It was already a week ago that we returned from vacation, though in true post-vacation life, it seems much, much longer ago. Knight and I ventured about 3 1/2 hours north of us, to one of the very tip-top points of our northern state for a four night, four day weekend getaway. The first since we’ve known each other. Furthermore, the very first without friends, family, kids or dogs in about a year. It. Was. Glorious.
Although we arrived on what was very literally a dark and stormy night and I was a little concerned as where we were staying was oh-so-secluded that it really looked like what horror movies start with, once I saw our charming cabin that was ours (rented via vacationrentals.com, a site I highly recommend!) I knew that I’d be more than happy. We drifted to sleep to the sound of rain hitting the windows and the view of white cap waves hitting the rocky beach just outside our window.
We decided to play uber tourist on Friday: breakfast at a country cookin’ style barn (seriously!); picked up fudge at a place called “The Udder Place” (some of the best fudge I’ve ever had); hit up the grocery store to make use of our huge and fabulous kitchen; did some tourist walking in a nearby town where we picked up some winter hats, perused the boutiques and marveled at the beauty, quaintness and relaxation that seems to come with the life in this area; went to a State Park to view a lighthouse, do some walking, history-learning and take in the sights; and lastly more window shopping and a scrumptious dinner at a microbrew.
(The view of the back of our cabin/cottage)
(Hanging out by a dock for some sights of the Lake and checking out the yachts, boats and etc.)
(I loved the tree canopy at the State Park we went too. The leaves weren’t turning in this particular spot, but the views we saw next, like in the picture just below the one above were just breathtaking.)
(Fried Cheese Curds served up at the microbrew. In case you weren’t sure, we are kind of in love with cheese curds.)
Saturday was a much less overcast day, though not less windy. The whole time we were there we encountered gusts of wind that were 35-40 mph. Why I tried to make my hair look lovely, I have no idea, but I tried anyway. We decided to drive to the opposite side of the peninsula to find a beer stein for Knight’s dad, see another lighthouse where a snake spooked the crap out of me and therefore I ran and screamed, and then we found an amazing, mouth watering, wish-they-still-made-’em-like-this type place for an impromptu lunch: an old fashioned fountain/soda and ice cream shoppe. After the self-induced food coma, we took a three hour nap and spent the rest of the evening at the cottage, enjoying the views, watching baseball games and eating pizza, reading books, having actual conversations and just loving every minute of it.
(Super cool sign on the garage door of the beer stein shop. A really old dude, his wife, and dog lived in and ran a store full of tic-toc clocks, steins and other miscellany. The best part? Their house sat on the lake. Totally gorgeous. And random.)
(Hanging out on yet another rocky beach, this one the scene of a shipwreck yeras ago, with the U.S. Cana lighthouse just behind me.)
(I’m pretty sure one of the homes of the best milkshakes ever. And cheese fries, cause you know, calories don’t count when you’re on vacation, right?)
Our last full day, Sunday, greeted us with another lovely day. We visited a nearby winery, checked out a few antique shops as Knight is always on the hunt for cool beer taps, almost went to Washington Island but had to change our mind as it was a much longer excursion tha we thought, had a picnic, contemplated going back for another milkshake (we thought the better of it), watching the sunset and rounded out the evening with some local Mexican, a visit back to the microbrew to watch the Cardinals clinch and make it to the World Series, a bit of a history lesson as apparently Al Capone hung out at the microbrew back in the day and of course, more relaxation.
(Yes, we found a pub on the peninsula that is called the Jersey Shore Pub. We just had to get our photo with it. And yes, Knight is wearing Cardinals gear in this photo as he was the entire weekend. I think more people called him out on than ever before, since at the time it was Brewer’s territory.)
(We hope to return for a shorter, three-day weekend sometime in the spring or summer to getaway from wedding planning and etc., and to perhaps enjoy the deck, firepit and spend more time outdoors without gusts of 35 mph wind!)
On the trip home Monday we talked of retiring to this area some day, of what we hope to do on our return visit (sailing, Washington Island, and a few other things) and stopped at an amazing cheese shop where everything was handmade/homemade, reasonably priced and just the best ever for cheese-holics like us.
I know that vacation is vacation for a reason and that we can’t have them all the time, but a slower (even slower than the lifestyle I have in my tiny town) way of life with little technology, no computers, a small TV opposed to a big-screen tv, plenty of time to enjoy meals, each other, the sights, mother nature, history, appreciate and take pictures, well, it was just plain lovely. Since we’ve been back we’ve talked about how we can implement one day a week that is a little bit more vacation like in some small way. I’m excited to try it out and see how it goes!
Have you been on any vacations lately or do you have one planned? What’s your favorite thing about vacations?
