A note concerning tangents: (VII)

Current Location: Ashland, WI (pop ~16,300)
(N46°34.907', W090°54.820, elev: 490 feet)
Distance Traveled on Leg 7: 359.0 miles
Total Distance Traveled: 2095.2 miles
Expedition Outlook: That was at least twice as crazy as you might think.
Number of clowns that is too many: 1

We are losing our battle with mornings. In a way, though, it simplified things. We had two potential destinations for the day, but it was very unlikely that we’d be able to visit both of them. As it turns out, it would have been a false hope to think we could have done both, so waking up when we did removed that from the equation and prevented us from potentially rushing to get both things in. On the table were the House on the Rock, an insane house, and Taliesin, the spring estate of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. I’ve always been a fan of Wright’s and was looking forward to seeing his home, but the sheer potential for spectacle at the House on the Rock was too much to pass up on. It is a choice I do not regret, nor does any other member of the expedition.  

This is a fair representation of the insanity in the Mill.

This garden is very disarming.

Faithful Readers, I didn’t think it would be possible for me to encounter an experience harder to describe than Frankenmuth. I was mistaken. The House on the Rock in Spring Green, WI is one of the coolest places I have ever been in my entire life. I fear it will be almost impossible to share this place with you via this broadcast. I will try my best, and we were able to acquire some decent photos despite the difficult native conditions, but I must preface this by saying that nothing I vouch here can hold a candle to the visceral experience of visiting this place. The site is split roughly into four sections: The House on the Rock, the Gatehouse, the Mill, and an area I will dub the visitor’s center as it doesn’t really have an official name (at least not one that I was aware of). 

Within the House on the Rock

Both the House on the Rock and the Gatehouse were habitats, although it would appear that neither was intended to serve as a a true living space, but rather as places for the friends and family of Alex Jordan (the architect and builder) to get together. They were designed as flowing, organic, functional spaces. They were built from the local limestone and timber and existed in a harmonious state with the land upon which they were constructed. Both were peaceful, calming and welcoming. As you may have inferred, one had to pass through the Gatehouse to get to the House on the Rock. The visitor center areas were a recent addition and were designed by a colleague of Jordan’s. They consist two pleasant gardens, a lobby area with a nice view of said gardens, and finally a true visitor’s center that showcase’s Jordan’s life, the construction and history of the House on the Rock complex, as well as some personal affects of Jordan’s. 

Yesterday's Streets

Last, and certainly not least is the Mill. The Mill is insanity and dream built from stone and wood and steel and thusly made manifest in our world. The Mill seemed to be Jordan’s playground. He built it as a place to clothe his fertile imaginings. The entire building is a showcase. This is true in the simple sense in that it served as a place for him to store and show his eclectic collections of objects (everything from model ships, to doll houses, to antique pistols, to pipe organs, to carousels). And simple showcases would not do, no, Jordan built room like the Streets of Yesterday, a stylized town where each shop front housed one of his collections such as china, or clocks. The rooms were themed, and each more awe inspiring than the last. 

The Blue Room, one of many music machines.

Perhaps the pinnacle attractions of the Mill were the music machines and the nautical wing that was Jordan’s last project before his death. First the music machines. Some of these were simple and worked on the same principle as music boxes, others more complex, such as player pianos. But then there were the music machines: vast constructs built into extended cabinets or into the very rooms themselves. The prime examples of these contained dozens of instruments, all of which were played by articulated armatures. Bellows powered wood and brass instruments, actuated arms took care of percussion, and player pianos and organs were in abundance. 

Those tiny dots over the octopus are people.

As you progressed through the Mill, Jordan kept pulling out stops, and just when you thought he couldn’t go any further, he topped himself again. The culmination of this spirit was the centerpiece of the nautical wing, a massive sculpture well over 200 feet long and  30 feet tall of a fantastic whale battling a giant octopus in the midst of a storm lashed sea. It sounds simple enough in the text, but walking into that room was stunning to the point of paralysis. You stop, you gape, and your mind takes the briefest moment to make process what it is seeing. I am still in awe of it. Unfortunately for Jordan, he died just months before the project’s completion, but based on what we read of the man, I suspect he would have been proud of it. 

