North

People who live there can be forgiven for calling Northern Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior, God's country. But the superlative is in many ways deserved. For every frozen winter night there is a luminous autumn day; for every mosquito and biting fly, there is the vast clear lake stretching beyond the eye's capability. Endless and empty sandy beaches; shear sandstone cliffs and caves showing geological time; birch and maple forests; and a couple dozen pristine islands strewn across the bay. I grew up there and could not wait to leave; it took my brother's illness to get me to return and appreciate this magical place.