The Wandering Scot
An occasional travel journal
I took two overlapping Mid West road trips in 2024. First, Omaha to Fargo, then Winnipeg to Chicago.
Sioux City, Iowa
A quick stop-off at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
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| Lewis & Clark Statue (plus dog)
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| Jefferson orders the Expedition
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| Lewis & Clark Diorama
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| The Mighty Missouri, at Sioux City
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Pierre, South Dakota
South Dakota State Capitol
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| South Dakota State Capitol
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| South Dakota State Capitol
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| Capitol dome interior
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| Capitol Rotunda
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| Indian + trader
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| Senate Chamber
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| House chamber
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| Supreme Court chamber
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Verendrye Monument, outside Pierre
The Verendrye Brothers were French explorers who reach South Dakota around 1743 and buried a lead tablet claiming the region for France.
The tablet was rediscovered outside Pierre in 1913.
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| Verendrye Monument
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| Verendrye Monument
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| View over Pierre and the Missouri
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Bismarck, North Dakota
North Dakota State Capitol
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| An unusual Art Deco State Capitol
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| House Chamber
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| House Chamber
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| Senate Chamber
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| Great Seal of South Dakota
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| View from 18th floor observation deck
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| Art Deco elevator doors
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| Note the cattle herds and wheat sheafs
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| Note the steam locomotive and wagon train.
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| The Mighty Missouri at Bismarck
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Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site, North Dakota
A real Minuteman Missile command site, now disabled as a result of the START treaty.
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| The innocuous-looking entrance building
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| Base layout model
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| Our tour leader shows off ground floor rest areas
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| Large-capacity cargo elevator
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| Entry to Support Bunker
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| Entry to the Command Bunker
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| Shock-absorbing mounting
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The command bunker is suprisingly spacious
this is double-size - most command bunkers were smaller.
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| Command Console #1
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Command Console #2
This one has the red lock-boxes for sealed orders
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| This was the command bunker for the "Oscar" missile wing
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| Graham at Command Console #2
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November-33 Missile Silo
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| There's little to see above ground.
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| Launcher door
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Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo Visitor Center, August 2024
The Fargo Vistor Center has the original wood chipper from the movie Fargo. They say it is by far their biggest attraction.
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| The original Wood Chipper from Fargo
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Fargo Visitor Center, August 2024
On my second visit in October I bought one of the Vistor Center's trapper hats, for versimilitude
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| The original Fargo wood chipper
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| Signed by the Coen Brothers
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Around Fargo
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| Welcome to Fargo!
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| Fargo City Hall
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The Red River at Fargo
It flows North into Lake Winnipeg and eventually into Hudson Bay
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Hjemkomst Center, a Norwegian Cultural center
At Moorhead opposite Fargo
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Replica Viking ship
Which was successfully sailed from New York to Norway.
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| Replica Viking ship
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| Replica of a Norwegian stave church
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Winnipeg, Manitoba
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| Welcome to Winnipeg!
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| Manitoba Legislature
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| Manitoba Legislature
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| The "Golden Boy" atop the Legislature
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| Louis Riel statue, outside Legislature
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| Winnipeg's Union Station (1911)
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| Inside Union Station
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| The might Red River, flowing North to Lake Winnipeg
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ABM Sites, North Dakota
North Dakota is home to an abandoned 1970s
Anti-Ballistic Missile complex, intended to protect the US's ICBM sites. I stopped off at two sites, first
the imposing and mysterious "MSR Pyramid", a giant phased array radar, and also RSL #3, one of the interceptor missile launch sites. Sadly
neither was open for visits.
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| The MSR Pyramid
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| Mysterious concrete structures
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Remote Launch Site 3 (aka RSL #3)
One of the interceptor missile launch sites
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| RSL #3
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| RSL #3 Cryptic concrete structures
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Aurora Borealis
I was lucky enough to be in Minneapolis when a major Aurora event hit. I drove 20 miles North to Ham Lake, and got some good views.
Caveat: The camera exagerrates the colors. To the naked eye, these mostly looked like pale gray smears, with only occasional hints of color.
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| Overhead
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| Overhead
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Minneapolis
Minnesota State Capitol
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| Minnesota State Capitol
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| Dome interior
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| Rotunda
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| Senate Chamber
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| House of Representatives
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| Supreme Court Chamber
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"The Third Minnesota Entering Little Rock"
Outside Tim Walz's Reception Room
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Around Minneapolis
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| The Mighty Mississippi at Minneapolis
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| Great Mall of America
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| Giant Lego Store
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| Welcoming Lego Dragon
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| Lego Minotaur
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| Minneapolis City Hall
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Taliesin, Wisconsin
Frank LLoyd Wright's estate at Taliesin, exemplifying his style and ideas.
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Taliesin Visitor Center
Designdc by FLW as "The Riverside Terrace Restaurant"
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| Taliesin
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| Drafting Room
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| Entry to Formal Living Room
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| The Formal Living Room
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| Formal Living Room, looking back to Entry
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| The Birdwalk projecting balcony
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| Family space
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| Informal space: converted from an outdoor area
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Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Capitol
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| View from my room at the AC Hotel
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| Wisconsin State Capitol
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| Rotunda
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| Dome Interior
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| Legislation
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| Justice
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| Liberty
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| Government
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| Supreme Court Chamber
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| "The Appeal of the Legionary to Caesar Augustus"
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| Senate Chamber
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Wedding of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans (Panama Canal 1914)
Asian Powers on the left, European Powers on the right
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| Assembly Chamber (House of Representatives)
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Chicago, Illinois
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| Willis / Sears Tower
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| Projecting observation boxes
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| The Field Museum
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| Full-scale Pterosaur Model
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| Field Museum: Cambrian Aquarium
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| Frank Lyyod Wright's Frederik C Robie House
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| Frank Lyyod Wright's Frederik C Robie House
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The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (neé The Oriental Institute)
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| A Mighty Lamassu. Sargon II, around 710 bc
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| Artistic modern colors for ancient heads
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| Tutankhamun
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| A Babylonian Lion
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