Summer is rapidly vanishing and I need to get down to New Mexico. If I don't do it now I will have to wait till after Cheese Days. So, with the class reunion over, it's time to go. But first, I have some business in Madison. So it's a detour through that inimitable city.
Madison - whatta place. When I lived in New Mexico, folks used to joke about Santa Fe, the state capital, destination and home of artists, accomplished and aspiring, and residence of celebrities, rich and famous. "Fifty square miles, surrounded by reality," was the popular description of Santa Fe.
Then I retire back to Wisconsin and I hear the same about Madison, only it's more like "One hundred square miles, surrounded by reality."
Yup, state capital and home of University of Wisconsin's flagship campus, the city populated and run by Progressives, Democrats, and lefties of all stripes. "Berkeley of the Midwest," it is said, although I prefer it to be, "Berkeley, Madison of the West Coast." I guess it doesn't matter since I have degrees from both of those much maligned institutions. People occasionally remind me, "So that's how you got that way."
No, not really. I was somewhere to the left of Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy as far back as high school in the 1950s. Maybe being one of a miniscule handful of Democrats in Monroe back then was due to my contrarian nature - it sure helps anyway.
But I digress. One thing that Madison and Minnesota's Twin Cities have in common is constant, ubiquitous road construction and street repair. It's probably a sign of economic vitality. The Twin Cities and Minnesota are doing very well. Madison is doing very well, but it's an island of prosperity in a state languishing under a repressive governor and a regressive legislature.
For starters, giving that rail money back so that other states can advance their transportation system and leave Wisconsin further back in the dust was not a smart move. All that traffic between Chicago and the Twin Cities? Fogettaboutit. Heck, let's just bypass Milwaukee and Madison. Route those passengers and that freight through Rockford, Freeport, and Dubuque instead. Smart???
Let's face it - Madison has some real advantages being the state capital and home of the UW. But with all those "bureaucrats, commies, pinkos, and leftists of all stripes," it must be a horrible place for business - right?
Nope, wrong. I forget which one, but a major business magazine recently named Madison as one of the very best cities in the nation in which to do business. For starters, it's an understatement to remind that Madison hosts a talented work force.
Those state employees, university faculty and staff, and all those medical personnel, engineers, and other professionals receive steady paychecks. There is something to be said for steady paychecks, both for those who receive those checks and for those who do business with and sell stuff to people who receive those steady pay checks.
Most, though surely not all, bankers tend to be conservative Republicans. Well, Republican in any case. But conservative lenders like to lend to people, even Democrats, who have steady pay checks. Lenders and other business people don't care if revenues come from clients and customers who are somewhere to the left of Mr. Limbaugh.
So, Madison has a lot going for it. That said, it is a miserable city for driving. The Capital Square is squeezed between the narrowest part of the isthmus that separates Lakes Mendota and Monona. The sprawling UW campus stretches for miles from downtown, west along Lake Mendota. To get from one end of town to the other you either have to squeeze through that narrow, congested isthmus, or drive for miles around the beltline.
But it is still a scenic city with nice neighborhoods - good for bicycles that are popular with students. It discourages the rest of us from unnecessary driving.
After I finished my errands, I stopped at the UW Bookstore. As I was perusing the shelves, who did I see but Ron Spielman and Jennifer. Ron pipes up, "I guess you can't hide anywhere anymore." He observed that when in Madison, he has to stop at the UW Bookstore, as do I, of course.
But enough of that - it's finally time to hit the road. Since I was already in Madison, once I got through the construction on the west side, I stayed on U.S. 151 to Dubuque. It was already early evening, and with all the rain and cool weather we have had, the hills of southwestern Wisconsin are rich and green with the alfalfa and corn that is starting to tassel out. I cross the river at Dubuque and continue on 151 to Iowa Route 1.
There is a detour for Route 1, so I continue on to Cedar Rapids and head west on U.S. 30, the old Lincoln Highway, in the gathering dusk. It's a good road and far less traveled than I-80. Because I'm leaving later than usual, the times of day on the route will be different than my usual timing. But that's good for providing some variation.
This time of year, twilight is long as the sun skims the northwest horizon. There is a long stretch of orange glow on the horizon and the trees and farm buildings create artistic silhouettes against the colorful orange horizon. Weather reports on the radio talk of flirting with record cool temperatures.
Often around here, we go directly from winter to summer. It has been a tough winter, and it is nice to have this cool, pleasant weather in the seventies and not too much humidity.
