Saturday, August 4, 2018, Gateway to Science Museum

We visited Gateway to Science, one of the very few science museums in North Dakota on our ASTC list of museums. 

This children's museum had quite a large number of hands-on displays demonstrating different concepts in technology and physics.

Definitely not a good look for me in front of a warped mirror reflected in another mirror to make me look like I am levitating in mid-air.

Joani had me drive across town (I think there were only three freeway exits) to see another John Lopez work, this time in front of the MacKensie Pizza Parlor. You can see below the scale of this piece - it must be at least 8 feet tall.

Kenai, by John Lopez, 2012

I have never seen the Disney animated film, Brother Bear.  If I had, I would have realized that Kenai is the name of the (bear) protagonist in that movie.  Now I want to see it.

I'm guessing a Lewis and Clark scene over his latissimus dorsi.

Friday, August 3, 2018, Move to Bismarck, ND

We started our morning by making a 150-foot hike to the Alaska Diner for breakfast when it opened at 7:00. With no breakfast dishes to wash, we got an early start. It was a beautiful but desolate drive from Lemmon, SD, to Bismarck, ND, (actually, a southern suburb of Bismarck named Mandan). Our entire drive, 121.7 miles (89,290.9 total) was on secondary roads and we rarely saw any other traffic. There were no steep grades and the engine and transmission temperatures behaved as they should. I suppose it helped significantly that it was cloudy and only in the mid-70's as well.

This was our first foray into North Dakota, so we get to color in another outline on our "Visited States" map bringing our total to 29 states. It seems like we should have been in more after five and a half years but we will get them all eventually.

Bismarck and its suburbs were certainly bigger than Pierre, but after spending a week in Rapid City we were a little underwhelmed with our first impression. Of course, we had only seen Mandan and not the actual capital city, so we still have time to see if that will change.

Mandan, ND

Thursday, August 2, 2018, Move to Lemmon, SD and John Lopez Studio

We put together a plan to visit Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, and Roosevelt National Park in Madora, ND, before our ACA rally in Spearfish, SD. I am constantly surprised by just how expansive these "little" square states are in the midwest. Bismarck, ND, was more than 300 miles from Rapid City, SD, so a stop mid-way was certainly a good idea.

The artwork we saw in Rapid City led Joani to research the sculptor, John Lopez. She found he had a studio in the small town of Lemmon, SD, which happened to be about half way to Bismarck. The only problem was there did not appear to be a good route that didn't take us through downtown Sturgis, SD, the destination for an expected 500,000+ motorcycles for "Bike Week." Since that was just getting started, it seemed prudent to avoid Sturgis. 

Google maps showed another route using County Hwy MC-21 (New Underwood Rd.), but Google Maps Street View showed the last 10 miles to be a gravel road. My Rand McNally map also indicated it was gravel. Joani then noticed the Street View picture was taken in 2009 and I found my Rand McNally map was 2011 vintage. We studied Google Satellite View and Google Earth very carefully and determined it had been paved sometime in the last few years. Yea!, because the only other option added 50 miles to our route, so we decided to give County Hwy MC-21 a try.

The road was fine (certainly better than some Interstate highways we have traveled). The drive was 185 miles (89,169.2 total). Our "campground" was pretty minimal, but also very convenient. It was across the street from the Grand River Museum where we saw the first Lopez of many in this sleepy little town.

Triceratops Cowboy, by John Lopez, 2008

The whimsy of a cowboy riding a Triceratops made it one of my favorites.

I opted to drive to the studio although it was no more than a quarter mile from our coach. On the way, we took a little detour by the high school where we saw another Lopez sculpture.

Lemmon High School Mascot, by John Lopez 2012

Another two blocks away and we finally reached the studio. More original art was placed outside on each side of the building, so it was nice that it was not raining, but it might have been more pleasant if it had been 20 degrees cooler.

Boss Cowman, by John Lopez

George Edward Lemmon, 1857 – 1945 Known as the original “Boss Cowman,” the most prestigious among the elite cattlemen at the turn of the century. The six-shooter welded into the chest of the horse belonged to George.

I suspect the little guy below would have a tough time staying on a Big Horn Sheep but maybe he's a cowboy prodigy.

Ram Tough, by John Lopez

We believe this metal tree was also a Lopez but it was so wildly different we were not really sure. It was positioned in front of the mural painted on the side of the building so that from the right angle it looked like a painting.

