Apostle Islands, Wisconsin Summer 2016

Jim and I met Heather and Greg in Bayfield, WI for a late summer vacation. After lunch at a funky 50s-style restaurant we took the ferry over to Madeline Island.

Our rented cabin was quite deluxe with many amenities including WiFi wich can be hard to find up there. We took advantage of the nice weather to explore Big Bay State Park.

Saturday was a rainy day. We made the most of it. Heather and I finished binding the books we had started on my last trip to Minneapolis. I hope I'm brave enough to write and draw in mine!

We explored the town of La Pointe visiting the Madeline Island Historical Museum where Ojibwa basket makers were demonstrating their art. Gallery hopping, dinner in town and then a fierce game of Catan rounded out our day. We woke to sun on Sunday and after packing up we did some hiking. 

After a good lunch of fish tacos and sandwiches Heather and Greg boarded the ferry and headed back to Minneapolis. Jim and I went to set up our campsite at Big Bay State Park. 

The park includes a beautiful beach and the water was swimmable!

We took one hike along a boardwalk that parallels the beach. Another took us around the southeast edge of the park along the cliffs. The waves were crashing. It was quite lovely.

We biked to town, but probably won't take our bikes on trips like this in the future. The ride seemed more required than desired.

Our next camping spot was the city park and campground in Bayfield. We secured a beautiful site overlooking Lake Superior. What a treat! 

Although we don't need electricity for camping, I found the provided outlet handy for recharging my new lantern.

Bayfield is home to many area orchards and we were lucky enough to run into one that was selling Colorado peaches! Yum! They were the best! Can't beat peaches on your morning granola!

We took a cruise of the islands that are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The islands are not very accessible. One can take boat rides to a couple of the islands to hike and camp and there are some kayak opportunities, but the lake can be pretty intimidating. We learned a lot about the local history of the area and enjoyed our evening tour.

The sea caves on Devils Island were spectacular.

As the evening progressed the light became golden.

The lighthouse on Raspberry Island was glowing. 

 And we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

We took day trips to other parts of the park. On the western side we hiked at Meyer's Beach above the sea caves that are a winter destination if the lake freezes over. Many kayakers took in the sites from water level. We had some beach time and found a fish shop with smoked lake trout and whitefish (Halvorson Fisheries in Cornucopia, WI). Another treat!

As we headed south we stopped for a hike at Houghton Falls Nature Preserve. It is a magical area that leads to a great lake view. The history of the area is fascinating!

And once again I saw the "Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program" sign and gave thanks for those who have been forward thinking to preserve these special places. That program has been all but defunded in our current legislature. It is so sad.

Our last couple days were spent at our cabin. Great weather, no bugs.