Roadtrips

Taliesin Times Three

Frank Lloyd Wright has been called the world’s most famous architect. There now exists, across southern Wisconsin, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, that connects some of his most famous and iconic creations. Not the least of which is his home, Taliesin, just across the Wisconsin River from Spring Green.

Drafting room, Hillside school

This was the third time I’ve stood in the drafting room at Hillside School. The first time was about 60 years ago when my dad and some of my brothers stopped in to talk with someone because one of my brothers was thinking of becoming an architect. Thirty years ago, when Taliesin started doing tours, my brother and I came on a Saturday morning for a tour. At that time we walked through the school, but not the house.

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Adding a Few More Parks

Yosemite was just one of the parks on my itinerary for this trip. Right next door are Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks, which feature great scenery and giant redwoods.

Two of the largest trees in the world are in these parks, by volume and by height. General Grant (left) is in Kings Canyon and General Sherman (right) is in Sequoia.

Two of the largest trees in the world are in these parks, by volume and by height. General Grant (left) is in Kings Canyon and General Sherman (right) is in Sequoia.

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Realizing Yosemite

Yosemite is one of the crown jewels of the US National Park system.

If you approach Yosemite from the south you enter through a tunnel, the second longest tunnel in the national park system. And then there's a parking lot where you can get your first view of the Yosemite Valley and Bridal Veil Falls.

If you approach Yosemite from the south you enter through a tunnel, the second longest tunnel in the national park system. And then there’s a parking lot where you can get your first view of the Yosemite Valley and Bridal Veil Falls.

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Camping in the Parks

I’ve never camped in a National Park. So this road trip offered the opportunity to do that. The third evening into the trip I arrived at Mesa Verde National Park, in the southwest corner of Colorado.

Mesa Verde has a lot of archaeology going on, which is great.

Mesa Verde has a lot of archaeology going on, which is great.

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Pikes Peak Squared

I got an invitation to a California wedding, and I love road trips. So June on the calendar became reserved for a western journey.

First Stop was Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa

First Stop was an early morning visit to Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa, overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. I grew up in the shadow of this park, with many visits over the years. Now it was time to seek the top of the other eminence memorializing 19th century explorer Zebulon Pike.

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Revisiting Rockford – A Beautiful Garden

Forty-two years ago I left Rockford, Illinois after a seven month stint at a local radio station. At about the same time a local resident named John Anderson was beginning to convert some marsh land near his house into a Japanese themed garden. Eventually the garden became quite the thing and it was donated to the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association to be run as a non-profit attraction. And attractive it is. In remembrance of the wonderful time we had visiting our son Brian and his family in Japan a year ago, Anne and I made a visit to the Anderson Japanese Gardens today.

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The Last Road Trip – of the Year

I like road trips and I like to visit my granddaughters. So deciding how to travel to a staff conference in Orlando was easy, I could drive and visit granddaughter Eden on the way.

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Got an early start and made it through Chicago before rush hour. By the time the sun was coming up, I was driving through the windmill fields of northwestern Indiana. (more…)

Moon in the western sky

Trains, Trucks, Planes & Automobiles 2015D

Last winter I began thinking about a road trip to Idaho to visit our son Drew and his family. Then when he told us they had decided to move back to Georgia, I knew time was running out to visit Idaho. So I volunteered to help with the move. That resulted in an epic road trip involving 1700 train miles, about 2600 truck miles, 1150 air miles, and 300 car miles for a grand total of about 5750 miles, through 14 states in 12 days.  (For comparison purposes, NY to LA and back is 5600 miles.)

In the first post of this series, I detailed my cross country train ride. If you’re just coming in, that’s probably where you should start. The latest post covered the first half of the truck trip, from Idaho to Wisconsin, where we caught our breath for a few days. And then it was time to complete the journey. (more…)

The purple mountains majesty.

Trains, Trucks, Planes & Automobiles 2015A

Last winter I began thinking about a road trip to Idaho to visit our son Drew and his family. Then when he told us they had decided to move back to Georgia, I knew time was running out to visit Idaho. So I volunteered to help with the move. That resulted in an epic road trip involving 1700 train miles, about 2600 truck miles, 1150 air miles, and 300 car miles for a grand total of about 5750 miles, through 14 states in 12 days.  (For comparison purposes, NY to LA and back is 5600 miles.) (more…)