(Lin) Up early to hit the road. Got our last glimpses of the Chicago skyline heading northwest out of the city on Rt. 90. We stopped in Madison, Wisconsin, a cute little university city nestled between two large lakes, to walk the quaint quasi-pedestrian State Street and eat brunch at the Sunroom Cafe (the french toast was amazing!). State Street runs right into the University of Wisconsin campus, which is lovely, perched along the shore of Lake Mendota. Upon recommendation, we had ice cream at the Terrace overlooking the lake.

From Madison, it was 4.5 hours to Minneapolis, where we will be for two nights, staying with friends who used to live in Boston. It got much hotter as we drove west and north — 88 F or so; it was the first real test of the van’s AC. All systems a go. A huge thunderstorm rolled through just after we arrived, dumping sheets of rain and triggering a flood warning. Still, it is very green and clean here. Looking forward to exploring some of the city lakes and parks tomorrow.

It’s been fascinating to track the topography; Wisconsin was much hillier than we expected after the flatness of western Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The true flatness, I’ve been told, is yet to come.