A Walk Like No Other

Nineteen years ago, my wife Tammy and I headed up to Hebron, Illinois to meet with an Alaskan Malamute breeder and to look at her two available female pups. Little did we know that the trip would lead to not one, but indirectly to two Alaskan Malamute pets (Molly and Clara), and the beginning of a love affair with the Lake Geneva area.
As we approached Hebron, we saw a sign indicating that Lake Geneva was just a few miles away. After picking out Molly, who we would take home two weeks later, we drove into Lake Geneva, and had lunch at “Popeye’s on Lake Geneva” near the historic Riviera Ballroom. As we sat near a window in the restaurant, we were captivated by the beauty of the lake.
Since that day in August 2005, we have made an annual (less than 3 hour) trip to Lake Geneva in the fall to celebrate our birthdays, which fall just a week apart. We have our favorite place to stay, restaurant to eat at, and even a favorite bakery we go to each visit.  (Mill Creek Inn, Next Door Pub and Lorelei Bittner’s Bakery).

One of my favorite things to do on our visits is to walk portions of the 26-mile Lake Shore Path around the beautiful Geneva Lake. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, many Chicago natives made their way to the Geneva Lake area to build magnificent summer estates, many of which can still be seen along the shore path today. Here is my favorite, which not long ago sold for $36 million:

A historic marker in downtown Lake Geneva’s Library Park reads:
“The 26-mile lakeside trail along the shore of Geneva Lake was used by several Indian cultures from 2500 BC and continuing up to 1836 AD. Chief Big Foot’s Potawatomi tribe walked the trail between their villages at present Fontana, Williams Bay and one at Lake Geneva located in this part. Later the trail became the workmen’s path from Lake Geneva to summer estates of wealthy Chicago families.”

The shore path was preserved by early settlers who decreed that the “20 feet leading to the shoreline be preserved as public domain.” Property owners were responsible then – and still are today – for maintaining the path through each of their properties, which makes the path unique from one property to the next. I’ve included a few photos from my walks below.

Walking the shore path is a wonderful time to pray, listen to music, and praise God for his wonderful creation.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:31

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:2-3

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.
Psalm 24:1

And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Isaiah 6:3

I mentioned above that our trip to Hebron led indirectly to two Alaskan Malamute pets. When we lost Molly in 2019 at the age of 14, we reached back out to her breeder, only to find out that she was no longer breeding dogs. She did however, refer me to another breeder, and several months later we would go to nearby Elkhorn, WI to get Clara, one of her pups.
If you are in the Midwest, and are looking for a place to enjoy God’s beautiful creation, I would recommend you give the Lake Geneva area a try.  And enjoy a boat tour around the lake to see the glorious homes.