For the Hendricks family, the weekend means one thing: Time to get outside and explore!
Whether hiking, kayaking, camping or swimming, the foursome is happiest when they’re enjoying nature together.
Jeni and Nick Hendricks grew up in Port Washington and West Bend, respectively. Nick’s career at Menards has moved them and their daughters — seven-year-old Vivienne and four-year-old Georgia — around a bit, from Rochester to Madison to Eau Claire and most recently to Dodgeville, where they’ve lived for nearly three years.
Along the way, the family has honed its love for adventures, especially in the Wisconsin outdoors. Jeni, a stay-at-home-mom turned substitute teacher, shares more!
What are your favorite parts of living in Dodgeville?
The convenience to nature. While we live in town, Governor Dodge State Park is only a short drive away, as well as many other opportunities to explore outdoors. We also have a great BBQ restaurant called Bob’s and it has been fun to watch the small town being revitalized with new small shops this past year.
Your family goes on so many cool adventures! Why is that important to you?
Growing up, my family went to the same campground in St. Germain every year for vacation. It was nice to have the consistency, but we didn’t get to see other parts of the state. We want to instill a love of adventure in our girls, as well as the importance of taking care of our planet. My parents have a cabin now, so we still have our go-to spot, but taking our adventures with the girls is our quality family time. They love camping and kayaking, and have gained so many more interests than we were exposed to as kids.
What are some of your family’s go-to activities?
We love to take hikes together — usually that is how we spend our weekends. If it’s summer, we enjoy camping, kayaking and swimming at the beach.
What are your favorite places in Wisconsin and why?
On our vacation trip this summer we visited Amnicon, Pattison and Copper Falls state parks. Nick and I both vacationed in the northwoods as kids. Our favorite hikes usually include some sort of water feature, and this area is full of waterfalls, rivers and lakes. We got to hike along the rocks and waterfalls all week.
I love visiting the La Crosse area. The bluffs are great for hiking and the views can’t be beat! There are also a lot of great restaurants and small shops to visit.
One of our favorite adult destinations is Door County. A few years ago we started going with a group of friends, and it’s something we look forward to each fall. We love hiking the state parks up there — our favorite is Peninsula. All of the parks have different geological features that make them unique. We also like Cave Point County Park, which is right next to Whitefish Dunes State Park. The wineries are a must-stop, at least once. We have it down to our favorite wineries and usually stop to stock up and, most importantly, get some cheese from Harbor Ridge Winery and Renards. We are planning to take the girls camping up there one summer.
What have been some of your best travel experiences in Wisconsin?
This past year, my favorite trip was to Wausau. I had Timm’s Hill on my list for a long time and it was so rewarding to actually go. I didn’t expect to hit peak fall color, but ended up seeing some beautiful colors.
Honestly, after taking so many trips, it comes down to how we manage our expectations. We go into it with an open mind and a willingness to learn something new. So far, I don’t think we have had any experiences that would stop us from returning. Of course, there are always going to be things that don’t go our way, but we keep our expectations low and prepare for as much as we can.
What is your approach to travel, especially with kids in tow?
Anything goes. When I plan our trips, I know that I have to be flexible. Often we will plan downtime or just leave gaps in the itinerary, but if I do this I also have a list of activities to do. On our summer trip, Georgia fell asleep in the car after a late night, so when we got back to our campsite, Nick took Vivienne for a hike and I had a chance to finish my book. It has taken time to get into a groove that works for us, but I think being flexible is so important when travelling with kids.
Also, not all trips have to be magical. We don’t talk up our destination with the girls and just let them develop their own feelings about it. Of course we will share what things we will do, but seeing their reaction to finding a waterfall, for example, is priceless.
Please tell us more about your family’s cabin! What is it like to spend time there?
My parents built their dream cabin about thirty minutes from Crivitz. It has been a labor of love for them. We love having the cabin as a place to get away with our whole family. When we go to the cabin, the girls spend quality time with my parents. We also get to spend a lot of time outdoors. We love to go hiking either in Wisconsin or Michigan, and we can kayak on the Menominee River right to the property. We have created great traditions as a family at the cabin.
You shared a really thoughtful and beautiful post this fall about feeling pressure to “keep up” with others on social media and how that felt forced. Where has that led you? And what is the authentic sweet spot for you?
Thank you. It can feel like we have to keep up with others on social media, not just with the things we own, but posting content that will interest others. I would wake up and scroll Instagram to see what others had posted and would feel like I should post something too. Some creators have to post daily due to the content they share, but I am not that person. It felt like if I didn’t post I would fall behind, and it led to posts that didn’t feel authentic. I took a break from posting and sharing stories. I took the time to figure out what and why I wanted to share about our adventures. I am a work in progress. There are still days I feel the pressure, but I recognize the feelings and I have been able to take the time to post something that feels true or skip it all together. I don’t know what the sweet spot is yet, but I have made progress. I take more time to think about if I want to share something and plan ahead when possible.
How do you balance exploring and adventuring with staying home and resting?
Nick would say we don’t, but he works full-time and sometimes I forget that he just wants to stay home. We plan most of our big trips the year before, so it comes down to each weekend and how we feel about doing anything. Usually I will mention to Nick that we have free time and explain what the weeks around it will entail. Then we decide if we want to do a big trip or stay close to home. We are lucky to live in an area where we can adventure within an hour or two drive. If we do stay close to home we spend one day of the weekend at home and one day out and about.
What are your girls most into these days?
The girls are constantly finding new things to try. For Christmas they received bow and arrows from my brother, so they will be working on their shooting skills for a while. One of their favorite things is staying in hotels, probably because of the pool, but also camping.
There’s never enough time for everything, but what do you prioritize as a family? What do you always make time for?
We prioritize quality time together. We will always make time for adventuring and creating memories together. We want the girls to grow up loving nature and time outdoors. Some of my and Nick’s favorite childhood memories are the vacations we took, so it just seems right to raise the girls with a strong sense of wanderlust.
What are three words to describe your family?
Outdoorsy, adventurous, friendly.
What does it mean to you to raise kids in Wisconsin?
Nick and I both grew up in Wisconsin, so it is great to raise our girls here. It means that we can share the places we love with them. Midwesterners are known for enjoying a slower-pace lifestyle and valuing family, religion and politeness. These are all values we want to instill in the girls.
What does Wisconsin living mean to you?
I remember, as a kid, watching Outdoor Wisconsin on Saturday mornings with my dad. Outdoor Wisconsin is a PBS series about all things outside in Wisconsin and I think that shaped my idea of Wisconsin living. Spending time outdoors, exploring state parks and natural areas, hiking and camping are some of our favorite activities. Wisconsin has so much to offer if you just take the time to go outside.
What are destination’s on your travel wishlist?
Porcupine Mountains, Sleeping Bears Dunes, Minnesota North Shore; Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks; Muir Woods National Monument and Redwoods National Forest.
What are you most looking forward to in the new year?
Nick is going on his first backpacking trip, which if it goes well means we will try backpacking as a family. We have talked about backpacking for a while, but we needed to try camping first. Luckily, the girls love it and want to try backpacking too. We already have kayaks, but added stand-up paddle boards and I can’t wait for open waters to take them out. There are so many things to look forward to. It has been a hard few years, but I think if we manage our expectations and remain flexible we can enjoy the ride.
– Katie Vaughn
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.