Amy's America

Day 6 – Wisconsin: House on the Rock, Frank Lloyd Wright and Madison

September 15, 2010 by altatwood

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I didn’t drive a car once today: woo hoo! Andrea took the wheel and we (along with Anna, the happiest baby in the whole world) went to The House on the Rock and Frank Lloyd Wright’s summer home Taliesen. Well, we officially visited The House on the Rock – paid admission and toured the house and everything – and trespassed on the grounds of Taliesen. (Hey – admission is $47 per person for the tour and children aren’t allowed, so officially touring wasn’t an option. And since I was that close to a Frank Lloyd Wright home, I HAD to get some pictures…)

The House on the Rock is really pretty indescribable. It is so strange and fascinating. I’m convinced the guy was on pretty heavy drugs and that it was a great party place – I’ve nicknamed it the Love Shack. Maybe the B-52s partied there too. Complete with red shag rug on the floor AND ceiling, and many intimate little cubbies with couches for private trysts. I think they should make a movie about it. And if it really wasn’t such as sordid tale (that’s certainly not the story they give in the visitor’s center) maybe someone should do a fictional one based there. Could even be a horror film, as some of his collections are pretty creepy…

After that, as I mentioned, we trespassed on the grounds of Taliesin and I took a few photos from as close as we dared. I was then pleasantly surprised to find another Frank Lloyd Wright building right in downtown Madison! The pictures above of the building with the big windows on the lake are of Monona Terrace, which was Frank’s ‘dream civic center.’ While it took 50 years to get it built, it was definitely worth it.

After walking around Monona Terrace, we ate dinner at Brocach Irish Pub in Madison at the recommendation of my friend Monica, who knows the owners, who also happen to be from Massachusetts. Great place – thanks Monica – I highly recommend it! After dinner Tom took Anna home and Andrea and I wandered the city. It’s a great little city. I could definitely live here. I asked Andrea and Tom why they love it here and they both stressed that there is always so much to do, without the negative things (like high crime and traffic) that come with big cities. The people are another reason – the friendliness and diversity. I saw all of those things in my time here. And even got to sample the great frozen custard. Yuuuuummmm…. Really wish I wasn’t leaving tomorrow!

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Thoughts from the road – Day 5

September 14, 2010 by altatwood

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More than anything else, Day 5 was all about getting from point A (Lima, Ohio) to point B (Madison, Wisconsin). So it was a day of driving. However, I did take a detour to explore Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore – and I’m so glad I did. It’s a photographer’s dream. All the pictures in the slideshow above were taken there, specifically at Mt. Baldy. I highly recommend the entire area. There are a ton of beaches (stick to the federal ones as they are free – the state ones charge) and a great visitor info center just off the highway with helpful people and tons of trail maps and brochures. It was such a relaxing break in the drive – very few things make me feel as peaceful as being on the water. And it was good exercise too, as it’s a hike to get to the top of Mt. Baldy!

As I mentioned, most of the day was spent in the car with Aidan (my GPS for those new to the blog) and my tape recorder, since I finally bought tapes. So here are a few of the random thoughts I recorded on the drive. (And yes, Seth, I completely cracked up when I pressed play on the recorder and heard us laughing our butts off!)

I need to learn to trust Aidan. It really is like building a relationship. He tells me something and I don’t quite know whether to believe him or not since it’s so early in our relationship. Sometimes the times he gives seem too good to be true. But he hasn’t steered me wrong yet, so I guess I just have to trust him until I have a reason not to.
Oh my gosh, it’s heaven: I see a Dunkin Donuts sign! Ooh – and an actual Verizon store!
I think the Transformers creators must have lived in the midwest. The machinery here is so complex, I feel like I’m surrounded by Autobots and Decepticons amongst the cornfields.
I don’t understand why all states don’t have motorcycle helmet laws. Accidents can happen anywhere and they do help.
I’ve seen more pro-life billboards in the last two days than I’ve seen in my entire life.
An awful lot of giant trucks are Volvos. It makes my car more comfortable – I think she feels a kinship with them. Call me crazy – but whatever works, since I’m sharing the road with them for the next few months.
They give free tours of the Hallmark ornaments museum! But I missed what exit it’s off of. Probably a good thing. It said there’s also a party and Christmas outlet there and I really don’t need to buy any of those things right now…
Must admit, my heart gave a bit of a tug when I saw the sign for South Bend, next turn. I spent so much time there through my college years. I wanted to turn, but reminded myself he’s not there and so much has changed in 15 years.
Soooooo many cornfields. ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Where was that? Iowa?
Looking at my feet after climbing Mt. Baldy barefoot: I’m very thankful that as a child my parents let me run around barefoot at the beach and everywhere. I’m also thankful I didn’t get the pedicure I considered this morning. Now I REALLY need one!
I’m an idiot. Completely forgot that we have multiple timezones in this country. Note to self (and anyone else paying attention): Make sure you know what time zone you’re in or going to be in if you’re traveling so you can plan accordingly.
The only thing I’ve ever really known about Wisconsin are: cheese, Brett Favre (and he’s not even here any more)/the Green Bay Packers and Michael Laurino (and he’s not here any more either). Let’s see what I can learn!

Now I’m comfortably snuggled in bed at my friend Andrea’s house in Madison. So nice to not be in a motel! She has a lovely home, a nice husband, lots of cute pets and an adorable baby, all of whom made me feel very welcome. I’m really looking forward to exploring with her tomorrow…

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Days 3 and 4 – Exploring Ohio and tackling the blog

September 12, 2010 by altatwood

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As you’ve probably figured out, I am trying to get the hang of not only being on the road, but of blogging – so please bear with me. I promise to try not to do a bunch of posts in one day again. I’ve just spent the majority of my computer time the last few days trying to figure out how to put the slideshows into my blog entries so I haven’t been writing much until now. Thank you, Laura, for your help! Think I’ve got the hang of it now. I’ve been thinking about other things to add to the site too, so you’ll see some new things over the coming days such as a map (thanks to Tara) that tracks where I go and an FAQ. So stay tuned. Now back to our regularly scheduled program:

Seth and I woke up on Day 3 and headed straight for Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many of the pictures in the slideshow above of Days 3 and 4 were taken by Seth. As soon as he got in the car and I was telling him about how hard it is to drive, write and take pictures at the same time, he volunteered to take pictures as we drove. And he did a great job! We were actually disappointed when we saw that you’re not allowed to take pictures in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only in the lobby and outside. Oh well.

We did walk around a bit after and got pictures of Lake Erie and the Cleveland Browns’ stadium, and from the road Seth got the Cleveland Indians’ stadium and some other city shots. It seems like a nice, small city, reminded me a bit of Buffalo.

From there we started to drive to Columbus to go see some racing. I was very excited – I haven’t been to a race in years and really wanted to get some race car shots. Alas, the rain started and we knew we were doomed. So we rerouted (well, Aidan did) and ended up at the movies. The Other Guys. It was pretty good – great cast and some good lines, but it could’ve been done better. We found a little place nearby and crashed there for the night.

This morning we decided to have a lazy Sunday. We had a great brunch at Bob Evans – the people in Ohio are so nice! We drove back toward Lima and decided to take in another movie. The Switch – very funny and sweet – I loved it. Seth then showed me around his school, and after dinner I took a few last pictures of Ohio. I saw a train parked on some tracks, with the sun going down and I couldn’t resist. Of course AFTER I wandered through the brush, closer to the tracks to get a better shot and heard rattling, Seth told me that there ARE snakes in Ohio. Think I’ll watch where I walk on this trip. Oh, the things I’ll do for a good picture!

Posted in Road trip | 6 Comments »