Jun 20th, 2023 Tuesday Sunny
Last week, my husband and I took a little vacation to visit the northern frontier of Wisconsin, the Apostle Islands.
Located in Lake Superior, sheltered from modern hustles by miles of native forest, the Apostle Islands national lakeshore is a perfect getaway destination for city dwellers that long for some close contact with nature. While beautiful, this area is by no means as famous as other top tourist attractions, thus is saved from being tarnished by tourist traps like souvenir stores packed with factory-manufactured goods, or overpriced restaurants. Instead, we were greeted with local shops and family diners, as well as quick and warm service. We were pleasantly surprised.
In our imagination, the Apostle Islands are comprised of multiple islands that we can “hop around” and explore as we wish. In reality, only the most skilled and courageous aquatic athletes may be able to manage the feat of “sea crossing”. Obviously neither of us has the muscle or endurance (the shortest trip would take two hours one way) for this challenge. 😛 Instead, we opted to tour Madeline Island, the single human-inhabited island a twenty-minute ferry ride away from the mainland.
It is not a large island – two hours is more than enough to drive through ALL of the roads, paved and unpaved. A state park with nice trails, a town park, some sandy beaches (look enjoyable but too cold for us to enjoy), some rocky coast with amazing views of the lake, a three-block downtown area with some businesses and services (school, clinic, grocery store, library, etc.). Life on the island seems much simplified.
As we strolled around, I could not help noticing that, even though this region of the country is not known to be particularly rich, the houses and gardens all look well-maintained, clean from graffiti or littering, with minimal sign of neglect. It conveyed a sense of contentment in life, that despite the relatively harsh climate (winter here may be six months or longer), the residents are generally happy with their life situation.
“Would you want to move here?” I asked my husband on our ferry back. “Assuming wifi is not a problem.” I quickly added. (Internet, even cell phone signal, is REALLY spotty.)
“Err….no. I am sure you would be bored here.” answered my husband with a knowing smile.
“Plus, if there is a storm that cuts the electricity, it may be days before we get that fixed.” he analyzed the possibility in a very realistic manner.
He is probably right, but I do think that the way of life on this island cannot be that bad. Compared to so many places in the world, where people deal with poverty, crime, war, famine, and countless manmade troubles and dramas, this tiny gem seems so peaceful, and the breeze from the lake soothing and mesmerizing.
It is not that I am not satisfied with the life I have chosen. I do not regret any decision I have made. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the chance to witness, albeit momentarily, completely different ways of life, in various parts of the world. Knowing that there are alternative types of happiness worth pursuing, relieves the burden that I sometimes feel on my shoulder, so I do not have to live everyday for the fear of making a small mistake on my journey.
Perhaps this experience of opening one’s mind is a real benefit of traveling.