July 24
We drove the Enchanted Highway from Gladstone to Regent. What
is that you ask? The Enchanted Highway is a 32-mile stretch of paved county
highway between Regent and Gladstone, reaching I-94. What makes it enchanted? Thirty
miles south of the nearest major highway, the town of Regent was dying, and
Gary Greff decided someone had to do something about it.
From their brochure:
A metal sculptor and retired school teacher, Gary started
the work in 1990. His master plan was to create ten giant sculptures, one every
few miles along Regency-Gladstone Road, paired with picnic areas and playground
equipment. All the sculptures face north, toward the oncoming traffic from the
interstate. Seven have been completed.
An additional sculpture towers along I-94, essentially an
artistic billboard enticing travelers to exit and head south to Regent. Geese
in Flight went up in 2001, next to the Gladstone exit -- and it is claimed to
be the World's Largest Outdoor Sculpture.
Gary can't weld during dry months (there was a brush fire at
Teddy Roosevelt), but has scheduled his activities (painting, building, etc)
out months in advance.
The grand project started years ago with some volunteers.
Gary thought local farmers would help, because they knew about metal bending
and welding. Some farmers (except one, apparently) did give him good terms on
leasing land to show the work, $1 for a 20-year lease; with renewal.
Most days it's Gary himself continuing to build the Highway.
He does all the maintenance, cuts the grass under the statues, and builds the
parking areas and fences. A local boy scout troop and shop class have helped
with some of the signs and picnic tables.
At the end of the Enchanted Highway, in Regent, Gary's
excess metal sculpting energies are evident, where trees with metal leaves
seemingly bloom. His workshop is in a large metal storage building, and he
lives in a trailer.
Gary's bigger dreams are to add a water park, restaurant,
and amphitheater. For now, a more modest effort is underway to expand the
Enchanted Highway Gift Shop in Regent. But he's achieved enough critical mass
that cross-country road-trippers should be veering north to I-94 rather than
the traditional I-90 crossing through South Dakota. It's worth the detour.
Geese in Flight - 2001
The first one “Geese in Flight” we couldn’t stop at since
the parking area was closed due to a land dispute. So, we got photos from the
car on the freeway flying by. It is in the Guinness World Book of Records as
the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world. It was built of used oil well
pipe and oil tanks. It weighs over 75 tons. The sun ray is 156 feet long and
110 feet tall. The largest goose has a 30 foot wingspan and is 19 feet long.
The Deer Family – 2002
This one is made from old oil well tanks cut apart and
welded to form the shadow design. To fit through the streets of Regent m the buck’s
front leg had to be cut off and rewelded onsite. The is 75 feet tall and 60
feet long. The doe is 50 feet tall and 50 feet long.
me below the sculpture - they really are huge
Grasshoppers in the Field – 1999
They are a reminder of the hardships farmers have overcome
while making their living off the land. The one was welded from old fuel and
oil well tanks The large grasshopper is 50 feet long and 40 feet tall.
Fisherman’s Dream – 2006 - Road work kept us from getting
good shots of the fish. We had to follow an escort vehicle and couldn’t stop.
Greg managed to get a shot out the window while driving the car before a truck
went by spewing dust everywhere.
This one is 3 dimensional and made from tin to form 7 fish.
The fish swimming under the water include a small mouth bass, walleye, catfish,
northern, salmon and a bluegill which measure 30 feet long. Jumping out of the
water is a rainbow trout that is 70 feet long.
Pheasants on the Prairie – 1996
This is another 3 dimensional sculpture made out of wire
mesh. The rooster is 40 feet high and 70 feet long. The hen is 35 feet tall and
60 feet long. The chicks are 15 feet tall and 20 feet long. This was my
favorite one. Very pretty in person.
Teddy Rides Again – 1993
This one is a tribute to Theodore Roosevelt and his impact
on North Dakota’s history. The sculpture was built of uses well pipe. Teddy and
his favorite horse “Mulley” stand 51 feet tall and weigh over 9,000 lbs. It
stands just south of Black Butte which is 3,112 feet above sea level.
can't get enough of all the hay bales
Tin Family – 1991
They were built of used farm equipment that took farmers
hours of labor and welding. The Tin Pa stands 45 feet tall and is held up by 16
telephone poles. The Tin Ma is 44 feet tall while the Son is 23 feet tall.
In 2012, Greff opened a motel, The Enchanted Castle, in
Regent. The motel continues the theme of the Enchanted Highway.
the town of Regent
whirligig
tree made of tin
Enchanted Castle
Swainson's Hawk
We drove back to Dickenson and had a quick lunch.
Next, we visited the Museum complex. Very nice displays of
rocks from around the world, dinosaurs, fossils and more. It is comprised of a
Badlands Dinosaur Museum with a complete Triceratops skull, 6 full dinosaur
skeletons, hundreds of fossils and a very colorful and a vast gem and mineral
collection from around the world. There is also an outdoor portion called the
Prairie Outpost Park. It was an included 1 hour tour inside most of the
buildings. The last museum is the Pioneer Machinery Hall. It had tons of
historic agricultural implements. Back inside the main building is the Joachim
Regional Museum for a bit of history.
petrified wood - you mean we didn't need to hike all that way yesterday?
We have thoroughly enjoyed North Dakota. I can honestly say
we have seen “amber waves of grain”, “where the buffalo roam” and where “the
deer and the antelope play”. Where the Midwest becomes the west. Starting to
see more trucks and people wearing “western wear”.
Our new bird count is now 1,131 including North Dakota. We
have been on Mountain time since arriving in North Dakota. However, the North
Unit of the National Park was on Central Time????
Tomorrow we are bound for Terry, Montana.
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