The paddles splash us as we make our way down the Fox River in Omro, Wisconsin. Me and my best friend Greta are sitting on the blow up floaties while our moms pull us behind their kayaks with a rope. The water is still cold as it’s not quite summer yet, but it doesn’t matter because the sun is shining down on us with not a cloud in the sky. We make friendship bracelets and listen to the summer playlist Greta made on her phone as our moms catch up on all things that have happened in the couple weeks since they saw each other.

Two hours later, we reach her cabin on the river. We smell dinner cooking on the hot Traeger grill as my dad and Curt (Greta’s dad) start grilling: burgers, pineapple, chicken, vegetables. Stella, their dog, comes to greet us and wiggles with excitement as Curt throws her a piece of chicken. After we get the kayaks and floaties off of the water, everyone goes inside to change; dinner will still take a little longer. 

We come out of the small two bedroom cabin and decide it’s a good night to fish. Greta grabs the bait from the fridge and then we go to the shed to get the poles. Not too long after we start, I feel a fish biting. I pull my rod from the water and a tiny sunfish had been caught. I called my dad over to help me take it off (because I don’t like taking the fish off of the hook); he kisses it and then throws it back. Greta then feels a tug and much to our surprise she has caught a largemouth bass. A big one too. It was the biggest one she had ever caught and everyone was proud of her. She kissed the greenish gray fish with an unusually large mouth and threw it back into the water.

We sat down to eat as the sun started to set. It was an array of reds, purples, oranges, and pinks. It was beautiful. The water was reflecting the color and it looked like a scene out of a movie. As we ate, it slowly got darker and soon, it was pitch black. The automatic lights turned on and the bugs started to come out. When everyone sprayed bug spray on themselves it was a true Wisconsin night. A fire was lit and the graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows came out. It was time to make s’mores! 

Me and Greta went off to find some sticks in the forest and when we came back the fire was roaring. It was massive and the flame was a bright orange and yellow. The marshmallows cooked nicely and everyone enjoyed a nice gooey s'more (even my mom who isn’t a fan of sweets). The alcohol was brought out and our parents started to drink a little bit, but what Wisconsin adult doesn’t drink on a trip to a cabin up North at night by a bonfire? Exactly. They were having the time of their lives and me and Greta sat and talked until hours later when we were so tired we almost passed out into the fire. 

The next morning we all woke up early to go on a morning boat ride on the River. The air was crisp and cold and it only got colder once we started going faster. I wrapped a blanket around myself and cuddled next to my mom. We even saw a couple fish jump out of the water as we sped past them. 

Sadly, as we got back to the cabin, our trip came to an end and we had to say goodbye, fortunately for us, we all live in the same area and could see each other whenever. Wisconsin is the best state to live in and although I’ve never lived in any other state, I wouldn’t want it any other way.