There were many things 56-year-old Paul Johnson learned on his six-year trek circumnavigating the Great Lakes, but one of the most important was a surprise.

"You see a side of people that's just all warm and good," he said about all the folks he met along the way.

Mr. Johnson, of Hampton, spent six summers in his 23-foot boat named Albion, sailing the five lakes, finishing in mid-August.

He would sail all day, weather permitting, stopping at small harbors and little shoreline towns. It was there he met so many of the people that moved him. "My favorite part of the day is coming into a new harbor," he said.

Traveling by boat, he said, avoids many of the hassles of life. No one was beeping their horn at him, or upset that they didn't get the right burger at a fast food place. In fact, his time on the Albion became an oasis from day-to-day life, and it was hard to deal with returning to the routine back home at the end of each summer.

"It's a real culture shock when I come back. [On the lakes], it's just a wonderful experience where you're at one with things. All your interactions literally are with the good sides of people."

He took up sailing 15 years ago, renting a Hobie Cat, a small catamaran, in the Florida Keys. In those early years of learning how to sail, he picked up the nickname "Boomer" from his sister-in-law after taking a boom to the head on one excursion.

No one was surprised when the he took up the sport since he loves adventure and exploring. The process of deciding what to do after retiring as head of development for Ansys Software in 2002 wasn't too difficult for him.

"I like sailing, so I looked at my maps; 'What can I explore?' The Great Lakes. There they are, of course. I like to set goals and I like journeys and I can do this."

But just crossing each lake wasn't going to be enough to satisfy his wanderlust. "I want to go around these Great Lakes. I want to get to know them. I want to feel them. I want to know every little thing along the lakes. I want to meet the people."

His wife Shirley, who spent a couple weeks each summer with him during his Great Lakes adventure, readily accepted his plan.

"Living with him for years, I knew he wasn't going to go into the normal retirement that most people do. I just didn't know what it was going to be," she said. "That was actually a little calmer than I thought it was going to be; the Great Lakes are kind of close by," she added with a laugh.

Mr. Johnson is compelled to make journeys, but they must be "off the beaten path" as he says. And exploring the Great Lakes was perfect for that.

"You come into these little towns and you wouldn't normally ever be in this town. There's no interstate; it's not someplace I would have ever gone. I wonder how this town got to be here?"

He added: "The people are glad to see you. Every town has something unique in it, and unique people."

He started at Lake Erie because it was the closest, but also the most treacherous. "I learned a lot on Erie. In hindsight, that was a mistake. Lake Erie is probably the most dangerous lake, because [the weather] picks up fast."

It took two summers to complete Erie and one each for Michigan, Ontario, Huron and finally Lake Superior.

Each winter was spent intricately planning next season's journey, learning from the previous year's mistakes. But even though Mr. Johnson is really into planning, he realized that the trick to setting up successful trips was good logistics and going with the flow.

"Sometimes you have to be very vague with the planning. I've learned every third day is a weather day."

And these huge bodies of water were filled with things most of us will never get a chance to experience.

"The vastness of the lake, the different colors, the different currents. I've seen hundreds of [monarch butterflies] migrating going over me."

He spent some time sailing solo around the lakes, doing a 52-mile solo crossing of Lake Michigan in about 12 hours. But most of the time friends or family come along to work as crew.

His chore is choosing the right person for the right trip. Someone who loves to eat out and enjoys fine wine is better off on the leg that lands in Chicago as opposed to sailing northern Lake Superior.

"You can't be with somebody in a little 23-foot boat two weeks without really getting to know the person," he said with a smile. "I really enjoyed having the people along."

Safety was always an issue. Most of the time he sailed within five miles of the shore. And when the weather might turn bad, he's got a rule. "With my philosophy, you don't take any chances. If you're sitting there wondering if you should be out there because of the weather, you shouldn't be out there."

While storms popped up, nothing ever made Mr. Johnson feel he was in danger.

He didn't realize the most dangerous aspect of one of his trips until it was over. . The Albion had a hull fracture and was taking on water. It wasn't until he brought the boat in to harbor that he was able to see how bad things really were. "It could have sunk the boat," he said.

This is a different way to see the sights, and something he hopes other people will look to for inspiration. It's nothing like road trips.

"There's no hassle, there's no fast food, there's no traffic, people are wonderful. Everybody should do something like this because it shows you a whole different side of people."

But that doesn't mean you need to buy a boat. Mr. Johnson believes people should stretch, finding their own challenges.

"The word journey can be much more than traveling," he said philosophically.

"In everything in life, there's reasons not to do it, and there's things that hold people back. But yet, if they have a passion and they want to do it, they should sit down and think about it -- figure it out and do it and the rewards they get from that are huge."

He's also got a new nickname from his sister-in-law: Columbus, in honor of his improved sailing skills and lust for discovery.

"I was 10 times more excited with the other four lakes in finishing than I was with Superior. And I think with Superior that it was very much dampened by the sadness of having finished because I just really enjoyed it."

And what's next for this retiree? Not even Mr. Johnson knows.

"I'll continue to sail. It will be a journey, it will be off the beaten path. What it will be I'm not sure. I think it will probably require a bigger boat. I've got all winter to figure it out."

To read Paul Johnson's blog from his Great Lakes adventures, log onto travelwithalbion.blogspot.com.