Where Did My Summer Go?

As days have noticeably shortened and the evenings have become increasingly cooler, I have to ask where summer went. I am a summer lover. Love the sun, love the warm weather, the insects calling (most insects), the clouds and can appreciate the beauty of a good thunderstorm… it can’t be over already, can it? Did the season skip me? I am not ready for fall. My Summer of 2013 was filled with plenty of activity to keep me busy. Without work travel, my plan initial plan was to enjoy the summer locally… that did not last. My travel bug reared its head and the weather was truly not warm enough to warrant weekend by my condo’s amazing pool. So, I kept busy in plenty of other ways.

[Before I start, I have to thank Mother Nature for trying to drown my spirits this summer. Every trip I went on (every one) had a rain event. Some serious, like my Buffalo trip where the trip was almost cancelled due to winds, rain and general enough insanity the plan could not take off or due to impermeable fog after thunderstorms in Bayfield where the boat could on leave. I had rain while walking around the battlefield in Gettysburg, rain on every NYC trip, rain getting to Indy, rain in Iowa and Michigan… it was a wet summer. ]

My state quest was front and center this summer. I only visited 1 new state in 2012. This summer I made up some ground and knocked out 3 to 4, depending on how you view my stopover in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I jumped into 3 new states at the very beginning of the summer. And while a trip to Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan may not be everyone’s way to spend a week around a birthday, it was exactly what I needed - Some time outdoors, fresh air, new landscapes and new adventures. Seared into my mind are the black fly clouds of Northern Wisconsin, lovely hikes insects be damned, the rolling farms of greens, the cold waters of Lake Superior, the expanse of the Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Iowa (so far north of my typical view point in NOLA), and the incredibly sweet family from Minnesota who celebrate my birthday with me. I learned about Summerfest (and went to opening day), I tried curds – both fresh and fried, and still remain confused as to why Dubuque Iowa has so many Statues of Liberty replicas (and yes, I did try to find out why – no one knew).

In August I was able to cross Indiana off my list with some incentive by my favorite group – hello, major Blockhead here! Near the end of the New Kids on the Block tour, I was given a gift by the group, the fan club, their company, whatever – point is I (and a few others) was offered free tickets to the closing show of the tour…and it was in Indianapolis. A quick search on United pulled up a weekend special rate… so off I went to see my band one more time. A concert, a new state, a new capital city and time to site-see – perfect weekend. There I took in more rolling farm land (the apparent theme of the summer), visited the Indianapolis Zoo, the Art Museum and some city sites. I marveled at the amazing dog jump show; I remain convinced that this is the same group that preformed at the Alaska State Fair last summer. Ever want to see a dog high jump over 6 feet in the air, or catch 10 Frisbees in a row, you gotta see this show! At the zoo I was treated to childhood memories of my parakeets Tweety and Turbo when I visited their aviaries willed with their twins, cousins and extended family. I took in a dolphin show at the aquarium section of the zoo and smiled at the dolphins dancing to Katy Perry. And I was astounded with the educational outreach that the zoo did – lots of very informed patrons roamed around limiting my typical cringe factor. The Art museum was a site to behold even if some staff were a bit rude. As I expected, they had more Renaissance art than I could stomach, but their contemporary section was a site to behold. I am still enraptured by a sculpture by Tara Donovan – (sorry, no pic since we were not allowed to take photos in this section).

Random Sites and Interesting Places in WI and IA

There is lots more to write about regarding my trip in the Lands of Corn and Cheese.  Surprisingly, I have been a bit busy since I returned.  Now I am headed off on my next great adventure... and guess what??? It is supposed to rain on me again.  Sad, I know.

Before I head off the airport, I wanted to jot down a few thoughts on my June trip:

• Aquariums - I went to 3 places that were to have aquarium-like features.  Sadly, only one was truly awesome. 
• I give 5 stars to the Mississippi River Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa.    It might have stolen my heart with a special turtle exhibit, but its true majesty was how it embraced the whole river:  it walked visitors through the entire river journey from headwaters to delta.  Sure you met sturgeon, but you also see otters, turtles, alligators and a whole tank on the Gulf of Mexico.  They have videos that fly you over the whole river.  AND it touches on the communities and cultures influenced by the Great Mississippi.  I loved it. 
• Sadly, I did not love my time at the Discovery Center in Milwaukee.  The Science Center/Aquarium was in a great place and filled with kids - at the science exhibits.  The aquarium was in the basement.  And there it had a few tanks of fish with no names.  They had a walk through laboratory that focused on tropical fish (not there are any in Lake Michigan).  I got the feeling it was  there to say they had one.  But, if you need an aquarium fix in the area, head to Chicago and visit the Shedd.  However, I must say that the facilities diorama of the Great Lakes System was fascinating; you could play with the weather and the lock system in the model and see how it impacts the lakes.  You can clearly see how they interconnect.  This was the must see!
• Lastly, (or firstly if you are going by the order I visited them in) - there was the Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland.  At the southern point of Lake Superior, this facility was all about the displays, no live fish here.  BUT it had a wonderful boardwalk  trail to explain the local ecology... and this is what I really wanted.