It was nice and cool inside where we were able to study several more John Lopez originals. 

It was nice to have someone there to explain some of the symbolism worked into The Last Stand. The clash is obviously between Custer and Sitting Bull, but I would have had no idea about the dream Sitting Bull had about the horses or the lone cavalry horse that remained after the battle.

The Last Stand, by John Lopez 2016

Not all of his inspiration is about cowboys as you can see in the owl below and the peacock made mostly from silverware (Knives, forks and spoons) and the motorcycle gas tank octopus.

Steampunk Owl, by John Lopez, 2017

Silverware Peacock, by John Lopez 2009

Steampunk Octopus, by John Lopez

Several of his works were represented with photographs since they were sold and on display all around the country. Maybe we will see a few more of his pieces when we visit New Hampshire.

Moose, by John Lopez is in a private collection in Kensington, New Hampshire along with Wild West Buffalo and Friesian.  Black Hawk is in a Farmer's Market in Kensington, New Hampshire, so maybe someday...

A couple of short blocks from the studio was a kitchy little museum dedicated to petrified wood. Apparently, as the area farmland has eroded away, petrified wood buried for millions of years was exposed. Being quite a nuisance for folks trying to farm the land it was just piled up until one enterprising man decided to create this little park.

"Late in the Cretaceous, beginning about 70 million years ago, and continuing through the Paleocene, until about 56 million years ago, western North Dakota’s climate was subtropical. Trees up to 12 feet in diameter and more than 100 feet tall grew in a setting similar to today’s Dismal Swamp in Virginia, or the Florida Everglades, with meandering rivers, swamps, and vast forested floodplains." John Bluemle

The plaque read, "In memory of Ole S. Quammen, father of Mrs. Harry C. Olson, the creator and donor of this, the world's largest Petrified Wood Park is of its kind."

Back at the coach, we walked across the street to actually go inside the Grand River Museum. Joani was excited to see another John Lopez sculpture commemorating the rather gruesome bear attack on an early settler named Hugh Glass. After he was mauled and left for dead by fellow travelers that also took his knife and gun, he made his way 200 miles back to civilization where his survival made him something of a legend. The Revenant, a movie released in 2015, was loosely based on the real life story of Hugh Glass.

Hugh Glass, by John Lopez, 2015

Wednesday, August 1, 2018, President's Walk, Rapid City, SD

The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks office, in Rapid City, also had an original by John Lopez. I'm not sure why it was there but we needed to see it before leaving town. Again, the welding and melding of such an odd collection of metal objects was fascinating.

Pronghorn by John Lopez 2001

The Dahl Arts Center had an interesting collection of works by various artists. I spent a little time in the cool quiet space wondering why a person would want to create some of the things on display, but then there's something for everyone, right?

 Little Buddha of Light by Yoko Tenyoh Sugawara, 2018

stoneware, acrylic 9" x 5.5" x 5" 

 Receding Storm, by Chuck Kimmerle, 2012

  Setting Sunflower, by Chuck Kimmerle, 2010

Throughout the downtown area, (along St.Joseph and Main streets between 4th and 9th), the Presidents Walk included lifesize bronze sculptures of each of our Commanders in Chief from George Washington to George Bush (Barack Obama will be added later this year). Twelve of the works were crafted by, you guessed it, John Lopez. With no bias whatsoever Joani decided they were the best, so she included six of them below.

John Adams (Born October 30, 1735 – Died July 4, 1826)

2nd President of the United States 1797-1801

John Quincy Adams (Born July 11, 1767 – Died February 23, 1848)

6th President of the United States 1825-1829

Ulysses S. Grant ( Born April 27, 1822 – Died July 23, 1885)

18th President of the United States 1869-1877

Chester A. Arthur (Born October 5, 1829 – Died November 18, 1886)

21st President of the United States 1881-1885

 Benjamin Harrison ( Born August 20, 1833 – Died March 13, 1901)

23rd President of the United States 1889-1893

Calvin Coolidge (Born July 4, 1872 – Died January 5, 1933)

30th President of the United States 1923-1929

Inside Who's Hobby House I had the chance to save a lot of money by just saying "no" to dozens of new and expensive ways to pass the time as we travel.

We were thinking of you, Loren.

I have to say the last week really seemed to zip by - Rapid City had so many things to see and do we will certainly visit again someday.