The rest of the trip

Truth against the world! -- Frank Lloyd Wright

• Architects may come and architects may go and never change a point of view
• When I run dry I stop a while and think of you

---Paul Simon "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" (off the Bridge over Troubled Waters album, a great song)

April 23: If you�re just in to Moody stuff, no more here I�m afraid. But there is a lot more adventure to talk about.

Wednesday morning, ANOTHER beautiful day dawned, Jo and I got our stuff packed and went our separate ways, she back to Tundra and her husband, I to turn West and go home. I headed toward the Cumberland Gap, another place from history books that finally became a Reality to me.

When I was in my vacation planning stages, my parents had muttered about a place called (no not Running Water, but) Falling Water. It�s a very famous place if you are any sort of an art buff, designed and realized by the infamous Frank Lloyd Wright, back in the Art Deco Era. My whole family loves FLW, he�s been part of my philosophical and creative life since I watered down the steps of Taliesin West sometime in Spring of 1956 (barely out of diapers, disastrously so!) And it was right in front of the Old Man, too. He loved children apparently (as many creative genius types do) and was unperturbed. If you haven�t found the book Loving Frank yet, I do highly recommend it. As far as we can tell, it�s pretty accurate historically, and a good read.

So anyway Falling Water (Bear Run) was not far off my path to Chicago (where I was going to catch the train to Seattle) and I wheeled off once more into backcountry, weaving around and not real sure if I was where I belonged. Not a lot of signs saying "this way to���" I found a tourist info center (no one there either) and upon quizzing a local biker who stopped in to use the restroom, he assured me there were not only one, but three FLW homes in the area (one actually done by his son, Lloyd). Alas! there was no time track down the Cucumber House! I followed the bread crumbs to Bear Run, coughed up $6 to get on the grounds, I had missed the main indoor tour for the day, which was $16. No matter, I was there for the structure, not the oriental rugs.

Other than the window frames needed new paint (it was faded from Pompeii Red to Indian Red) it was like a fairy tale. The home indeed grows out of the rock. Wright apparently drilled holes into the surrounding rockbed, and was able to "cantilever" the weight of the building onto the rock, using its own weight to stabilize it. Talk about genius! Seeing this place is a MUST for anyone into structure, or into creative things. As I cruised through the grounds, I was most impressed with Wright�s PLAYFULNESS, I have seen many of his buildings over my lifetime (usually with my Dad and/or family) this time I was able to poke around places they might not have gone. There is a rock shower or two built into it, and of course, the water flows right under the building, and in some places, seeps out of the rock face onto the structure. The flagstone is laid in such a way as to allow rock climbing right over the house if you wish.

A 1000 years from now it�s going to still be there I suspect, and will be viewed with the same piety as the Parthenon. It�s that cool, and well designed, and even awe inspiring. And even nicer, it had a feel of "familiarity" not only because I�ve been through so many FLW houses, but because the window structures and little details mostly set the template for upscale American architecture in the 40�s and 50�s, the "Prairie School". Everyone in my family knows I took a LOT more pictures, so if you want them, email me off line.

Sigh I could have stayed there a long long time, but I had a timetable to keep, so I rolled it up and headed out again.

Quilting things started to pop up in Illinois� all along that belt in there, PA through Ohio, Indiana is a German farming belt, and they quilt a lot, and do home crafts. Rather nice.

My next stop was "Adena" or "Hopewell" or whatever you prefer. It is a label attached to the innumerable Indian mounds of the Ohio River Valley. The place I finally wound up at in Chillicoate, Ohio was but one site (park) of what must have been a huge civilization at one time. These people are on a different time line that the prior Mississippian mounds, or of the Chaco Ruins I�ve seen (or Anasazi).

Of course, I got there right at sunset, and walked out toward the mounds to see if there was anything spooky feeling. Spooks come out right at sunset, you know. Nope, not that I could feel, but there was a museum I could see if I waited until morning. So back to town I went, of course all the inexpensive motels were full up, but the Comfort Inn directed me to the Christopher Suites nearby, apparently there to handle conventioneers (such as they are in Southern Ohio). WOW what a nice place! I paid about $20 more than the Comfort Inn, but they fed me a good breakfast in the morning, and the hot tub was actually HOT and clean! I felt so good after that. Slept like a log too. I REALLY recommend them, nicest place I stayed with reasonable rates.

The girl in the lobby at the Christopher Inns had no idea bout the Adena mounds. That always shocks me, I drive for miles and miles to see some tourist attraction, and the locals have no idea what I�m talking about. I guess I just live off the beaten path, both literally and figuratively.

April 24: Morning, I headed back to the Mounds, and they let me walk around for free this time (federal park) into the Necropolis, which this complex of mounds apparently was.

There were beautiful tweety birds all over, woods, and good feelings for the most part. They loaded me up with curriculum in the museum when they found out I was a teacher! WOW!!!!!!! (apparently a Federal grant of some kind). One mound of note was called the "pipe" mound, they had dug out piles and piles of carved pipes, all sorts of animals and such carved on them, and mostly out of that red pipestone I talked about earlier. The history of the place was cloudy, other than they determined the dead had been buried there, some had been cremated first, probably a lot of various civilizations had come through and conquered the place (raping, burning and pillaging as they went, of course). I got a chuckle out of the group they called "the Invasive Mound Builders" who appeared later from somewhere else, and then interred their dead in existing mounds, thus muddling the archeological record. There were signs, "do not walk on the mounds, they will erode" ABSOLUTELY you were not going to catch ME walking on old Indian graves!