The Beauty of the Islands

The day after my birthday, the weather was perfect for spending time on the water.  It was a warm, clear day - not a lot of wind.  The sky of blue, there was soft puffy clouds in the sky and I was ready to tour the islands... and so was everyone else who had been rained out, fogged out over the last several days.  The boat was filled, but I was at least able to score a window seat by a few nice people.  When I travel alone, it always nice to end up near people that like to chit-chat... and on a long boat ride touring islands, I knew I would want to talk. 

As promised, the islands and the views were well worth the wait.  Lake Superior sat as a smooth base,

the the islands rose as these green slivers where the sky met the lake.  While on the boat, we were treated to stories of brownstone and its cliffsides, of fisherman and of the Native American heritage of the region.   Sure the area is beautiful, but it is not easy.  The lake freezes over in the winter (well most winters until recently).  Lake Superior is so large and so cold that it, more or less, controls the way of life in the region - creating fog and driving weather patterns.  There are wolf, coyote, bear in the woods.  The winters are long - heck it snowed in May this year.

A few of the islands housed historical fishing shacks (pic to the left), but I am not so sure people use them anymore.  We passed the old brownstone rock quarry (pic to the right), one of the main reasons the area was settled.   We saw cormorants diving in the cold waters, gulls flying above and were told more about the "huge" fish in the lake.  The captain weaved tales of ship-wrecks and stranded fishing parties.

While Lake Superior is deep, there are shallow shots near the islands and in the dark or fog, everything blends together.  So, as you guessed, the islands have their fair share of lighthouses.  And although most of the lighthouses are run automatically now, Raspberry Island has a park service Lighthouse keeper (different tour) that mans the house during the season.

The true crown jewel of this trip was Devil's Island and the seacaves.  Here, the sandstone cliffs have been eroded away by years of erosion, and left in its wake is this complex cave network.  Look closely,

and you can see the sandstone's shifting colors; you can see how in spots it goes deep and others the caves are shallow.  And at this point in the cruise, we were to drift past these features a few times.... well, that was the plan until out boat went through a black fly hatch.  From that point on our boat and trip was swarmed by thousands of biting black flies.  Our captain cut the visit to the caves short.  We needed wind, stat!

Trying to Get to the Apostle Islands

The Fog kept us in.

The Black Flies!

On my trip to Wisconsin, I was looking forward to visiting the Apostle Islands.  Situated in the very northern part of the state, it was a 5 1/2 hour drive from Madison (where I flew into).  I had allotted 3 days time in the area, thinking that was plenty to experience the small town, the lake, the islands and the area's natural beauty.  I had planned on several boat and kayak tours, hiking and exploring.  BUT, mother nature, with an assist from the airlines, had other plans.  I was delayed, fogged out, rained on and swarmed with biting black flies.  All of that was not going to keep me from seeing them - I had come too far!

Sea Caves at Devil's Island

The Apostle Islands are a more recent park in the system.  The National Lakeshore was established on the south shore of Lake Superior in 1970; it protects a collection of small islands off the northern coast of Wisconsin for their sheer beauty (i.e. their scenic, biological, geological, historical architectural and wilderness resources).  These low sitting islands checker the lake breaking the smooth water with strips of green.  A few of them still house historic fishing camps and others have lighthouses.

I had never been to Lake Superior.  I was ready to dip my toes in its waters,   I was drawn to the pictures of the flat coastal rocks.  I was looking forward to the sea cave system.  It looked peaceful.  And really, it was tranquil. That tranquility was necessary since my vacation began with stress - I missed my flight out of DC, my next flight was delayed and I missed my connection as a result.  I can't blame United since I would have made the connection if I had made my original initial flight.  So, I spent 5 hours in Chicago waiting for a 20 minute flight.  By the time I finally landed in Madison, I had just enough time to make it for my ghost tour in Bayfield.  Gone was my plan to stop at cheese factories and the Great Lakes Visitor's Center.  I need to power drive (all those drives up and down I-95 come in handy at times like these).

