Walking Wisconsin

It's been nearly three weeks now since Levi and I set out for our adventure in and around Madison, Wisconsin. We started very early in the morning, rising long before the sun was up, at the (almost) ungodly hour of 3:30, so we would arrive at the Scottsbluff airport in plenty of time to catch the 6 a.m. flight to Denver.

It should have been gratifying to see that we weren't alone. The airport filled up quickly, and the plane was nearly at capacity, too, for our first short flight. It was still early when we traipsed through DIA, walking, even on the moving floors, riding escalators and the train, until we finally reached our gate and boarded the next flight to Chicago O'Hare. From there, we caught another puddle jumper to the Milwaukee Airport. (Tickets were much more affordable to Milwaukee, rather than Madison, and Erin was willing to drive a little farther to pick us up, so we made the cheaper choice.)

I've been to Wisconsin before, first driving through as a teen with a traveling ministry group, then crossing the state several times when Bill and I took the ferry across Lake Michigan, before driving across Wisconsin on our long trek back to Nebraska from Michigan. This time, though, Wisconsin was a destination state for Levi and me. We had people to see!

My oldest daughter, Erin, and her husband, Reed, moved to Madison last summer, after Erin got a job as an Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. They bought a house in Madison, and Reed soon found a job at Edgewater College, where he works in marketing and fundraising. We were excited to see them and explore the area.

As an added treat, Levi got to spend a couple of days with Kandy and Dave, our friends who acted as mentors for his birth mom from the time he was born, and who have really functioned as Levi's grandparents for his whole life. We were all a little disappointed when they retired to Rhinelander, in northern Wisconsin, a couple of years ago, but now that Erin and Reed live in Wisconsin, too, Levi should get to see them more often.

Our first few days in Wisconsin were cool and rainy, but the weather at home was downright cold, and snowy, so we didn't complain too much. Levi got to help Dave and Kandy plant a tree, and they went fishing, without much success. When Levi didn't catch anything using traditional bait, he told me that he decided to try a candy kiss instead. He was somewhat successful with that unique choice of bait; his only catch of the day was a chocolate-loving snail.

If you look close, you can see Levi's Catch of the Day.

While Levi was off with Kandy and Dave, Reed helped me with some recording (he has a basement recording studio) and Erin drove me to Whitewater to see the campus where she works during the school year. The rain finally let up long enough for us to brave the brisk breeze for a quick walk around the beautifully landscaped campus.

The University of Wisconsin in Whitewater.

By the time Levi rejoined us, a couple of days later, the weather was clearing up. Reed met us after work at Madison's zoo, which is located within easy walking distance from his Edgewater College office. The free zoo is home to monkeys, giraffes, lions, penguins, and bears, as well as some other, smaller animals.

This Polar Bear was also enjoying a walk in the sun, after too many dreary days.

After being cooped up inside, we were all ready for a longer walk, so we continued from the zoo to the nearby boardwalk bordering one of Madison's five large lakes, where Reed often walks during his lunch breaks. Erin was pleased to be able to walk with us, finally recovered from the broken foot that has hampered her movement since February.

Erin, Levi, and Reed, heading down the steps toward the lake.

This Redwing Blackbird was a willing model. Note the stone bridge in the background.

On the boardwalk.

The next day, we decided to walk through the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Both the zoo and the botanical gardens, along with all of the the paths we walked, are "free," paid for by Madison's astronomical property taxes. Erin and Reed have determined to take full advantage of all the amenities Madison has to offer, since they are paying for them, anyway.

Overlooking the Botanical Gardens.

Reed and Erin walk ahead, across the footbridge leading to the Thai Pavilion and Gardens, which was a gift from Thailand to the city of Madison, in honor of the many Thai students who attend the University of Wisconsin there in Madison.

Reed and Erin head for the Thai Pavilion.

The ornate ceiling in the Thai Pavilion reminded me of similar structures that are common throughout Asia.

The flowering trees were gorgeous while we were in Madison, with branches totally covered in fragrant blossoms.

Reed took a couple of days off work, so when Erin finished giving piano lessons, we had time for a longer hike, up the peninsula of a large lake, right in the middle of Madison. The dogs--Bella, a beagle mix, and Bowie, a "puggle" (pug/poodle mix)--joined us. They are still learning to walk on a tandem leash, quite successfully, that day.

Reed and Erin, with Bella and Bowie, at the end of the peninsula.

The view of downtown Madison, and the State Capitol, from the peninsula.

Headed back to the parking lot after a satisfying hike.

I didn't get pictures of downtown Madison, when we walked there one evening, or of the crowded beachfront location where we ate hamburgers that night. I thoroughly enjoyed the driving tours of Madison, and the beautiful old houses that line the streets, but I don't have pictures of those, either. 

I guess we will have to go back.

The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight.  Genesis 31:49