Corn, Corn, and More Corn

Days 31 – 36, Wisconsin – Colorado

Yesterday we left beautiful Michigan with a pang of longing and lots of memories.  Bob grew up there and enjoyed attending his 50^th class reunion and visiting with his brother and many friends, and also enjoyed being back in the area.  After 35 years of marriage, I have come to enjoy and appreciate how pretty MI is, or at least in the spring, summer, or fall.  I’ve never visited in the winter and I’m always aware that it must be a bit difficult to get around there during the winter.  But the same can be said for most of the northern states, so I am appreciative of the beautiful autumn weather and the tinges of color we are beginning to see in the heavily forested areas of Michigan.

 

Fall colors in MI

Leaving MI, we drive 197 miles across the Upper Peninsula from the Mackinaw Bridge at St. Ignace to Marinette, Wisconsin.  This is US-2, and it wraps around the northern bounds of Lake Michigan.  Years ago, we traveled this route in reverse when we had visited beautiful Door County, WI for business purposes and driven over to MI to visit family.  It’s a pretty drive, and we remember how scenic Eastern WI is.  Again, we wish we were giving ourselves the time to go explore but we have a different path planned.

When I think of Wisconsin, two things come to mind: the Green Bay Packers and cheese.  Well, I’m not disappointed because both are everywhere. 

 

WI favorite team!

WI favorite food!

But also, WI is “America’s Dairyland” and the farms, red barns, and silos are beautiful.  However, I guess all the cows were in the barns while we were driving because we didn’t see many in the pastures.

Cow table?

I was very taken with WI; the hillsides and corn fields seem to roll-on forever and the small towns are charming and everything is well kept and makes a very strong favorable first impression.  Our daughter told us she has had many friends from WI and they are all some of the nicest people she has ever known; I believe her.

Our destination is just east of Madison, the state’s capital city, in the south-central part of the state.  We are going to Spring Green, WI where Frank Lloyd Wright was born and raised on a big farm just south of the village.  It later became his studio and summer home, Taliesin.  Bob is a huge fan of FLW, so it’s better if he describes his experience.

After checking in at the Visitor Center, we admired the many FLW gift items available for sale.  I simply love his design style. 
 

FLW Sculpture

We had signed up for the “Highlights Tour” which was a 2-hour, bus driven tour of both the Drafting School and the Taliesin residence.  The estate grounds were beautiful, consisting of about 600 acres of farmlands, ponds, Wright buildings and outbuildings.  The drafting studio was built in 1903 and looked like something from 1960; he was way ahead of his time.

The thing I like about Wright’s buildings is that he designed everything inside and out to complement the primary structure including the bricks, windows, doors, furniture, curtains, built-ins, and design details.  Everything works together to provide an overall sense of superb design and creates a unique experience for all who visit the structures.

The Drafting School is still operating as an architectural school, where students can get a 2-year advanced degree, or just come for a 6-week intensive study in FLW’s design principles and approach.  We saw a couple of students working in the studio, even though it was a Friday. 

Drafting Studio

The main Taliesin residence was Wright’s personal home and is a very unique house.  We saw only a small part of the original building, which he expanded in stages over many years.  Again, everything inside was personally designed by Wright to complement the structure and the feeling he wanted visitors to have.  We were not allowed to photograph the interior areas as all the surfaces, decor, and furnishings are copyrighted.  He often used the principle of compression and expansion, moving people from rooms of very low heights (6-1/2 ft) into rooms with high peaked ceilings. 

Main House, different levels

The word Taliesin is Welsh for “shining brow” and is appropriate since the main house is built into the brow of a large hill overlooking the farm.  There are stunning views from many rooms of the house, gardens, yard and farm, including corn fields.  After the tour, we enjoyed a light lunch at the café in the visitor center, and a nice view of the valley.

Shining Brow

Corn fields and valley

I agree with Bob’s summation about Taliesin; it was beautiful and a very informative visit.  Leaving central WI, we crossed the mighty Mississippi and headed across southern MN.  Again, the farmlands seemed to extend forever, and despite merely driving on I-90 and not exploring the area we enjoyed seeing this part of America’s Heartland.  Early in the morning there was a band of fog above the farmlands and the sunrise tinged everything purple; truly, America the Beautiful.

