Adventures Out There: Northern Wisconsin

From the outside looking in, people tell me Wisconsin is an inconspicuous state. They know it has something to do with cows, and humans who survive on a diet of cheese, beer, and brats, and all go by the name Bubba. Corn fields and hayfields and tractors galore, these are the things Wisconsin's known for. But there's a darker side to the state that they keep mostly north, too far for any but the most determined tourists to travel.

For here, along with all the aforementioned, we also have mosquitoes and horseflies and ticks. Our hayfields are lined with quaint rock fences, made by clawing up the countless thousands of rocks that magically appear in the fields each spring. We also have bears, bobcats, and wolves, which seem to send cold chills down tourists' backs as they envision us northerners hiking Indiana Jones-style through these ferocious predators. For us, the reality is more along the lines of getting up at 2 a.m. to heave a rubber boot at a bear stuffing itself on birdseed and sugar water. Our lakes, while splashing over with muskies and panfish, also contain snapping turtles in great, hungry numbers.

We up here have grudgingly accepted this as the Land of the Great Mosquito, and its lakes are hatcheries. Our lives are dictated by two things: weather and insects. If it isn't 40 below, you have to becoming an unwilling blood donor every time you step out the front door.

Read more: Price County Review

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