- This was a nice time to be in Wisconsin, before the chill of autumn and perfect weather for cycling.
My visit was full of tension, problems and very little love. I won’t go into any of that and instead emphasise the good things- swimming and cycling.
I was able to appreciate the superb cycling outside of Madison thanks to my good friend (and the only) Andy in whose car we drove about a half hour out of town and could explore routes that have been curated by local cyclists on Komoot and Ride with GPS.
The following video has some cycling video from Spring Green, the famous architecture school of the great Frank Lloyd Wright and video from the Baraboo Gun Show.
This was not a big event, but when I had seen handmade signs for it, I made plans to attend. This was outside the liberal cocoon of Madison and it was probably the most interesting thing I did in Wisconsin. They didn’t allow photography there but I was told that if I asked individual stall holders and they agreed, no problem.
Probably the most surprising thing was the reaction of family and friends who found something unusual in this. I guess it is because guns and Trump are so far outside the liberal zeitgeist.
I found the people friendly and I even had a political debate of sorts with the pleasant man manning the Trump stand at the entrance who kindly looked after my bicycle when I was inside. I have to admit he completely dominated and I realized that I really had not had to formulate any arguments coherently.
The guy at the first gun stall explained to me the reason for the hesitancy about photography- something about registration scam. I didn’t really understand it.
Guns were purchased and exchanged. I overheard someone buying a gun and I was surprised that all the purchaser had to show was a Wisconsin drivers license.
Another interesting thing was Somme Nazi memorabilia.
Another amazing thing was the array of other weapons. Have a look at the spiked baseball bats….
And the brass knuckles…
knives and swords (some very beautiful)- Interestingly there was a Native American stall selling much turquoise jewellery which my friend Andy later said indicated a tribe not from Wisconsin. I took a photo of these magnificent winter head furs.
And of course some of the guns on display…. - At the end of the day I felt that this interesting crowd at this gun show, although I guess 100% Trump supporters were just normal people with different political views, maybe even more authentic and honest than the usual Madison liberatti.
Here are some photos from my only friend in Wisconsin, Andy Kraushaar. He is an excellent photographer specialising in birds. 
And here is a video of me, cycling with Andy, and the Baraboo gun show (in video).
