Today was wonderful and a little bit disappointing at the same time. The activities, driving and visiting Taliesin, were wonderful but the scenic impact was less than I was expecting.

So far on this trip I have not been able to use scenic byways to connect the places I was visiting and so most of the driving has been on interstate highways. Today I followed two scenic byways and the driving, finally, became an enjoyable part of the vacation, rather than a chore.

The first byway was really only scenic for a few miles, where it ran alongside the Wisconsin river, but the pleasure of driving along roads that had bends, small towns and roadside activity more than made up for that. The second was part of Great River Road which follows the Mississippi for much of its length. I drove this section of road last year but it was raining heavily, fog and low clouds blocked the view and I even experienced thunderstorms and hail as can be seen in that day’s video. Today’s weather was far better but the views I missed out on last year were less spectacular than I had imagined. I think that’s just because the river is so wide that it looks more like a lake. Since there are few places to stop the best views are in today’s video.

The highlight of the day was my stop at Taliesin which is the estate of Frank Lloyd Wright and his family. The estate, which is still a working farm as well as the summer home of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, was owned by his parents and he grew up here. He made stunning architectural additions over many years, including the house he lived in after he returned from Chicago until his death. Most visitors tour the house but, because of my background in education, I was more interested in the Studio and Theater which was originally designed as Hillside  primary school and is now the design studio for the graduate students who attend the architecture school. I bought my ticket online yesterday and, when I turned up today, I was the only person on the tour. I spent a fantastic hour on a private tour with George who tailored it to my interests. George has spent decades researching FLW and working at Taliesin and was able to enlighten me with the philosophy, goals and detail embodied in his work.

A view of the Wisconsin River from the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center at Taliesin.

Hillside primary school was opened and run by two of  FLW’s aunts. It was extremely progressive, teaching science from grade 4, incorporating a great deal of outdoor learning and encouraging experimentation. Imagine having this space to learn in back in 1903. What appear to be dark wood beams are actually the second floor which still houses the school library.
This is the dining room which is still used by the architecture students. Notice the FLW chairs that he admitted were very uncomfortable.
I hope to get better views of the Mississippi river tomorrow but this was today’s best.