I’m from Michigan originally. I saw it as mostly mundane as well. But then one time I was backpacking in the Porkies and we got to a beach and were sweaty. We took of our packs and stripped down to our shorts and waded in and I remember diving below the surface. The water like a chilled drink. Crystal clear so I could see the rocks. I’d been reading The Living Great Lakes and maybe that influenced me but it was just magical. I was a heartbeat away from graduating from MSU and getting married and getting my first real job. It was like this moment of childlike wonder before adult life began.