I experienced that “new” feeling once. I was returning from a “vacation” in Florida, where bumper-to-bump traffic was the norm and every time you turned around, someone was standing in your shoes. After fighting airport crowds and searching the airport ramp for my car in a stack of cars, we found ourselves on the Great River Road entering Driftless Wisconsin in the early evening. We didn’t see another person or car for a remarkable stretch of time.If you don’t believe that’s possible, order a new Driftless Wisconsin map (going to print soon) and strike out on your own. By the time you’ve taken a left off the state highway onto a county road and taken a right onto a township road, you’ve left most of humanity behind. And about the time you’re good and lost, you have found something missing in your life. A little tranquility. A little time to think without running into your own thoughts.
You’ll find plenty of places to see and things to do in this new state of grace. Take a hike on foot – or snowshoe (see my last blog) – and peek over the ridge to see what’s on the other side. Hop on a bike and experience one of the most challenging and rewarding rides in the Midwest. Get in a boat and see where the current takes you. Or just put your feet up on the deck of your cabin or B&B and take it all in. No one will tell you to get a move on.
As you might have guessed, low traffic counts and laid-back living comes from a low population density; one of the lowest in the state. The landscape cooperates with plenty of secluded river valleys and hidden ravines in which to escape from the crowd. You can spread your arms and take a breath without elbowing your neighbor.
That’s not to say you can’t satisfy your social side. Stop in a shop, go down to the motel lobby, or belly up to the bar and strike up a conversation without feeling you need to take a number. People come to town from the far reaches of the county and they’re ready to tell you about that 12-point buck they saw standing next to Uncle George’s mailbox.
At some point you will have to pack your bags and go home, but let’s not dwell on that depressing day. Until then, as one ridge-top dweller said upon greeting me at his gate, “Welcome to heaven.”