Peeling the Intriguing Layers of Wisconsin OLA

Colby cheese in the making in Decatur Dairy, Wisconsin 

We were not able to get to the northern part of Minnesota along Lake Superior and the western section where most of the lakes are (the state is known as the Land of 10,000 lakes). But from our campground there and from the one in Illinois, we peeled the fascinating layers of Wisconsin, one layer at a time, without staying in the state even a single night!

world's largest 6-pack in La Crosse

At La Crosse, on the Minnesota border, we were pleasantly shocked at suddenly coming upon the World’s Largest 6-Pack! Bill didn’t even know about La Crosse beer when those huge beer cans showed up, dwarfing the trees and parked cars. And happily raising his beer mug to the passers-by was the King of Beer from the 13^th century, Gambrinus.

National Historical Cheesemaking Center

From the Illinois border, we toured Decatur Dairy near Monroe, the Swiss Cheese Capital of the US and home to the National Historical Cheese Making Center.  Decatur’s Master Cheese Maker Steve has won many awards in the state, the US and Europe. Wisconsin supplies 26% of the cheese consumed in the country. Over 2.6 B pounds of 600 varieties of cheese are produced every year from the milk of 1.26 M cows in 13,000 dairy farms in the state.

Gambrinus, King of Beer

In Milwaukee, along the other great lake, Lake Michigan, we had lunch at Mader’s, a German restaurant that has been operating since 1902. We had the best beef goulash, pork schnitzel, veal sauerbreuten we have ever had. It was also my first time to have pretzel rolls…yummy! And for dessert…apple strudel! Gambrinus was again there, staring at me as I sank into their BIG chair. The region is home to a lot of good German cuisine. This is the first layer: outstanding food and beverage.

Milwaukee Art Museum

Wright's Place...Taliesin

Also in Milwaukee we were taken aback as the Milwaukee Art Museum loomed before us. It is prominently featured in Transformers 3. And this leads us to the second layer: art and architecture! A famous Wisconsin son: Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland, Wisconsin but there are 7 possible houses where he was born. Just a few miles south is Taliesin where Wright built his home, tucked away into the hills, as is his style, together with a school of architecture, a restaurant, and a visitor center.  

the Infinity Room of the House on the Rock

A few miles south in Spring Green, Wisconsin, is the House on the Rock, a complex of architecturally designed rooms, streets, gardens and shops by Alex Jordan, Jr.  On a singular standing rock he slowly built his home from left-over materials of his carpenter-father. Trees have now almost covered the spectacular view except for the Infinity Room that soars out 250-feet into the valley 150-ft below.

     

the Basilica on Holy Hill

A friend of ours (Didi Manarang) told us of her annual pilgrimage to Hubertus, Wisconsin, where the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary sits on top of a Holy Hill. In the Roman Catholic Church, a basilica is the highest Papal designation given to a building that carries special spiritual, historical, and architectural significance. Beside the Meditation Chapel inside the basilica is a receptacle of crutches that have, through miraculous healing, become no longer needed.

the simple tomb of Adele Brise

Further north near Green Bay, Wisconsin is the site of one of only 15 approved sites of a Marian apparition, an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared supernaturally to one or more people. Another friend, Loy Aquino, brought us there. Just a year after Lourdes, Adele Brise, a young Belgian immigrant, saw a beautiful woman standing between a maple and a hemlock tree and was given the mission to teach the children of the area their Catechism. The approval for Our Lady of Good Help just came on Dec. 8 last year. This is the layer that happily surprised us: religion.

Lambeau Field of the Green Bay Packers

But, according to Bill, Green Bay is host to a spot, another miracle, where thousands gather! It is known as Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, SuperBowl legends! I also have to mention that Harley-Davidson’s Head Office is in Milwaukee (although we took the plant tour in Kansas City instead)! Well, that’s Wisconsin for you…made up of solid layers that make the state known and loved in the country…plus all the other bonuses!

6 layers of motorcycles at Harley-Davidson

Next Stop: Meeting in My Kind of Town, Chicago! 

