There are four predominant lakes in and around the Madison area. Downtown Madison is flanked by Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The downtown area is referred to as The Isthmus, which by definition means "a narrow strip of land, bordered on both sides by water, connecting two larger bodies of land". Below is a picture of the Madison Isthmus.
(Photo: MSATA 2008)
Lake Waubesa connects to Lake Monona via a small channel on the south side of Madison. Then, Lake Kegonsa is further south, down by Stoughton. Below is a map of the lakes. Mendota at the top, then Monona, then Waubesa, and lastly Kegonsa at the bottom. (Side note: seems like just about everything in Wisconsin has an American Indian name, in case you haven't noticed yet.)
Mendota, to the north of downtown Madison, is by far the biggest of the lakes. It covers 9842 acres with a maximum depth of 84 feet. The house we wanted at 12 Quinn was 1 block from Lake Monona, the other lake that flanks downtown. Lake Monona is considerably smaller than Mendota. Lake Monona covers 3274 acres and the maximum depth is 66 feet. Lake Kegonsa is third in size, coming in at covering 3209 acres and maximum depth of 34 feet. Lake Waubesa is the smallest. 2086 acres and max depth of 37 feet.
Did you enjoy your geography lesson about the lakes surrounding Madison?
In my previous post, I described my anxiety about (potentially) moving to Stoughton. I'm trying to focus on some of the positives. One positive about living in Stoughton is this: the proximity to Lake Kegonsa and the Kegonsa State Park. Kegonsa is a Ho-Chunk name that means "lake of many fishes". It is really beautiful there. These are some pictures Scott and I took of the lake. To me this is yet another picture that shows the depth and expansiveness of the sky up here. I think those clouds look so cool.
As I wrote in my post about Sheboygan, I think it's lovely how waterways in Wisconsin are surrounded by mature trees and other greenery. The day we were at Lake Kegonsa, there were all kinds of people on the lake in canoes, kayaks, fishing boats, and speed boats with skiers. If we end up staying in the Madison area, we hope to someday get a boat. I think it would be a blast to spend weekends out on the lake in a boat. Pack a picnic lunch. Have a few beers. Soak up some sun. Sounds about perfect.
Listening to the water lap up against the rocky shore line was so soothing.
The Kegonsa State Park seemed large to us as we drove through it. There were picnic areas, a public boat launch, walking and hiking trails, and even a place for dogs to swim. The pictures below are of a walking path along the lake.
I saw on line that there are activities in the Kegonsa State Park, such as a candlelight hike through the park in the fall and then a candlelight ski event in the winter. Might be kind of fun.
Here are a few professional pictures of Lake Kegonsa.
(photo from Wisconsin DNR)
(Randy Robert's photograph)
(mywisconsinspace.com)
And just a couple professional pictures of the Kegonsa State Park.
(Wisconsin DNR)
So, there you have it. A positive about living in Stoughton: being close to Lake Kegonsa and the Kegonsa State Park.
Wow. I just realized I wrote an entire post with no reference to, or pictures of, food and drinks. All of a sudden I feel so.....healthy.
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