Lake Superior South Shore, 2016. Part 16 Bayfield WI, Apostle Islands

Bayfield, WI is at the heart of the Apostle Islands.  Susan and I have been here many times for camping and sailing. Susan and came up here in the mid 1970’s with Joe Supplee to look at a fishing boat that was for sale.  Joe and I had grand ideas about making a fabulous lake cruiser out of it.

It was a classic Lake Superior trawler something like this.  What were we thinking.

We stayed this time at the Legendary Waters Campground at the Buffalo Bay Casino about three miles north of Bayfield.  When we got there the campground was nearly empty. It was the beginning of Labor Day Weekend so it filled up soon enough.

Looking out the front window of the coach we could see Rudy and Carolyn, the Lake and the north end of Madeline Island.

Only in MN will you see ice fishing trailers doing double duty as a camper.

They have wheels that crank up and down.  Wheels up, the trailer sits on the ground or the ice.

Around the end of the Bayfield Peninsula is a nice campground called Little Sand Bay.  It is a county campground right next to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore docks and kayak launch point.

 

This is the National Park Service’s Patrol boat. Two-three hundred HP outboards. Three Park Rangers (all women) took it out. Once clear of the harbor jetty it took off in a hurry. All of these boats are set up for rescue work, lots of towing equipment.

The next access point down the lake is at Meyer’s Beach  It is also a popular trail head. We went on a hike that we tried to do a couple years ago out to the Sea Caves.  Back then it was too muddy and the trail was closed.  This time it was OK but a lot of up and down and about five miles round trip.  The Sea Caves are hollowed out areas in the softer rock faces of the bluffs facing Lake Superior.  In the winters when the Lake freezes over people sign up to go out in small groups with a Park Ranger across the ice to the sea cave about 1.5 miles each way.

The cliffs are pretty amazing although from this vantage point it is hard to get the cave view.  Waves going into the caves make a whooshing and booming noise.

The ground is soft and crumbling.  Lots of signs warning to stay back from the edges.

At one point a large crack in the bluff had opened up maybe a hundred feet back into the top.

I am always trying to get wild life in the pictures.

Tomorrow we are going on a cruise around the Apostle Islands with Rudy and Carolyn.

More later,

Roger and Susan