Early Morning Fog in MN

MN farmland

Our initial plan was to proceed directly west across MN to visit the Black Hills, SD.  My grandparents lived in Spearfish and I have a lot of pleasant memories of visiting the area and wanted to revisit.  However, a sense of family responsibility was tugging at us.  When we started this journey, over a month ago, my Aunt passed away.  Sadly, she had no immediate family and the task of cleaning out her home had fallen to my siblings in Colorado.  After consulting with them we offered to return to CO to help and they welcomed the extra hands.

MN Corn Field

So, mid-way across MN we headed south through Iowa to Des Moines, westward across IA, and across Nebraska to Ogallala.  It was a very long day of driving and yes; there were a lot of fields of corn.  Corn was everywhere, and actually we had seen the fields in WI and MN, as well as across IA and NE. 

Iowa Corn Fields

Iowa Wind Farm

I am reminded of the sign in Kansas, on our eastward journey across the Mid-West, that said “We Feed America.”  But I find myself wondering what does America do with all this corn?  It’s everywhere!

Thanks to Google, I found an interesting article (2013) answering my questions about how America uses its massive corn crop.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-corn/

Accordingly, much of America’s high yield corn crop is used for biofuels and animal feed, and only a small amount of the nation’s crop is actually corn on our tables and that is generally in the form of controversial high fructose corn syrup.  Interesting.

We crossed the Missouri River from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska.  I was very curious about Omaha; I like Warren Buffet and he continues to call it home. 

Missouri River

 I’d like to say that the towns of NE ticked by quickly as we traveled west . . . however, the state is very flat and it seemed to take forever to get across the prairie from Omaha, to Lincoln (state Capital), Kearney, North

Omaha, NE

Platte, and finally to Ogallala where we stayed the night.  I grew up in neighboring Colorado so the NE town names were familiar to me but this was my first time to visit. 

Corn across Nebraska

Again, we should have taken the time to explore but now we were on a mission to return to Colorado to be helpful to my family.  We remind ourselves that this entire trip we have been calling the “family and friends” road trip because our goal was to visit with those we consider dear to our hearts and see the central US states.  We have been blessed throughout the trip!

The homeward stretch from Ogallala to my brother’s place outside Parker, CO should only take slightly over 3 hours of wide open driving so we start out early knowing we can be helpful once we get there.  After about half an hour we are in Colorful Colorado and again, I feel my roots. 

We stop at a rest stop at Sterling (same football league as my high school, the mighty Lambkins!) and we encounter our second blip of the entire trip of nearly 6000 miles.  You might recall I was sick while in TN and needed to see a doctor; that was the first blip.  But this is far more important . . . Bob realizes his cell phone is at the motel in Ogallala, NE.  Of course we have to turn around and go back 89 miles!   

Colorado also grows corn.  I guess it was planted later than the crops in the mid-west because the stocks were still green and the corn was on the husks.  I’m guessing these crops are raised more for silage or biofuels than they are a food crop.  We also start seeing more fields of hay and wheat in NE Colorado.

Mountains & Corn

Hay field rolled

More Corn!

We both felt good about our decision to return to CO to lend a helping hand to my siblings.  While we have been traveling across America enjoying ourselves, my family has been dealing with the emotional and physical tasks of losing a loved one.  I loved my Aunt also, and returning to CO for a couple days of sorting and cleaning out her house is a small contribution.  My heart feels lighter and I’m thankful that Bob is willing to change our plans and remember that our mission for this trip was all about family and friends

A Mighty Maple

Days 25 – 30, Birmingham, MI – Upper Peninsula, MI

Hard to believe it’s been 50 years since I graduated from high school, but here we are at my 50^th reunion in Birmingham, Michigan.  Having never been to a previous reunion, I am a little nervous about not recognizing anyone.  I came from a large school with a graduating class of well over 700, and there are about 150 who have planned to come to this reunion.  On the way here, Le Anna asked me what our school mascot was, and I drew a blank.  Then it came back to me – we are the Maples - - the mighty, mighty Maples!!  Who names their football team the Maples?  All the tougher-sounding names must have been taken.

Mighty Maples of Seaholm High School

On arriving in B’ham, we looked for an old favorite restaurant for lunch, but found it had closed several years ago.  Darn it; they made the best, corned beef & Swiss cheese sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.  So we made a quick drive-by of our old houses in two different parts of town, my old elementary school, and the old high school.

Puritan Street House

Quarton Elementary

Seaholm High School

My junior high was no longer standing, but the other places were all recognizable, although they had changed significantly.  Lots of good memories!  B’ham was a mid-size town about 15 miles north of Detroit – very prosperous area with beautiful houses – and a great place to grow up.

