It has been a minute since we have travelled anywhere. We are on the road again to visit our son in Wisconsin. Join us on our journey! Not even sure of where we will go, but we will let you know what we find along the way.
A New Home in Columbus, Wisconsin
We are in Columbus, WI, about 30 miles Northeast of Madison, helping our son, Sebby and his girlfriend Jayne, settle in to their new house. Columbus is a sleepy little town with population, 5,540. It has above average schools and a cute little downtown. They moved in during a snowstorm and the neighbors were very helpful in snow blowing their driveway. So far it seems like a good move.
Mendota Lake House B&B
We arrived in Madison, WI yesterday. It was wonderful to see son, Sebby and have dinner with his new girlfriend Jayne.
We are staying at the Mendota Lake B&B, which has become our home away from home in Madison. https://mendotalakehouse.com/
We like the relaxed atmosphere, locally sourced, organic breakfasts and comfy accomodations. We recommend the Mendota Lake House B& B if you find yourself in Madison!
To Madison We Go
Tomorrow we are embarking on another road trip to Madison, Wisconsin to visit our son, Sebby. It’s exciting to think about being on the road again. We plan to stop in Oberlin, Ohio, take a little detour down to Amish Country, then on to Madison. We’ll let you know what we find as we go!
Big Birds and Prairies
We decided, due to the lack of mask wearing in Wisconsin, that we would enjoy outdoor activities only while in Dane County. For the first part of the week it was in the 90’s and there was a heat advisory. We went swimming at Governor Nelson State Park on Lake Mendota. The swimming area was a little mucky and the park seemed a bit unkept, but the good thing was that on that weekday there was only one other family at the swimming area.
In the parking lot when we were leaving , we were excited to see a pair of Sandhill Cranes , which we had never seen before. They are impressively large and did not seem bothered by us in close proximity at all. I learned that they mate for life and can live several decades, so they are often seen in pairs.
Once the weather cooled off, we decided to visit the University of Wisconsin- Madison Arboretum. The arboretum is known for their 85 year experiment in restoring abandoned farm land to native prairie. The idea for the prairie restoration is credited to Aldo Leopold, the famous conservationist, who was a professor at University if Wisconsin. To our surprise, the prairie just looked to us like an overgrown, unmanaged field you might find in Tompkins County. We realized our ideas of the what a prairie should look like came from old western movies and was not real, along with most everything else about those movies.
John is considering turning some of our lawn into a mini-prairie with native species, but no bison!
Our Midwest Adventure Begins
Tomorrow we will leave for our 24 day midwest adventure through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. Along the way we will visit family, camp, bike and report about what we learn along the way. Stay tuned!
Perspectives on the Road 