Hearts afire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts afire creates love desire
High and higher to your place on the throne

We come together on this special day
Sing our message loud and clear
Looking back, we’ve touched on sorrowful days (well)
Future, past, they disappear

You will find (you fill find) peace of mind (yeah)
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Don’t hesitate ’cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart
Ah, ’cause you’re never, never old at heart

That’s the way (that’s the way)
Of the world (of the world)
Plant your flower (gonna plant your flower)
And you grow a pearl
Child is born with a heart of gold
Way of the world (gonna plant your flower)
Makes his heart so cold

Hearts afire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts afire, love desire
High and higher
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hearts afire, love desire
Ah, higher

We’ve come together on this special day
Sung our message loud and clear
Looking back, we’ve touched on sorrowful days
While future disappear

You will find (you fill find) peace of mind (eh, eh)
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Ah, don’t hesitate
‘Cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart
‘Cause (’cause you’re never, never, never)
You’re never, never, never

That’s the way of the world
Plant your flowers and you’ll grow a pearl
Child is born (child is born)
With a heart of gold (listen now, with a heart of gold)
Way of the world (way of the world)
Makes his heart so cold (makes his heart so cold)

– “That’s the Way of the World” sung by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
The track was produced by bandleader Maurice White, who also wrote the song along with his bandmates Charles Stepney and Verdine White.

This is part 4 of my 6 part blog from 2004-2010 how the EarthBall became my symbol. I conclude these multi-part story how my April 10, 2010 photo of me with my EarthBall at Copper Harbor, Michigan with Lake Superior behind me became my favorite Earth Ball photo.

Part 1: Everglades National Park, Florida in 2004 to Crater Lake Nat. Park, Oregon in 2009
Part 2: My Pacific Northwest spring travels to living in Ashland, Oregon in Autumn 2009
Part 3: December 2009 cross country travels to spending winter in St. Louis, MO in 2010
Part 4: Seeing Door County, Wisconsin in April 2010
Part 5: Exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in April 2010
Part 6: Getting my ideal EarthBall photo in Copper Harbor, Michigan in April 2010

Part 4: Seeing Door County, Wisconsin in April 2010

Around this time, everything was aligning for me to visit Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan in April 2010. My friend Cherie Barth and her partner Dan at that time shared a house in Houghton, Michigan near the northern tip of the UP of Michigan. My friends Dean and Bernie Shumway lived in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, near the end of the Door County peninsula. Ty and Carna Manthey were in the process of moving to Baraboo, Wisconsin. They planned to be settled in my April 2010. All these friends were excited for me to come visit.

On April 5th, I would first drive from St. Louis to Sister Bay, Wisconsin to spend a couple of days with Dean and Bernie in Sister Bay, WI. I then would head to Green Bay, WI to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to see if I could get glimpses of upper Lake Michigan. From Sault St. Marie, I would go to Houghton Michigan to see what I could of Lake Superior and visit Cherie and Dan for several days. From Houghton, Michigan, my next stop would be Baraboo, Wisconsin to see Ty and Carna Manthey. From Baraboo, I would return to St. Louis on April 14th. I would be on the road for about 11 days. Somewhere along this trip, I hoped to get a photo of myself holding the EarthBall with a scenic view of nature behind me that will promote taking care of our planet.

With my trip to Hawaii in October 2008, I had traveled to all 50 states. Since then, I was interested in visiting what I called ‘the nooks and crannies of America’ that I had not seen yet, such as the U.P. of Michigan. When I was a child growing up in St. Louis, my parents took my sisters and me on a couple of trips to see Chicago Illinois. It was a huge megacity compared to St. Louis. I was equally impressed with the size of Lake Michigan. It looked like the ocean compared to the small lakes I in Missouri. After seeing Lake Michigan, I developed some intrigue about the Great Lakes. I especially wanted to see Lake Superior, the largest by far of all the Great Lakes.

I planned to start my cross-country drive from St. Louis to Crater Lake National Park, Oregon at the end of April. I would be working at Crater Lake from May until probably the beginning of October. After that, I had no idea what I would do next. The stars were aligned for me to visit the U.P. of Michigan and see Lake Superior then. I did not know when I would get another chance like this. With having my friends living in Houghton Michigan, this trip would fulfill a lifelong dream to see Lake Superior. As I started preparing for this trip in March and April 2010, I could not wait for this adventure.

Meeting Dean and Bernie Shumway and staying with them in Sister Bay, WI in 2005

By 2010, I knew Bernie and Dean Shumway for 7 years. I met them during my first winter working seasonally in Everglades City, Florida for the National Park Service (NPS). This was my first job working as an Interpretation/Naturalist Guide Ranger in the national parks. They were volunteers mostly working at the Visitor Center Desk answering questions to tourists planning their visit to Everglades National Park. Dean was an opinionated old curmudgeon who saw the world in simple black and white terms. He was a retired FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) agent who spent his career in law enforcement. He was quick to fire off his beliefs, but he still wanted the best for everyone. Bernie was the opposite of Dean. She was reserved, slow to criticize, and let Dean do most of the talking. She nearly always had a smile and wanted to share kindness with the world.

