I really wish I had more time in Madison, WI…surprisingly, as a Chicagoan this was my first time in Madison, and I loved it after just spending a quick couple hours. Madison is the second largest city in Wisconsin, following Milwaukee, and I am sure that the population increases dramatically when UW Madison is in session. For me to really love a place, a body of water is a must – and it must be a sizable body of water. The heart of the city is flanked by two lakes, Lake Mendota and Lake Monona (and there are others nearby) and the lakes are surrounded by trails for walking, running, and biking. Although the lakes are beautiful, I am told that Madison in late summer has a “lovely” smell due to the smell of algal bloom die-offs…
The reason for the trip to Madison was to visit the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IANST) headquarters. IANST was established in 1980 and has nearly 1,200 miles of trail in 9 units along the edge of the glacier (called a moraine) that covered North America 15,000 years ago during the Ice Age. It is really important that you plan ahead before you go to IANST. Due to the extensive trail system, there are a variety of hikes and distances between trailheads and access points very greatly. Also, some sections may be closed during Wisconsin’s 9-day gun deer hunting season. Wear orange if you do visit areas that allow hunting! Get out the trails to enjoy hiking and backpacking, birdwatching, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, stargazing, camping, and hunting and fishing.
A good friend of mine went to UW Madison for college, so I asked him about places to eat lunch. He gave me quite the list, so we decided based on passing one of the choices on the way to our meeting. We ended up at Bluephies, a restaurant and vodkatorium (http://www.bluephies.com/) with a diner-style feel. Our waitress was great, the food was tasty, and the beer was nice and cold (yes, I got a beer and not vodka because 12:00 felt a bit too early for vodka…). I ended up getting the Wisconsinite brewed by Lakefront Brewery because I had never seen it before and I figured I couldn’t get any more Wisconsin than that! We didn’t try any of the huge slices of cake you see when you first enter, but I hear that they are amazing (we didn’t need to be in a food-coma before we hit the road again). I highly recommend Bluesphies, and apparently the other restaurants in the restaurant group are just as great.
After lunch, we unfortunately had to head back to Chicago. I can’t wait to go back and explore all of the boutique shops, local businesses, bars, restaurants, and outdoor activities. I will definitely be back…and I already have another road-trip in mind for this fall that includes Madison!
Information on visiting the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (http://www.nps.gov/iatr/index.htm):
Trail is open year around, except some segments that may be closed during gun deer hunting season
National Park Service Office is located at:
700 Rayovac Drive, Suite 100, Madison, WI
8:00am – 4:30pm Monday-Friday
608-441-5610
-
- My lunchtime beer
-
- 1,200 miles of trail…how many will you do?
Mastering the Midwest 