My plan when arriving in Bayfield was to quickly check into my Bed and Breakfast and run to meet my tour.  I made it (whew) and got my first taste of obstacles for the weekend - the small town was under construction and the rain and fog would not let go...  it made for a spooky evening, but was not ideal for my plans for daylight.  Still, the ghost and historical tour provided some great stories.  Apparently, the local B&B's look for ghost stories and histories in their accommodations; we were told a great story of how one proprietor went looking for one since they thought that they were at a disadvantage.  They asked other ghosts to come to their home.  When they finally got their wish, they ended up with a bad accordion player ghost.  See, cute!  We also learned some of the history of the area and the islands - founded for timber, brownstone and fishing; as the area was settled, farming took a foothold and the cows took over downtown!

My birthday was to be celebrated with the Grand Tour of the islands.  Instead, I woke up to thunder

and pouring rain.  By the time it was time to load the boat, the rain stopped (yeah), but a thick fog, Scooby Doo fog, started rolling in off the Lake (boo).  Our captain tried to wait it out.  Alas, it was not to be.  He called it off and also admitted to me that the afternoon tour of the shipwrecks would be a bust since the rain kicked up the silt.  Damn!

I contacted a kayak outfitter that could fit me in a tour.  I figured fog couldn't hurt if we weren't going out too far.  I was all ready to sign up for the excursion, when they mentioned wet suits... I did not pack a wet suit.  I did not have a bathing suit to wear under one of the generics they had.  I was going to Wisconsin, I wasn't planning on swimming.  And hey, I have kayaked in Alaska and never needed a wet suit... what was this about?  So, off to the Park headquarters I went.  There, the fantastic rangers told me to head to Madeline Island on the car ferry, there I could visit the state park (if I could deal with the mud).  So, off on my first car ferry adventure I went!

Searching for the Meaning of the Red Barn

I am back from my trip through America's dairy land.  And, while I must sit down, go through my pictures and sort through the souvenirs, I have really been pondering a common site that I passed in Wisconsin and Iowa - the big red barn.  Sure, it is the iconic image of the American farm.  The rolling green land waving in the breeze with a field of animals nearby and that Big Red Barn in the background.  I really thought that was pure imagery.  I have been through plenty of farmland - Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Pennsylvania... heck, I grew up in New Jersey and yes, there is plenty there too.  But I really never took that iconic red barn in like I did this trip.  It seemed like every direction I looked, I was staring out at the red barn.  That left me wondering - why red?

Home now, I have time to look into this.  My first instincts was that red was a purposeful color choice.  I would have guessed that red was a color that was good for cows (because there sure were plenty of those in dairy land).  My second guess would have  been that red stands out well in the land of green and when you are out on endless acres of farmland, you just look for the red to head back.  But what do I know?  Well, I don't know squat about red barns... because after a bit of digging, I have found 2 main schools of thought on the choice of color (and one more in depth analysis):

1. The Historic Choice - (a) The area was heavily settled by Scandinavians, Germans and Irish.  Apparently the Scandinavians had preference for red farmhouses and barns (the famous Falu farg red paint, from Sweden's massive copper mine)... (b) The "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:
   • Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.
   • Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.
   Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.
2. The Economic Choice - Red Paint is Cheap!!!  According to some, One of the biggest reasons for red pigment being cheaper is because it spreads much thinner and still produces an opaque coating. The pigment in paint, if opaque,  serves to absorb ultraviolet light thereby vastly extending the life of the coating. Red pigment, whatever it is always has the most opacity of any color. Equalling cheap in two different ways. Cheap to buy (just dirt) and cheap to use (goes a long way) bonus; paint lasts longer.
3. The Scientific Choice - Red Paint is Cheap!!   What makes a cheap pigment? Obviously, that it’s plentiful. The red pigment that makes cheap paint is red ochre, which is just iron and oxygen. These are incredibly plentiful: the Earth’s crust is 6% iron and 30% oxygen. Oxygen is plentiful and affects the color of compounds it’s in by shaping them, but the real color is determined by the d-electrons of whatever attaches to it: red comes from iron.  (like blues and greens from copper, a beautiful deep blue from cobalt).

I feel better now... even though I don't think we need blood in our paint mix, and last time I check all paint costs the same now... I am still stuck on why red persists today, except to guess that it is tradition and it looks striking.  Somehow I do not think that a big yellow barn would make the same statement.

