After checking out of Motel 5, we did not bother to stop in Des Moines, but went on to the Amana Colonies, a settlement of Germans who separated from the Lutheran Church. They still retain some sense of community and tradition, but are not as strict as, say, the Pennsylvania Dutch. The man at the tourist booth spoke German with Peter, although Peter said it was an old-fashioned form of German. In general, Peter did not feel the Amana colonies had much in common with Germany. And most of what was similar, like the folk music at the restaurant we ate at, was more irritating than welcoming. I thought it was a cute place, though even I have to admit the restaurant we ate in had the atmosphere of a retirement home dining room.
Nevertheless, we stayed in Amana a couple of hours and continued on route 151 through Debuque to a real highlight; the Mississippi River. I had not officially crossed it on the first trip (I crossed its tributary the St. Croix in Eau Claire, WI), so I was especially pleased to cross it this time. Peter was also impressed; we took many pictures around there.
We drove through Wisconsin to Madison, where we arrived about 7:30. (Well, we made it to the Madison area around 7:00 but got a little turned around trying to find the hotel). We stayed at the Select Inn, which was pretty nice. It's one of the few low budget motels I've stayed in that had a small refrigerator in the room. My friend Dave, a former Phoenix resident and friend from college who has lived in Madison for over 4 years now, was at the hotel to greet us shortly after we arrived. He took us out for a tour of the Capitol and the University of Wisconsin area. We had dinner at State Street Brats, a university hangout. I recommend the hamburgers over their bratwurst (brats for short). You might get better brats at a local McDonalds there.
We walked along State Street to the university student union, where Peter was called on to translate all of the German that was painted on the walls. Mostly cute sayings and instructions to clear the tables after eating. On the other side of the union you could see one of the many lakes in Wisconsin where people go sailing in the summer and ice fishing in the winter.
At the end of the evening, we drove out to West Madison to see Dave's bachelor pad and to give me a chance to check my email (something I hadn't done since Wednesday). It was a huge 1 bedroom with a loft which cost half of what a similar space would cost on the East Coast. Still, you probably spend the extra money on heat and layers of clothing for the winter months...