Day 1 – Wisconsin (Part 1)

(Sorry it took so long….no connectivity in rural Wisconsin…more photos will be posted on a photo gallery)

Tolls: $4.20
Number of highway patrol: 1
Miles: 273
Time it took me to realize my life was missing something without a GPS: 5 minutes

My road trip started off later than I had planned. Originally I was going to pick my rental car up at 8 a.m., but since I didn’t get out of bed until 8 a.m….well, things were delayed from the get-go.
I again battled Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), it seems every 20 miles there is a toll, for no apparent reason. In California, I know of one toll way, that is going over the Golden Gate bridge, however, I feel you get something for your toll: 1 entry into San Francisco and 2 entry into Marin County. What do you get in Illinois? Rockford. Enough said.

As I made my way into Wisconsin, I was struck with a couple things.
No tolls
Prevalence of barns and grain silos
Lower than expected cheese hawkers

I guess when I ventured into “cheesehead” country I would expect to see a lot more cheese. Truth be told I was looking forward to buying a shirt that said “It ain’t easy being cheesy,” but I have been utterly disappointed. What I have been finding a lot is “Cornellier,” which I’m not sure what it is. I’ve asked my friendly Farm/B&B proprietress, and she was at a lost herself. Something to Google.

Now back to the trip.

The area of Wisconsin that I have visited is rural. Not just small towns, but microtowns. One place had a population of 376, and was maybe 4 block long.

Inspired by my bookclub’s selection “Loving Frank,” I decided to take a trip to Taliesin near Spring Green, Wisconsin. This trip was my real reason in coming to Wisconsin. Well the surrounding countryside is gorgeous, lots of rolling hills, wonderful gardens with blooming flowers and Asian sculptures, a lovely lake that Wright had dammed up so he could generate hydroelectric power. All-in-all a great place for a love nest.

What I found somewhat disconcerting was the cheaply made furniture and rather shoddy construction. Almost all the furniture was made out of plywood – except for the stuff he ordered from Marshall Field’s. The Taliesin compound – consisting of living quarters, studios, workman quarters – has huge structural issues. The guide said that Wright never intended the facility to last a long time, and that it was to be “consumed by the earth.” Well it just felt very superficial: lots of time and labor intensive details, but very a poor foundation.

After Taliesin, I was on my way to my lodgings: Sunnyfield Farm Bed & Breakfast in Camp Douglas…at least that was what I was told. It turns out it is near Camp Douglas, but actually closer to Hustler, and it was Hustlerfest time….