Wisconsin surprise

 

 

The first part of our journey took us through Illinois in route to Wittenberg, WI via highway 41. It is interesting what you can learn about a state by the billboards flanking the highway. Before crossing the state line, I knew pretty much three things about Wisconsin: they are home to cheese (and cheese heads as a byproduct), Green Bay Packers (I have a huge crush on Aaron Rodgers), and brutally cold winters. Highway 41 taught me a couple of more interesting aspects of “The Dairy State”:

• The ratio between Adult Super Stores and cheese/dairy related billboards is about 5 to 1. Ads for Excite, Lion’s Den and Temptation (among many other respectable establishments of the same elk) seemed definitely more inciting and abundant than the Cheese Castle, Cheese Curls, and other dairy related businesses. Soon it became clear to me that this ratio makes a lot of sense when people have to spend almost 6 months indoors.... Cheese or Sex... I don't know about you, but for me the choice seems a no-brainer.  There was one instance in which a billboard sign read: "Porn is sin. Jesus is the Way", followed by 5 other billboards advertising different porn related businesses. For the non Wisconsinite, this may provide a glimpse of how the priorities of the good people of Wisconsin stack up. 
• Another interesting discovery is Wisconsin’s love affair with naming cities, counties, and roads with words containing the letters “W” and “K”. Yes, Wisconsin was and remains home to several Native American tribes and I assume there is significant influence from their heritage. The weird thing is that as we drive through South Dakota (the current HQ of the Sioux Nation), I cannot say that I see the same pattern in this fine state naming practices. Some exceptional naming examples are Mukwonago, Waukau, Milwaukee, Waukesha, and my personal favorite, the “double K”, Kewaskum. So what? You might ask. These are Indian names! Yes, it is true, but when they are next door to Waterford, Wales, and Wittenberg, it seems that it is more about the letters than the origin of the names. I guess somewhere in between the 435 miles trip, my brain started to go numb and noticing things like W’s and K’s in words was a completely normal self preservation instinct.
• Last but not least, (and my personal favorite), after observing several huge Ocean Spray facilities,  I did some Googling and I learned that Wisconsin is the top cranberry-producing state in the nation. Not only I find cranberries to be a beautiful fruit, but I am also addicted to them. It seems that only the cranberries that float are chosen. In other words, in order for a cranberry to fulfill its purpose they need to know how to swim. Yeah for the cranberries we eat!

 

 

So where is Wittenberg and why we chose to go there? Wittenberg is northwest of Green Bay and slightly east of Wausau (do you see what I mean about the names?). It is a small town of about 1,000 people, mostly dairy farmers. The town however has a very unique feature, it is beautifully decorated with all kind of murals depicting the history and the daily life of the town. The murals are painted by different Wisconsin artists (so each mural has a different aesthetic) and funded by donations from the town’s folks, who get their faces painted in return. As you can imagine, the same faces keep on appearing in almost every single mural.



Recently, the town's governing body encountered a major obstacle: they ran out of Wisconsinite artists and the mural legacy was in serious peril. Something had to be done! So after serious consideration, they amended the murals covenants to permit non Wisconsinite artists to be commissioned, so future generations can also have their faces painted for perpetuity. I could not help myself but to wonder if they have ever discussed the possibility that in a town with only one main street and 1,000 people, will there be enough buildings left. But that is just me.... 

Mhhh........

 

The reason for our 600+ mile trek was to visit Herb’s friends Mike and Elaine. When he asked me to make sure that our route included this “slight” detour into northern Wisconsin, I thought to myself, it better be worth it! Herb described it as an old farm and we were not even sure that they would have an outdoor electrical outlet to connect to the RV. Well, I am so glad we took the "detour"!

Wisconsin is spectacularly luscious green, filled with wildlife, forests, lakes and rivers all dwelling peacefully in gently rolling prairies. 

 When we arrived to the address we had been given, we were speechless. The old farmhouse ended up being The Gotrocks Farm (Gotrocks Farm).

Established by Darwin Smith, former CEO of Kimberly Clark and whose legacy has been beautifully continued by his wife Lois. After Darwin died, Lois made it her purpose to expand the farm as well as become a huge force in the life of Wittenberg. The murals, the aquatic center, the different fundraisers to improve the quality of the townspeople lives are all Lois' doing. Elaine is the vice president of operations and Lois' right hand. Both Mike and Elaine were extremely generous by allowing us to stay at one of the most unique residences in the farm: The Machine Shed.

In the book "From Good to Great" Darwin spoke about doing his best thinking moving rocks in his farm in Wisconsin. Well, Gotrocks is the farm and when you are there you can totally understand exactly why.

 

At Gotrocks, the soulful lake, whispering swamps, gentle creek and dense forests embedded within breathtaking prairies became the living symbol of our trip's purpose: to dwell in the soul of America’s raw beauty.

 

 

 

 

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.

 Mother Teresa