That is a normal sized rowboat.

Hannibal was particularly boisterous within the compound and the furry diva demanded his photo be taken almost incessantly. And of course, despite being surrounded by wonder and majesty we found another type of gem in the lovely Jessica. Naturally, the irrepressible Hannibal wanted to meet her, and really who could blame him? Thank you for indulging us Jessica, you were very kind. Also, for what it’s worth, we think you work at one of the coolest places in the country.  Our excursion lasted approximately five hours and it was so awesome that Edison and I exchanged a high five when we were done. Five hours wasn’t enough. I’m not sure five weeks would have been. If any of you find yourselves anywhere within three or four hours of Spring Green I strongly encourage you to go visit.

Oh, Hannibal.

To be fair the rest of the day and the more mundane affairs of the expedition are dull and muted in the wake of the House. We rode the tails of our wonder for hours after the fact. Even now we are still discussing things we saw in the House. We made a brief stop in Baraboo, WI to wash our clothes and take care of other sundries, then we set off on the long sprint to northern WI so that we could finish our quest and assay Lake Superior in the morning. I am pensive, and slightly exasperated and disappointed in my inability to articulate the House better. I will let things stew and allow Edison to have a go at it:

[Notes from Edison:

No, I'm not going to do any better. In fact, I'm not even going to try and explain the house itself. But, think of this: You wake up in the morning hungry for waffles, a hunger that will not abate. You drive many miles to find the perfect waffles to satisfy this hunger. You acquire said waffles, in the perfect amount, and top them with the perfect toppings in the perfect proportions. These waffles are not only going to be the tastiest things you have ever eaten, but they are also so heartbreakingly beautiful that it is nearly a crime to eat them. Finally, you finally pick up knife and fork to dig in. At this point Teddy Roosevelt, William Avery Bishop, and Han Solo walk into the waffle joint and hand you the best freaking pulled pork sandwich you have ever eaten in your entire life, which totally blows waffles out of the water. They then take you out to watch Liverpool kick the crap out of Manchester United, followed by backstage tickets at the Pantera 'Back From the Dead' reunion tour (with reanimated Dimebag Darrell) and chocolate shakes with the spirits of Einstein, Lao Tse (and his translator), and Nikola Tesla. This metaphor equates to roughly the first fifteen minutes of the tour, and doesn't come near to grasping the essence of seeing the whale/octopus war.

While I'm on the subject, I wanted to talk about hotel check-out times. You know, if I check into a hotel at 2am, I should NOT have to leave by 11am the next day. Am I not paying the same price as the guy that checked in at 4pm? Shouldn't there be some sort of pro-rating going on here? Jerks. These guys are all jerks.

Anyway, let me finish with a few closing thoughts: "DC, San Antone and the Liberty Town, Boston and Baton Rouge, Tulsa, Austin, Oklahoma City, Seattle, San Francisco, too. Everywhere there's music, real live music, bands with a million styles, but It's still that some old rock and roll music that really drives 'em wild. They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating, and from what I've seen I believe 'em. Now the old boy may be barely breathing, but the heart of rock and roll is still beating."

Houje, and dogladanje. My eyes pierce the Umbra!]

Edison's metaphor was apropos, although due to personal preference, you may need to swap out the celebrities to gain maximum mileage from it. This is just one of those things that you need to see in person to appreciate (When you go, take me with you, because I'd like to see it again). I fear this may be a semi-common occurrence over the course of this expedition, but we will press gamely on, readers dear, and hold you snugly in our hearts and heads as we go. Thank you, America, and good night. This is the Nickness, signing off:

 Thank you for tuning in! On our next episode: Great Lakes Achievement Completed!; Minnesota: What's In It?; Mansion, Gas Station, Who's counting?; Dissent In The Ranks!