I’m reblogging this post from The Gen X Travels, a fellow WordPress blogger, for two reasons: 1) it has some great “in the moment” photos that I think my travel readers will enjoy and 2) because I want to be able to find it later when I’m planning my own trip to southern Italy. All of my Italian travel has involved northern Italy and I’m dying to head south. Enjoy!
I traveled to Italy, April 2022 and my first stop was Naples, where I enjoyed a walking tour of the old town. This trip was with a group of women and…
Last week, my husband and I took a three-day trip to Mount Rushmore from southwest Missouri. On the way to and from, we ventured off the beaten path to see some less-visited sites. One of those was Carhenge.
Can you guess what it is? Yep, you’re right. It’s a Stonehenge made of cars.
At left, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge in England and at right, Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska.
And believe it or not, it’s been on the back-burner of our mental bucket list of places to see for several years now. So you can imagine our delight last Thursday when we learned (thanks to Google Maps) that we would be within a few miles of Carhenge when we passed through Alliance, Nebraska (pop. 8,500) later that afternoon.
Another shot
I first heard of Carhenge right around the time I graduated from the University of Kansas in 1988. The project’s completion in 1987 made the news back then in the Midwest for a little while. Then gradually, the news died down, and it became another one of those odd-ball sights the Great Plains is known for.
Let’s get to it. Here’s a quick video of me simply rotating the camera around the central site:
The cars were at one time left in their original paint colors. But I would imagine that over time, the paint began to wear and/or the metal finishes began to rust, so a “Stonehenge gray” color was eventually applied to all. Works for me.
Here’s a photo of the site before the cars were painted gray.
You can buy this postcard in a very sparse information center/gift shop for 79 cents. That’s cool.
Some of the pits that hold the upright cars are five feet deep.
The cars that form the arches are welded to form a complete structure.
Reinders built Carhenge as a memorial to his father and while living in England studied Stonehenge to learn its size and proportions.
During the solar eclipse of August 2017, the path of totality (the path that would experience a total eclipse) passed right over Carhenge. Four thousand people, including the governor, viewed the eclipse from the site.
Another shotTrucks were also used to form the monumental sculpture.Needless to say, Carhenge is an unusual experience.
The information sign below tells about the main Carhenge circle and some outlying sculptures made of found objects, farm implements, and auto parts.
The sign
Sign here, please.
While you can walk right up to the main sculpture, don’t write anything on the cars. If you feel the need to leave your mark, do it on this white car placed here specifically for that purpose.
Sign here, please. To the right of the autograph car is an assemblage also made by Jim Reinders called “The Fourd Seasons,” inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The sculpture includes all Ford automobiles and represents the four seasons of Nebraska.
Here’s another example of some of the outlying pieces around Carhenge. This is called Carnestoga after the old Conestoga wagons that at one time were the High Plains vehicle of choice.
CarnestogaHere’s one final shot as we left Carhenge.
Don’t forget to visit the small information center/gift shop at the site to drop in a donation and buy a souvenir. They have t-shirts, postcards, key rings, cold drinks, and a few snacks et al to make your Carhenge visit complete.
The bucket list
I can now cross Carhenge off my bucket list. If Carhenge isn’t on your bucket list, add it pronto. And then get thee to Alliance, Nebraska to see this funky testament to creativity and cars.
On our way to Mount Rushmore, we also took a quick two-hour tour of De Smet, South Dakota to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes. I’ll do a short post about that soon. Thanks for reading!
While you’re here, check out another post that celebrates the culture and art of the Midwest.
We can talk clear out here on this ledge if you feel like it or
We can talk
On a red chalk bluff way out West
If you’d rather.
This land is
Far too perfect
Far too ours
Far too expansive
To interrupt our kindred
Conversation.
This is a poem inspired by the 1849 painting Kindred Spirits by Asher B. Durand.
My poem imagines the conversation between the two men standing on the bluff, naturalist and poet William Cullen Bryant and Hudson River School founder Thomas Cole. Durand painted the work to memorialize Cole, who had recently passed away.
In March, I had the opportunity to visit The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Missouri. Named for the city’s patron, Saint Louis IX of France, the structure, according to a tourist guide, “combines architecture of Romanesque style on the exterior with a wondrous Byzantine style interior.”
In other words, WOW.
Yes, I could bore you with a long list of overused adjectives that can’t possibly describe the grandeur of this unexpected delight. Instead, I’ll just get down to brass tacks and provide you with some details so you can surmise for yourself that Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, located in a bustling urban setting at 4431 Lindell Boulevard, is probably one of the Midwest’s best kept historical architectural secrets.
Our tour guide provided a very informative half-hour private tour. Between his knowledge and information gleaned from the beautiful guidebooks shown above, we learned that…
The mosaics that adorn the cathedral were designed, produced, and installed from 1912-1988.
The mosaics were made by the Ravenna Mosaic Co. of St. Louis, a company founded by German father-and-son team Paul and Arno Heuduck primarily to create the Byzantine mosaics for the cathedral.
