All your oxen have died.

Date: July 17, 2008 (or 1848)
Weather: hot
Health: good
Food: 500 pounds
Next Landmark: Gays Mills, Wisconsin
Miles Traveled: 1,440

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The great frontier of America awaits us. We know not what dangers we will encounter on our journey across the Great American Desert, but we hear of great abundance, wealth, and prosperity out West. We hear the vast lands preceding our destination begin as flat, barren, and windswept, then advance into great mountains, savage lands that have taken men both in altitude and climate. But we are pioneers of men, we are risk-takers, and our wagon train, 32 carriages in all, is well-equipped to make the journey in a short six weeks.

A great rain has left the heartland under devastating floods. Though our weather has been generally good thus far, we have been witness to the saturation born by the rains of June and early July. Farmland is flooded (now marshland), crops are destroyed, and rivers are nearly overflowing into town centers. Weeks later, I begin to imagine the devastation that must have ensued directly following the rain. Yesterday we were forced to ford a flooded portion of our path. Shoes and socks removed, we traversed about 200 yards in high ankle-deep stagnant water, teeming with algae, mosquitoes, and potential disease. We have also heard of the inevitabilities of such diseases, and have all survived a mild plague, however the risks were never more present in our minds than at that moment. There was talk of ringworm, malaria, and even the dreaded cholera. But, a day later, we've arrived in Madison and all seem healthy.

Okay, my chronicles of a pioneer are now over. I will begin to speak like a normal 21st century twentysomething. Dude, we're in Madison, man its rad. What? Okay, well it is pretty cool. Since arriving here less than 24 hours ago, I've spent most of my time trying to compare it with Ann Arbor, since they are very similar towns, and have concluded that I like Madison a lot more. So basically both towns have the exact same demographics, very large, very liberal activist college-towns whose economies revolve around and are spun off of the dominating educational institutions (for those who aren't aware, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is located here). Madison has the added demographic of state and federal government agencies, as it is also the state capital. But their difference lies in the overwhelming attitude of the populous, and here in Madtown (as the locals refer to it), that attitude seems much more laid back and down-to-earth. Unlike Ann Arbor, who is a small dog trying to fit into big dog shoes, Madison is not ashamed of its small town, Midwestern roots. It is a small town at heart, things are more local, more independent, less uptight/pretentious, and much more proud.

Madison is also one of the most well-planned cities I have ever been to, mostly because it is one of the few cities in the country that has succeeded in integrating cycling traffic with the rest of the commuter lifestyle. In one city, I have never seen so many bike paths and trails, and I almost wonder why anyone bothers to use a car here. Something that would never fly in Ann Arbor, although it wouldn't hurt for them to try. It is a bit of an elongated city too, as the main section of downtown, including the capitol building, is wedged between two lakes, Monoa and Mendota. The university, of which I have only seen a small part at night, stretches along Mendota. The main business drag, State Street, was once a four-lane road, but was converted into a pedestrian (and cyclist) mall in 1974 (right after the first oil crisis, nonetheless). It's pretty fascinating, and is something I wished they'd to to Main, State, or even Liberty in Ann Arbor. The other great thing about Madison is all their independent coffee shops, interesting kitsch stores, and ICE CREAM locales. We are in the land of dairy, after all. I'm sitting at the Mermaid Cafe, a great little shop across the street from the church we are staying at for two nights. I didn't try their coffee, of course, but I did have an amazing sandwich called Schenk's Corners...seasoned scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese (everything in Wisconsin is eaten with cheddar), sauteed red peppers and onions, and fresh basil, on a focaccia. I don't know why, but I just have to rave about this place for a little while, because the food and atmosphere are great. Something you surely don't get at the massive coffee shops in A2. No Sweetwaters here, although they do have Espresso Royale, and I think I've only seen one Starbucks. They do local well here.

We have a day off here, as you might already know, and I think I'm just going to take my time to walk and bike around the city. Take advantage of all the bike lanes and trails for sure. There is a bike shop that I MUST visit, its called Machinery Row, and looks like the coolest place in the world...perhaps even cooler than Two Wheel Tango, which will be tough to beat. There are also a bunch of other really good shops (within downtown limits, which Ann Arbor can hardly say for itself). And about 25 miles from here is the headquarters and main manufacturing plant for Trek, so they also have a huge dealership here. In any case, I'm headed to Machinery Row, then to some of the shops on State Street, maybe a stop beforehand for lunch at Chipotle (though I could easily eat here at Mermaid), and then a romp through UW, and maybe their arboretum. I dont know, we'll see.

We have a long ride to Gays Mills tomorrow, a small town somewhere far west of here, along the Kickapoo River, and has recently been devastated by two floods only 10 months apart. There was an interesting article in written about Gays Mills in the Chicago Tribune at the end of June. (Here is the link) It speaks of the town's consideration to move to higher ground, at the encouragement of FEMA, and the disapproval of many residents. Perhaps, when we get there and get to talk to some of the people, we'll be able to get a better sense of the implications of the move, and all that it has to do with our own mission. Specifically, the ramifications of trying to recreate the same town, the same environment, for the same people, potentially miles away. This proposed move would certainly conflict with the more organic process of human settlement.

Westward ho.