We woke with the swiftness of Germanicus’ legion, quiet and efficient as top of the line Cuisinart kitchen appliances. Our quarry was neither Visigoth, Hun, Gaul nor Vandal. Rather, Miles, of which sixty stood between us and the charming capital of America’s Dairyland. We slew them quietly and mercilessly in The Driftless, the last falling beneath our clip-ins as the sun crowned a sky the color of oxidized copper.
The riches of the city lay at our feet… bike shops, pizza, book stores, and hobby shops lent ample fodder with which to fill our bindles ‘n bellies. Yet these trifling materialities would pale like sun bleached arm hairs in the face of an even greater gift which lay blocks from Badger country, for we were welcomed into a lovely home by Lela’s parents, Emily and Ankur.
Despite stalwart Trekker Lela being away on another outdoor adventure, Emily and Ankur graciously saved us from a night in weather stormier than the Etta James classic.
A relaxed evening saw us lounging and puttering about the nearby shops, turning another blistering day into one of our more restful and peaceful.
Lela joined in spirit for our pre-coma glamour shot, then we tucked in as the cumulonimbus curtains pulled back to reveal their late night entertainment. Thunderous 
drums, electric 
guitar and plenty of wind 
rocked the trees until the transformers blew louder than Satchmo on steroids.
We are grateful to our hosts for sparing us from the wrath of rain deities and giving us a delicious spoonful of Madison to steel us for our two-day sortie into Second City.