Letter 18: Wisconsin, Green Bay, Dells, Mississippi River

Monday, August 2
Happy Anniversary Don and Anna Kay! 47 years and counting.
We drove into Green Bay and witnessed the

Lambeau field and gift shop and we survived! Fred did not wear a Cowboy’s shirt and we kept our mouths shut. The gift shop was unreal and so were the prices. Foam Cheese heads were $20. and shirts started at $80. Ouch! We were glad we didn’t want any of their merchandise. The large size bobble heads caught Olivia’s eye as well as the football chandelier. We realize the Cowboy’s have just as pricy and unique items but we will have to ask Angie, Bobby and Rachel, who recently toured the Cowboy‘s new stadium, about that!

We made a Radio Shack stop in a mall and Olivia discovered a couple of new stores where she made purchases, then we visited Best Buy and DON’T FAINT, we bought a GPS. We figured out how to sort of work it on the way back to the trailer and she only had to recalculate about a dozen times. She’ll get use to that!

Tuesday, August 3, we moved to the middle of Wisconsin and the “Dells” area. The word Dells is a corruption of the French word dalles, Roughly meaning large flat rocks. They abound in this area and are especially exposed along the river. Actually we moved to the south side of the area to Smokey Hollow Campground and you must go to their website at www.smokeyhollowcampground.com we are sure there are other campgrounds with this much entertainment, but we haven’t stayed in them. Fortunately this one is a Passport America member and allows us half price so we had a spot in this popular area.

Olivia was tempted to take a ride in the Largest Shopping cart and really wanted to play on the
toys in the pool. Notice the yurts and cabins in the background, so you don’t have to have a trailer to enjoy this park. If you had been there to play with us it would have been lots of fun!

They also have seasonal sites for members to leave their rigs for the summer, then just drive in to stay as long as they want. Some of them are for sale, ranging from $9,000 to $46,000.

They also have activities scattered throughout the day and we decided to have supper with them at their Sundae party for $2 each.

After supper we walked around and watched some of the kids enjoying the giant pillow and having a spirited water balloon toss with lots of ammunition and huge targets.

Today had been our hottest day yet and we are ready for Colorado. It was 88 degrees and 60% humidity and no breeze. It felt like Texas on the coast! We turned that AC on and closed the blinds. That swimming pool looked very inviting.

Olivia decided after reading all the brochures that this area is like Branson, MO, except geared for kids. This is the main summer play land for the Midwest. We mentioned all the activities for kids in the area, there are multiple water parks, boat tours, storybook gardens, lost canyon tours, Noah’s ark, miniature golf, trout fishing, Coloseum, Mt Olympus indoor water & theme park, Dells mining co., Big sky drive in, stables, railway museum, jet boats, magic theaters, Theme parks, art studios, Lost Rios water park, Army Ducks, Farm Dinner shows, Haunted house, railway, portraits, Circus World, Cave of the mounds, Comedy clubs, fishing parks, Aquarium, pottery shop, Golf, Top Secret Service, Monster truck world, stalker paintball, zip lines, Chimney rock, and for adults a winery and sunset dinner cruises. We found a few other things that looked interesting to us as you will see what they are as the trip continues.

Wednesday August 4 we struck out to do some adult fun stuff. After riding the
ferry across the Wisconsin River our first stop was to Ringlingville, also known now as Circus World. We could see how a family could spend the whole day there.

In 1884, the five Ringling Bros, founded their Circus in Baraboo, WI. For thirty-four years, until 1918, the circus used the old buildings still standing on Water Street as their winter quarters.

Ringling Bros Circus, started small but grew into the “World’s Greatest Shows.” After the circus absorbed Barnum & Bailey, the Ringling’s became “The Greatest Show on Earth.” These winter quarters are now the home of the Circus World Museum.

We arrived in time for their 11:00 o’clock performance which ended with elephant rides for $10 each. We toured the museum seeing lots of wagons and fancy costumes, then viewed the movie of the history of the Ringlings. Part of the museum was hands on, but Fred was able to ride hands off on their unicycle.