(and thank you to howstuffworks.com, the farmers almanac, the Smithsonian and boingboing.net for help in me solving this pretty mystery).

Attack of the Black Flies in the North Woods

Quickly checking in from the Northern Woods of Wisconsin.  Mother Nature decided to celebrate my birthday with me!  I got thunderstorms, thick fog, gigantic swarms of biting black flies, and a supermoon...well, I missed the moon, but I heard it was great.  My plan was to spend the 23rd on Lake Superior seeing the Apostle Islands, the fog had other ideas, the back up plan of seeing the shipwrecks was defeated by the pouring rain that stirred up silt.  That is why it is good to have a 3rd alternative (or seek advice from the local park rangers.). I hopped the car ferry to Madeline Island and took for to Big Bay State Park.  And while the hike along the bay view trail was full of the fabulous views of the famous flat rock coastline, I had to balance my desire to take pictures with the need to swat the stinging flies.  The flies were so dense that you would have sworn I was wearing black pants.  A walk in the sand brought my toes in contact with the Lakes's 42 degree water....

Today I tried for the tour again.  It was a beautiful, warm day.  Perfect for a boat ride around the islands.  Well, perfect until the boat slowed down by Devil's Island to view the sea caves.  While idling, we must have drifted over a multivoltine hatch because the boat was swarmed by thousands of biting black flies!  We spend the whole trip back swatting, jumping and moving around.  The poor boat crew used vacuums to try and suck them up, Windex (since they say the flies don't like it), and offered free "Off", though I swear it does not work.

It wasn't all bad though.  The views were stunning.  Frogs sung me to sleep at night.  I saw a bald eagle drive for food-talons out and ready.  I heard coyotes and wolves howling in the woods.  I met a very nice family from Minnesota who celebrated my birthday with me.  I had a a fun ghost tour...and I took my camera out and might have gotten off a few god shots.  I will post them when I return (and hopefully you can't see the flies).  Now I am off to the big city - Milwaukee here I come.

Planning to Bring My List to 6!

My desire to see all the states still remains.  Currently, there is a car commercials with a young woman on the same quest.  I have no doubt that there are many out there with the same itch.  I have met a few on my travels and everyone has their own interpretation of what a "visit" means.  For some, driving through counts, for others it is a layover in an airport.  I know someone that wants to go for a dip in a river or lake in all the states.  For me - my quest is to create a memory in each state.  I want to see something, do something.  I want to be able to tell anyone that asks what I have done in any state on the list.  Now, some states I cover better than others, but so far I have remained true to my rules (otherwise I would have 3 less states on my to-do list). 

It has been almost a year since I knocked Arkansas off my list.  It is time to pick a new target, so I started planning.  Next month, I will be taking myself on a one week journey.  I am visiting the lands of cheese and corn - I am headed to Wisconsin and Iowa.  Yeah me!!!!

Now I know some of you may be laughing but I have a full fledged trip planned.  I am headed in all directions in Wisconsin and will cross the border twice into Iowa for two different experiences.  The plan is to touch as many cornerstones of my travel wishes as possible.  First up will be a visit to 2 national park units - Apostle Islands in Wisconsin and Effigy Mounds in Iowa.  To counterbalance, I will be soaking up city culture in Milwaukee and Madison.  My love of aquatic life will be quenched by visits to three aquarium like facilities - the Great Lakes Center (Ashland, WI), the Mississippi River Aquarium (Dubuque, Iowa) and the state aquarium in Milwaukee, as well as tours of the islands.  I plan for art in Milwaukee and Dubuque Iowa; I plan for history in Mineral Springs and Bayfield. The sports lover in me hopes to get a turn this trip because I hope to grab a seat at the Brewers game (they are playing the Cubs).  I plan to go hiking and maybe kayaking.  I hope to be spooked and informed on a ghost tour in Bayfield.  And then I found some quirky stuff to visit- the National Mustard Museum  in Middleton and a troll lined Main Street in Mount Hoerob. Fun shopping from local artisians and urban neighborhoods should fill some evenings.   And of course, I plan to stop throughout Cheeseland to visit Cheese-making stores and Creameries. 

I know it is a lot of driving and an ambitious goal for a week... but I think I can do it all.  And with these states, I will be left with 6 states on my list.  The Great Lakes is my greatest cluster, so Wisconsin and Iowa will be a great accomplishment.  I hope to comeback with many pictures and stories... and then I will be ready for one of those vacations where you sleep on the beach all day!