As an East Coaster, I grew up most partial to vacationing in places like Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, the Cape, and Maine. However, three summers ago I was given a position as a sailing instructor in Door County, Wisconsin - that's right...Wisconsin.
At first, it seemed random. I had never even been to the state, and here I was making a spur-of-the-moment decision to teach sailing there with a few fellow sailors from school (who had hooked me up with the job). The only thing that I could picture was crazed football fans with blocks of cheese on their heads. But boy, how wrong I was...
I spent the summers of 2010 and 2011 with no cell-phone service, under beautiful sunsets and clear skies full of stars. I met people who I now know I will be friends with for a long time to come, and even some who turned into more than friends. When we weren't busy with our dream jobs (hello...sailing, tanning, little kids), we were hiking and biking through state parks, kayaking through caves and rivers, paddle boarding across the harbor, golfing on the coast, playing pick-up games of beach volleyball, and eating bratwursts and cheese curds while drinking Leinenkugels. In essence, it was a paradise I did not even know existed.
This summer was different. Because I was graduating from college, I could not give a definitive yes-or-no answer by the time my boss wanted to know if I could return. I hoped I would have a "real world" job set by the time I graduated so I had to decline and I cried for days when I heard they hired someone new. As fate would have it, I did not yet find that first official post-grad job by the time graduation rolled around. But that's another story.
I vowed to myself that I would make it back before the season was over, so I went up north this past weekend with a few friends - some had been before and some had not. It was the refreshing break I needed after a pretty rough past few months because when I got there, it was almost as if nothing had changed from the last time I left it. By the time Sunday came, I had a feeling of some "unfinished business" and just could not bring myself to leave. So I ditched out on my ride back to Chicago (where I flew into), changed my flight and stayed for two extra days.
A comforting feeling in a time of need and the happiest I've been in a while.
A few photos...
Door County is known for it's beautiful sunsets - each is from a separate night...
-B
