Thursday, August 10th - Depart Dayton International Airport, Dayton OH
Arrive Dane County Airport, Madison WI
Flight time - about 2 hours 15 minutes
Hotel for 2 nights, Hampton Inn off State Street
I mentioned at the beginning of this recap series that for various reasons, we didn't really have a firm plan on this trip. That is mostly true. However, there were two sticking points on this vacation that we definitely wanted to hit - (1) Niagara Falls and (2) a stop back at both my husband's and my alma mater, Madison, WI.
With a quiet final night in Dayton, and one last hot breakfast the next morning, it seemed there was nothing left to do on our overall trip check list except for head to Madison. So off we went.
Our flight from Dayton to Madison was fairly uneventful, thanks to not needing customs and having a nice clear day weather wise. While my son was a little antsy, I managed to keep him entertained well enough I guess (it helped that I had picked up a few new things at the Air Force Museum gift shop the day prior, by the way). Without much ado, we arrived in Madison just in time for ... a birthday lunch for my husband at the infamous Nitty Gritty!
In case you're wondering ... as if this flying vacation didn't have enough of an aviation theme, my son "bought" Dad a celebratory memorial brick at the Oshkosh EAA Airventure's iconic Brown Arch.
We haven't quite settled on the inscription yet, but it will look something like one of these:
I suppose that means we'll need to head back to Oshkosh again next year for the air show, huh? Flying vacation 2018 here we come!
Anyway, back on topic with Madison. After lunch at the Nitty Gritty, and one free glass birthday mug heavier, we headed back to our hotel for the usual toddler nap time. And then we spent what was left of the day walking around State Street and enjoying a lovely dinner in the somewhat new rooftop restaurant Fresco, located on top of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
The next morning, and the final full day of our trip, we started off with the usual - hot breakfast included at the hotel (thanks for the stays, Hampton Inn, you've been real ... and if you could extend my husband's status into 2018 due to this blog series I'd appreciate it *wink*). With the skies looking overcast but the weather claiming no rain ... we left our hotel on foot heading towards Madison's free zoo - Henry Vilas.
Obviously, weather men are paid all too well for being wrong. Drenched after making it maybe 1/3 of a mile (and roughly a quarter of the way of our walk), I asked my husband to think of a smart hide out to go dry off and wait for the rain to pass. Reminding me that Union South had been remodeled in the last few years, and we had yet to see it, we stopped by there and had a coffee.
Well, had a coffee after chasing around a toddler for about 20 minutes and needing an energy boost.
Oh, BTW, thanks for all the paper towels, UW. I suppose I kind of earned them after paying off student debts for the last 10 years.
Finally, it seemed like the majority of the rain/mist had passed so we walked the rest of the way to the zoo. There, we were rewarded with a fairly decent pick up in weather and even a tid bit of sun. Not to mention a couple of hours of fun animal viewing ... and a little boy VERY excited for his second ride ever on a carousel.
Knowing I'd have another lunch on the horizon after our zoo trip, the night before I had looked into some possible food options and ended up with my eye on Rockhound Brewery. Since things went well at the zoo and I knew my son would be patient enough for a meal there, that was our next stop.
Oh, don't worry... while there, we had a little tasting, of course.
And then ... after the last nap time of vacation, we headed over to the Union Terrace to enjoy the lake, some ice cream, and a pontoon ride. (Since we're alumi association members, in the summer we can partake in a free pontoon ride on Friday afternoons ... might not justify the cost of a membership, but it sure is a fun perk!).
Once we left the lake, we ended the night with dinner at Zandru's on State Street. Eating there was actually a pretty good deal. For an early dinner, we split a plate of paella and some happy hour deals - 3 tapas plates for $15 and $5 mules.
The next morning, with the end of vacation hanging on the horizon, we spent a little time roaming campus and shopping for some team apparel. With the goal of a return flight during nap time, we stretched the morning out by going to see Abe on Bascom and having a slice at Ian's Pizza for lunch.
And then ... sadly, we were on our way home.
Saturday, August 12th - Depart Dane County Airport, Madison WI
Arrive Flying Cloud Airport, Eden Prairie MN
Flight time - about 2 hours
The return flight, or rather return nap, was a success. Not long after take off, my son was asleep, and a smooth flight helped keep him there for quite some time.
After about 2 hours of flight time on Saturday, and a total accumulation of 11 or 12 hours total in the plane ... we were home.
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