R and J in the USA

Our quick acclimation and affection for Wisconsin eased the transition out of Michigan. 

We entered into Wisconsin’s Northern Highland and were immediately steeped in its woods and lakes and outdoor lifestyle. We enjoyed a state park campsite next to one of the myriad lakes and chose our compost toilet over the dark vault toilets of the campground.

We took in Boulder Junction during its Musky Jamboree celebration and ran in cool-for-the-season crisp morning air in our 5K that you can read about in our 5K section.

We journeyed even further up north into the Apostle Island National Lakeshore, one of only three national lakeshores in the country. We delighted in the quaint little town of Bayfield, WI, that was half tourist town, half small town and half fishing industry. That’s a lot of halves and it did all add up to more than the sum of its parts.

We took in the views and learned some Apostle Island history on a boat cruise and waved across the water to Michigan. We ate lake trout in Bayfield on the shores of the lake from whence they came, and we partook of gifts shops, book stores, and ice cream shops.

We drove the red-tinted roads out of this remote northern corner of Wisconsin, bypassing a ton of towns and sites we would have loved to see for the five-hour drive down to High Cliff State Park, a park that was just next to a suburban development and golf course, but quickly turned into a beautiful state park in full glory. 

We entered the town of Green Bay ready to steep ourselves in its passion and commitment to football and to being Packers fans. We toured Lambeau Field and, when asked by the tour guide, even openly admitted we cheer for the Bills. We were welcomed nonetheless. “We love all the other teams here,” our tour guide cheerfully encouraged. “If it weren’t for you all, we wouldn’t have 13 championships.” No matter what team we rooted for, we did our best to pay homage to the enthusiasm and passion that takes place in this town of 120,000 that sells out an 80,000 seat stadium every single game. 

We spent a night in beautiful Door County, a small peninsula jutting out into Lake Michigan, and we stopped at a sandy beach in Milwaukee that gave a tropical beach a run for its money.

We grabbed a coveted campground spot at Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake State Park and finally figured out what the Wisconsin Dells is. We had heard of it and knew we needed to go, but had no idea what it was. We found out it is what Julie eventually dubbed, “The Las Vegas Strip of Waterparks,” as it has the largest collection of waterparks anywhere in the US. It was the opposite of what we’d guessed. We thought from the name it was some sort of natural feature. Nope. This was as manmade a place as could be. Did we go to a waterpark? Heck yea, we did. We slid on slides we had never encountered before, and Julie squeezed the van into a parking spot with the most precise back-in that could possibly be achieved.

We drove into Madison and partook of yet another wonderful and enriching state capitol, and Julie took a short bike ride on the awesome bike lane system they had there. We had known we were in Wisconsin the second we arrived when there was a cheese cooler in the local coffee shop. Not to be too cheesy about Wisconsin (yes, more puns coming, either buckle in or just look away), but once again, we found ourselves feeling that, like the cheese in its coolers, our hearts were easily melted by this wonderful state of Wisconsin.