The reunion started with a casual Friday night mixer at the hotel.  Although a little awkward at first, it turned into a fun night, renewing old friendships and making new acquaintances.  My brother had married a girl in my class, and the two of them had kept in touch with many classmates over the years. 

 

My brother, Le Anna & myself

So they served as our guides to “who was who.”  It was great to see people I had not seen for many years, but remembered well.  To top off the night, the current cheerleading squad from our high school showed up to give the alumni several cheers, and mix with the old folks.  Very nice!

Saturday night was the big Reunion dinner dance.  My brother and I showed up dressed almost identically – same navy blazer, blue checked shirts, and grey slacks – hilarious; the Watkins twins! 

My brother, his wife & myself

We saw a few different people than Friday night, and some of the same ones.  I recognized lots of familiar names, but not so many faces.  Although the names were familiar, I was unsure if I really knew them, or just knew who they were.  The food was not great, but the music was terrific – classic 60’s rock, what else?

I saw some old neighbors, old friends, and old heartthrobs.  A few drinks, a few dances, and lots of laughs . . . it was great to see old acquaintances.  The emotions ran the gamut.  Overall, it was a very memorable night.

 

A fun evening!

My elementary school classmates!

Good friends!

Sunday morning Le Anna and I took the opportunity to visit my nephew and his family who live nearby, before driving up north to my brother’s house.  He and his wife live north of Traverse City, Michigan, in a beautiful house right on Lake Michigan.

View from my brother's home

Lake Michigan

On the drive up, we got to see the central Michigan countryside – farmlands transitioning to forests and small lakes.  We enjoyed a relaxing 3 days at my brothers, sitting on the deck, touring the local area, and lots of good conversation.  My other brother from St. Charles, MO joined us and made it even more special.  One highlight was lunch at the Legs Inn, north of Harbor Springs.  Named for the iron stove legs that line the roof eaves, this is an authentic Polish food restaurant, and the food and the setting is always worth the drive.

View from Leg's Inn

The towns along the shore of Lake Michigan are interesting and picturesque places.  Each has its own unique character, including Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petosky, and Harbor Springs, and each is worth a visit.

 

Charlevoix

Another highlight for us boys was a visit to the Guntzviller’s Taxidermy and Spirit of the Woods Museum in Elk Rapids.  This little-known museum houses one of the largest and finest collections of Native American arrowheads and artifacts that I have ever seen.  He has some very rare items, including a 12,000 year-old Clovis point, in addition to numerous taxidermy specimens.  Check it out if you are in the area.

http://northernmichigantaxidermy.com/

After leaving my brother’s place, we headed north to the Straits of Mackinac, and across the Mackinaw Bridge – the longest suspension bridge in the US.  This bridge was completed back in 1959, and connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. 

Mackinaw Bridge

We drove west across the bottom of the Upper Peninsula, or UP as it’s known, following the shore of Lake Michigan.  Not many people live in the UP, and the forests are thick.  On another trip we would like to take time to see the Pictured Rocks – a stretch of colorful cliffs on the southern shore of Lake Superior - it was highly recommended to us. 

Going home is always a mix of emotions.  It is never the same as it was in your memory, but in other ways it still feels good.  The reunion was all of these things and more.

Fast Cars, Racing Horses, and Smooth Whiskey

Days 19 – 26, Nashville TN to Birmingham, MI

Leaving Nashville we took the back roads so we could see the countryside rather than the back of a semi-trailer on the interstate.  Beautiful!  The farms all look pristine with the white fences and rolling hills.  We spotted several fields of tobacco and the hanging sheds. 

 

Somebody's Old Kentucky Home

Hanging Tobacco

While in Nashville we noticed many smokers, but excused it away to the music and whiskey and cigar shops in “The District.”  Now that I’ve seen the tobacco farms, I guess it is just part of the local economy.

We headed to Bowling Green, KY and at the suggestion of my brother who owns a 50^th Anniversary Corvette, we went to the National Corvette Museum.  It was lots of fun!  They had just finished filling in the big crater in the floor that had consumed several of the beautiful vettes.  We loved seeing all the older models and learned quite a bit of history about the car.  It’s hard to walk through that museum without wanting one!

Bowling Green KY

Dreaming!

