Breakfast and breakdown were quick and I was back on the Military Ridge Trail which from Mt. Horeb on was in better condition and also had many more people enjoying it. I noticed a vehicle on the trail in front of me, which is illegal, and bought a day pass at the nearest kiosk. Sure enough when I later passed that vehicle a ranger asked me for my day pass so I was glad I spent the $4. The ride into Madison was fairly quick and I talked to a couple people along the way who helped me navigate and gave me attraction suggestions. There are a lot of bike trails within and around the city, and even more bike lanes so I could tell Madison is a very bike friendly city. The signage was great and pretty soon I could navigate through the city fairly well.
My first stop, given the heat of the day, was Michael's for some frozen custard I was told to get last night. It's a bit like soft serve ice cream but a little thicker and creamier, kind of in between soft serve and gelato. Next I wound up to Capitol Square. The square is about two blocks by two blocks with the capitol building in the center, and art vendors were on the streets around the square for the city's Art on the Square event. I grabbed a beer and wandered around, and was blown away by the number of booths, variety of mediums, and quality of craft. It was probably good I'm traveling by bike or I would have left the festival a bit poorer. Another festival was going on a little ways away so I rode over to Fête de Marquette, a food, music, and arts festival to celebrate everything French. The food, music, and beer were all good and I eventually left for some water.
I had no idea but Madison is located on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona so there is plenty of swimming and boating going on. I found a relatively inactive dock and sat down to dip my feet in and cool off. Once I'd relaxed a bit I continued the whirlwind of activities: snacking on local cheeses, crackers, and beer from Fromagination while on the Capitol lawn, tasting a beer sampler at Capital Brewing, and enjoying a Babcock Dairy Orange Frozen Custard with Chocolate Chips on the Memorial Union Terrace at UW. The terrace was great, it's lined with brightly colored tables and chairs along Lake Mendota and they serve food, beer, and ice cream to the public. I'm not sure why all colleges don't have some sort of public eating space like this, it really brings the city onto campus and gets everyone intermingling.
Somehow at this point I was hungry again, but also shockingly beered out. I used another recommendation from last night and got a gyro at Parthenons which was delicious. Since it was just about sunset I hopped on the bike and took off for camp. I had thought about setting up camp when I got to town and changing into regular clothes, but I had just jumped right into tourist mode and didn't want to take the time of riding around the lake. Also, it was so hot and humid that I was constantly sweating and couldn't stand the thought of putting on a cotton tshirt so I changed into my quick-dry shorts and left my jersey on. Now that I was back on the road I was pushing to get to camp before dark when I noticed a campground at a different, closer park than I had planned. I found out from the host that yes, all sites are $25, even if you don't have a vehicle, and that the park I was planning on camping at doesn't actually have a campground! I was definitely glad I stopped and was soon showered and in the tent.
I think I got lucky through Iowa with the weather but now I'm getting the heat and humidity. I haven't been using the sleeping bag as intended, instead I've been just sleeping on top of it. Why not just sleep on the pad? Well aside from the fact that the pad is deflating overnight and I could use the extra fluff, the sleeping bag absorbs the sweat that pours out all night whereas the pad would leave me laying in a puddle of it. Perhaps a detail you wish I hadn't shared, but this trip has goods and bads and I'm trying to immerse you in this sweaty experience!
My first stop, given the heat of the day, was Michael's for some frozen custard I was told to get last night. It's a bit like soft serve ice cream but a little thicker and creamier, kind of in between soft serve and gelato. Next I wound up to Capitol Square. The square is about two blocks by two blocks with the capitol building in the center, and art vendors were on the streets around the square for the city's Art on the Square event. I grabbed a beer and wandered around, and was blown away by the number of booths, variety of mediums, and quality of craft. It was probably good I'm traveling by bike or I would have left the festival a bit poorer. Another festival was going on a little ways away so I rode over to Fête de Marquette, a food, music, and arts festival to celebrate everything French. The food, music, and beer were all good and I eventually left for some water.
I had no idea but Madison is located on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona so there is plenty of swimming and boating going on. I found a relatively inactive dock and sat down to dip my feet in and cool off. Once I'd relaxed a bit I continued the whirlwind of activities: snacking on local cheeses, crackers, and beer from Fromagination while on the Capitol lawn, tasting a beer sampler at Capital Brewing, and enjoying a Babcock Dairy Orange Frozen Custard with Chocolate Chips on the Memorial Union Terrace at UW. The terrace was great, it's lined with brightly colored tables and chairs along Lake Mendota and they serve food, beer, and ice cream to the public. I'm not sure why all colleges don't have some sort of public eating space like this, it really brings the city onto campus and gets everyone intermingling.
Somehow at this point I was hungry again, but also shockingly beered out. I used another recommendation from last night and got a gyro at Parthenons which was delicious. Since it was just about sunset I hopped on the bike and took off for camp. I had thought about setting up camp when I got to town and changing into regular clothes, but I had just jumped right into tourist mode and didn't want to take the time of riding around the lake. Also, it was so hot and humid that I was constantly sweating and couldn't stand the thought of putting on a cotton tshirt so I changed into my quick-dry shorts and left my jersey on. Now that I was back on the road I was pushing to get to camp before dark when I noticed a campground at a different, closer park than I had planned. I found out from the host that yes, all sites are $25, even if you don't have a vehicle, and that the park I was planning on camping at doesn't actually have a campground! I was definitely glad I stopped and was soon showered and in the tent.
I think I got lucky through Iowa with the weather but now I'm getting the heat and humidity. I haven't been using the sleeping bag as intended, instead I've been just sleeping on top of it. Why not just sleep on the pad? Well aside from the fact that the pad is deflating overnight and I could use the extra fluff, the sleeping bag absorbs the sweat that pours out all night whereas the pad would leave me laying in a puddle of it. Perhaps a detail you wish I hadn't shared, but this trip has goods and bads and I'm trying to immerse you in this sweaty experience!
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