La Crosse, Wisconsin

From Chicago it was on to La Crosse, Wisconsin which sits on the Mississippi River.  (Wisconsin has a population of 5.5 million people and the capital is Madison.)

On the way we stopped at The House on the Rock.  This house is an example of how one man (Alex Jordan) can turn his dreams into reality.

In addition to the unique house it displays a collection of collections:  guns, dolls, dollhouses, royal jewels, glass bottles, miniature circuses, model ships model trains, model airplanes, masks, puppets, matchbox cars, clocks, Faberge eggs, musical instruments, organs, ivory carvings, suits of armor, sterling silver serving dishes, Tiffany lamps, old slot machines, and more.

These musical instruments were set to play automatically.

From a display of "yesteryear"

From a display of movie memorabilia

All of these things are arranged in a series of cavities in the rock that are discovered by going from one passageway to the next.  One of those openings housed a whale larger than the Statue of Liberty fighting with an octopus.

But, the most spectacular to me was the “world’s largest carousal.”  There are 269 creatures to sit upon – not one of which is a horse, 20 thousand lights, 182 chandeliers and a 1,740 square foot mirror behind it. 

This picture doesn't do it justice.

An example of creatures on the carousal.

Mr. Jordan died in 1989 and the property is now owned and operated by Art and Karen Donaldson who have added a resort with an inn, a spa, and a golf course.

Leaving Wisconsin we drove through Minnesota before arriving in South Dakota.  The Hormel Factory is in Austin, Minnesota, which has a population of about 24 thousand people.  I figure most of them must work for Hormel.  We went to the SPAM Museum which was a delightful treat.  One of the most efficiently organized and presented museums I have seen. 

Look closely - those are SPAM cans - 3,390 of them.

And here I Am with Spamy - the international representative.