Bike Ride in Madison, Wisconsin

As I mentioned in a blog post a few weeks back, this month I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, for the annual meeting of NACIS (North American Cartographic Information Society) and stayed an extra day so I could do a bike ride.

Some good ideas were shared in the comments of my original Madison day trip post. Though they all sounded enticing, a local cartographer and NACIS member, Glen, offered to take me on a ride through some of his favorite countryside. Glen and I were joined by a third cartographer, Hans, who hails from The Netherlands, adding an international flair to our trio. Rest assured, this will not be my last trip to Madison, so I will keep the other suggestions in mind for future opportunities.

University of Wisconsin Arboretum
It was a beautiful and blustery day as Hans and I walked into Machinery Row Bicycles to rent our bikes, locks, and helmets for the day. The process was smooth and quick; and, before I knew it, Glen arrived and we were on our way.

Stopping for coffee
A most important piece of business for me on any ride is to caffeinate early -- Glen was happy to oblige by stopping at a coffee shop within the first couple miles. Once this was accomplished, we were off to begin our ride around most of Lake Monona. Our route took us through lovely old neighborhoods, on some fantastic bike paths, and on rural roads with a few short, busy stretches of road (see map above).

Ranger Brian saved the day
We had a second stop at the E Way Trailhead for a quick snack before riding onto the Capital City State Trail. While stopped, we noticed that Hans' rear wheel had a broken spoke. We all looked at it gravely, scratched our heads, and wondered out loud what we should do. At this point we were about halfway through the ride, so there was really no sense in turning back. As we each ate a snack, a park vehicle pulled in to service the restroom at the trailhead. Hans inquired of the driver if he might be able to help. Brian -- our favorite Wisconsin Park Ranger -- appeared with a roll of duct tape. It was applied to connect the loose spoke to a connected one and we were ready to be off on our ride once again.

Great bicycle pedestrian bridge facility in Fitchburg

Our next stop was lunch at the Great Dane Brewery in Fitchburg, where burgers were enjoyed all around. From there we rode to and through the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. The rustle of leaves provided a pleasant soundtrack as many had already turned and fallen. After exiting the arboretum, we pedaled the last few miles across the east end of Lake Wingra and straight into downtown Madison, returning to the bike shop where our adventure began that morning.

No matter how great the conference is -- and this one does not disappoint -- all the sitting and eating over three days can be rather tiring. A bike ride with pleasant companions was just the ticket. I was entranced by the rural nature of so much of our ride. The rolling prairies, scrub trees, and waving grasses were just right to restore balance to this cartographer and prepare me for the return trip home.

Top photo: Glen, Hans and Jenn on Capital City State Trail.
Top three photos by Jenn Milyko
Bottom three photos by Glen Pawelski
Map courtesy of Hans van der Maarel


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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/10/bike-ride-in-madison-wisconsin.html

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