-- The Drive to Madison --
I forgot to take a picture of Bob and Ginger for my blog before I left their house this morning. Ginger had to be at work by 9:30 am, and Bob works later today. As I was leaving Oregon and driving north, I took a photo of the rock river that runs past Oregon and the Black Hawk statue across the river in Lowden State Park.
As I drove north from Oregon to Madison, Wisconsin, my Google maps settings were set to avoid toll roads. The app sent me off the highway before it turned into a toll road, but I was surprised at some of the small side roads it took me on before getting me back onto a highway. It is interesting to see the countryside, but sometimes during my excursions, the GPS has chosen to lead me onto gravel roads, whch seems a little unnecessary. Today, at least, the sometimes narrow roads were all paved!
When I got to Madison, I filled up my gas tank at Costco and got a slice of pizza for lunch. Dan's parents had told me about a mustard museum, and it was near the Costco, so that was my first stop.
- The Mustard Museum --
The museum has walls of mustard from around the world downstairs, with labels on the shelves indicating where the mustard is from. One of the shelves has some mustard from Finland, where the mustard is sold in tubes.
I hadn't heard before visiting the museum today that Saskatchewan, Canada, is the mustard capital of the world, or that mustard has health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and triglycerides and increasing good cholesterol (HDL).
The main floor of the museum is the sales floor, which has a sampling station and a multitude of different types of mustard for sale. I wasn't interested in buying and carrying any jars of mustard on my trip, so I didn't try any samples, either.
-- Henry Vilas Zoo --
After the mustard museum, I visited the Henry Vilas Zoo, where I saw a variety of animals... a rhinosarus, lions, tigers, a river otter, camels, porcupines, wolvernes, monkeys, an orangutan, and birds, among others.
I enjoyed seeing the animals -- especially the wolverines, because I hadn't remembered seeing wolverines up close before. Even though the animals are well taken care of, and it is nice that we get to see them, I coudn't help feeling sorry that they are held captive in a zoo instead of living in the wild.
-- Chazen Museum of Art --
Parking in a big city can be a pain, and Madison falls into that camp. When I finally found a parking space near the Chazen Museum of Art on the University of Wisconsin campus, the parking meter only took cash. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough quarters for the amount of time I wanted to park, and I didn't see anywhere nearby that I could get cash, so I moved on.
I found another parking space further away that didn't have a meter, so I parked there and walked to the museum. The art museum was a bit of a disappointment, but I saw a few pieces that I liked and thought were interesting.
For example, I found this Male Crocodile Mask interesting, from the Nuna people of Africa. They consider the crocodile to be a powerful guardian, and the patterns and designs have symbolic meanings.
The museum has a photograph of a similar mask being worn in a Crocodile masquerade in a village in Burkina Faso, Africa.
Another item I liked in the museum is this ceremonial Nigerian drum.
-- Dinner at the Memorial Union --
After visiting the museum, I was ready for dinner, and walked to the Univeristy of Wisconsin's Memorial Union, on the shores of Lake Mendota, where I ate a bratwurst with sauerkraut. The Memorial Union is a relaxing place to hang out, eat, and socialize.
A statue of the school mascot sits on a pedestal near the shore of the lake.
On the way back to my car, I passed by a church and a building that welcomed people to come as they are: "Bring all of who you are". I like that message.
-- Community Opera at Point Picnic --
When I was looking for things to do today, I came across a notice about a free 50-minute program titled "an evening of ghostly narratives and enchanting opera" being put on by the local Fresco opera company. The operatic gathering was being held at 7 pm at the tip of Point Picnic, on Lake Mendota, so I drove to the parking area and hiked the trail to the point.
The subject matter of witches in the forest casting spells was a bit off the wall, but the lakeside setting and the campfire were nice, and it was fun hearing the operatic singers and listening to the haunting tales.
-- Walking Downtown --
After the mini-opera, I drove downtown and walked to the capitol. Even though tonight is Thursday night and a school night, the streets were crowded with students and others out for a good time.
It's late, and I'm spending the night in the Planet Fitness parking lot. Tomorrow I'll leave Madison and head west.
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