The cathedral, according to my guidebook published by the Friends of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, “combines the best of Byzantine, the style of the eastern half of the Roman Empire in the early Christian centuries, and of Romanesque — a combination used, among others, by the architects of the Basilica of Saint Mark Cathedral Church of Venice.”
The central dome soars 217 feet.
The dazzling mosaics are unmatched in the Western hemisphere and this one structure contains one of the largest collections in the world.
In 1997, Pope John Paul II designated the Cathedral of St. Louis as a Basilica in order to recognize its beauty and significance; since then, the structure has been known as The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. In 1999, Pope John Paul II presided over an evening prayer service at the basilica to conclude his trip to North America.
A view of the Central Dome
The central dome features brilliant red tesserae.
About those mosaics
41.5 million pieces of glass were used to decorate the hundreds of mosaic artworks that cover nearly every interior surface within the basilica.
Seven thousand different colors of tesserae were used.
Thirty-eight different shades of gold mosaic were used.
There are 83,000 square feet of mosaics within the structure.
Twenty-five miles of scaffolding were erected to complete the mosaics.
The exterior of the building was simply too massive to photograph on my iPhone. Here’s a better shot courtesy of <a href=”http://A.reyestena, CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons:
When we visited, the trees were still bare. This photo from Wikimedia Commons shows how the green of the trees picks up the green of the dome’s tile roof.
And now for the Narthex
The narthex, similar to an entry hall for gathering together before or after a service, features a barrel-vaulted ceiling and dazzling gold mosaics.
A view toward The Historic Bay and Dome
The historic dome features blue tesserae. The mosaics in this dome and bay feature the history of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, including important milestones of the establishment of the Catholic Church in St. Louis, and works of charity and services performed by area Catholic groups, such as parochial schools and Jesuit missionaries.
The Sanctuary Dome and Baldochino
The baldochino, shown at left above, hovers over the main altar.A detail from a hallway near The Blessed Virgin’s ChapelThe West TranseptThe organ near The Bishops HallThe Mosaics Museum is downstairs below the narthex.Sample works from Ravenna Mosaic Co., St. Louis
More sights within
The Bishops Hall
Our visit lasted about an hour and a half. Due to our schedule, we didn’t have enough time to tour the Mosaic Museum located below the narthex. I did snap a few photos (see above).
The cathedral is located at 4431 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63108.
The cathedral’s visiting hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Mosaic Museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Tours can be arranged for any size group. Tours are given Sundays at 1 p.m. and anytime Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After our tour concluded, I snapped this quick picture of my daughter and son (center) walking with their significant others.
If you’re ever in the area, definitely carve out an hour or so to see this marvel for yourself. It’s an awe-inspiring place of worship that’s worthy of your time when visiting St. Louis.
Got a thing for cathedrals?
Here’s a post from northern Italy about another one.
Thanks for reading! Click like, become a follower, and leave a comment.
This is a photo of my daughter and I in Bologna, Italy in 2019. Now that school’s out for the summer (and all the pandemic travel restrictions are lifting–YAY!), I can get back to posting more regularly on this blog. Jump over to my teaching blog to read about my extremely full and rewarding teaching life.
It’s a ten-minute showing in a small gallery that features special lighting that illuminates and then dims to replicate the cycle of sunlight and its effects on the lush colors of Monet’s painting. (View the transition in the slide show above.)
The painting, the star of the Nelson-Atkins’ Bloch addition, has been relocated for the exhibition to a small gallery in the main building.
The ten-minute dawn-to-dusk cycle repeats every fifteen minutes and you can view it from a bench in the middle of the small, secluded room.
It’s a small, no-frills exhibition. One room, one painting, plus this explanatory video monitor.
While the painting reflects the peace of a French garden, Monet painted this artwork in the shadow of World War One.
Monet set his easel outside and painted, closely observing and attempting to render the effect of light in surface shapes, colors, and shadows as they shifted throughout the day. He completed the canvas in his studio from memory, as soldiers, including the artist’s son, and stepson marched to the front lines to defend their country. For Monet, his Water Lilies canvases offered an escape.
And who wouldn’t find these beautiful gardens to be an escape?
Despite the turmoil in the world, Claude Monet worked against it with these popular paintings.
It’s slowly reopening to its full schedule, but until then, you can still have an awesome time in the Kansas City’s best attraction. Stay tuned for more posts soon!
There is no charge to view this exhibition, but call ahead to reserve your space for a specific time.
Thanks for reading! Click like and follow this blog for more posts on “travel with a side of art.”
Four years ago, I visited Venice for the first time. Enter Venice above in the search bar for a variety of posts on La Serenissima, the Most Serene Republic of Venice.
The above photos (left and right) were taken Nov. 15 (Week 12) and Nov. 8 (Week 11).
Above photos (left to right) were taken Nov. 1 (Week 10); Oct. 25 (Week 9); Oct. 18 (Week 8); and Oct. 11 (Week 7).
