Saturday, Madison, Wisconsin

Guess which state we’re in? Yep, it’s Wisconsin – the home of milk and cheese. This is the view from our KOA campsite in Madison, WI.

We got away late this a.m. and stopped early. The Interstate road(s) in Illinois and later in Wisconsin are in terrible condition. Margaret drove the last two hours and was literally beat to a frazzle and ready to stop. Actually, it wasn’t any better riding. Between the patches and expansion joints, it was and is a rough ride.

We will be staying one night. Tomorrow we move into the twin cities – Minneapolis / St. Paul – and visit with our friends, Mimi and Terry Stewart. Margaret and Mimi worked together on the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival for several years. Terry was the blacksmith at Fort Clinch State Park. They relocated to Minneapolis last year to be close to their children and grandchildren. (Surprise!)

Margaret was just looking at the Minneapolis city map and found – Mall of the Americas. At one time, it was reported to be the largest shopping mall in the USA. Naturally we’ll have to spend some time there!

Today’s drive was interesting. We started out in the relatively flat farmlands of Illinois with fields of corn and arrived in the hills of south central Wisconsin. While driving through Illinois earlier, I was reminded of the similarity to the desert southwest. There you have miles of desert with an occasional grove of trees surrounding a ranch, house, small town, or park. In Illinois it is similar except instead of sandy desert, you have green fields of corn or soy-beans. But the towns, farms, and houses are surrounded by a grove of trees to break the wind.

Margaret observed that driving through Illinois was like being on a ship at sea, surrounded by endless expanse of rolling waves of ocean. Here, you look at the horizon, surrounded by rolling waves of green. Fascinating.