"a little town in a big forest" a Mass City Travel Page by SvetlanaL

Here is the reason this little town of under 500 people, one restaurant, and one gas station is worth mentioning here: It is right on the border of a beautiful northern deciduous haven called the Ottowa National Forest.

Coming to visit the Ottowa National Forest was purely an accident. For weeks prior to this trip, I had planned myself a three day escape to Isle Royale National Park. The only way to actually get out there is by ferry, so I scheduled my drive according to the time the ferry left the next morning, giving myself a little bit of extra time just in case. When I left my apartment, I had plenty of time, maybe even sneak in a short nap in the parking lot before it came. But, almost imediately after crossing over the Wisconsin border, there was a thick layer of fog that lasted the entire way. Oh yeah, did I mention the unexpected time zone change? Needless to say, I missed the boat, and decided to find another place to camp for the weekend. That's when I stumbled upon the Ottowa N.F. (I had missed driving through it due to the fog). This was the best thing I could have done. I'm sure Isle Royale is nice, I'll probably make it up there some day, but this place was just what I had come there for.

This forest is amazing for many reasons, and I'm sure they vary visitor by visitor, but what I appreciated the most was the restful feeling I left with. I guess it starts with the solitary drive out there, the experience of accidently driving into it, the fiality of walking through it, setting down the pack, and then seeing it all reflected in the calm waters. This place became my home for three days.