Make no mistake, I’m a big fan of our local natural areas. Scenic vistas? We got ’em. (Sunset at Nelson Lake in Batavia is a personal favorite.) Cool plants? You betcha. (Not one but two rare orchids were found this summer in wetlands within the St. Charles Park District.) And wildlife viewing opportunities abound. (Did you happen to check out the shorebird selection at the Prairie Green wetland in Geneva this summer? Yellow-headed blackbirds, endangered in Illinois, were seen there too.)
That said, it’s still nice to get away every once in a while. And, a couple weeks ago, I did just that. A friend invited me up to the little town of Winter, “Our fall color is white” Wisconsin, to check out some property and get a taste of everyday life Up North. Let me tell you—I left with not just a taste, but rather a whole heaping plateful of life in the nostalgic Northwoods..
For starters, we stayed at the Barker Lake Lodge, a homey retreat built in the 1920s by gangster Joe Saltis (a Joliet bootlegger ranked No. 9 on the Chicago’s 1930 Public Enemies list). Although outfitted with 21st Century amenities like wireless internet, the lodge retains a distinct retro feel—log-cabin walls, an enormous stone fireplace, and a wall of windows looking out on peaceful Barker Lake. The fact that there was no—zip, zero, zilch—cell signal only added to the feeling that I’d stepped back in time.
Sitting around with lodge owners Brenda and Dave, as an unseasonably early snow fell outside, I listened wide-eyed as they told me of their encounters with wildlife that were definitely a part of Illinois’ past, but now are considered rarities: bears lumbering ahead of the garbage truck on its weekly rounds; a wolf on the golf course across the street; badgers digging burrows next to the barn; and—my personal favorite—a giant muskie that lurks under the boat dock, biting the noses off unsuspecting muskrats.
Venturing out, the time-warp continued. Traffic was nonexistent. When I stopped to listen to the sounds around me, I heard things like birds and the breeze; no cars, no trucks, no trains or planes.
A stop on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation, at the Blueberry Creek Stopping Place, yielded another view into the past. Operated by the Cooper family, the Stopping Place educates modern-day folks on the Ojibwe ways of the past. You can learn how to build a wigwam, strip birchbark, and weave cattail mats, all while hearing stories of Ojibwe culture past and present.
I even was reminded of how dogs, today our faithful companions, were once also a family’s primary protectors. Domino, one of four big pups at the Stopping Place, isn’t just a friendly chow mix; he’s also a hero, having saved the Cooper family’s daughter from peril after she found herself trapped between a black bear sow and her cubs. I couldn’t help but think how Ben, my cocker spaniel, doesn’t know how good he has it.
Another side trip, this one to the big town of Hayward (pop. 2,300) brought me back to the modern world, complete with intermittent cell signals and a real live supermarket. Maybe you heard about it—Marketplace Foods on Main Street? It’s the store that made the national news the week we were there, courtesy of a black bear who wandered into the liquor department and snuggled in for a snooze in the big walk-in beer cooler.
The day we were leaving, I was pouring some coffee and chatting with Brenda about how easy it would be to fall into the Up North lifestyle. She nodded and agreed, then gestured toward the window and, as casual as can be, pointed out an otter family frolicking near the lodge’s beach.
Otters! Though reintroduced in Illinois in 1994, we have yet to see one in Kane County. They’re making a comeback, though, and that was the thought on my mind as I left to come home: Gotta go now, but otter come back. Soon, I hope!
Pam Otto is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at potto@stcparks.org or 630-513-4346.