DIGITAL BANGLADESH

Day 22 - Mount Rushmore

Another gorgeous day. Another gorgeous sight. This has been such a wonderful journey. You forget just how much there is to see in our own country. This is my second trip to Mount Rushmore and Michael's first. Michael's response was the same as mine and probably most of the people who visit Mount Rushmore...What? They didn't remove the rubble?! The pile of shavings from the sculpture are all piled at the bottom. It's a beautiful sight and well worth the $10 to see it.

Lots of wildlife in this part of the country. We saw these mountain goats above as well as herds of deer and antelope.

After Mount Rushmore it was on to historic Deadwood, South Dakota, a mining town born in the 1800s when outlaws, gunslingers and gamblers ruled the streets. This is the place where famous gunslinger and lawman Wild Bill Hickok was killed playing a game of poker. When he was shot in the back, he was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. This has since become known as the "Dead Man's Hand." Today the entire town of Deadwood is a National Historic Landmark. We decided this would be our annual casino visit. We didn't win much, but it was fun nonetheless.

Day 21 - The Badlands

"Think of all the beauty still left
around you and be happy."
-Anne Frank

Today we drove the scenic byway through the Badlands National Park. It's a very beautiful place....except for the 15 miles of gravel road we didn't know about. Poor Bessie really needs a good wash. (Bessie is our van.)

Day 21 - Corn Palace, Wall Drug

And today we drove past the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota....

The Corn Palace murals are all made out of corn (husks and all)

And we spent some time wandering around quirky Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota. It's the biggest drug store in the world made famous in the 1930's by offering free ice water and posting signs the world around. The first billboard we saw said, "Wall Drug only 355 miles ahead!" They still offer "free ice water" and "5 cent coffee." I had a yummy burger made from buffalo. And we took lots of silly pictures....

Day 20 - Frank Lloyd Wright Country

We have been experiencing an unexpected side benefit of our "little jaunt" across the country. We keep driving thru Frank Lloyd Wright country! In western Pennsylvania we drove past the "Falling Water" house - a house actually built atop a waterfall.

And yesterday we were driving along a Wisconsin highway admiring the lovely green countryside when we came upon several enormous houses and fascinating buildings also created by Frank Lloyd Wright-the Taliesen. I don't have any pictures of this, because we came upon it so suddenly. Actually, we nearly drove off the road rubbernecking. But here is that website:
Then we passed thru Amish country. Not that that has anything to do with Frank Lloyd Wright, but it's still cool. This I have pictures of:

Can you imagine plowing a field with a team of 8 horses?!?

Here we bought yummy soaps and yummy chocolates.

And then! And then...we were driving out of another small town when the car in front of us lost a tire. Literally. The car swerved suddenly and came to a very abrupt stop on the side of the road and the front right tire just kept on going down the road, off the side, and out into a field. We stopped and made sure she was okay. Turns out all four lug nuts sheared completely off. I've never seen that before.

Finally, after driving the entire width of Minnesota, we made it across the Mississippi river and spent the night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Day 19 - The House On The Rock

"My house will stand on a rock on a hill.

Overlooking a valley deep and still."
-Alex Jordan

Yesterday we visited The House On The Rock Attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin. It was the coolest thing I have seen in years! I would have driven 100 miles out of my way just to see this. It is ingenious and insane, super swanky and a little bit creepy in spots. It is the Hearst Castle of the Midwest-especially when you consider that when Alex Jordan started building his house on a rock, it was so remote he had to carry all the stone and mortar in on his back.

The "Infinity Room" is 200 feet long with 3,000 windows that juts out over the rocky valley - 168 feet to the bottom. And it's cantilevered. When you walk out to the end it tips and bounces.

Inside the "Infinity Room"

Alex Jordan started building the House On The Rock in 1946. He wanted to be far away from people to explore his imagination. However his visionary architecture sparked the interest of his neighbors. In an effort to discourage gawkers he started charging admission, but this had the opposite effect-it attracted more attention! Now with this ever-increasing income he was able to indulge his eccentric - bordering on obsessive compulsive - collecting. My favorite rooms were the whale room, the breathtaking organ room, and the carousel room.

The whale room at the House On The Rock. This is a replica of a whale locked into battle with a giant octopus. The whale is 200 feet tall and as long as the Statue of Liberty is tall. If you look down near the right corner, you can see Michael! (Click on the picture to see larger.) What's more amazing is that this isn't even the largest room.

The actual house is 14 rooms built on a pinnacle of rock. This is every little boys fantasy! It certainly was mine. A groovy house that is part condo part cave...so cool. Following the house is a peculiar, outlandish complex of rooms, streets, buildings and gardens covering 200 acres. There is simply too much for me to talk about,

Super swanky is the word I use to describe the endless couches!

The "Winter Room"

The House On The Rock also has the largest carousel. It boasts over 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted animals - not one of them a horse. Here is video:

video

I took more pictures - oh, about a gazillion pictures - far too many to post here, so I have uploaded them all to picasa. Please have a look! It's so cool:

Eccentric America meets Roadside Attraction at the Don Q Inn

This morning we left the Shuberts and drove 9 hours through Cleveland and Chicago to Dodgeville, Wisconsin, which is just east of Madison, Wisconsin. We are staying the weekend at the Don Q Inn. I saw it online and instantly knew we had to stay here.