Week 6; Taken Oct. 4, 2020 at 9:49 a.m. | We got out later in the morning for this pic. The mid-morning light definitely has a different cast.
Week 5; Taken September 27, 2020 at 7:49 a.m. Overall, the photo has slightly less green this week. There’s a bit more yellow in the leaves overhead.
Week 4; Taken September 20, 2020 at 8:05 a.m. There are (in an ever-so-slight amount) a few more leaves on the ground.
Week 3; Taken September 13, 2020 at 7:47 a.m.
Week 2; Taken September 6, 2020 at 7:33 a.m.
Week 1; Taken August 30, 2020 at 8:50 a.m.
Every Sunday morning, my husband and I take a walk through our local city park in Bolivar, Missouri. Near the back of the park acreage is this idyllic scene in the pictures above.
I’ve always thought this scene was especially pretty, although I’m not sure why there’s a lectern facing the trees. Perhaps the trees need a “talking to” every so often?
The idea struck me to take a photo of this setting, and then on each subsequent Sunday morning at about the same time, take another and add it to the post. Doing this would allow us to watch the seasons change in a minuscule amount from week to week.
On another note: I am not adjusting any filters on these photos.
Observe the fairest of the seasons…
If you’re like me and believe that fall is the fairest of the seasons, become a follower to view my weekly post to see the latest incremental seasonal changes. Check out my blog for travel stories and other narrative works.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to click like and become a follower for more posts.
Above photos (left to right) were taken Nov. 1 (Week 10); Oct. 25 (Week 9); Oct. 18 (Week 8); and Oct. 11 (Week 7).
Week 6; Taken Oct. 4, 2020 at 9:49 a.m. | We got out later in the morning for this pic. The mid-morning light definitely has a different cast.
Week 5; Taken September 27, 2020 at 7:49 a.m. Overall, the photo has slightly less green this week. There’s a bit more yellow in the leaves overhead.
Week 4; Taken September 20, 2020 at 8:05 a.m. There are (in an ever-so-slight amount) a few more leaves on the ground.
Week 3; Taken September 13, 2020 at 7:47 a.m.
Week 2; Taken September 6, 2020 at 7:33 a.m.
Week 1; Taken August 30, 2020 at 8:50 a.m.
Every Sunday morning, my husband and I take a walk through our local city park in Bolivar, Missouri. Near the back of the park acreage is this idyllic scene in the pictures above.
I’ve always thought this scene was especially pretty, although I’m not sure why there’s a lectern facing the trees. Perhaps the trees need a “talking to” every so often?
The idea struck me to take a photo of this setting, and then on each subsequent Sunday morning at about the same time, take another and add it to the post. Doing this would allow us to watch the seasons change in a minuscule amount from week to week.
On another note: I am not adjusting any filters on these photos.
Observe the fairest of the seasons…
If you’re like me and believe that fall is the fairest of the seasons, become a follower to view my weekly post to see the latest incremental seasonal changes. Check out my blog for travel stories and other narrative works.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to click like and become a follower for more posts.
Week 8; Taken Oct. 18, 2020 at 9:19 a.m. | Timing and sunshine is everything. The colors are muted here compared to Week 7. Also, I really expected there to be fewer leaves on the trees in this picture, since it had been so windy earlier in the week.
Week 7; Taken Oct. 11, 2020 at 10:36 a.m. | Again this week, we took our walk a little later in the morning, since I still wasn’t feeling 100% after my bout with Covid. Hopefully, we’ll get out around 7:30 tomorrow morning. Feeling all better now.
Week 6; Taken Oct. 4, 2020 at 9:49 a.m. | We got out later in the morning for this pic. The mid-morning light definitely has a different cast.
Week 5; Taken September 27, 2020 at 7:49 a.m. Overall, the photo has slightly less green this week. There’s a bit more yellow in the leaves overhead.
Week 4; Taken September 20, 2020 at 8:05 a.m. There are (in an ever-so-slight amount) a few more leaves on the ground.
Week 3; Taken September 13, 2020 at 7:47 a.m.
Week 2; Taken September 6, 2020 at 7:33 a.m.
Week 1; Taken August 30, 2020 at 8:50 a.m.
Every Sunday morning, my husband and I take a walk through our local city park in Bolivar, Missouri. Near the back of the park acreage is this idyllic scene in the pictures above.
I’ve always thought this scene was especially pretty, although I’m not sure why there’s a lectern facing the trees. Perhaps the trees need a “talking to” every so often?
The idea struck me to take a photo of this setting, and then on each subsequent Sunday morning at about the same time, take another and add it to the post. Doing this would allow us to watch the seasons change in a minuscule amount from week to week.
On another note: I am not adjusting any filters on these photos; however, I do sharpen them just a bit in my iPhone camera app.
Observe the fairest of the seasons…
If you’re like me and believe that fall is the fairest of the seasons, become a follower to view my weekly post to see the latest incremental seasonal changes. Check out my blog for travel stories and other narrative works.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to click like and become a follower for more posts.
Marilyn Yung 