For some reason I have frequently managed to see things from a far that would irk me to no end if I were to actively participate in them. Part of being a stagehand is having most of the time everyone else works off and working during most everyone else's time off. As we returned from the Northwoods yesterday, we came upon the most amazing throng of humanity, trying to rush to their vacation location. I estimated that we passed ten thousand cars within thirty miles, each one alternating between twenty miles per hour and fifty, jamming on the gas and alternately hitting their brakes. some of the vehicles smelled like hot clutch and brake pads but to a person they were unable to allow themselves the peace of mind that comes with waiting until traffic clears before proceeding on to the cottage, cabin or campground that they were looking for.
I have been in traffic, so don't get me wrong. I'm not putting undo judgement on those many thousands of folks who were trying to get Up North, I'm just glad that I was able to arrange for a couple days off earlier and made it home safely before the traffic really got bad. Word to the wise, try to get to Northern Wisconsin by Thursday, or take your time and use back roads instead of the interstate to get there. Inevitably, there will be a place where the four lane divided highway turns to a two lane and then, there may be hours of jockeying until the traffic begins to sort itself out. Especially on long weekends, the less time you have to spend in bumper to bumper traffic the better! Ironically, the more money poured into advertizing certain "vacationlands" at least in Wisconsin, the more likely you are to be sitting in traffic at a dead stop, especially in peak season.
Don't tell anyone, but usually, there are three simple ways to both ease the backlog of cars on the road and reach your destination without the headaches brought on by the crush of weekend warriors with boats, campers and toys in tow. First, and most often overlooked, get off the main road! Our tax dollars have paid for way more roads than we could ever use, why do so many rely on the most direct route, even when it guarantees and hour or two time penalty added to the normal drive time? I always figured that an hour spent exploring a new route, seeing the sights that bring me to "Vacationland" in the first place and often finding things I never knew were there, more than offsets the headache of sucking fumes from a stationary line of cars on the way through the tiny towns with thousands of rubbernecking tourists.
I certainly don't want to take away your fun if that is your thing, but cruising at fifty on an unfamiliar road has always felt more enjoyable to me than riding the clutch or the brake through a town filled with advertizing and tourist traps. Old way thinking has led us to a point at which you can now find the same t-shirts with off color remarks in every town, sometimes in several shops in the same town. The same sunset with loons with whatever town name embroidered on them you might wish and the proliferation of cottage art from China crowding out the real thing made by local artisans. Making a real living from tourism, especially in the future will require a bit more creativity and an easing of the crush of humanity bent on consumption. If we just change where we are coming from, or the way we "get there", amazing things will begin to happen pretty much without effort.
Secondly, leave early! Not just a few hours, I mean days early. If Friday is shaping up to be a headache, call in sick to work and go up on Thursday. The boss may grumble, but in addition to not sitting in traffic for hours, you will benefit from an extra day in the woods. You can bet that work will still be there when you get back. Frequently, we forget to step out of the "norm", taking in sights at odd times, or going a bit out of the way to make it to our goals frequently provides us with opportunities that would surely be overlooked sitting in a long line of cars or waiting for a break in traffic. The best times to be in a resort area is during the week. Just ask the locals, they know to stay off the roads after 2PM on Friday and all day on Sunday. By learning from the locals, your experience can be better than you may imagine. Developing the skills needed to get the most out of your vacation may take some time, extra planning and ingenuity, but these are well worth the benefits that they can yield.
Lastly, but certainly not least, consider taking a break. State, town and city parks, wayside rest areas and other diversions along the way may change the way you look at the land you would normally skip over. Like the pebble tossed across the surface of a lake, it is contact with the water that keeps it afloat. The way we see ourselves in the world is based on the contact we have with the landscape. Cottage life has never been about the time spent getting there, rushing or running to get something done, get somewhere special, fighting for parking or that certain nick-knack. It is about all of those things melting away into nothingness, experiencing the call of nature, the whisper of the wind in pines, or the silent steps of a wary critter walking through your camp. Vacationlands exist for the benefit of those who have spent too much time in the city, being part of long lines, trying to catch their breath in a hectic world. spending a little time and possibly money in a local diner, a park, or at a local rummage sale might not get you closer to the cabin, but at least you can relax a little rather than looking at the bumper of the car ahead of you. Expecting everyone to heed these three rules is probably too much to ask, but for those who take the road less traveled, I salute you. Thank-you for doing your part to ease the crush on Vacationland highways. Especially North of the stress line, why bring that city life with you?