Lobby of the Don Q Inn in Dodgeville, Wisconsin

The Don Q Inn was featured in People Magazine! In 1988.... It’s hilarious. For example, the lobby is dominated by a mammoth fire pit surrounded by old-style barber chairs. I mean, what? They have seriously wacky “themed” fantasy suites called “Fantasuites”, but we are staying in a standard room. It's old and has dark wood paneling reminiscent of a medieval dungeon. We’ve stayed in much worse. And out front is a giant Boeing C-97 that Farah Fawcett signed after filming a commercial here many years ago. I mean, what? Oh, and there’s also an underground tunnel that leads to the restaurant next door. I’m thoroughly enjoying this. Tomorrow we visit the House On The Rock.

This Boeing C-97 flew to its present location in front of the Don Q Inn in the sixties.
Farah Fawcett signed the fuselage after filming a commercial here in the seventies.

The Don Q Inn in Dodgeville, WI. The chapel at the end is a three-story "Fantasuite"

Day 15 - Visit with the Schuberts in Cleveland, Ohio

Michael with Bev, Jack, and Chris Schubert

Okay! Listen up, people! The Schuberts RULE! Bev, Chris, and Jack Schubert are former clients of ours from Seattle. About 2 years ago they moved out to Cleveland, Ohio - where Chris is from originally - and since this was on our path more or less, we decided we had to visit them.

On Wednesday we zipped out of Philadelphia and headed west. The roads in western Pennsylvania are gorgeous. And they should be! The tolls cost us $32. We passed through several mountains on our way to Ohio. That’s right, through. Rather than winding around or over, the interstate tunnels right through Alleghany Mountain, Blue Mountain, and several others.

Interstate 276 tunnel through Blue mountain in western Pennsylvania.

After a quick seven hours on the road we arrived at the Schubert’s place outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Holy beautiful house, batman! They are currently living in a stunning 6-bedroom house that sits on 7 manicured acres and includes a 4-car garage and two ponds loaded with frogs, one large turtle and fish. And it’s for sale! Spread the word!!! Bev and Chris and Jack are moving back to Seattle (hooray!) as soon as they can sell their place.

I hate imposing upon people, but they made us feel so comfortable that we stayed 3 days! They took us to local restaurants like Sokolowski’s where you can load yourself with piles of polish cooking. I LOVE local restaurants! And they made sure we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. I had no idea this was in Cleveland, so I’m thankful they suggested it. Most of the time we just hung out…in their cavernous house. Soooo cool. Thank you Bev and Chris!! (We are still stuffed!)

Here are a few pictures I took of their place:

A beautiful house in the country

The Schubert's house feels like it is way out in the peaceful countryside even though it's only minutes to downtown Cleveland.

Food and Fun:

Michael getting ready to chow down on his lunch from Sokolowski's. If you're ever in Cleveland check this place out.

Bev's car!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland

Michael and Ernest posing in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Smithsonian Castle

We had one thing left to see in DC before heading west. And that was the Smithsonian. Now, I realize that there are miles and miles of Smithsonian exhibits in many, many buildings. So, I narrowed it down. I wanted to see the Castle and I wanted to visit the National Museum of Natural History. Ever since seeing a picture book of this museum as a kid I've wanted to go here. It's an item to check off my bucket list!

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Hall of Dinosaurs

We also had a chance to visit with my cousin David Palmer, who lives and works in DC. He is employed by Homeland Security and the part of his job that he can actually talk about...involves the deportation of foreign spies operating on U.S. soil. Cool, huh? We had lunch at a DC Steak House - just the kind of place you can picture lobbyists and politicians swinging deals and making plans for our future.

Me and my cousin David. I don't remember it being that windy.

Washington Monument on the Mall

Michael and Anne in front of Independence Hall

1776 anyone? Every time I see Independence Hall in Philadelphia I start humming songs from the movie musical 1776 like John Adams singing: "We piddle, twiddle, and resolve. Not one damn thing do we solve in foul, feted, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia!" And I picture the great Ron Holgate as Richard Henry Lee of Virginia roaring around on his horse singing: "Here-a-Lee, there-a-Lee, everywhere-a-Lee-a-Lee! And may my blood stop running blue, if I can't deliver unto you a resolution on independency!" But enough of the musical references...

We had another great visit to another historic city today. This was my second time in Philly, and it wasn't as emotional as my first trip. I was really surprised at how patriotic I felt seeing Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell for the first time. But that was prior to 9/11 and you could walk pretty much anywhere you wanted. Today, you have to pass through security cordons and have your bag checked to get near anything. It still brings out my inner patriot, though. It's wonderful to see where our bid for independence began. To walk one block and be where Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence. To sit in the shade of the Betsy Ross house. To send postcards from Benjamin Franklin's Free Post Office -- where old Ben invented the postal system that we still use today. So much history!