Destination Boating:
Madison Wisconsin
By John Lane
Most often these destination boating pieces feature backcountry spaces and places that are a bit wilder to paddle. As my wife often reminds me and sometimes shows me, cities can be fun too. Especially if that city is Madison, Wisconsin, and you like to paddle.
Madison is the state capital and like Columbus, hosts a Big Ten university. Unlike Columbus, it's situated on an isthmus between two large lakes. The town is an interesting blend of hip and standard Midwest culture and is free enough to list a head shop in the local business pamphlet that you find in your hotel room. Speaking of hotels, the Madison Concourse is a great place to stay. If you're in the Governor's Club, floors eight through twelve, you've got a great view of the gold-topped capitol dome to the south and Lake Mendota to the north. Besides that, in GC, drinks are on the house!
In addition to having lively theatre and lots of music venues, the city is chock full of parks, restaurants and shopping. Downtown is thick with wonderful restaurants, coffee shops and pubs. Devil's Lake is nearby as is Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin. While you lunch in the Taliesin café, you can dream about a long distance paddle on the Wisconsin River. Another Wright construction, the Monona Terrace Convention Center ("The Cake on the Lake") sits on the eastern shore of the capital on Lake Monona. The Wisconsin Dells aren't far away either.
As far as boating goes, if you don't take yours, you can rent a canoe or kayak from Carl's Paddlin' Shop. It's located on the Yahara River that runs southeast from Lake Mendota to Lake Monona. Sea kayaks are $25 for four hours. You can find Carl's on the web or any local phone book. The county runs a boat lock on the river with lots of hours and no user fee. All you have to do is show up and get the locktender's attention. They'll open the gate and let you in. It's a 10-15 minute process and is a bit damp but otherwise painless.
The photos are of Joan Bowman checking out cliffs on Lake Mendota
and a couple shots of the lock in operation.
Photos by John Lane