Exploring from our Minnesota Campground OLA

a barn quilt by the roadside in Hidden Bluffs Country

Our feet were getting itchy so we made an appointment for the Chicago Camping World to finish the job on our RV (one of the benefits of working with a reliable nationwide chain) and proceeded to Hidden Bluffs Resort (after the little pilgrimage to the Grotto) in Spring Grove at Minnesota’s southeastern corner.  A bluff is defined as a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad steep face.  The resort is a small valley surrounded by bluffs that have been hidden by lots of very green deciduous trees.

a bluff by the roadside

We quickly found out that it is a weekend getaway for local families, especially from nearby Rochester. The planned activities were for kids and the amenities were geared for them, too. Even the hot tub was frequently occupied by a family so we went either early in the morning or late at night. Thus, we quickly plotted our day trips in our 8 days here. Our only condition was to have the trips every other day so we can have time for maintenance, housekeeping, computer work, and cooking.

Our first trip was to Rochester, 1 ½ hours away, and to Minneapolis-St. Paul, another 1 ½ hours from there.  The Mall of the America with a theme park, an aquarium, and an entertainment district (my favorite is the amazing Lego Store) is the biggest in the USA, in a southern burb of Minneapolis. With 500 stores and 4.2 M sq. ft. total area (2.8 M of which are leasable), it is the 13^th largest mall in the world (China has 4, Philippines 4, Canada 1, Dubai 1, Turkey 1, and Malaysia 1 in the top 12).

Mayo Clinic

In Rochester is Mayo Clinic, in top 3 of 10 of 12 important specializations (1 in diabetes, gastroenterology, and kidney, 2 in gynecology, heart, neurology, orthopedics, pulmonary, 3 in cancer and urology). Only Johns-Hopkins ranks close with 9.  So we went to see the Mayowood Mansion where the Mayos lived and the Plummer House (Dr. Plummer was the 3^rd doctor who founded the clinic along with the brothers). Atop the Plummer Building downtown is the Rochester Carillon, a system of 15 bells that play symphonies!  

   

Pine Bend Refinery

This day trip took over 11 hours, 7 for driving alone! On the way to the twin cities we saw a huge unique plant looming larger and larger from the horizon. On our way back, we made it a point to stop to take photos. I found out later that it is the Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount. It is among the top processors of Canadian crude in the US, supplying most of the Upper Midwest and certainly, the twin cities, especially its airport, with its capacity of about 320,000 barrels per day. 

a bear mound

The next day trip was to the Effigy Mounds National Monument, only 2 hours from ‘home’ in Harper’s Ferry, Iowa.  There were about 10,000 mounds at one time in the plains of the Midwest to the Atlantic. The Woodland Period Indians, from 500 BC until early European contact, had regularly constructed them in the shape of mammals, birds, or reptiles but agriculture plowed them under. The monument contains 2,526 acres with 206 mounds, 31 effigies. This park is the largest known collection of mounds in the US.

world's smallest church

From Pike’s Peak in MacGregor, Iowa, you can look out to the Mississippi bluffs and see Wisconsin on the other side, especially the town of Prairie du Chen.  And going back to our ‘home’, we made it a point to make a little diversion to 2 points of interest: the World’s Smallest Church (a Catholic church that seats 8 people) in Festino, Iowa (built in --) and the Laura Ingall’s childhood home at Burr Oak, Iowa. This is the place which inspired many of the stories of her Little House on the Prairie.

Laura Ingall's prairie home

Amish Store in Canton

Around the campground are little towns known as Historic Bluffs Country.  Niagara Cave known for its 60-ft. waterfall is in Harmony, a dozen quaint barn quilts are in Caledonia, and an Amish buggy is the weekend market in Canton. We had a chance to go to Rushford Days, an annual festival with a tractor pulling competition and other never-heard-of games!   At the Houston Nature Park we met Alice, the Great Horned Owl, who ‘works’ with Karla and stars at the International Owl Festival every March!

tractor pulling race

Alice, the Great Horned Owl

As they say, sometimes you do not have to go far from home. Hidden Bluffs Resort had several miles of beautiful hiking trails. One of them ended in a big rock where we found a father-son tandem fishing the clear waters.  Another had a really beautiful scenic overlook of the little valley and the campground. It was T. S. Elliot who once said, ‘We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time,‘ exactly what happened to us!  

our beautiful hiking trail

WOW: Becoming More Than Tourists

colorful murals on old grain elevators off I-80 in Omaha, Nebraska 

We started this cruising lifestyle right after Bill sold his business in February 2009. We went to the Philippines for a 2-month visit, after which we visited Bill's friend in Taiwan for 2 weeks and flirted briefly with the idea of teaching English there! But as soon as we were back in Seattle, we sold most of our belongings in about 3 garage sales and several listings on craigslist and bought Star, our very first RV. Then we had our condo rented out, off we went to become full time tourist!