We didn’t begin to see all there was to see.

We walked the streets of Wisconsin Dells and went into a few tourist traps and viewed the Glockenspiel as the Pied Piper led the rats out of the city. (Look under the clock)

Fred has always enjoyed the slight of hand and “magic,” so we attended Rick Wilson’s Magic Theater for a great show of which his wife was really the star as she had to get into and out of more tight spots.

We know you are wondering how the GPS is working for us. Well, we have had good times and bad times. We have decided to call “her” Daisy, since Fred says he is driving “Miss Daisy.”
We are trying to use her all the time, to get acquainted with how she works. Blaire says we won’t use it, but we are trying.

Our biggest problem is she loses the satellite at the most inopportune times.
In one area, the map showed hwy 151 leaving town-but Daisy said no. There was a new bypass she knew about but the old highway was still there. We were very confused.
If Olivia isn’t watching the map, Daisy gives wrong directions, or tells us to turn right when the highway signs say turn left!
Fred was even tempted to throw both Olivia & Daisy out the window because he doesn’t know which one to listen to.
And she talks when we are talking! How rude!

Thursday, August 5, we drove back to Wisconsin Dells and took the Upper Dells boat tour, as recommended and it was a good tour. First we learned about the

rock formations in this area and it is only one of four locations. Dells here means layered rock and we certainly saw lots of them. We saw
Chief Black Hawk watching all the boats go by, then headed into thenarrows to go around a big island.

At another little narrow dell we docked and walked to one of the many scenic spots of the Witches Gulch. There was a nice gently walkway to the
end and of course a concession stand.

The Indian tribes who have lived in this area were the Chippewa, Sioux, Sac, Menominee and the Winnebago.

The Indians called this (Wisconsin) River the “Meskousing,” meaning where the waters gather. The French spelled the Indian term “Ouisconsin,” thus naming the Wisconsin River and the state.

Stand Rock natural amphitheater, was a tribal council meeting and celebrations location.

Today a

German Shepherd leaps across to Standing Rock and back for each tour, just like men use to do for the well know photographer, N.H. Bennett, that made Wisconsin Dells popular.

We walked along many interesting and named rock formations including Mushroom Rock.

From Wisconsin Dells we drove to Portage and the Indian Agency house built for John Harris Kinzie and his wife Juliette Magil Kinzie. Olivia read the history of Juliett Low, founder of the Girl Scouts and the beginning of it started with her ancestors the Kinzie’s. Juliette Kinzie wrote the book Wau Bun, which is one of the most important records of the Northwest territory. We purchased this book and look forward to reading it. This house was close to the canal that should have successfully connected the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers and ultimately the Mississippi with Lake Michigan. Too bad after about 40 years it was abandoned.

We found a farmer’s market in Portage and a farmer who had canning tomatoes at his farm, which just happened to be on the way back to the trailer. We bought 23 pounds to can, and some delicious Georgia peaches.

Friday, August 6, we traveled to Spring Green and a very unique house. As glacial seas receded, they left a towering spindle of rock, then came Alex Jordan filled with grand dreams and soaring visions. When he first climbed that rocky pinnacle, his imagination took flight., The result is the attraction known worldwide as theHouse 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, whimsical and the unexpected along with unusual flowers, like the pumpkin flower.

We had a difficult time finding this house as between the town and the house was a Frank Lloyd Wright house and a House on the Rock Resort. These two men were contemporaries and evidently not friends.

The inspiration for the house resulted from a meeting between Alex Jordan Sr. and Frank Lloyd Wright, between 1914 and 1923. Jordan Sr. drove to Taliesin to show Wright the plans for a building, the Villa Maria in Madison, which Jordan had designed. Jordan worshipped the famous architect and hoped for his approval. Wright looked at the plans and told Jordan: "I wouldn't hire you to design a cheese crate or a chicken coop. You're not capable." Fuming, on the drive back on Highway 23, Jordan pointed to a spire of rock and said "I'm going to put up a Japanese house on one of those pinnacle rocks and advertise it." Wright apparently didn't forget the incident, noting that Wright complained publicly to Iowa County officials about the house the Jordan’s were building" and bought a nearby piece of property, "perhaps as a way to get back at Jordan." This Wright house caused us problems in finding the House on the Rock.

