Today was “launch day”, the beginning of our journey for 2013. We hit the road around 8:30 AM, a nice early start. We’re getting pretty efficient at this, probably due to practice and Lynn’s to-do list keeping us focused and organized. The weather all day has been cold and cloudy with periods of rain throughout the journey, although it cleared enough to make the Big Mac crossing quite nice. That bridge is a wonder and it is beautiful as was the blue water in the Straits beneath it.
We arrived at Camp Wal-Mart in Marquette about 6PM. It is cold and raining with a stiff NW wind blowing. 52 degrees cold, Brrrrr….., set a record for coldest July 28th here since 1971. Camp Wal-Mart has no electric, (hey what do you want for free) so we are using our new propane catalytic heater. Really glad we have that.
Hopefully this weather will improve as we get to the Apostle Islands tomorrow.
July 29, 2013 – Monday
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day as we prepared to depart for Bayfield, WI. We arrived at the Apostle Islands campground about 1 PM central time. The campground is a nice setting, the sites are well separated and pretty big, but a couple of things didn’t set well with us. First were $1.50 showers, geez, doesn’t $30 a night get us included showers? Second, the power box was improperly wired. Our surge protector wouldn’t pass it and our circuit check indicated the hot and neutral reversed. We plugged into the neighbor’s (vacant site) box and all worked. The box appears newer. Dan told the owner and he got all cheezed about it, and that it was probably my stuff causing the problem. So Dan told him we are staying plugged in there until he fixes it or we leave. It is this exact situation that prompted us to install that protector.
Bayfield is a lot like Leeland, Michigan. It is the gateway to the 22 islands that make up the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Most Islands were heavily logged into the early 1900s until NPS took them over. They are typical of other Great Lakes Islands, low and tree covered. These have rocky shores for the most part. The area is beautiful, but a little ho-hum to us after our 40 years of visiting and boating almost all of the lakes.
Madeline Island is the largest of the group, but is not part of the NPS holdings. It is a residential community served by ferry boat from Bayfield. There is a museum there, but it’s too far to walk to and the cost to transport your car along with the two us puts it at $50. We have decided it’s probably not cost effective to go there.
We did take the Sunset Grand Tour with the Apostle Islands Boat Co. It was well worth it, although a bit chilly. They did a great job hitting the high points and giving some of the history. We saw a couple of lighthouses, sea caves, and a shipwreck. Some pictures follow.
Tomorrow we plan to drive the scenic shore line route.
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