House on the Rock

As we traveled and mentioned we would be going to Lake Delton, Wisconsin, we were often told we needed to visit “House on the Rock” while in the area. Yet those making the recommendation had difficulty describing the place. Now I share the same problem.

It is a rambling tour through multiple connected buildings that display the extensive collections of a somewhat eccentric man – Alex Jordan. It started with a house he built in the 1940’s around a 60’ chimney rock. The rooms of the multi-story house circle the rock so that at least one wall is formed by the rock. The ceilings are very low and the house is rather dark, so you get the feeling of being in a house built within a cave. I assume this is the desired effect. Mr. Jordan had a vision or an atmosphere he was trying to convey in the house and all the subsequent displays he constructed through the years. He did not start out to create a tourist attraction, but so many people stopped by for a tour of the house he finally decided to turn it into one. It opened to the public in 1960. He used the proceeds to expand his collections and add more rooms and buildings.

So what did he collect? Just about everything it seems. A few of the things I can recall: antique toys, guns and all types of weapons, merry-go-round horses,
doll houses,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

miniature circus tents and circus toy sets,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

model airplanes and ships,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

huge automatic player organs and fully automated bands,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

and antique automobiles. Most of these collections are extensive – often hundreds of items.

Being a fan of the antiques road show on PBS, we cannot imagine how much all of this is worth. We will see some rare item on the TV show estimated at say $10,000. We will turn to one another and say “Good grief – there must have been 30 or 40 of those at “House on the Rock”.

Yet we have a complaint about the way all these items were displayed. While almost all the items are museum quality, the workers are quick to point out that Mr. Arnold did not want this to be a museum. He wanted his collections displayed as an “attraction” following the vision or atmosphere he was trying to create. For example one area is titled “Streets of Yesterday”.

From 9-08 House on the Rock

This displays items seen in shop windows in the late 1800’s. It is designed to appear in an evening setting with simulated gas lighting. Thus is all quite dim and some things are difficult to see and fully appreciate. This problem with dim lighting happens in other places throughout the tour such as this antique steam tractor somewhat hidden away in a dim corner.

From 9-08 House on the Rock

Plus there are places that are dusty or where there does not appear to be adequate climate control to prevent deterioration of things like antique doll clothing. We can see lots of money being spent on new buildings and future displays. It is sad that more is not being done to protect existing collections.

Still it is a fascinating place to visit. Do go if you are ever in southern Wisconsin.

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Lake Delton, Wisconsin

We have really been fortunate to find some great campgrounds. Country Roads Campground in Lake Delton, Wisconsin is another one. It is near the tourist area of the Wisconsin Dells, but away from the hustle and bustle. The Dells area reminds me of Gatlinburg, Tennessee with all the T-shirt and souvenir stores, thrill rides, bars, neon lights, etc. There must be a dozen huge water theme parks in the area, most connected to a hotel. These have big water slides that weave inside and outside the hotels. I guess this allows them to be used in cooler weather.

We had a great site at the back of the campground that looked out onto a large field surrounded by trees and shrubs. It was like our own private park. We walked Clay there each day and usually were alone since few others walked in that area. We delighted in seeing a flock of wild turkey walk across the field several evenings.
The scenery was beautiful all around the area. There were rolling hills and valleys. In spite of the serious flooding that had occurred in the spring, the fields in the valleys were full of corn ready for harvest. We enjoyed just riding around the area as we traveled to local towns to shop.

Monique decided to make a new bedspread for the RV. That meant she needed a new sewing machine and then fabric. She found a Janome machine she liked at a little shop in Baraboo. We went back and forth several times as she shopped for the machine and then took sewing lessons. There were a number of things to tour around Baraboo, but we only visited a few. The main thing we did not visit was the circus museum. The Ringling brothers grew up in Baraboo and for many years brought the circus home to Baraboo for the winter. Some day we hope to go back and tour the Circus museum and see some of the circus shows they perform during the summer tourist season. We did enjoy visiting a nearby state park with a lovely deep lake created by an ice age glacier.

We also enjoyed a brief visit to the International Crane Federation. At the ICF, volunteers raise and protect endangered Cranes from all around the world. The largest effort is directed at restoring whooping cranes. The ICF participates in a program to raise and then lead a group of cranes to Florida each year. A group of pilots from Canada lead a small flock from Wisconsin to Florida each year using small ultra-light planes to guide the birds. They believe the birds can become self sustaining if 125 mating pairs can be trained to make the annual migration. We read a sad story in National Geographic about all the effort to lead one group of 19 birds to Florida only to see all but one of the cranes killed in a hurricane later the same year.

Having seen all the different cranes in Wisconsin, we have been delighted to find many Sandhill Cranes living around us in Dade City, Florida. These are also large beautiful birds. They all gather in a large field near the local airport each evening. Then during the day they separate into small groups and fly to different fields around the area. We often see them flying overhead or grazing for insects in the fields next to our RV Park.

While Monique was searching for fabric, we learned that a large quilt show was being held in Madison, Wisconsin about an hour’s drive away. Since we enjoy seeing the handy work of talented crafters - especially quilters, we decided to go. We had a great time. There were quilts being judged from all over the US. What a huge diversity in styles. All looked like prize winners to us.

From 2008 Lake Delton Quilts

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