I had several Chicago area shows this past summer and our time in Chicago was a blast! We stayed with family and did a lot of stuff around Chicago with family and friends. We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and saw two baby gorillas, who were only one month old. They were soooo adorable. The papa gorilla wasn't too happy about all of the people oohing and aahing over his babies though. The zoo staff had to place a rope around the enclosure so we weren't too close to the glass. We also went on a Wendella architectural boat tour of Chicago which was really interesting and cool! We went at night so it was super illuminating to see all the reflections of lights on the water. It did rain a bit though, which made for interesting patterns in the water! We also went to the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved that place of course!! I'm always inspired when I visit art museums and such. It's amazing how different minds think and create unique art! We went to The Second City for a night of impromptu sketches which was super funny!
I also had a show in Minneapolis. Before the show, we planned to go to Isle Royale National park but stayed in Schroeder, MN. We saw many waterfalls and did quite a bit of hiking. To see one of the waterfalls, we hiked about 5 miles, but it was completely worth it!! The High Falls waterfall was soooo beautiful!!! Then to get to Isle Royale National Park, we had to take a boat, and we only had a few hours on the island. I'd like to go back, but stay in a cabin overnight, so we could spend more time there. We didn't see any wolves or moose so that was a bummer, hence the reason to stay for more time. During the show, we stayed with friends of friends who offered to host us, which was super nice of them! We had a great time with them. We did get stuck on the water one evening as the boat we were in stopped working. But all was well in the end, as one of their friends towed us back in. This is what we saw when we got back to shore: cool clouds. We also went to the Mall of America. It was unbelievable to see roller coasters in a mall. That place is HUGE!
Between shows, we visited family in my hometown, which I always thoroughly love doing! Got to see my stepsisters, my step-brother in law and some of my nephews and only niece. I can't believe how old they are getting! We saw my youngest nephew in Beauty and the Beast. He played the role of Cogsworth and did a FANTASTIC job! We ate at two of my most favorite places: Monicals (pizza of course) and Custard Cup (peppermint snowstorm..yum)! They are my definite must-haves when I visit home! We had a family barbecue as well, which was delicious! We met up with some of my best, long-time high school friends at Seven Saints owned by some of our high school classmates, and has very tasty food (the cheese curds are to die for). It's always a blast to see them whenever I'm there!
After all of the summer shows we headed west on I-90 to Badlands National Park, stopping at various roadside attractions along the way including the Pink Elephant, the Jolly Green Giant Statue, the DIGNITY sculpture, Corn Palace, and The Spam Museum. Who knew there were so many different kinds of Spam and that lots of people love Spam!! Interestingly enough, we missed seeing some fellow Austin, TX art friends at the Spam Museum by, literally, mere minutes! Upon arriving at the Badlands National Park, we thought it would be fun to stay in a teepee at the KOA. Ha! It stormed, and with the hole at the top, we and everything in our teepee was drenched! We quickly moved to a kabin the next day. Badlands National Park is beautiful and amazing and I took many photos to use in upcoming works!
Next up was Mount Rushmore! The artistry that went into the carving is astonishing. There were so many people, from all walks of life, and from many countries! It was great to see such a diverse crowd gathered together at one place!
After Mt Rushmore, was Wind Cave National Park. Unfortunately the elevator to the actual underground cave was not functioning so we couldn't see the underground rock formations. The land around the park was beautiful, and we saw quite a few buffalo! They are huge animals!!
Next stop was Oklahoma to visit family. While there, we went to the Oklahoma City Zoo. That day was a free day so there were lots of excited kiddos in camps! They were certainly having tons of fun as we did!
Check out my facebook album to see all of the photos from the summer adventure! FB album
