Second trip to Wisconsin- The Forevertron and other sights!

   My second work related trip to Madison Wisconsin for the greater part of October ( Think corn mazes, long roads oscillating over dells with bursts of vibrant colors announcing autumn punctuated with pumpkin vendors to add an extra peppering of carotene orange, deer tracks that tell the tale of their size and gender, geese flying in endless variety of the V formation. Some flight patterns organized and some mutated, with every possibility between, always verbalized by honks and chatter, monstrous wind turbines that would have Don Quixote shitting his pants as if in a fever dream, towns like Black Earth, Robins sentinel within the skeletal structures of landscaped crabapple trees like an agent of some strange immune system attacking any other bird that penetrates, haunted hotels, missed black metal shows, and incredibly perplexing downtown Madison traffic patterns and parking!!!!! ) had many things to be noted visually and existentially.
   In what once was a lead mine now operates an attraction called Cave on the Mound. Basically a cave exposed by a dynamite blast. The cave is beautiful and the tours are run by the same family that once mined lead from the region. Here are some images that I took along the tour.

I especially liked the "total darkness" part of the tour where the tour guide ( a bartender from Black Earth, WI ) turns out all the artificial lights to let you see the darkness. Truly total darkness!

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Next I visited The Forevertron.

The Forevertron is the life work of Dr. Evermore. Promoted as the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world, it is a crazily complex pastiche of recognizable parts and things that only Dr. Evermore would be able to trace back to the original use. Dr. Evermore's family is in the industrial demolition business so he has his pick of the most monstrous parts of contraptions that some of us only dream of tinkering with.

Like some steam punk's fever dream this sculpture sprawls throughout the area with highly organized parts in piles waiting to be added. Several components of the sculpture have purpose- such as the giant dragon which is a musical instrument and the heart of the Forevertron itself which is like an observatory for the ascension of Dr. Evermore into outer space once he passes from this mortal shell.

My research has hinted that Dr. Evermore was also one of the artisans involved in creating the House on the Rock displays and exhibits.( see former post on the subject of House on the Rock in Wisconsin).

I intend on posting more about this incredible work and site in the future- this is not my last encounter with Dr. Evermore!