The "house" itself is atop Deer Shelter Rock, a column of rock approximately 60 feet tall, 70 feet by 200 feet on the top. Additions were made to the original structure and other buildings added over the course of several decades.
The earlier structures, namely the House on the Rock itself, the Gate House, and the Mill House, are reminiscent of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright , though much less coherently designed than is characteristic of Wright, given its patchwork of external structures and interior spaces.
The house itself curves around the rock with rooms joining without walls. The first areahad one of many fireplaces and comfortable cushions for relaxing. The windows slope out and were built from the inside. The ceilings were low and carpeted.
The dining room and kitchen were up a few more steps and passing the first musical animations to the living room. The most unforgettable feature was the cantilevered
Infinity room, which extends 218 feet into space, 156 feet above the valley floor. Again notice how all the windows slope out, so they could be built from the inside.
We assumed the following room was a bedroom, then another living room with stain glass everywhere.

The ladies room had a wall of glass.

From there we strolled though the red-bricked “Streets of Yesterday” where we peeked into the shops, among them the Apothecary andsilver stores of a century past.
Around every bend was another music machines. Some large and some small. We had been given tokens to make them play, but it seemed someone always beat us to them.

There were sprawling creations of collections, displays and galleries by saying that “one thing just led to another.” Our self guided tour, just followed the signs, led us into several large buildings with all kinds of collections. One had a huge
whale being attacked by a giant squid, then around the sides of the room were nautical collections of all kinds.

In another large building we saw cars, hot air balloons, you name it, it was there.
One wall had lots of Burma Shave signs, and for those too young to remember them, here is a sampling. Berma Shave was a shaving lotion. These signs were on fence posts across the nation and it was always a treat to see them.
If you think, she likes, your bristles, walk bare-footed, through some thistles.
Within this vale, of toil and sin, your head, grows bald, but not your chin.
He saw the train, and tried to duck it, kicked first the gad, and then the bucket.
Proper, Distance, To him was bunk, pulled him out, of some guy’s trunk.
Ashes to ashes, forests to Dust, keep Wisconsin Green, or we’ll, All go bust.
His beard, was long, and strong and touch, he lost his, chicken in the rough.
He lit a match, to check gas tank, that’s why, they call him, skinless Frank.
Of course, they all ended with the add for Berma Shave.

By this time the camera was having a hard time keeping up with all the novelties and the whole place was dimly lit.

We guess there were at least 50 music machines, plus other large music collections. We wished all three of our grandchildren had been here with us to see them with us. Maybe someday our children and grands can experience some of the treats we have seen.
There were orchestras of all sizes and shapes with moving parts all to the music.

Aglow in a whirl of brilliance, the the world’s largest Carousel displayed 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted animals, not one of them a horse!

One room had all musical instruments like thedrum tree.

We walked past over 200 doll houses of all shapes and sizes then a doll carousel that was over 40 tall and spiraled like a Christmas tree.

In the organ room there were pipes all over the room, some big enough for a person to fit inside. Under the pipes was a life size symphony orchestra playing.

This may certainly had ingenuity and tireless energy, and we gave out after three hours of following the signs. We recommend this as a sight to see if you are ever in Wisconsin! We recommend planning a whole day so you can really enjoy all the toys and sights.

Later we found a Corps of Engineer park near Potosi, WI (pronounced Po-toe-si) right on the Mississippi River bank. We set up for the weekend.

Next Letter will tell about our travels to Amana, Iowa then north on the Mississippi.

Thanks for reading and we love to hear from you, so email us by clicking on one of the following:
Olivia@bobheck.com or fredharrington@yahoo.com