I have been in traffic, so don't get me wrong. I'm not putting undo judgement on those many thousands of folks who were trying to get Up North, I'm just glad that I was able to arrange for a couple days off earlier and made it home safely before the traffic really got bad. Word to the wise, try to get to Northern Wisconsin by Thursday, or take your time and use back roads instead of the interstate to get there. Inevitably, there will be a place where the four lane divided highway turns to a two lane and then, there may be hours of jockeying until the traffic begins to sort itself out. Especially on long weekends, the less time you have to spend in bumper to bumper traffic the better! Ironically, the more money poured into advertizing certain "vacationlands" at least in Wisconsin, the more likely you are to be sitting in traffic at a dead stop, especially in peak season.
Don't tell anyone, but usually, there are three simple ways to both ease the backlog of cars on the road and reach your destination without the headaches brought on by the crush of weekend warriors with boats, campers and toys in tow. First, and most often overlooked, get off the main road! Our tax dollars have paid for way more roads than we could ever use, why do so many rely on the most direct route, even when it guarantees and hour or two time penalty added to the normal drive time? I always figured that an hour spent exploring a new route, seeing the sights that bring me to "Vacationland" in the first place and often finding things I never knew were there, more than offsets the headache of sucking fumes from a stationary line of cars on the way through the tiny towns with thousands of rubbernecking tourists.
I certainly don't want to take away your fun if that is your thing, but cruising at fifty on an unfamiliar road has always felt more enjoyable to me than riding the clutch or the brake through a town filled with advertizing and tourist traps. Old way thinking has led us to a point at which you can now find the same t-shirts with off color remarks in every town, sometimes in several shops in the same town. The same sunset with loons with whatever town name embroidered on them you might wish and the proliferation of cottage art from China crowding out the real thing made by local artisans. Making a real living from tourism, especially in the future will require a bit more creativity and an easing of the crush of humanity bent on consumption. If we just change where we are coming from, or the way we "get there", amazing things will begin to happen pretty much without effort.
Secondly, leave early! Not just a few hours, I mean days early. If Friday is shaping up to be a headache, call in sick to work and go up on Thursday. The boss may grumble, but in addition to not sitting in traffic for hours, you will benefit from an extra day in the woods. You can bet that work will still be there when you get back. Frequently, we forget to step out of the "norm", taking in sights at odd times, or going a bit out of the way to make it to our goals frequently provides us with opportunities that would surely be overlooked sitting in a long line of cars or waiting for a break in traffic. The best times to be in a resort area is during the week. Just ask the locals, they know to stay off the roads after 2PM on Friday and all day on Sunday. By learning from the locals, your experience can be better than you may imagine. Developing the skills needed to get the most out of your vacation may take some time, extra planning and ingenuity, but these are well worth the benefits that they can yield.
Lastly, but certainly not least, consider taking a break. State, town and city parks, wayside rest areas and other diversions along the way may change the way you look at the land you would normally skip over. Like the pebble tossed across the surface of a lake, it is contact with the water that keeps it afloat. The way we see ourselves in the world is based on the contact we have with the landscape. Cottage life has never been about the time spent getting there, rushing or running to get something done, get somewhere special, fighting for parking or that certain nick-knack. It is about all of those things melting away into nothingness, experiencing the call of nature, the whisper of the wind in pines, or the silent steps of a wary critter walking through your camp. Vacationlands exist for the benefit of those who have spent too much time in the city, being part of long lines, trying to catch their breath in a hectic world. spending a little time and possibly money in a local diner, a park, or at a local rummage sale might not get you closer to the cabin, but at least you can relax a little rather than looking at the bumper of the car ahead of you. Expecting everyone to heed these three rules is probably too much to ask, but for those who take the road less traveled, I salute you. Thank-you for doing your part to ease the crush on Vacationland highways. Especially North of the stress line, why bring that city life with you?