Anyway there were remains of what they dubbed "a charnel house" they showed the post holes and everything. I tried to figure out alignments with directions, and mostly the place seemed to line up with the Four Directions. Then I walked between a long mound, and the Charnel House. BRRRRR there was that spooky feeling, only it was like Cthulhu was gibbering in the dark at you. YIKE some real evil, nasty stuff THERE, lined up with that long mound. Long House of the Dead maybe. I didn�t linger, but checked the map of the place, and sure enough, the Charnel House and the mound lined up and pointed toward North. I asked the rangers if anyone had found astronomical significance in the place, and they asserted the surveyors had already "been out there".

I also told them my theory about Wild Onions (didn�t find any this time) and one of the Rangers said "They were MOWED, can�t you smell them?"

Bummer I didn�t really have time to see the Snake Mound which was another hour to the South, I mushed onward to Tippecanoe. This was the sight of a decisive battle of the War of 1812, in which Tecumseh (leader of the Red Stick Wars) was defeated by American forces, and Prophet�s Town (Tippecanoe) was burned. (www.tecumsehdrama.com) I thought after all the going on over the Civil War back East, the ongoing battle markers and such, Tippecanoe might rate at least a marker. No such thing. It�s as if the biggest Indian war our country has ever seen never existed. There was nothing but a bunch of cows and farms, and it wasn�t very active at all. There in Tippecanoe, doing 55 mph, I DID almost whack into the back of an Amish buggy, totally unexpected for him to be there, and thank God for his red triangle on the back. WHOA! I whipped out my camera, winged off a shot, and then very very cautiously went around the rig. Again, he had a beautiful horse, and I�m glad I didn�t hit them! A horse like that didn�t deserve to be mangled by a car!

Got off in Morganstown WV WHAT A NIGHTMARE I was hung up in college traffic for an hour!

Next area on the list was Tonica, Illinois, which is where my great-grandfather (Dad�s side) settled with the Rhoels, Walters, and other Germanic types, shortly after he got off the boat, in the late 1800�s. Had 13 kids, huge farm, all that: all sold now and gone. I found Otter Creek (part of Streator, ILL) which is where my Grandfather was born, so that was cool. It was the wretched part of town. I spotted a real live liquor store, and wheeled in to buy supplies. The locals were funny, they looked up really quickly, registered "stranger" and quickly looked away not to be rude. But they all checked me out and wondered (it was pretty far off the beaten tourist path). I found Tonica finally, under what promised to be a driving rain storm, and bit my nails over tornados. Called my parents on the cell and told them the place was like nowhere�s ville and there was no such place as Schoenbauer�s Corners! Dad laughed, he thought it was funny.

Man I blew that place and headed for Chicago, and where-ever the train depot was, in Glenview somewhat north of Chicago proper. Kankakee, it was October Country, storm clouds ball lightening, Jethro and the ghost riders on the storm. You talk to yourself a bit out there all alone in a car at night.

Traffic is not my thing, but I was stuck for it anyhow. I got on a toll road, dutifully pulled out change and threw it into the baskets (I haven�t seen this sort of thing for over 30 years, when we were in Oklahoma!) Once by mistake I went the wrong way through the "good to go" lane, I�m sure the rental car place will charge me for a ticket now. Then ugly rain started, and wind, and I was getting tired, it got dark, I overshot Glenview Way, and about 5 miles down the road finally found the next exit� doubled back (OFF the toll road this time). I had no idea where I was. It was late, I was shaky, lost lonely confused�. Spotted the Marriott and wheeled in. I knew I was near the airport somewhere. I would just have to find the furshlugginer railroad in the morning.

The clerk was a handsome and kind young fellow, dark and urbane, and told me it was $147 for the night! YIKE! I started to leave, and then turned around "Do you have AAA discounts?" he looked thoughtful, and started tapping "$89 with AAA" he replied. "sold!" I whipped out my charge card, and had a wonderful night again.

First thing I spotted a kiosk in the hotel for guests, and decided to wreak some havoc, and/or check and see what lies the "regulars" in the fan base were up to now. And mostly to check my email for whatever, having been a few days without it. The world had not come to an end yet. Then I went hot tubbing, and ran into a cute nerdy (and intelligent) dude who about talked my leg off. I should have given him my email, but I just can�t get into even remotely encouraging guys I just meet as a passing ship in the night. I don�t have that much faith in fate. He was ok, a lonely guy like me. My eyes started crossing though, and (excusing myself) I hit the rack, sleeping as well here as anywhere else.

Always take extra helpings of Orange juice at the Continental breakfast counter--Christie�s Axioms

April 25: Next morning after some wandering the streets in the car (before checking out, knowing I had some time), I decided I was far from my destination, and I needed to get a move on. Packed it up, checked the Internet one last quick time (the last opportunity for the next two days) roamed the streets and perused maps until I found my rental drop and the train station a half hour hike away, just as I planned it. I was two hours early, so I accessed the computer in the nearby library, read, repacked a bit��.. Loaded on the train, and chugged off into the wild prairie for my home.