Banner Days for the 70/70 quest

In just two days on our way from Boulder to Petoskey this fall, we explored six new things for our 70/70 quest!

#53: The Dignity of Earth and Sky Sculpture

Sculptor Dale Claude Lamphere had a mighty goal: "My intent is for the sculpture to stand as an enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred and in a sacred place." He certainly accomplished that with Dignity, standing high on a bluff above the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota. She is 50' tall, weighs 12 tons, is made of hundreds of pieces of stainless steel, and holds a star quilt made of 128 diamonds in the colors of the water and sky that surround her. Truly awe-inspiring.

Dignity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her quilt

The locale above the Missouri River

#54: Porter Sculpture Park

These sculptures are an entirely different genre from our last sculpture visit - all the work of Wayne Porter who decided to return home to South Dakota to raise sheep and work on sculptures at his father's blacksmithing shop rather than continue on to Law School. When he had made too many sculptures to display along the street by the shop, he bought 18 acres of land in nearby Montrose, South Dakota and the Porter Sculpture Park was born. We were quite amazed by his work - both sculptures and corresponding poetry - as we wandered the paths mowed into the fields where the sculptures stand. Well worth the stop!

#55: Sioux Falls

 

We have undoubtedly driven through Sioux Falls the city at some point during our decades of going back and forth between Colorado and Michigan - but we have never stopped to see the actual falls. Thus the visit to Falls Park to get a close-up look at the actual Sioux Falls of the Big Sioux River. The falls drop over 100 feet with an average flow rate of 7400 gallons a second as they pass over quartzite bedrock that is roughly a billion and a half years old. The falls have always attracted folks. Burial mounds from before 500 B.C. have been found, Lakota and Dakota used the falls as a rendezvous site with French fur trappers, Lewis and Clark mention the falls in an August 1804 journal entry, the city was founded along the river in the mid-1850s, the river was used to grind grain in the 1880s and to produce electricity beginning in 1908. (The remnants of the Queen Bee Mill's quartzite stone walls and Sioux Falls Light and Power Company still stand in the park.) And in September 2022, the falls attracted this couple on their quest to find and do 70 new things in their 70th year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#56: Golden Stripe (marker)

On September 23, 1978, east-bound and west-bound stretches of I-90 met near Blue Earth, Minnesota, marking the completion of the "nation's longest and the northernmost east-to-west, coast-to-coast interstate" according to the marker standing where the celebration of the completion of the interstate took place. As part of the celebration, the final four miles of the road were tinted gold (thus the "Golden Stripe" playing on the "Golden Spike" of railroad fame). All of the celebratory activities were held at the spot that is now the Blue Earth rest area which also plays host to the Golden Stripe marker, the 56th attraction on our 70/70 quest.

#57: Jolly Green Giant and Museum

The Jolly Green Giant Statue (55.5 feet tall, 8000 pounds, with size 78 shoes, and sporting a 48 inch-wide smile) was originally erected on September 23, 1978 to preside over the dedication of the completion of I-90.  After all of the celebrations, the Giant was moved to Blue Earth where tourists can gather and properly enjoy his immenseness - and the nearby museum and gift shop. And we did, indeed, enjoy our visit! Two pieces of Giant trivia:

- Blue Earth businesses and radio station owner Paul Hedberg, the person who thought up the idea of having an actual green giant on hand to entice people to leave I-90 and visit the town, provided 100% of the funds to create the giant.

- Every winter, the Jolly Green Giant receives a red scarf from Santa to protect him from Minnesota's cold weather.

Yes, that is Kendall & Taz between Jolly's legs!

#58: Marion Ross Statue

The Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham of the "Happy Days" TV show) statue in Ross's hometown of Albert Lea, Minnesota was unveiled on July 2, 2021 by Marion Ross herself. She has never forgotten her hometown nor have they forgotten her, once the "Albert Lea Sweetheart" homecoming queen. The statue sits in downtown Albert Lea in front of the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center on the corner of Marion Ross Street. The statue form is known as a "sit with me" statue - thus Taz and I sat!

 

There you have it, a whirlwind couple of days in South Dakota and Minnesota on our 70/70 quest. More to come!

Taz and the Monarch of the Plains in Sioux Falls Park

Closing in on the 70/70 finale

Yes, it has been a long time since I've written - but, oh my goodness, we have been busy. And during that busy-ness, we've been clicking off more and more sites and activities on our way to completing our 70-new-things-in-our-70th-year-quest. This blog post is going to focus on what we found in Arthur, Nebraska - an absolutely wonderful stop on our way from Boulder to Petoskey this Autumn.

Arthur, Nebraska, population 118, was founded in 1913 and named after President Chester A. Arthur. Why did we stop there? Plenty of good reasons! Two, yes TWO, items for our 70/70 quest AND a public park with free camping with electric hookups AND a clean public restroom right across the little road from the campground. Fantastic! (And seeing how Arthur is pretty darned far from any other towns with camping, very much a relief to find the campsites open and available!)

The two items for our 70/70 quest? Two buildings in the National Historic Registry!

• #51: The Arthur County Courthouse and Jail complex, built in 1914-15, is said to be the smallest courthouse ever built in the United States. We had no problem finding it since it faced the block where we camped. As an added attraction for the courthouse, a committee of turkey vultures was settled in the tree overlooking the courthouse.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
 
 
 
 

• #52: The Pilgrim Holiness Church, built in 1928 out of straw bales. Why straw bales? Straw bale construction came in very handy during those days because of the lack of wood in the area and, because of Arthur’s location in the Sandhills of Nebraska, the local soil was not suitable for sod-based construction purposes.  It is the oldest known straw-bale church in North American and one of only three known to exist today. Arthur’s church was constructed with stacked and baled hay creating walls two feet thick. It is thought that “gumbo mud” was originally used to plaster the walls inside and out; now the walls are stuccoed on the outside and plastered on the inside.  Using baled hay for construction became possible in the 1850s with the invention of a mechanical hay baler. (Note: the first documented use of hay bales in construction was for a schoolhouse in the 1890s – a building that was unfenced and unprotected by stucco and plaster. In 1902 it was reported to have been eaten by cows.) 

Beyond the historic landmarks, the people we met were delightful, the neighborhood inviting, and the camping cozy (good thing - the evening brought more turkey vultures plus we were serenaded by coyotes during the night).

 

 

 

To cap it all off, in the morning we visited the general store and discovered a treasure! The Arthur County Cookbook created by "Members of District #32 - Upper Room." And inside this cookbook, a Most Amazing Recipe!