I am back with the Big Ride group!  Got into Madison last night and used the "rest" day to wake up my legs on a ride this morning.  I rode about 39 miles around the beautiful lakes and neighborhoods of Madison, then showered and found some breakfast.  After a 2 hr nap, I took care of some business and went to one of the local bike shops to get a new helmet mirror and some more Hammer Nutrition products that I was running low on.  Riding around this town and the surrounding area is amazing.  This town is bicycle crazy!  Almost every street has a bike lane, or a separate path.  Many of the paths are even separate from the pedestrian paths, strictly for bicycles.  And there are cyclists galore using them all.  After some dinner, the two Jeffs and Olivia and I went to the waterfront, ate ice cream, and dipped our toes (though Olivia got right in).  A very nice, warm, glowing evening.  Now to bed to rest up for a 94mi day tomorrow!

These three pics are of a big natural area I rode a dirt trail through.

All around the trails and parks are many tallgrass prairie wildflowers.

By Lake Mendota

Some of Madison from across Lake Mendota

Across the lake to Madison

Wisconsin Badgers

Most of the bike racks looked like this, and there were many, many more!

The truck parked behind Chadbourne Hall.  We stayed on the top floor!