April 28, 2012 - Miles City, MT

To start off with, let me note that it was 37 degrees and raining when we started our walk this morning.  And, of course, windy.

Lobby of the Olive Hotel

The directions for the "Frontier Town" walk  are contained in a beautiful 18-page pamphlet with lots of color photos and historical facts!  We started at the charming Olive Hotel.  Do go inside and take a look around if you visit Miles City.



 

We continued through the town past some historic commercial buildings, the bank built in 1900, an old log cabin, a small brick barn, and the wool warehouse. Then we headed out toward the Yellowstone River. After strolling along the river for a while, the walk turns back toward town where you can see "parlor houses" and then the route heads out to the Range Riders Museum and the Custer County Art & Heritage Center.

Miles City really has the look and feel of the "Wild West."

Walk Route:  B-

Walk Documentation:  A+

April 27, 2012 - Bismarck

Another windy day greeted us in Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota. The Bismarck-Mandan Visitor Center, where the walk began, has a nice gift shop. It would be worth a few extra minutes to look around here.



Bismarck, at a population of 100,000, doesn't have all that much to see.  We did see the former Governor's Mansion (your standard large Victorian house), a park/arboretum/golf course, a "cathedral," and some "historic" homes (including some very cute cottage-style homes).

This was the Governor's residence between 1893 and 1960

The highlight of the walk, and the reason for our visit, was the State Capitol Complex.  The grounds feature a number of statues, including a striking one of Sakakawea.

The 19-story Art Deco Capitol building was built between 1932 and 1934.  Nicknamed "The Skyscraper on the Prairie," it is the tallest building in North Dakota. My first impression was that it was quite hideous and incompatible with its surroundings.  However, I changed my mind after seeing it up close and touring the interior.  It is a fine example of Art Deco design, featuring clean lines, open spaces, streamlined curving shapes, zigzag patterns, and rich materials. From the huge chandeliers symbolizing heads of wheat to the relief work on the bronze elevator doors to the Yellowstone travertine marble on the walls, there are many pleasing details to discover.

Ben Eielson, one of the distinguished North Dakotans honored inside the Capitol

These ceiling fixtures in the Capitol symbolize wheat

The interior of the Capitol

Walk Route: C

Capitol Building: A

Walk Documentation: B

April 26, 2012 - North Fargo

The historic Fargo Theater, built in 1926

Our North Fargo walk started downtown on a windy but sunny morning. We strolled down Broadway, where we saw several trendy shops and restaurants.  Some care has been taken to preserve the historic buildings and to recognize the city’s history with inlaid sidewalk mosaics and pillars.  

Many cities have a series of animal statues decorated by various artists.  In Fargo, the animal is the buffalo.  We passed two buffalo statues on this walk – I would have liked seeing a few more.

 

After leaving downtown we walked down 8^th St to the Red River, passing many interesting historic homes. 

Looking for a geocache in Island Park

Near the entrance to Lindenwood Park we passed a memorial to Roger Maris then walked through a pleasant campground before returning to downtown via 7^th St.

Walk Route:  B

Walk Documentation:  B

October 27 - Geneva, IL

I will write about this walk soon.

September 22, 2011 - Lansing

 

We started our Lansing walk in the Michigan Historical Museum and quickly arrived at the State Capitol building. The State Capitol was designed by Elijah Meyers in 1872.  Myers has designed more state capitols than any other architect (he also designed capitols for Texas and Colorado).  Meyers' design, with its lofty central dome and balanced wings, became a model for most statehouses built in America during the "Golden Age" of capitol construction after the Civil War. Due to a limited budget, the interior surfaces were hand painted to look like marble and walnut, and it is hard to tell they are faux.

The Rotunda: The oculus, or "eye" of the dome provides a glimpse into the vastness of the universe, represented by a starry sky

I got a really nice 20-page booklet about the Capitol, which was helpful during our self-guided tour of the building.  The inside of the building is spectacular.  The floor underneath the rotunda is made of glass and from the basement we looked up and saw schoolchildren lying on the glass floor as they gazed up 160 feet to the rotunda.  The rotunda is decorated with hand-painted muses representing art, agriculture, law, science, justice, industry, commerce and education.  The House and Senate Chambers were also quite beautiful.  They featured coffered ceilings with hand-etched glass panes picturing the coats of arms of all 50 states.

One of the "Michigan Chandeliers"

Close-up of the elk and shield design

Along the Grand River

Our walk also took us past Lansing Community College and Thomas M. Cooley Law School.  (We also passed the Cooley Law School Stadium, home of the Lansing Lugnuts.  How many law schools have their own stadium?)  We walked through Old Town and followed the River Trail along the Grand River until we came to the Lansing City Market.

The Board of Water and Light Building

Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame

Walk Route: A-

Cooley Gardens

Walk Documentation: A-

September 21, 2011 - Zeeland

Zeeland, Michigan, is a community that is clearly  very proud of itself - and with good reason!  Virtually all of the homes we passed were well-kept, with tidy, attractively landscaped yards. Many of the homes bore plaques indicating the date of construction.  Zeeland's inventory of lovely houses included Queen Anne,  Victorian Gothic, Craftsman, Prairie, and even a few based on Frank Lloyd Wright's work - each one delightful.

The "Painted Lady" - a Queen Anne style Victorian built in 1898

A quintessential Craftsman home

Zeeland, a town of around 6,000,  is home to the Herman Miller furniture company and the Howard Miller Clock Company, as well as Mead Johnson (baby formula).  Zeeland was founded in 1847 by Dutch settlers seeking religious freedom.  The Dutch roots are still very apparent in the names on local businesses, street names, and orderly neighborhoods. We passed at least eight Dutch Reformed or Reformed churches (and one Baptist church).  Diversity is not one of Zeeland's strong suits, but the town does well in all other respects..

Zeeland is a delightful community - what you would imagine Lake Woebegone to be like.  The people are friendly, all of the homes are charming, the yards are neat, and the town is bedecked with banners proclaiming :  "Feel the Zeel."

I must add that the route instructions were excellent.  I got a nice little pamphlet that contained instructions, an excellent map, and several pages of annotations about the various buildings along the route.

Walk Route: A

Walk Documentation: A+

September 7 - Asheville (YRE)

We had a special treat in Asheville.  Two local volkswalkers met us at the start point and walked with us.  Now that’s what I call Southern Hospitality!

In 2011 Asheville was picked as one of the “10 Most Beautiful Places in America” by Good Morning America.  Asheville, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, offers a high quality of life.  It has carefully preserved much of its heritage and has avoided becoming a tourist trap.

 

We started our walk in the Montford Area Historic District, a neighborhood filled with Victorian era homes.  From there we went through a botanical garden and part of the University of North Carolina Asheville campus.

City Hall is on the right

 We saw the home of author Thomas Wolfe and then went to the downtown core where we saw a city hall that looked like a wedding cake. Indeed, interesting architecture could be seen in all directions, particularly Art Deco.  One building that was especially noteworthy was the Basilica of St. Lawrence, with its large freestanding elliptical dome.

 

Another important feature of the downtown area was its variety of opportunities to purchase local arts and crafts, particularly in the Grove Arcade.  We saw a lot of handmade pottery and items made of wood.

Rating:

 

Walk Route: B+

Walk Documentation: A-