As usual with most of the interesting sites I visit, I stumble upon them by accident.  That's the story here as well while passing through Ottumwa, IA last weekend with my mother.  We noticed the classic brown signs pointing to the American Gothic House so we went for a visit.

Even if you don't know the name of the famous painting, you've most likely seen it and would recognize it simply from someone describing it.  It is one of the most widely recognized paintings in the world and the backdrop for that famous painting was right here in the heartland of Iowa.

Painter Grant Wood was trying to depict rural life in the great plains during the depression era.  While the piece is supposed to illustrate father and daughter, the models for the painting are actually Wood's sister and dentist.  The structure in the background of the painting is real and still located today in Eldon, IA.  The American Gothic House site now has a visitor center and any one of the very gracious volunteers would LOVE to put you in costume for a photograph.  Best of all, their help and use of the costumes is free.

Like I said earlier, the painting is supposed to illustrate father and daughter.  I found it interesting that I was able to be in costume for a photograph taken as mother and son.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2012 - American Gothic House, Eldon, IA The original American Gothic The original American Gothic	2012 - American Gothic House, Eldon, IA Bart and Mom at the American Gothic House Bart and Mom at the American Gothic House	2012 - American Gothic House, Eldon, IA Bart and Mom at the American Gothic House in costume Bart and Mom at the American Gothic House in costume
2012 - American Gothic House, Eldon, IA The American Gothic House The American Gothic House	2012 - American Gothic House, Eldon, IA The creator of American Gothic, Grant Wood The creator of American Gothic, Grant Wood	2012 - American Gothic House, Eldon, IA Wood's sister and dentist Wood's sister and dentist

A quick stop along highway 61 to take in Split Rock Lighthouse on the way up the north shore of Lake Superior.

Enjoy the photograph (click thumbnail for larger view)..

2011 - Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors, MN Split Rock Lighthouse Split Rock Lighthouse

Found this beauty in Avoca, IA, after pulling off of I-80 for a pitstop.  This VW Spider is also listed on the Road Side America site.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2011 - VW Spider, Avoca, IA VW Spider sculpture in Avoca, IA VW Spider sculpture in Avoca, IA

On the short drive along I-80 from Omaha to Lincoln, Nebraska, I stumbled upon an interesting piece of architecture.  The Holy Family Shrine.  A place of inspiration and solitude for all faiths.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2011 - Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE The Holy Family Shrine	2011 - Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE The glass encased chapel	2011 - Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE Corn crib architecture?
2011 - Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE A view of the chapel	2011 - Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE Another view of the chapel	2011 - Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE Bart at the Holy Family Shrine

I was out on another geocaching adventure today.  The quest for the day was to find a geocache in Michigan's Ontonagon County.  Finding a cache in this distant county satisfies a requirement for another King Boreas geocaching challenge, Minnesota Challenge:  Circle Me Bert  (GC23E80).  The goal of this challenge is to find and log a geocache in each of the counties and provinces outside, but surrounding, the border of Minnesota.  One must find a total of 36 geocaches across five different states and the two Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario.  Believe it or not, Minnesota shares a border with Michigan.  Minnesota's Cook County shares the border with Michigan's Ontonagon County.  Does that sound crazy?  Check it out on Mapquest.  The border lies in the middle of Lake Superior.

During this adventure, I had the pleasure of visiting Michigan's Porcupine Mountains State Park, located along the south shore of Lake Superior.  Words cannot describe this gorgeous park.  One thing is for certain, this park is on my short-list of places to return to with the family.  Besides the south shore, another highlight of the park is the Lake of the Clouds.  Spectacular.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2010 - Porcupine Mountains State Park, Ontonagon, MI The trail head to Lake of the Clouds

2010 - Porcupine Mountains State Park, Ontonagon, MI Lake of the Clouds

2010 - Porcupine Mountains State Park, Ontonagon, MI Bart at Lake of the Clouds

This photograph was taken on Saturday, October 24th, 2009.  The entire Flentje family dressed up for a Halloween party excursion located in the Cannon Falls area.  Boo.

2009 Happy Halloween

A very scary Flentje family.

Located in Calumet, MN, Hill Annex Mine State Park is another gorgeous Minnesota park rich in beauty and history.  If you visit Hill Annex, be sure to take the guided tour.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2008 - Hill Annex State Park Former open pit mine at Hill Annex	2008 - Hill Annex State Park Former open pit mine at Hill Annex	2008 - Hill Annex State Park Former open pit mine at Hill Annex
2008 - Hill Annex State Park Bart exploring abandoned equipment at Hill Annex	2008 - Hill Annex State Park Bart exploring abandoned equipment at Hill Annex	2008 - Hill Annex State Park Bart exploring the shovel at Hill Annex

Located on the grounds of Soudan Underground Mine State Park, in Soudan, MN, an unbelievably gorgeous geological formation that local geocachers have dubbed Swirly Rock.  I would love to hear from anyone that can explain the layering of stone in this rock formation.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2008 - Swirly Rock, Soudan, MN Swirly Rock

2008 - Swirly Rock, Soudan, MN Swirly Rock

2008 - Swirly Rock, Soudan, MN Bart at Swirly Rock

While Nene and Anna were away at Catholic Youth Camp, Molly, Laura and I made a quick geocache stop in Blue Earth, MN on our way to Omaha, NE.

This photograph was taken on Wednesday, July 18th, 2008, 5:17AM EST.  We were on a week long vacation enjoying the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Looking to get the perfect sunrise, I awoke early every morning trying to capture the natural beauty and colors that go along with an eastern sunrise.