Our next destination was Rhinelander, till that day I had not heard of the place but I was not planning and my idea of relaxation requires that. Just don’t think, keep on moving and that is why my friend called it ‘Random Trip’, not much of planning just visit places. Chicago to Rhinelander is about 338 miles and we started pretty late and the weather did not help us, it was raining heavily, road work was going on and there was danger of deer coming on the road. One hour of drive and we were in the dairy state of United States, Wisconsin. Whenever I travel home and as soon as I enter boundary of Rajasthan and then Udaipur, I feel a surge of excitement, a different kind of joy that words can’t explain, and I could see my friend going through same emotions.
By the time we reached Rhinelander it was 2 AM. It is a small and quite town in Northern Wisconsin and I would remember it for its peace and warm people. Our first destination was Lake Tomahawk, around 25 miles from our place of stay. There was snow all around and once we were off the highway the road looked very similar to Finnish WRC track. Lake tomahawk is place where my friend had done a summer camp so she knew one professor there. When we reached there, he was not available but we got permission to visit the place. The lake was frozen, I had never seen such a scene before, I was excited but at the same time cautious too. We saw the classroom built at the lake shore and a boathouse underneath. I walked on the lake for first time, took some photos and we moved on. We visited the place where students stay and it was very beautiful. I have never been to a log house before, so it was another new experience. It would definitely be a great experience to stay and study there, I must say the best classroom I have ever been to. Next destination was Clear Lake, very close to Tomahawk. We did not spend much time there because it was getting colder and it was similar scene as Tomahawk.
Lake Tomahawk
It grew very cold that night and I had my first experience with freezing rain and slippery roads. It snowed a lot at night and next morning we could see complete area covered with snow. It was so cold that doors of car were frozen, my friend had to climb through the boot and push doors from inside to open them. Another surprise for me was the way deer come outside your house. Coming from a densely populated country with very little forests it was a great sign, I had never imagined that in this age I would be seeing a deer outside the house.
Big Green Lake, Markesan
We then started for Markesan, place where my friend has spent her childhood. On the way we stopped at Big Green lake, the deepest lake in Wisconsin. I walked over frozen lake too and clicked some photos. We stayed at her cousins place and met few family members. It was a card night (something that I have never heard of) and I tried to understand how to play by watching them, but I realized in few minutes my skills in card playing were limited.
Next day we headed to Madison, it was just an hour drive from Markesan. We went to University of Wisconsin where my friend had done her undergraduate studies. This campus was not as “branded” by Badgers, their mascot, as is Virginia Tech with Hokie bird. Campus is located next to Lake Mendota and adds to the beauty of area. I am sure, if I would have visited that place in summer, I would want to take admission at that university just because of lake. We then headed to to Capitol and had the best tour ever. Tour guide was superb and his knowledge of place was great. He was witty and gave us an amazing tour. The Capitol has the fourth largest dome in the world and as per our tour guide it can accommodate more ice-cream than the Capitol’s dome in DC.
Lake Monona
Madison has one more lake (actually five, but its called City of Four Lakes) and that is Monona. After Capitol we headed to Monona Terrace, this place reminded me of Fatehsagar and I had a strong urge to get back home. Since I had entered Wisconsin I have been hearing about its dairy products and especially the ice-cream. Some people had quoted ice-cream as Union at UW to have best ice-cream in the world. So, we decided to go there and get one. Quality ice-cream, great view of lake Mendota and good company made that evening memorable. I liked that place very much and wanted to sit there for hours, deep in thoughts (this happens every time I see a water body with sunset). It was my friend’s birthday so we went to celebrate at Nitty Gritty, unofficially the Official Birthday Place of Madison. That was end of day and I was too tired.
Next on our list was House on the Rocks, but that and my adventures with Popcorn and Marley in next post.
Trivia: I forgot to add, Wisconsin is a state with 15,00o lakes, 5ooo lakes more than Minnesota – land of 10,000 lakes.
