Last night was the first night on our trip that we really longed for the comfort of air conditioning. At about 8 pm, we arrived at the Oakdale, WI KOA, and were led by golf cart (by Denny, the proprietor) to our cabin that had been closed up all day. The cabin had been sitting in the sun all day and the windows and door had been closed. When we opened the door, we were greeted with a blast of hot air that stunned us. The heat was bad enough, but it accompanied the humidity that had been building all day as we moved east. There was a ceiling fan in the cabin, but it did little to clear out the heat in the cabin. Taking into account that I sweat profusely, I seriously considered sleeping on the porch swing for the night. By 11:30, we decided to try sleeping with the door and windows open. If it had been just hot and humid, that would have been enough aggravation. But it turns out that this particular KOA is located right off the Interstate. Most, if not all, the cabins we've stayed at so far have been in fairly remote, quiet areas. As we tried to invite sleep, we listened to the drone of cars , and the whine and roar of tractor trailers speeding by. We might as well have been sleeping in the break down lane.
Funny thing was, that as we staggered to the bathrooms in the morning to shower and get ready for the new day, we passed a man relaxing outside his permanently installed RV reading the paper. Who would vacation just yards from a major interstate highway in brutal heat and humidity? And why sit outside instead of in his air conditioned RV? Is this insanity common to Wisconsin dwellers?
Today we decided to investigate Madison, capitol of Wisconsin. There is a public garden there of some renown, the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The history of this park is interesting. Michael Olbrich was a lawyer who, in the early 1900s, bought up land along the lake on which Madison resides to keep that area from being swallowed up by residential and industrial development. Due to his efforts, this lovely park exists today. It is remarkable in that it is not just a greenway, but has specialty gardens (meadow, perennials, shade, herb, rose, rock, etc) filled with flowers that are perfectly kept. This public park is exceptionally manicured. For us, the only downside was the enduring humidity. The 68% humidity and 72 degree dew point were unbearable. Only last week, we hiked up steep inclines for miles at 90 degree + temps with no problem. The humidity made the air so thick, you could cut it with a proverbial knife.
After the park, we did a bit of a tour of Madison (nice city--pop 500,000+), and then departed for IL where we will stay for the night (in a motel! on sheets!) and have dinner (in a restaurant! and eat hot food! that someone else prepares!).
See photos of the day here.
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