Our last blog finished at the International Peace Gardens. From there we headed to the south and the capitol, Bismarck, North Dakota. We actually stayed in a small town called Menoken, just to the east of Bismarck. We’ve found that it’s somewhat difficult to find commercial RV parks; and in the North, it’s difficult to find a state or federal campground that is convenient to where you want to be (or at least where WE want to be!). Our visit to the capitol building was a bit of a disappointment. The original building had burned and was rebuilt in the 1930’s; it’s a high rise so doesn’t really fit the picture of what we were expecting.
We headed south toward Pierre (pronounced Pier), South Dakota. We had an overnight at Pollock, South Dakota, just south of the state line. There is a recreation area on Lake Oahe called West Pollock Recreation Area where we stayed for two days. The South Dakota Parks & Rec are instituting a new policy … all campers must make reservations and pay online. Well, we called the same day and were not eligible, but the person we spoke with said we could pay at the campground. Of course this created a problem for the camp host! We did get things worked out, it was just another learning experience, yah. We were able to select our campsite, so took one on the water; see below. We took a drive into town to look for a laundry. Let me tell you that there is not much there, perhaps a bar or two, and a convenience store that didn’t look like it had much to offer. On, well, we were able to relax!
It looks a bit gloomy, but overall quite nice. The weather to this point has been really nice. We heard about a lot of flooding on our route, but we didn’t experience any, thank goodness.
We left West Pollock about 10 am or so and it was only about 3 hours to Pierre. We looked for somewhere to do laundry and FINALLY found a public laundry in a small town enroute. The laundry is located in a motel and RV area, between motel rooms. Quite unique, but the facilities were clean and the machines efficient, if pricey.
We learned from our previous stay with the South Dakota Parks and Rec and made a reservation for two days at the Farm Island Recreation Area just south and east of Pierre. Very easy to get to, the sites were large and certainly long enough, and the people were very friendly. We opted to go to breakfast at Mother’s Café; reminded me somewhat of any local eatery with friendly customers and wait staff. The food was OK, but I miss the breakfasts I’m used to, i.e. Denny’s or IHOP (I know they are commercial places but you can generally get consistent quality).
We toured the capitol building. They are very prepared and had a self-guided booklet for us to reference. The building is lots and lots of marble. The staircases are all marble and look very elegant.
They have an interesting legend regarding some blue tiles. It is said that when the capitol was being built, there were 66 Italian artisans installing terrazzo flooring. Usually they insert a unique piece of their work into the building, but in this instance it was not possible. They were given a special blue stone as their “signature piece.” Only 55 of the original 66 were found. Also, during a renovation to repair cracks in the terrazzo tiles in the 1980’s, the contractors were given a small heart-shaped “signature stone” to place as they wanted. In the 1940’s renovation, brass buttons were implanted as reference points to assist survey teams to ensure there was no significant shifting of the building.
From Pierre, we drove into Nebraska on the way to North Platte. We stayed three days in North Platte and planned to see the railroad switching yard. We discovered that the Golden Spike Tower is the official visitor center for the Bailey Yard, the world’s largest train yard; it is operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. The visitor center is on the ground floor and the fifth and sixth floors are open for visitors. The fifth floor is enclosed and the sixth is open to the breezes. The Yard is named for former U.P. President Edd H Bailey. It’s where east meets west on the Union Pacific line and where 10,000 cars are handled each day on 2,850 acres of land stretching out eight miles. Twenty-four hours a day, 7-days a week, workers make sure the trains keep rumbling down the tracks with the cargo that touches our lives in every way, every day. The average length of train that leaves the yard is 138 cars … WOW!
From North Platte, we traveled East to Lincoln to tour the capital building. Unfortunately, we were then on the weekend and the building was closed for repairs. The information we read indicated the building was built between 1922 and 1932 and cost less than $10M. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and is the home to the only non-partisan one-house legislature in the United States. Follows are some pictures of the building.
We also visited the Frank H Woods Telephone Museum. There were examples of communications antiquities and replications of the original Alexander Graham Bell’s original phones. The exhibit included examples of the original switchboards and some of the various head gear evolutions the operators used. It was interesting to me that the early switchboards were often located in private homes with the woman of the house serving as the operator.
