Crouched behind some bushes to escape the wind, I could barely hear Michael Feldman’s monologue through my phone. If there are nice, sound-proof spots along the Mississippi, they aren’t marked on my maps.

“I just hope I can hear him when he starts talking to me,” I said to myself about fifty times. “And I hope he can hear me.”

I could hear him, luckily enough, and good thing too, because I was able to get expert advice on Wisconsin slang and a comforting acknowledgment that Minnesota can be a bit of a black hole if you’re not careful (will I ever escape?)!

I’m guessing he could hear me well enough too, because a few days later, I got an email from one of his listeners, Coni in Prescott, Wisconsin, the first town I’d come to on the Wisconsin border.

“How about a place to stay and a nice, warm, home-cooked meal when you get here?” she said.

Minnesota Nice? How about Welcoming Wisconsin!

Here’s the link to the Whad’Ya Know? show with the interview, hope you enjoy it: http://www.notmuch.com/wyk/september-22-2012-madison-wi-monona-terrace