Wisconsin Vacation Quest 2026 by Ruth Paget
A sandstorm in Phoenix, Arizona set back our arrival time in Madison, Wisconsin to visit my mom for summer vacation 2026, but all ended well.
We were supposed to land in Phoenix, but instead flew to Tucson, Arizona where we sat on the tarmac until the sandstorm in Phoenix ended. The view of the copper red mountains was nice, but a little hot.
Waiting for the sandstorm to pass made everyone miss their connecting flight, so we all made our way to customer service once we disembarked.
With our new tickets, we headed to our gate for Chicago, Illinois. We would drive to Madison from Chicago, which takes about 1½ hours at night on the toll road. I no longer argue with weather issues. I would rather be safe.
While waiting, I ordered a fly day treat from OHSO Phoenix, which stands for Outrageous Homebrewers Social Outpost – a barbecue fried chicken sandwich with fries drenched in barbecue sauce. The sandwich reminded me of ones I ate at Harold’s Fried Chicken when I was a student at the University of Chicago.
The super hot sauce is called Georgia Pit Barbecue Sauce I saw online. I routinely ate Harold’s Chicken after Japanese finals when I would tell my friends, “I can deal with any final in English after that Japanese exam including physics.”
The barbecue chicken sandwich and fries in Phoenix were messy, but delicious. They were definitely a naughty treat for old mom.
Once on board our flight to Chicago, we flew into the night for an easy trip to Chicago. I read a book about Sicilian food on my Kindle and used the note feature to take notes. The Kindle is the perfect size to read in a middle seat and is lightweight. It has a built-in light that makes it unobtrusive as well.
Our suitcase was checked ahead to Madison, Wisconsin. We took the airport train to the car rental area. I forgot how crowded big city can be when we got on the standing-room only train. (Chicago is the third largest city in the United States.)
We went up and down escalators and got our car at Avis. Everything was reserved on the app, so getting the car was easy. Our rental car was a black Honda Prelude. Getting out of the garage was easy. We went out on a street that led us quickly to I-90 West (the toll road to Wisconsin).
I-90 West goes through Chicago’s wealthy northwest suburbs and straight onto I-94 North into vacation-land Wisconsin. Tolls are taken automatically as you drive along so you do not have to stop to pay. Florida runs its toll roads in the same manner.
We had a Sirius radio in the Prelude that was programmed to all country music stations. The air conditioner work well. We called my mom once we reached Madison and let her know we would be in DeForest in fifteen minutes.
DeForest is located next to I-94. Its local businesses cater to locals and tourist alike. The neighborhood would be a good spot for AirBnB rentals, because it is close to so many tourist spots thanks to I-94.
Mom had fried chicken sandwiches with bacon strip sandwiches waiting for us from North South Restaurant in DeForest. North South Restaurant serves both Mexican and classic American diner dishes. I gleefully ate my second fried chicken sandwich of the day.
I went to bed full and thought that despite the delay, it was pretty cool to visit the following cities in one day:
-Monterey, California
-Tucson, Arizona
-Phoenix, Arizona
-Madison, Wisconsin
I do not know about these airports, but I know that the airport restaurants in Monterey and Phoenix are good.
Laurent used the “track my bag app” to know when our suitcase would arrive in Madison the next day. That app is a great use of technology that reduces anxiety and saves time when traveling.
We now had our “getting there” story and could rest up to start touring the next day after getting our suitcase.
Wisconsin Dairyland Vacation Day 1 – Complete!
By Ruth Paget
-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books
-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games
-developer of food and beverage knowledge games
-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center
-creator of French travel and culture games
-writer of 1800+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