Our next stop was Des Moines, Iowa. The really striking thing about the Iowa State Capitol is the golden domes, yes domes … there are five! Although only the center dome is totally gilded, the smaller corner domes have some golden details as well. The latest re-gilding of the dome took place in 1998 and finished in 1999 at a cost of approximately $400,000.
Des Moines is also home to the Salisbury House and Gardens. The house is open for self-guided tours from which most of the rooms are available to be viewed. The home was patterned on the style of some of the homes in Salisbury, England. The owner and builder, Carl and Edith Weeks, were successful entrepreneurs in the early 20th century. They were well-traveled and when their four sons were still living at home, built this multi-bedroom home (one each for the sons, one each for the parents, plus a parlor and dressing room for Edith and a study for Carl) for a total of 42 rooms and 28,000 square feet of living space. The mansion encompassed nearly ten acres of woodland. The original construction estimate was $150,000, but by the time the project was completed and furnished the total bill was $3.0M, which would be approximately $40M in today’s currency.
Edith’s Wedding Gown on display in her dressing room
(note the pattern of the wood floor)
Pattern of wood floor: each piece hand cut and fit … what a job!
Edith’s private bathroom; I just love the commode!
Painting in breakfast room
Entry to the Salisbury House; lots of pebbles embedded in the wall
In September 2009, the Des Moines Art Center and the City of Des Moines partnered to open a 4.4-acre sculpture park in the heart of Downtown Des Moines. It features 28 works of art donated to the museum by John and Mary Pappajohn from their renowned collection of contemporary sculptures. Follows are a few that were quite interesting to us.
The medium used for this sculpture is wood branches
This sculpture is done in metal-stamped letters and painted white.
Our next strategic stop was just south of Branson, Missouri. Our RV park, Ozark View RV Park, was a block or so off the highway and very quiet. A lovely respite! We traveled into Branson and stopped at a visitor center. What we discovered is that there are numerous visitor centers and they can and will get you 2 for 1 tickets to just about anything (not that we took them up on the offer!). The town is set up in a kind of loop, with theaters and all kinds of attractions just steps away from anywhere. While we were not interested in taking advantage of any shows or attractions, we did want to see the Butterfly Palace. What a treat that was! Follows are some pictures we took.
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is a place of quiet reflection. This Memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. It encompasses the now-sacred soil where the Murrah Building once stood, as well as the surrounding area devastated during the attack.
Gates of Time
These monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 a.m. – and mark the formal entrances to the Memorial. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days following the bombing.
The 168 chairs represent the lives taken on April 19, 1995. They stand in nine rows to represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears the name of someone killed on that floor. Nineteen smaller chairs stand for the children. The field is located on the footprint of the Murrah Building.
The next day before we left Vernon, we phoned around in Lubbock to discover if anyone would be able to help us. We were referred to Billy Sims RV Repair and Sales. We were told that if we could get there by 1 pm and not later than 1:15 pm, they could check it out for us. We made it there, even with a slight wrong turn, by 1:05 pm. They were able to help us and even checked the plug head and replaced it. Whew!
While in Lubbock, Debbie’s birthplace, other than having the rig fixed, the plan was to drive by some homes Debbie remembered as a child. The house we lived in was located on 61st Street, but we couldn’t find it. When we had given up and were headed to Grandma’s house, I saw a 1900 address, which is close to 1912 where we lived. Oh, well. Perhaps next time! Below is Grandma’s house. As a child, I remember a high porch with several steps up to it. This porch has somehow fallen! I remember the area on the right as a garage, now built into a room.
The first windmill to be built in North America was constructed in 1621 for Sir George Yeardley on his plantation, Flowerdew Hundred, in Virginia. The original windmill was destroyed in a storm, but remains were found in later excavations. In 1978 a new, commemorative windmill was built at Flowerdew Hundred incorporating features that illustrate the development of English windmill technology through the 18th century. In the summer of 2010 this commemorative mill was moved from Virginia to its current home in Lubbock, Texas and is one of the very few working Post-Mills in the Western Hemisphere. The post-mill is scheduled to have its' own visitor center with closed circuit TV so visitors can watch it grind grain and corn.
Until next time …
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