August 24 – Baraboo, Wisconsin

We attended an Indian Pow-wow hosted by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) tribe.  We learned that a pow-wow is a gathering of Native-American people to dance, sing and honor their culture.  The music is provided by drums and singers in the center of the arena.  Dancers circle the musicians dressed in their fine regalia. 

Competition divides the dancers by age and dress – traditional, fancy and jingle.  The fancy feather dancers spin and leap in their brightly colored regalia with a double bustle of feathers.  The comparable women’s class is the fancy shawl with long flowing streamers in bright colors.  It was great fun to watch dancers of all ages circle and spin.

August 23 – Baraboo Wisconsin

Baraboo, Wisconsin was the winter home of Barnum and Baileys Circus.  The town is the home of the Circus World Museum that preserves a collection of circus memorabilia and circus wagons.  The Ringlings were responsible for many of the cultural attractions in such a small town for example the grand Victorian Theater that is still in use. 

In nearby Spring Green there are two architectural destinations – Taliesin, the home of Frank Lloyd Wright and the House on the Rock home of Alex Jordan Jr.  The House on the Rock sits atop Deer Shelter Rock and features exposed stone, low ceilings and dark woodwork.  Rambling best describes the design.

The Infinity room juts out 218 feet from the house.  It has 3,000 windows and no structural support from below.

Additional buildings have been added that house collections of everything!  There are dolls and dollhouses, the world’s largest indoor carousel, model airplanes and reproductions of the crown jewels.  It is quite overwhelming!

August 15 – Mount Rushmore

We always include a stop at Mount Rushmore when we are in Rapid City, SD to see George and his rock band.  We were part of the 3 million people that visit each year.  I love the entrance to the park where flags of each state are flown according the date of entrance into the Union.  They provide a colorful frame for your first view of the Monument.

  On the Presidential walk we enjoyed the ever-changing perspective of each president, Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.  Did you know Lincoln is missing an ear? 

 At the Sculptor Studio, a ranger explained the process of mountain carving and the tools that were used by Gutzon Borglum.  We saw the working models from which measurements were taken and transferred to the mountain sculpture.

Some fun facts:

Each head is 60 feet tall.

Each eye is 11 feet wide.

It was carved from 1927 – 1941.

There were 400 workers.

The monument cost $989.922.32

Why these Presidents?

Washington represents the birth of the nation.

Jefferson represents expansion with the Louisiana Purchase.

Teddy Roosevelt represents development of the nation, national parks, trust busting and the Panama Canal.

Lincoln represents preservation of the Union with the Civil War.

August 14 - Badlands National Park

The South Dakota Badlands possess a unique form of beauty.  The barren landscape had been formed by wind and water.  The remaining contours reveal bands of pink and white sandstone laid down over centuries past.

  The craggy hills resemble giant sand castles decked out with climbers – people and mountains goats!

August 11 - Custer State Park

Custer Park, located in southwest South Dakota, is home to 1500 free roaming bison.  Elk, deer and mountain goats round out the park’s population.  The park is famous for its scenic drives, Needles highway and the wildlife loop.  This day we shared Needles highway with some of the Sturgis Rally motorcyclists.  They were well suited to the one-lane tunnels that had been chiseled through the rock.  Cathedral Rocks were aptly named, as was Eye of the Needle.

We were well rewarded on the wildlife loop.  A very contented herd of bison grazed as their fans took photos. They were eye to eye with the cyclists who yielded when bison decided to cross the road.