Madison Part 2 - Soozee's Big City Adventure?????

I promised a follow-up on my adventure in driving to Madison, WI, so here it is, for what it's worth.

The journey from where I live to Madison takes about 2 1/2 hours or so. I left a little after 7 a.m. and did need to make a quick stop at the college (where I work). The stop took about 20-minutes, and then I was back on the road again at about 7:55 a.m. I arrived at my destination at about 10:10 a.m.

A lot of time was lost getting through the city of Fond du Lac, as it seems the route I took was filled with detours and slower speed limits winding through residential areas. (Luckily I found another way on my way back home). I also needed a "break" - my morning coffee had worked its way thru me - so I stopped for a few minutes at a gas station near Columbus, WI. I would estimate that once I got to Madison, about 10-minutes was spent backtracking, as I missed a couple turns & thus had to quickly correct my errors.

The good news for me was that my destination in Madison was on the North edge of town. Being the rural soul that I am, I didn't have to negotiate through lots of traffic. By hitting the "avoid highways" (whatever that means) option on Map Quest for directions before I left, I even found a way that avoided the Interstate and busy trafficways within Madison, offering me a route through the country on the edge of town. Again, this was also due to my destination being to a house in a suburb area that was also on the edge of the city.

Since I only saw the "edge", I actually have no idea whatsoever about Madison!! The housing area I was in was absolutely beautiful. The homes looked like 1960 editions - ranch style homes. The trees were lush, and the location certainly didn't feel like living "in the city", even though it was a very typical neighborhood. In my moments of being "lost", I did drive past shopping and business areas on the edge of Madison off of Highway 151.

So....I will admit that when I left Madison, after a long day of sitting in a meeting, I was ready to head back home with no desire whatsoever to drive in traffic or explore the city further. Our meeting ran until 4:30 p.m.

One musing that passed through my mind while I was driving down were the number of towns/cities that had names the same as those in Montana, where I had once lived. For instance....Columbus....a common name for towns/cities. There is a Columbus, MT - a town of about 1200 - about 50 miles West of Billings that I am very familiar with. There is also a Montana town called Sun Prairie. When Wisconsin folks talk of Sun Prairie, my brain brings up pictures of a very rural place in Northern Montana - which is in significant contrast to what Sun Prairie, WI, is.....Basically a bedroom community of Madison.

My trip to Madison....it really did not equal up to a story title of "Soozee's Big City Adventure." There will be more trips, as many meetings and activities are scheduled in the Capital city. Maybe something more will come of those where this rural gal can report on "city" experiences.

S~