Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Cheese and Fireworks in Wisconsin and Some Time in Chicago

I had a trip to southern Wisconsin and and Chicago last week. On this trip to Chicago I had time to actually see the city. It is a terrific place with amazing parks and buildings. No snow left from the epic snowstorm that welcomed Highly Allochthonous' Chris Rowan to Chicago early this year HERE and HERE. In fact on my return to Bellingham, I found Bellingham to be a fair bit colder than Chicago. Chicago certainly gets colder during the winter than Bellingham, but cold weather starts earlier and lingers longer in more northerly Bellingham.

The flatness of the landscape is a bit disorienting as I have lived very near or even in mountains my entire life. But there is geology in the buildings and along the shore and the underlying geology clearly supports very tall buildings.
Long shore drift is on the Lake Michigan shore is from the north as can be seen from sand buildup on the updrift sides of shoreline groins

Puffs of wind blowing across Lake Michigan

Chicago Tribune building on left with buttresses supporting the uppermost floors

Carbide and Carbon Building

Black granite on the Carbide and Carbon Building

Southern Wisconsin had some highlights as well.

Cheese and fireworks a combination that was not anticipated. I did buy cheese. The fireworks sales are limited to non Wisconsin residents or residents with a permit. A markedly different attitude towards fireworks than parts of Washington State.   

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