06.05 - Day 112 - Madison

Monday 6th May - Madison, Wisconsin (Day 112)

Annie is off to school before any of Team RJ are up; catching a 6:45am bus. Greg manages to get two kids bikes and one adult bike plus the trailer into the people carrier and the rest of us ride separately to Tenney Park where Kate, Melissa and I hire electric bikes whilst the kids have to pedal under their own steam and Greg pulls Beckett along sitting contentedly in his trailer. 

There's a spider's web of cycle paths available in Madison, and whilst cycling 20 km around the smaller lake is an option we opt instead to cycle on the flat paths alongside railway tracks to Olbrich Gardens, looking for turtles and wandering amongst the plants - the playground outside probably having more pulling power for the kids. 

Across the way is the impressively restored Garver Feed Mills home now to several restaurants and cafes (reminding us of The Tramsheds back in Sydney). 

The lure of ice cream keeps the kids going in the warm sun and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream delivers an eclectic array of smooth frozen goodness enjoyed on the pub bench out back overlooking the well used bike path even in the middle of a weekday. The shop’s slogan of “If you want nutrition, eat carrots” suggests even the bike ride won’t burn off the consumed calories. 

After another playpark we head back to pick up Annie off the school bus leading into more playtime at home. 

Post dinner, the firepit comes out onto the front lawn and that American tradition of s’mores using the fire pit to roast the marshmallows has us ticking off another box on our American To Do list. Then it’s merely a case of combatting the kids’ sugar rush with trying to get them to bed.