We have completed these trips: from Seattle to the Arctic Circle and back to Seattle-July to September 2009,  from Seattle through Mexico to Florida-September 2009 to March 2010, and from Florida back to Seattle-April 2010 to February 2011.  On this last trip, we bought our current RV/dinghy, M’A ‘turn. Then we visited the Philippines and HK for 3 months and now we are on the 2nd month of our 4th trip, from Seattle back to Florida (June 2011 to March 2012)...about 50,000 miles among Star, Vino, & M'A'turn!

Our 5th trip will be from Florida to Nova Scotia to Nevada (April to November 2012) , after which we may return to Asia or begin our European tour! You may see the two maps on our left side bar to see our progress! We started out as tourists, armed with a bucket list of 50 states and 88 countries. Thus far we have visited 27 and 5, respectively…certainly a long way yet to go. But now our 2 boards are heavy with  our collection of magnets and are we glad we bought our Nikon SLR!

A tourist is defined as a person who is traveling for pleasure. We have certainly fitted that description! Just look at our last 3 posts which cover the Great Plains. Driving through the I-80 leaving Omaha and going to Council Bluffs, Iowa, we spotted these huge old grain elevators painted with murals! Then, while our RV’s heating/air-conditioning system was being repaired at Camping World, were told there is a unique rotary jail that served as the county jail from 1882-1969!  Yes, that’s right…rotary!

the model of the rotary jail

The jail has 3 floors and looks like…a large bird cage, actually! It is cranked by hand to let any cell open to a fixed door on each floor which has 10 cells. Designed for 2, sometimes 5 were made to fit each one! The ground floor of the shell had tables for free time.  Efficiency, not only in space but in guards (needed only 2), and security were the reasons for the design. It was discontinued when it suffered a slight tilt and people realized that it could be a fire/death trap.

Carol with an inmate

From this place of inhumane conditions, we next found the Grotto of Redemption. The problem was it is about 70 miles from I-35, our route to Minnesota! That meant about a 3 hour diversion and about $65 in gas. But the little ad on the Iowa travel mag said it is considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World, much like what Filipinos say of the Ifugao Rice Terraces in the Philippines! So we unhooked our ‘turn, left our M’A at a church parking lot in Clear Lake, Iowa and proceeded to West Bend.

frontal view of the Grotto 

Indeed, the Grotto is a very special place. It is a complex of 9 grottos (Garden of Eden, 3 grottos of the Stations of the Cross, Stable of Bethlehem, Jesus'  home in Nazareth, the Trinity, Ten Commandments, and Gethsemane), made from 43 different kinds of gems. The most delicate stones are in the Grotto inside the Christmas Chapel. They were made entirely by the hands of 3 men. Father Dobberstein, who studied geology in Germany before migrating to America and entering the priesthood, offered to build this shrine to the Blessed Virgin for her intercession when he was with pneumonia.

back view of the Grotto

He became a pastor in West Bend in 1898 and started collecting rocks and gems from all over the US with the help of his right hand, Matthew Szerensce. Work on the Grotto officially started in 1912 and upon his death in 1954, about 80 % of the plan was done. 8 years before his death, Rev. L.H. Greving started to assist him in the parish. Together with Matthew, he continued his work after the death of Father Dobberstein until his own passing in 2002.

Grotto of Incarnation
at the Christmas Chapel

Now the Grotto is estimated to be worth over $2M in materials, priceless in labor!  That was, I thought, a true, though little, pilgrimage! A pilgrim is a person who travels, especially over some distance, to a sacred place as an act of devotion. There was a smile of my face…we are probably becoming more than tourists! And that song I have come to love so much, America the Beautiful, took on greater significance. ‘O beautiful for spacious skies…..O beautiful, for pilgrim feet!

The better known first stanza is for America’s natural beauty which we have certainly visited as tourists. But the second is for America’s human beauty which we are also discovering as pilgrims! After all, Bill and his forefathers were pilgrims and I may have just become one! When we visit Wisconsin, we plan to make another little pilgrimage to Holy Hill, suggested to us by our friend, Didi Manarang, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines. And we will embark on more!

