I joined my brother, sister-in-law and niece this past week for two days at the Wisconsin Dells. I knew it would be fun, but feared it might be chaotic and obnoxious. There’s something about American vacationers that has always put me on edge, and crowds of folks with innertubes, lots of obesity on display, hyped up sugary children, well, I feared it might be a long two days.
Boy was I pleasantly surprised! The experience made me really love the Midwest and Midwesterners all the more, and feel surprisingly hopeful about our future. Oh sure, it’s over the top, and an extraordinary display of resources– the use of towels and water alone is obscene. But I didn’t think about that at all over the two days.
And at about 2 p.m. on the second day I realized, “Hey, you know what? It’s really calm around here. There are a lot of really nice kids here, too.” I was struck by how quiet it was, really, no one shouting or splashing too much or bumping into me. The resort has its own radio station coming through the mounted speakers and although the music was certainly not good, it was a fine array of summer songs throughout the decade, with no blaring commercials and no repetition! What an improvement over the AM radio station that blared in the pools of my youth.
I saw no altercations, rough-housing or even that kind of possessive bullying of space that we’re all so familiar with at parks and other public family places. Children asked politely, “Are you finished with that tube?” if they wanted it, or, “Do you need a tube?” if they had one to offer. Siblings played well with each other, and young children encouraged even younger children to jump into their arms in the water. I did not see a single meltdown.
Now I know that these things all occur at the Dells. My brother’s account of their Sunday and Monday before I arrived, the last two days before public school started up in Wisconsin, were not at all as kind as my experience. And I did see some frightening obesity. Also, when your main activity of the day is sitting in an innertube, more than a few images of the atrophied humans in Wall-E are bound to come into your head and you check your dignity at the door.
But really, in the end, it was extremely pleasant! Although I left with cracked skin and a stuffy head from the chlorine, I did leave relaxed. It was an excellent American vacation, full of civility and some excellent unplugged time with my niece, who loved all of it, especially eating sugar cereal directly from the box.