Buckatabon Lake

Let’s first start with helping all of you with the pronunciation of our beloved lake shall we? Buck-A-Tah-Bon is the name and us loving it deeply is the game. We have been blessed our entire life with learning what lake life is truly about. Our Grandma has lived on Upper Buckatabon our entire lives and we have made the four-hour journey to the lake more times than I can count. Especially now that our parents also have a place to call home on the lake.

The most memorable times at the lake from my childhood are when we would spend one week up there each summer with our extended family. It was and still is always a focal point to our summers. Our Grandmas house would quickly fill with enough food to feed a small country, too many bodies for the beds, and too many laughs to number. This was always a special time for our family and I think we all cherish those memories. As we all got older, bigger, and busier our vacations had to start falling at different times. However, our grandma is turning 90 this summer and the entire family will be up together-we are so looking forward to it!

I won’t bore you with too many of our family memories. Rather what the journey and time at the lake are like. We plan the menus ahead, pack our things, and pile into a few cars for the beautifully long drive. Thankfully as you progress into your trip and the North woods comes into sight you forget about being in the car as you take in the views of tall pines, lakes along either side of the road, and the indescribable smell of the woods. Each ride is filled with hours of chatter, snacking, and excitement (Or a nap if you’re lucky).

Once we hang a left onto HWY K no one can contain the giddy feeling knowing the only part of the trip that remains are the winding roads that outline our lake. Depending on the season the windows go down and we haul it to our home. Since we usually make our way up Fridays after work our first priority is to grab a cold beer and unload the car. If we were lucky enough to get out of work a few hours early, we might enjoy a traditional Wisconsin fish fry or make our way to the boat for a booze cruise. Our first night up north is usually too short-lived and fast.

There is something about the first cup of coffee when you wake up because you either get to enjoy it on the balcony with the serene sounds of wind chimes, on the pontoon, in the serenity room, or with a crackling fire in front of you. What I am trying to say is, any way you cut it your morning cup of coffee is going to taste as good as it possibly can because of where you are and who you are with. Some of us bring books, some sit, and some chat. No matter what is going on it’s always a special time for me.

A typical day for us might include a few chores, a workout, paddle boarding, kayaking, fishing, pontooning, skiing, biking around the lake, drinking ridiculously decorated bloody marys, reading, napping, and so many other activities. Honestly, there are never enough hours in a day to accomplish every activity that you would like. I typically try to set an alarm so I give myself the best chance to do so. Lake Effect Co. recently made me realize that we don’t catch many sunrises while we’re up there. We’re not the most morning people you will ever meet. Plans are now in motion for an early morning kayak across the lake with a hot cup of coffee to catch one of those breathtaking Buckatabon Sunrises.

Another big part of the lake for our family is games-we like to play cards and dominoes through the night as well as any and every outdoor yard game you can name. Bags (Corn Hole), Beersby, Kan-Jam, Washers, Kubb, and so on (all games are linked). We have even altered some of them so we can play on the sand bar or at the islands which doubles the fun – if you ask us.

We have also grown quite the collection of inflatables, an aqua hammock, and most recently a big foam lily pad that we cannot wait to use. Whenever we get out the floaties and hammock its seems like hysterical laughter comes along with it. Some of our favorite memories are tipping around in water that is too cold trying not to spill our beers or choke from laughing.

It’s really hard for us to put words on paper how much we love and care about our lake but hopefully, this was a good start and portrays why it is so important to us. We will be doing a few more installations specifically on our lake because of how important it is to us and our family as well as some other lake memories. We would love to hear from you if there is a lake you hold near and dear to your heart.

And as always don’t forget that you can use THEREALTALL15 to get 15% off of your purchases at Lake Effect Co. These long sleeves are unisex and great for our long-limbed friends as well as those of normal to average size. You can also see some of our favorite Fourth of the July Lake Effect Co. Picks from our post here.