We started our day in Chicago, searching for breakfast. Ian wanted his picture in front of this Chicago Bear, for his fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Cotter, who hails from Chicago.
The evening before, Forrest shot a picture of this cool Tribune building at night, and we went in search of the building to find out what it was.
In 1922, the Chicago Tribune hosted a design competition for its new headquarters (back when newspapers had money). They offered a $50,000 prize for the most beautiful and eye-catching building. This building won, designed by New York architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood.
The building features rocks and bricks in the concrete siding from many famous sites in the world, including these, from Hamlet's Castle, the Berlin Wall, and the Great Wall of China (respectively left to right).
It also features sculptures by Rene Paul Chambellan, who also design the sculptures for the Rockefeller Center in New York--we were just there!
Sherry and Forrest posed in front of this giant recreation of Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting. Sometimes our luggage seems as big as theirs...we raise eyebrows all the time when we "move in" to a hotel for one night. But we have really perfected our system by now, and it's fairly routine.
This sculpture of the "Discoverers" was presented to the City of Chicago by William Wrigley, Jr. (Wrigley Gum, Wrigley Field) in 1923. He was an early industrialist. The sculpture features Jolliet, Father Marovette, LaSalle and Tonti, who are touted as fearless explorers of the great lakes and the mississippi watershed. It is opposite the Wrigley Building, another grand building in Chicago.
Back at the hotel, we found a digital game table, and Forrest and Jeremy had a game of checkers. We ended in a draw after Jeremy triple-jumped Forrest to even the game.
Driving out of Illinois, Sherry was impressed with the rest areas, where people eat over the highway. Oh, and it was raining hard at this point, but we drove out of it into Wisconsin.
We snapped this picture of the mothballed Chrysler Plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Another American icon falling to foreign ownership.
We crossed into Wisconsin, thinking of our sister-in-law, Michelle, who comes from this state.
In Madison, we went to the University of Wisconsin, and took this picture with Lake Monona in the background. Madison lies between two glacial lakes, Monona and Mendota. We thought it was a very cool town.
The boys got their photo in front of the Memorial Union. Ian was wearing his Duck colors, of course!
We stopped in at The Chocolate Shoppe where Michelle used to work, and said hello for her. They have lots of flavors, and we all enjoyed their ice cream.
This is their posted "Nutritional Information". It says, "Don't even ask. This is the best ice cream made in Wisconsin, and it tastes so good because it has GOBS of rich Wisconsin cream, TONS of real ingredients for BOAT-LOADS of luscious flavors. That means it's NOT low-fat, low-calorie or low-anything, and that's why everyone loves it. You want nutrition, eat carrots."
We were too late for a Capital Tour (it's July 4th, anyway), so we walked around the outside. The capitol dome is the largest granite dome in America, and features Victorian frescoes inside and sculptures outside. This creature is the sculpture "Wisconsin" whose outstretched arm symbolizes the state motto, "Forward." She is also in gold on top of the dome.Other sculptures on the porticos of the building represent faith, strength, prosperity, and abundance.
On the way out of town, we took this picture of the main street, Washington, spoking away from the capitol, which is the center of the street system.
Forrest always enjoys reflective photography, and snapped this picture of the capitol dome on the way out of town. Taken in the rearview mirror, you can see the partial reflection in the adjacent building. Put that puzzle together!
We found our first buffalo farm in Wisconsin. We're sure to see more in Minnesota and South Dakota during our 504 mile trip tomorrow!
These limestone formations began showing up about a hundred miles east of LaCrosse. They seem like a harbinger of the badlands.
In Lacrosse, this statue of Indians playing their game of lacrosse greets visitors. The long-handled rackets used by the indians looked like a bishop's crosier to french settlers, so they called the settlement "Prairie La Crosse."
The boys enjoyed the water park at our hotel in LaCrosse. Jeremy, seen on top, was especially enthralled with the slide, although the water was a bit shallow going in, at 3.5 feet.
Sherry and Forrest ended the day on a dock on the Mississippi at sunset with brats and Spotted Cow (local flavor). The boys opted to stay in and eat sandwiches, so they could have the TV to themselves for awhile. It was a perfect setting, with occasional fireworks going off across the river. Some were quite good, although it wasn't a same show as Chicago. But the peace and ambience were a blessing.
