doorstep.

Next stop, the Racine Art Museum. I was introduced to this museum at our last SDA Conference by one of our speakers, Director Bruce Pepich. In addition to works on paper, they have an extensive collection of fine craft. We were lucky to catch "Out on a Limb", an exhibit of contemporary wood jewelry. The gift shop is pretty wonderful as well. We had a chance to say hi to Bruce during our stop. We recommend Racine on any trip North and be sure to stop by a fun little coffee shop just a block away, Bare Coffee at 327 Main.

We had our first laundromat experience that afternoon. Lucky there was a Dollar Store next door:) We spent the evening at Cliffside Park, Caledonia,WI, half way between Racine and Milwaukee. Very quiet, almost deserted.

May 31, Thursday
The fellow at the Bare Coffee Shop in Racine talked us into visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum. So happy we did. What a spectacular building.  We didn't realize that the huge "wings" on the roof actually closed at several times during the day until after we left the museum.

Looks like I might have caught the wings closed in the photo to the left and not even known they had moved from when we first entered the building. The 341,000-square-foot Museum includes the War Memorial Center (1957) designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the Kahler Building (1975) by David Kahler, and the Quadracci Pavilion (2001) created by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Following our Museum visit we took another recommendation by the Racine Bare Coffee Shop fellow, and stopped by the Alterra Coffee Shop at the Lake, just a short drive from the Museum. It is housed in an old water works plant that we found most interesting. Good coffee and free Internet.

Spent the night at Walmart half way between Milwaukee and Madison. Off to Madison!

Presidential Hanger/Research & Development Hanger

May 27, 2012 Sunday

We discovered a little known gem of a museum at Wright Patterson AFB, the Presidential Hanger and Research & Development Hanger thanks to a fellow camper. The Presidential Hanger houses past U.S. Presidents' aircrafts--Air Force One.  You could walk through about five of the planes and see how they were adapted to the various Presidents. If you have a military or retired DOD civilian ID card, you can drive directly on base to this museum. If not, it is on a first come, first served basis by signing up for one of the four daily tours at the main Air Force Museum. 

The research planes were very interesting as were the stories behind each one. You could get up right close to each plane---no crowds like in the larger museum.

From the Museum, we headed on to Indiana and stayed the night at Caboose Lake Campground just off the highway.  Nothing to recommend, but they did have electricity and water...