Learning to Love Wisconsin

For the majority of my life, I did not appreciate living in the state of Wisconsin. I thought it was such a boring state and people outside of Wisconsin seem to think very negatively of this state. We are known for the Green Bay Packers and cheese… and not much else. Fashion trends take about 3 years to reach Wisconsin too.

For the longest time, I could not wait until I had the chance to move out of this state. I mean my hobbies consisted of makeup, clothing, shopping (for clothes and makeup), and not much else (well, I enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers).  If those are your hobbies, Wisconsin is not a state for you.

I have since come to realize that sometimes it is a mental thing and that if you just try, you can learn to love anywhere that you are living. I can now honestly say that I love living in Wisconsin and if I do not end up leaving this state, I will remain happy. One of the biggest reasons I have learned to love this state is because of one of my guy friends. This guy is the ultimate outdoorsman (I mean, he went to college for Natural Resources) so he knows so much about nature and exploring the great state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is truly a beautiful state and has a lot to offer for people who enjoy nature.

I had always wanted to go snowshoeing but never really had anybody to go with until I ended up going with this guy. I thoroughly enjoyed snowshoeing on public hunting land (no trails, people!). Since my introduction to the snowy woods, I have become more interested in “outdoorsy” activities such as biking, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, may consider fishing again (probably not) and would love to go tent camping (my family had a camper when I was younger but I did not enjoy it then). I have officially turned into one of those people that is extremely proud of where they come from.

A recent Wisconsin activity that I have been doing this fall and winter is going to “Shawano Country” and finding Barn Quilts. You may ask, “What is a barn quilt?” well, a barn quilt is a large piece of wood that is painted to resemble a quilt block and these “quilts” are placed on barns. Shawano Country has almost 300 official barn quilts and it seems that they continue to add more to the list constantly. It has turned into a weekend activity to drive out in the country, find these barns and photograph them. I enjoy driving in the country because I think Wisconsin is so beautiful when it is covered in snow and I find it very relaxing; barely anybody on the roads!

We have a feeling that the horse (far right side of photo) was rather lonely because it was very interested in us and was coming near us and following my car as we drove off. I kind of felt bad for the poor old guy (or girl). 

Next weekend, I will be heading up to Iron River, Michigan to snowshoe because there have not been sufficient levels of snow to snowshoe locally (there has to be at least 6 inches of base snow—and we do not have that). One of my brothers is doing an internship up there and is living near an area with a nice trail (and they have loads of snow). Last year, I went way up to the central northern area of Wisconsin on a mini vacation to a huge family-owned farm. They served farm food and had a million snowshoe/cross-country ski trails. I do not think I will make it there this year as where my brother is makes for a cheaper "vacation" but I will still have access to some snowshoe trails.

If you are from Wisconsin, do you know of any outdoorsy activities I can do? Winter or summer activity ideas are greatly appreciated!