In Everglades City, there were about 8 of us rangers plus volunteers working out of the NPS Visitor Center (VC). The NPS had 3 seasonal housing units a half a mile up the road from the VC. I can’t remember if Bernie and Dean lived in their own RV (Recreational Vehicle) or in one of the seasonal housing units. Either way, I enjoyed working with them at the VC desk and when we would socialize monthly with our employee potlucks. Dean was more on the conservative side. Working at the bookstore in the VC was primarily Wendy who was a progressive feminist atheist and outspoken in her opinions. Dean and Wendy would get into shouting matches about politics, feminism, and their views on the world. The funny part was that both of their views veered sometimes towards conspiracy theories. It was tough to know who to root for in their nonsensical arguments during our social gatherings, while being entertaining at the same time.

Dean would apologize to everyone the next day that he got too spirited in his comments. Wendy would never back down from her beliefs. Throughout the season, Dean and Wendy held some grudges against each other because their strongly held views were so different. Working in the national parks develops bonds like family. We work and live in the same area and had a love for the national parks. We socialize over holidays since we are not with our own families. Long term deep friendships are built. Over the season, I felt a special bond with Dean and Bernie, along with my other co-workers.

Dean and Bernie delighted in talking about their home in Sister Bay, Wisconsin in Door County. Their home sits from a short distance from Lake Michigan with Green Bay on the other side. In the national parks, the employees like to talk about our hometowns when we are not talking about work, park management, our day off excursions in the park or in town, or what’s going on in the world. The way Bernie and Dean talked with fondness about their home in Sister Bay and Door County, I had to get out a map of Wisconsin to see where they lived. I saw that it is that skinny peninsula that sticks out from Wisconsin jutting into Lake Michigan. Sister Bay was near the northern tip of the Door Peninsula. I loved seeing Lake Michigan growing up. On the map, with Door County surrounded by water from Lake Michigan and Green Bay, they had me very curious to see their home and Door County. When I shared that that I would like to come up to see their home in Sister Bay, they enthusiastically responded, “Come visit us anytime, Brian!”

Dean and Bernie worked in Everglades City for only one season, but we stayed in touch and exchanged a few letters in from 2004 onwards. In 2005, I dated a woman Marie that lived in Chicago, Illinois that I met when we were working at Crater Lake that summer. After she left the park near the end of August to return to her teaching job, we had a long-distance relationship that felt miserable for me. The good news was that I was dating someone. The bad news is that we would get into heated arguments on the phone. We liked each other, but our relationship was not jelling well. When I left Crater Lake for the season in October, my plan was to drive across country to visit Marie in Chicago for several days. I would drive down to St. Louis for a few weeks to see family before heading to Everglades City for the winter.

On my 2005 cross-country drive from Crater Lake to Chicago, I planned to stop in Madison, Wisconsin to visit my friend Hilary that I met in 2004 at Crater Lake. Hilary and I were strictly friends. We exchanged a few letters. She invited me to go back packing with her in South America in 2005, but I planned to work at Crater Lake and the Everglades. Hilary was enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Wisconsin. I wrote to see if I could visit her in Madison and she said yes. When I arrived in Madison, I was stunned by the beauty of the city sitting between two lakes with the white dome of the state capitol building in the middle of the urban land bridge between the two lakes. I enjoyed walking around the city with Hilary and having a pleasant conversation about our families, life, and hopes for the future. We had dinner at a local Thai restaurant and watched a rented movie at her apartment. I slept on the fold out couch.

The next morning, Hilary said she felt no chemistry between us, not even on a friendship level. She did not want to stay in contact with me, and she wanted me to leave. I was flabbergasted that she did not want to be friends with me. I never had a woman do this to me before this. It stung bad. Between all the drama with Marie and Hilary deciding out of the blue that she didn’t want to be friends with me, I needed to go somewhere to clear my head. I was not due at Marie’s house for another day. However, I was in no mood to see her, at least not yet. I wanted to go somewhere, but I was not sure. I then remembered that Dean and Bernie lived several hours away in Door County. I called them up to ask if I could stay with them. They were excited and told me to “Come on up! We are looking forward to seeing you!”

This was mid-October. The fall leaves were at their glorious vibrant yellow peak. Door County was an area known for the “Leaf Peepers,” people who like to travel to scenic wooded areas in the autumn and photograph the fall foliage. I happened to be hitting Door County at a peak time for leaf peeping. I was so grateful to see this and spend time with my friends Dean and Bernie. I shared what happened with Hilary and how I was miserable in my relationship with Marie. They were like loving parents or grandparents interacting with me giving me advice and cheering me up. I then went down to Chicago to have a rocky visit with Marie. The turmoil of our relationship was too much. She broke up with me a month later. I didn’t know how to end this stressful relationship with Marie. However, my body was so relieved, I comfortably slept for long hours for days afterwards as the tension dissipated.

