Week 40 - Wisconsin Rapids

Well I'm not usually into touristy things, but DS and I decided to go down and see the Wisconsin Dells on Saturday. But first we stopped by the very nice farmer's market in Stevens Point to pick up fresh produce and duck eggs. DS knew most of the vendors because he used to sell there, so I got to hear all the inside dirt. Then after a few errands, we started on the hour and a half drive west to the dells. When we got there, it reminded me a lot of a beach town, with a huge main drag lined with everything from the largest water park in America to an upside-down White House, and of course the usual stores selling sunglasses, bathing suits, and souvenirs. The weather was hot and sunny, and the place was jam packed with recently-cooped-up midwesterners exploding into the great outdoors. Of course the traffic was terrible, but eventually we got to our destination and bought tickets for a two hour boat tour of the upper dells. A shuttle bus took us to the boat launch, and we boarded the top deck of the General Bailey.

The dells are a fascinating land formation where the Wisconsin River winds through towering sandstone bluffs and canyons forested with evergreens. Sometimes the rock stands in turrets or overhanging cliffs, pockmarked with the nests of swallows. Although the scenery was lovely, the boat ride was somewhat marred by the patter of the tour guide, delivered in the golly-gee nasal style of the region. And what with Wisconsin being such a big dairy state, of course the jokes were cheesy. For example: "We're coming up to the Devil's Elbow where the river bends at a right angle, and you might feel it getting a little warmer... because it's always ninety degrees." I'm so sorry. But I did manage to ease into the spirit of it eventually, once I saw it as a bit of local color (or some might say lack thereof). The tour made two stops, the first at Witch's Gulch, where a boardwalk wound inland through a deep and narrow canyon filled with the sound of rushing water and cool green shade... to a concession stand where you could buy hot dogs and nachos. But the swirling rock formations were really stunning, and DS and I lingered to enjoy them on the way back to the boat. Those moments of quiet contemplation were the real highlight of the trip. The second stop was at Stand Rock, where the inventor of stop action photography had taken a prizewinning picture of his son jumping across a gap. We gathered to see a German Shepherd making the same jump as part of the tour package, and then followed a shady trail to... yes, another concession stand! And also a gift shop. But the dells were a unique place to see, and DS hadn't taken that boat tour since he was a teenager in the late 60s (of which he didn't remember much because he'd been mostly paying attention to his girlfriend), so I was glad we went.

On Sunday morning I filled in a missing piece of my education as a 20th century American man and did some mowing with a gas powered lawn mower. It was actually quite a good workout due to the heat, the thick weeds, and the irregular terrain. The mower kept clogging up without me noticing until DS would point out that grass was no longer coming out the side. I had to learn similar lessons back when I mowed with a scythe, where you have to move slower when the grass gets thicker, and the cutting keeps getting ever so slightly harder as the blade dulls. You've just got to pay attention and stop to sharpen it. Seems like there might be a life lesson in there somewhere. In the afternoon DS's three daughters and their families came over for a pool party, and there was a brief interval of splashing chaos as the grandchildren hit the pool, with squirt gun fights getting serious and a surprise vomiting incident. I hung out on the porch, chatted with the adults, and enjoyed this little slice of the wholesome family life. Then the kids got tired, everyone went home, and DS and I returned to a quiet bachelor existence. I spent the late afternoon reading on the lawn, once looking up to find a rabbit feeding nearby.

I'd been chasing a seemingly eternal spring since back in late February, and now it was finally turning into summer. The warm weather kept up all week, and there was an atmosphere of vacation, with no need for shoes or pockets, no need to go anywhere. A few fireflies arrived, and also a few mosquitoes. Afternoons were hot in the shade and scorching in the sun; who knew Wisconsin could be so goshdarn hot! Apparently it usually isn't this time of year. Once I swam some laps around the pool to cool off, which was lovely. I continued to eat incredibly well, with an appetite like a teenager (although more particular about how I satisfied it), and started to feel healthier than I can ever remember feeling. DS gave me two chiropractic adjustments, which were interesting and helpful. He's a thoughtful and empirical practitioner, not one of the "rack 'em, crack 'em" school of chiropractors, and we've got very similar views on the foundations of health. It was fun to have someone to geek out with about stuff like trigger points, physiology, and ergonomics. What with the sauna outdoors, the healthy diet, and the bodywork, my week felt something like being at a spa.

Relaxing as it was, I still had a lot of miles to cover before my next major stop in Montana, and travel hung in the air. DS and I spent some time going over maps, fine-tuning the first part of my route through Minnesota to get the best possible scenery. His friend DM stopped in for a night on his way from New Mexico to Pennsylvania and told some great stories about his own adventures on the road. I replaced Punkin's chain and sprockets and did an oil change. On Friday, my last day in Wisconsin Rapids, we took a walk around the sandy pine woods out back and looked at animal tracks and pioneer plants, then DS cooked me a farewell dinner of steak, cauliflower, and broccoli, with a little celebratory red wine. I was definitely going to miss this place and my new friend.

Things I Learned

• I'd noticed that the whippoorwill in the yard was sometimes surprisingly loud, and I figured out that it's because he's singing from a concave corner of the house, using the walls to project his voice.
• The Bob and Brad Massage Gun is ridiculously powerful and effective for deep-tissue massage.
• The sand hills around Wisconsin Rapids were once at the bottom of a large glacial lake, and when all that water was suddenly released, it carved out the Dells of the Wisconsin in about two weeks! Geological time isn't always slow.

Wonderful Things

• Coming in from the gentle morning heat to air conditioning and the smell of coffee brewing. It reminded me of being at the beach.
• Practicing typing on my Twiddler, feeling frustration tensing the middle of my back, and looking up to see baby birds leaving the nest for the first time and hopping along on the grass, trying their best to fly. Learning new things is hard! But also rewarding.
• Watching a rufous-sided tohee sitting on her nest in the crab apple tree just above the back porch, and a ruby-throated hummingbird landing on a branch.