I reach Marshalltown, a prototype Iowa community. Time to pack it in for the night.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
Madison - whatta place. When I lived in New Mexico, folks used to joke about Santa Fe, the state capital, destination and home of artists, accomplished and aspiring, and residence of celebrities, rich and famous. "Fifty square miles, surrounded by reality," was the popular description of Santa Fe.
Then I retire back to Wisconsin and I hear the same about Madison, only it's more like "One hundred square miles, surrounded by reality."
Yup, state capital and home of University of Wisconsin's flagship campus, the city populated and run by Progressives, Democrats, and lefties of all stripes. "Berkeley of the Midwest," it is said, although I prefer it to be, "Berkeley, Madison of the West Coast." I guess it doesn't matter since I have degrees from both of those much maligned institutions. People occasionally remind me, "So that's how you got that way."
No, not really. I was somewhere to the left of Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy as far back as high school in the 1950s. Maybe being one of a miniscule handful of Democrats in Monroe back then was due to my contrarian nature - it sure helps anyway.
But I digress. One thing that Madison and Minnesota's Twin Cities have in common is constant, ubiquitous road construction and street repair. It's probably a sign of economic vitality. The Twin Cities and Minnesota are doing very well. Madison is doing very well, but it's an island of prosperity in a state languishing under a repressive governor and a regressive legislature.
For starters, giving that rail money back so that other states can advance their transportation system and leave Wisconsin further back in the dust was not a smart move. All that traffic between Chicago and the Twin Cities? Fogettaboutit. Heck, let's just bypass Milwaukee and Madison. Route those passengers and that freight through Rockford, Freeport, and Dubuque instead. Smart???
Let's face it - Madison has some real advantages being the state capital and home of the UW. But with all those "bureaucrats, commies, pinkos, and leftists of all stripes," it must be a horrible place for business - right?
Nope, wrong. I forget which one, but a major business magazine recently named Madison as one of the very best cities in the nation in which to do business. For starters, it's an understatement to remind that Madison hosts a talented work force.
Those state employees, university faculty and staff, and all those medical personnel, engineers, and other professionals receive steady paychecks. There is something to be said for steady paychecks, both for those who receive those checks and for those who do business with and sell stuff to people who receive those steady pay checks.
Most, though surely not all, bankers tend to be conservative Republicans. Well, Republican in any case. But conservative lenders like to lend to people, even Democrats, who have steady pay checks. Lenders and other business people don't care if revenues come from clients and customers who are somewhere to the left of Mr. Limbaugh.
So, Madison has a lot going for it. That said, it is a miserable city for driving. The Capital Square is squeezed between the narrowest part of the isthmus that separates Lakes Mendota and Monona. The sprawling UW campus stretches for miles from downtown, west along Lake Mendota. To get from one end of town to the other you either have to squeeze through that narrow, congested isthmus, or drive for miles around the beltline.
But it is still a scenic city with nice neighborhoods - good for bicycles that are popular with students. It discourages the rest of us from unnecessary driving.
After I finished my errands, I stopped at the UW Bookstore. As I was perusing the shelves, who did I see but Ron Spielman and Jennifer. Ron pipes up, "I guess you can't hide anywhere anymore." He observed that when in Madison, he has to stop at the UW Bookstore, as do I, of course.
But enough of that - it's finally time to hit the road. Since I was already in Madison, once I got through the construction on the west side, I stayed on U.S. 151 to Dubuque. It was already early evening, and with all the rain and cool weather we have had, the hills of southwestern Wisconsin are rich and green with the alfalfa and corn that is starting to tassel out. I cross the river at Dubuque and continue on 151 to Iowa Route 1.
There is a detour for Route 1, so I continue on to Cedar Rapids and head west on U.S. 30, the old Lincoln Highway, in the gathering dusk. It's a good road and far less traveled than I-80. Because I'm leaving later than usual, the times of day on the route will be different than my usual timing. But that's good for providing some variation.
This time of year, twilight is long as the sun skims the northwest horizon. There is a long stretch of orange glow on the horizon and the trees and farm buildings create artistic silhouettes against the colorful orange horizon. Weather reports on the radio talk of flirting with record cool temperatures.
Often around here, we go directly from winter to summer. It has been a tough winter, and it is nice to have this cool, pleasant weather in the seventies and not too much humidity.
I reach Marshalltown, a prototype Iowa community. Time to pack it in for the night.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