Rounding Out Our Great Plains Adventure: OLA

a covered bridge from the 'Bridges of Madison County' in Winterset, Iowa

We were fearful for the next day when we had to cross the Midwest (the breadbasket of the US where the land is very fertile, ideal for oats, wheat, and corn. Central Luzon, the rice granary of the Philippines seems like a speck against these vast green and amber waves of grain, the graceful grain terraces, and the wind turbines that power them). There had been so much swelling of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers due to early melts, we didn’t know what to expect, and we had heard about the devastation.

grains terraces on the Great Plains

The Great Plains is that section of the Midwest that is the most flat, covering the states of North and South Dakota (except for the Black Hils), Nebraska, and Kansas. Often described as having the most homogeneous (and monotonous) topography of any part of the US, the region experiences the greatest extremes in temperature and climatic conditions. Winters are cold, with frequent snowy blizzards, while summers bring hot, dry winds. Before we left the eastern part of South Dakota, it was over 100 degrees!

wind turbines at dusk

The Great Plains also experience more tornadoes (remember Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?) than any other region. Joplin, Missouri, close to the southeastern tip of Kansas was most recently devastated by a killer tornado. When the region was first being settled in the late 1800s, periods of good rainfall attracted a large numbers of settlers. Then several years of drought that turned fields into dry wastelands, discouraged them. The worst dust bowls occurred in the depression years of the 1930s.

the Corn Palace at Mitchell

It is only fitting that a proud testament to the hardworking people stands in Mitchell, South Dakota. The world’s only Corn Palace was started in 1882 and is rebuilt annually from 275,000 ears of corn at a cost of $130,000. Using 12 different colors of corn and trimmed by grass, rye, wheat, etc., an artist’s design is executed on a building shell. This year the design theme is called ‘American Pride.’ In Sioux Falls, the Missouri River is broken by pink granite rocks that create a pretty system of little waterfalls. 

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Sioux Falls in the city of the same name

Boys Town, a national landmark in Omaha

Just southeast of the Badlands are the Sand Hills of central Nebraska but we didn’t know so we missed them and the famous Chimney Rock. But it was a pleasant surprise to know that it was in Omaha, Nebraska where Boys Town was born. In 1917 Father Flannagan bought Overlook Farm and dedicated his ‘home’ to the care, treatment, and education of at-risk children. There are now 14 centers in America saving millions of children. Between Omaha and Council Bluffs is also the longest pedestrian bridge linking 2 states. 

the longest pedestrian bridge connecting Nebraska and Iowa

Bill's first home in Omaha, Nebraska

Bill started his family in Omaha, where, after working for a year at Caterpillar Tractors’ HQ in Illinois (where he met his late wife), he was reassigned. All three of his children were born there at the very first house he ever bought.  He had just graduated from Pittsburg State University in his hometown in Kansas when he joined the earth-moving equipment giant. And it was also in Omaha where he moved on to Burroughs which finally brought him to Seattle, where thirty-five years later we would eventually meet!

sections of I-29 that hugged the Missouri River
 between Nebraska and Iowa, submerged by the river's flood waters

Rosemary, Jack, Bill, Joe and Susan,
with Bill in Kansas City

So we also drove to Kansas City to meet his only sister, Rosemary, her husband Jack, and her children Joe and Bill, and Susan, Joe’s wife. Ordinarily the trip from Omaha to Kansas City would have taken 3 hours at most. It took us four hours and 15 minutes, each way! I could not believe it. Memories of Manila floods that leveled our tiny home beside an overflowing creek welled in my mind as I saw flood waters, being released from dams, submerge big sections of I-29, a huge American freeway!

John Wayne's birthplace in Winterset, Iowa

But before we moved on, we stopped at Council Bluffs, Iowa where we had our RV checked out at Camping World. While they worked on the heating/airconditioning system, we discovered that the famous Bridges in Madison County was just 2 hours away in Winterset. That is where Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep denied each other the love of their life!  And the town is also John Wayne’s birthplace!!! His home is just the right size...if only it were yellow! How is that for rounding out our adventure in the Great Plains?

Malcolm X's birthplace on the same street at Bll's Omaha home

Next Stops: Minnesota and Wisconsin