My relationship with Marie ended, but my friendship with Dean and Barbara endured. I saw their home in Sister Bay in October 2005. Now I was eager to see it in April 2010.

Seeing Door County in April 2010

April 6th was my first full day in Sister Bay on the upper part of the Door County Peninsula. The weather was overcast and blah with temperatures in the upper 40s. The area still seemed more in moody weather of winter with little to no signs of spring yet. Bernie and Dean took me to see local sights, such as a small rocky cliff looking out into Lake Michigan, with a rock out cropping that jutted out just a few feet above the waters edge. We then walked along a sandy beach area in Newport State Park. After that, we had lunch in a small wooden café in the Bailey’s Harbor.

Just a few miles from Baileys Harbor, Dean and Bernie eagerly took me to see Mud Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The freshwater marshes reminded them of Everglades National Park. I could see the similarity when we were there. It was too wet to hike there with all the standing water of the marsh. The wetlands looked like a shallow lake that stretched into the distance. Fortunately, a long wooden boardwalk gave us great views of the area. A Great Blue Heron stood at the water’s edge hoping to catch fish, which reminded me of the Everglades. Winter still made its presence here with some ice still on the ground in the grassy edges of the marsh.

Dean and Bernie then took me to see Cana Island Lighthouse. It looked abandoned this time of year with zero tourists, except for the three of us. The lighthouse was the north facing view from the parking lot. The south side of the parking lot had a beach with a mixture of sand, hard rock shoreline, and some hardy brown plants determined to thrive in between the sand and rocks. The overcast sky and frigid temperatures with the light wind blowing across the water seemed like winter did not want to give up its grip on Door County yet, even if it was April, according to the calendar.

The overcast frigid weather stubbornly hung around the next day as we took a car ferry to Washington Island, off the north tip of the Door County Peninsula. We took the 30-minute ferry ride in the morning to spend a full day on the island. We were all bundled up in our warmest winter clothes, especially for the ferry ride. The movement of the boat and the light wind across the water made it feel frigid, like it was a better day to just be inside by a warm fire than to do exploring outside like a tourist. When we arrived on Washington Island, it looked deserted and lonely. It was way too early in the season for any tourists or the few residents of the island to be joining us. Yet, it was peaceful to have the island nearly to ourselves.

As the ferry arrived on the island, a humble and small white lighthouse greeted us that reached barely above the forest of trees. As we drove onto the island in Dean and Bernie’s car, we had a white wooden sign “Welcome to Washington Island” in front of us to welcome just the 3 of us to the island that day. Such a lack of people that day that it felt like the beginning of a Stephen King novel to an abandoned vacation island where trouble awaits. During our visit we walked by the appropriately named Bitter End Motel. It was a simplistic looking white wooden quaint motel ready to be written about for a horror novel or film.

We first found a beach with many pebbles to walk along. We made sure to get photos of ourselves dressed bundled up in multiple layers for this brisk winter like day. It was too cold for the sun to come out. Another overcast day for my Door County visit. The wind was strong enough to push small waves along the shore at a steady pace that Lake Michigan gave a tidal noise like it was a small ocean. We ate lunch at a local pub in town. We finally saw a few other human inhabitants on this island. A few locals and a bartender content to stay inside on this chilly day. It was a beautiful island of mostly tall trees with zero spring leaves and ringed by a picturesque shoreline to view Lake Michigan.

After lunch, we climbed the steps to the top of a tower in the middle of the island. It gave us a panoramic view of the forests broken up by fields and Lake Michigan surrounding us in the distance with far horizonal views of the land of Door Peninsula to remind us that we were still connected to Wisconsin. When we when walked to a sandy beach, I took advantage of the opportunity to get my photo with my Earth Ball. It was a good photo, but not the perfect promotional photo I wanted to promote myself as the “Climate Change Comedian.”

However, it was still great to capture the joy of this day to experience this island on this blustery day. It was one of those days as a tourist that you just wanted to stay inside a warm car to see the sights. Yet, in spite of the cold temperatures, you still wanted to be outside enjoying this day in this northern natural setting.

Soon afterwards, we loaded the car onto the ferry to head back to Door County to warm up in Dean and Bernie’s cozy and comfortable two-story home in Sister Bay. It was about a 20-minute drive from when we got off the ferry in Northport to their house. From my excitement of experiencing Washington Island, I probably dozed into a comfortable nap during that car ride back. We then had a lovely dinner at Dean and Bernie’s home. They had a large room in their upstairs attic for me during their visit. I felt so at home in this space and spending time with them that I did not want to leave. At the same time, I was eager to set off the next morning to see the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Stay tuned for part 5 of this blog: Exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in April 2010.