Since we didn’t order a sports car, we decided to drown Bob’s sorrow in a bottle of whiskey by going to the Jim Beam Distillery.  He lost out again; poor guy can’t have any fun!  We’ve been to distilleries in Scotland when we lived in the UK so he wasn’t very interested in doing a tour.  I think he was just hoping for a tasting room . . . pay $5 for a couple shots.  But that’s not how that distillery works so he walked away with only an appreciation for the very nice countryside and a desire to see more of the famed whiskey trail.  By the way, it’s actually called the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, a registered trademark name of the Kentucky Distillers Association.

Made in America

Clermont KY

 

Fast cars and whiskey . . . now it was time to head to the horse races!  We went to Churchill Downs and visited the Kentucky Derby Museum.  Very enjoyable!  Our tour guide was very well informed and funny.  The tour was pretty encompassing so we felt we learned quite a bit.  Pity the 1913 horse, Donerail, who raced with the longest odds of 91-1.  His owner did not bet on him . . . and of course he won! 

Twin Towers on National Historic Register

Interesting factoids

After our tour we enjoyed lunch in the Kentucky Derby Café and ordered the local favorite, Kentucky Burgoo.  It is a meaty stew of no less than 8 vegetables and three different meats; served with cornbread it was excellent!  I’ll be looking for a recipe for this local dish.  www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/kentucky_burgoo/ 

The fall races at Churchill Downs began after lunch; we had lots of fun watching and let’s just say that one of us had a couple winning tickets, small but ahead of the game!

Lucky Me!

My winning horse!

Taking country roads again we started for Lexington but got sidetracked at the Wild Turkey Distillery . . . this time Bob did get to indulge.  I find it all interesting because he rarely drinks whiskey, or I guess it is actually bourbon, but . . . when in KY buy bourbon. 

 

Lawrenceburg, KY

Lots of varieties

There’s a lot of history surrounding the making and distribution of bourbon in Kentucky, and this is an area we’d like to explore more on another trip.  For more information, check out  kybourbontrail.com/

All of Kentucky is horse country, but particularly around Lexington.  It is beautiful and totally it’s own world and culture.  The farms were rolling across the hills, magnificent dry stonewalls, deep green grassy pastures, and creosote stained fences.  Located on the Kentucky River, Lexington is the heart of the Bluegrass Region of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  There are only four in the US (VA, MA, PA & KY, who knew?) Every bit of KY that we saw, but particularly the area around Lexington is very idyllic and picturesque, and worthy of another trip someday. 

 My insight into retirement for today is that we have not allowed enough time to dawdle and enjoy the beautiful places we are seeing.  The purpose of this trip was to visit family and friends and in retrospect we have over-obligated our time.  Hopefully we will get smarter as time goes on and we learn more about our travel temperaments and tolerances.

But as the road trip continues, we have made plans to visit friends who have retired at Lake Waynoka, OH which is just about an hour east of Cincinnati.  We met M&T when we lived in England and have enjoyed visiting with them while they lived in Calgary, AB Canada and again when they came to our home in WA.  This time it is wonderful to see them relaxed and enjoying their dream home on the lake.  It was a very good visit, and we look forward to many more in coming years.  Leaving here, the farms go by one after another in OH and again, we have the sense of “we feed America.”  

Lake Waynoka OH

Ripley OH

OH River

Somewhere in OH

From OH we enter Indiana for about a hundred miles and spot several wind farms and lots of cornfields.  At this point I count the states we have traveled through on this trip.  With entering MI, we are at thirteen (WA, OR, ID, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL, KY, TN, OH, IN, & MI.)  We haven’t decided on a route home from MI so there will be a few more to add to the list!

Corn & windfarms in Indiana

Somewhere in Indiana

 Our destination for the evening is Grand Rapids, MI so we can tour the Gerald R. Ford Museum.  Bob’s cousin is a sculptor specializing in models; one of her early works was a model of the White House for display in the museum.  Sadly, we didn’t find it.  The docent thought perhaps the model had been removed and a technology driven display of the White House has replaced the artwork.  Disappointing!

President & Mrs. Ford's Gravesites

Our next visit is with friends who live in Whitehall, MI a lovely small town near Lake Michigan.  We’ve known A for 35+ years and have gotten to know her husband, J, recently.  They hosted us a couple years ago and were such good hosts we looked forward to visiting again.  It was a very relaxing and we needed the respite.

Lighthouse

Charming Whitehall MI

It’s time to head across MI to the suburbs of Detroit, specifically Birmingham, where Bob grew up.  He will be attending his 50^th high school class reunion; he’s never gone to one before so it should be fun to meet and greet and reminisce.  After several days of travel, he is ready to travel down memory lane and go home.