This is the twelfth in a series of posts sharing photos from a 21-day road trip I did with my older brother in June. The first nine entries feature wildlife photos and can be viewed in the "Nature & Wildlife" forum.
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 29th, a Van Galder bus dropped me and Steve off on Lake Street in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Our three-week, brotherly adventure was at an end.
The parting was bittersweet. We were both ready to begin the transition back to normal daily routines. We also knew a repeat performance of this amazing road trip was unlikely. It had been so incalculably long since Steve and I had spent this much time together. Being chips off the same block, we’d found our rhythm as travel companions rather easily. The 21 days together had allowed us to rediscover that special connection brothers share. It had been a time of healing.
But our everyday lives are separated by half-a-continent, decades of living apart, family obligations and, welll…life. The adventure had to end, eventually. And so, on a muggy summer’s afternoon on the University of Wisconsin campus, we hugged, said, “I love you,” and walked our separate ways. The road trip was over.
Steve had about a 20-minute walk to his apartment. My walk to the hotel was much shorter. I had one night in Madison, before my flight home to Flagstaff. That night, I had dinner with good friend, Deb Piper. Deb and I worked together at Wisconsin Public Television back in the day. We’re both still in television.
The walk to and from the restaurant on the Capitol square brought back a lot of memories. I’d lived in Madtown for 20 years during my teens and early adult years. I went to high school and college in Madison. I got started in television by working on the production crew at WHA-TV while I was a student at the University of Wisconsin. That’s also where I met my wife, Alice. It’s been nearly 30 years since we made the move to Flagstaff.
Since my flight on Friday didn’t depart until 6:00 pm, I had most of the day to walk my old stomping grounds. I visited the Memorial Union, had a beer in Der Rathskeller, enjoyed a fine summer afternoon on the terrace overlooking Lake Mendota, enjoyed a Babcock Dairy ice cream cone, and walked up Bascom Hill to see Old Abe.
The campus and State Capitol are linked by State Street. Walking State Street, I passed buildings and businesses that were new to me. I also saw some old friends, including the Orpheum Theater, Nick’s Lounge, and Walgreens. But the Capitol building was the reason I’d been looking forward to this day.
The Wisconsin State Capitol is the most beautiful of the capitol buildings I’ve seen. It’s modeled after the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Out of respect, the Wisconsin capitol building is just a skosh lower in height. It sits atop a hill at the center of the downtown square, enjoys fine views of the Madison isthmus, lakes Mendota and Monona and is framed within gorgeous, manicured grounds. Best of all, it’s open to the public with free tours offered every hour on the hour.
Here's a selection of photos from my day revisiting old stomping grounds in Madison, Wisconsin.
