This evening, my Little Sister and I took advantage of the wonderful MSCR Pontoon Boat Program. For just $3 each, we were treated to a 90 minute tour of Lake Mendota (we were offered the choice of Mendota of Monona, since the rides start from the Yahara River between the lakes, but the majority of the boat wanted Mendota).

The air was cool and the sky was grey when we started our ride. Sure enough, shortly after we'd passed under the dripping gates of the Tenny Park locks and were passing the Governor's Mansion, a light rain started to fall on us. As there was little wind and no sign of lightening, the passengers and crew decided to continue on, despite the wet.

The sky on the western side of the lake was tantalyzingly clear, though we were not able to get close enough to that side in the timeframe of our trip to be able to take advantage of that fact. However, the blue sky and sunshine in the west provided us with the most amazing rainbow, which lasted until the sun set--almost the entirity of our trip. It was a full arc and incredibly vivid. It spanned (in our view) from Maple Bluff in the north to the new Porter Boathouse on the UW campus in the south. Even better, it was a double rainbow, though the reverse was only visible up the sides, and not at the top of the arc. We kept gazing at it in wonderment and the rest of the lake and the shoreline turned shades of gold, purple, and pink in the dying light. Truly a spectacular sight.

The rain finally started to die out as we passed the Lakeshore Path and came upon the Terrace. The skipper was friendly guy and full of interesting information. It was my first time out on either lake (or the river) and even with the rain, it was definitely an enjoyable experience. I am tempted to do it again, and would recommend it for anyone looking for an affordable summertime excursion.