Is it just me, as does anybody else have a strong desire to put the whole Covid-19 situation behind them and get back to our previous lives? Well, if that’s not possible, the next best thing is to make a getaway to somewhere that you’re not reminded of the pandemic 24/7.
That place for my husband and me was the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. You want social distancing? A 1.5-million-acre forest gives you plenty of that.
We spent a week up there this summer and it was one of our best vacations yet. That might sound like a bit of a stretch, considering that we’ve traveled to Japan, England, France, Hawaii and Ireland over the last decade or so, but this time away from the craziness of 2020 was just what the doctor ordered.
The weather that week was phenomenal. We had one rainy day, but that gave us the perfect excuse to kick back and relax in the cabin and spend a whole day reading. After a relentlessly hot summer, we had seven days of 80-ish degree weather, which felt amazing. The one disadvantage was the break in the heat brought out the mosquitoes, so it was a bit tricky going for early morning walks when they were out full-force.
Evenings up north, watching the sun set over Round Lake, were some of the most peaceful times I can remember. We grilled out either over the campfire or on our gas grill just about every night. I had my fair share of s’mores, probably enough to last me until next summer.
Northern Wisconsin is called God’s country for a reason. The forests, the lakes, the wildlife, including an eagle which resided on the property next to ours, are stunning.
Disconnecting from work and the day-to-day grind refreshed my soul. It usually takes me a couple days to unwind and get comfortable doing nothing, other than lounging in a lawn chair and staring at the lake or the fire, but once I got in that mode, I didn’t want to get out of it.
But, like all good things, our vacation came to an end. What we brought home with us was a new-found love for being outdoors. We’ve officially become “patio people” and are enjoying weekends reading outside or spending cooler evenings sitting around our new fire pit.
We’re refreshed and recharged for the fall and all the challenges and adventures our careers will bring us over the next few months (including the publication of five books that I either wrote or worked on with other authors). When stress creeps back into our lives, we can think back to those peaceful summer days and relive those beautiful memories. What a blessing!
