Travelin' with Eileen
Lake Superior get-away
Lake Superior get-away
By Eileen Hocker
Welcome to my travelogue of affordable, fun, little get-away trips to discover unexpected pleasures
right in our own corner of the world. This is the first of a three-part series on my trip “up north” to
Bayfield, Wisconsin and the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior!
July 31, 2009 …..
It’s 12:30 pm and I’m sitting on a park bench on Joni’s Beach on Madeline Island in Lake Superior,
looking out at the Wisconsin mainland across the lake. A few parked sailboats dot the waters just
offshore. The whole site ….. Lovely!
The trip from the Bad River Lodge and Casino up to Bayfield took about 50 minutes. Just like
mapquest said! (Three days before, I had driven five hours up from Madison to the Bad River Indian
Welcome to my travelogue of affordable, fun, little get-away trips to discover unexpected pleasures
right in our own corner of the world. This is the first of a three-part series on my trip “up north” to
Bayfield, Wisconsin and the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior!
July 31, 2009 …..
It’s 12:30 pm and I’m sitting on a park bench on Joni’s Beach on Madeline Island in Lake Superior,
looking out at the Wisconsin mainland across the lake. A few parked sailboats dot the waters just
offshore. The whole site ….. Lovely!
The trip from the Bad River Lodge and Casino up to Bayfield took about 50 minutes. Just like
mapquest said! (Three days before, I had driven five hours up from Madison to the Bad River Indian
reservation for a conference.) My first sights of Lake Superior came as I approached the AmericInn of Ashland. I pulled over, got out of my car and
walked over by the little wedding gazebo behind the hotel to take my first look. Ah—h—h! So peaceful! From there, Hwy 2 took me straight through
Ashland, a sprawling little town of 8600 plus. I noticed the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the left ... quite an impressive little building. After turning right
onto Hwy 13, I passed through Washburn, a cute little place. Then the terrain begins sloping upwards into some hills, and I realize I’m traveling into
an area I hadn’t quite expected. And then before I knew it ... wha-la-a-a ... Bayfield!
The town itself is a hill that slopes right down to the Lake. The homes and shops are Victorian, quaint, rustic, very well kept, some colorful, and
most with a breathtaking view of the Lake!
I turned right from Hwy 13 onto Rittenhouse Street and then, down I went … through town to the docks. The signs clearly marked the way to the
Madeline Island Ferry. I parked along the street and walked over to purchase my ferry ticket.
No reservations are required. And between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the ferry runs every 30 minutes. Round-trip fare is only $11.50. Passengers sit
upstairs. Those who drive their vehicle on board pay about double that, and sit with their vehicle. The steps are pretty steep, so you have to hold on
to the railing really well.
I was lucky to get there in time for the 10 a.m. ferry. As our ferry revved up its engine to go, the Island Princess Apostle Island Grand Tour cruise
boat pulled out first. I’m taking that ship tomorrow! As our ferry pulled out, I saw my first Apostle Island. It looked like the pictures I’ve seen, just
bigger. And not as flat. It actually looked like part of the hilly mainland that somehow broke away. As our ferry got further out, I could see the other
islands. They all looked like the mainland. Fully forested and green. Madeline Island was straight ahead and it’s long.
The ride over was pleasant. Not too chilly. Not too windy. And it only took 30 minutes. After landing, I walked over to the Madeline Island office
next to the Post Office and met the person who leads the walking tour, “Amy” (not her real name). She only had three guests: a couple (he was from
Miami, she was from Japan) and me. The walking tour began around 10:30 a.m. “Amy” said the Ojibwe were the first to live on the island. Then,
when the French came, one of the priests married an Ojibwe woman from the island. He had her go to a priest on the mainland to convert to
Catholicism. Her new Christian name was Madeline — pronounced Madeleen. So the island is named after her!
“Amy” said about 200 people live full-time year round on the island, including herself. In the winter, here’s how she said they get back and forth
to the mainland. When the Lake is slightly icy, they use jet ski sailboats to glide across. After the water freezes solid, they use snowmobiles and
also their cars to drive on the ice. She said the water must freeze up to 12 feet below the surface before it’s safe to drive back and forth across. She
said they use old Christmas trees to line the path across the lake. When there’s near white-out conditions or at night, “Amy” said you gotta look for
those trees to help you stay on course in your driving lanes. She said one night a snowmobiler lost sight of the trees with his headlights and ended
up on another island. Lucky for him, she said, the water was fully frozen at least 12 feet around that island as well.
“Amy” said they have a grocery store, a library — which she showed us, some other shops and an elementary school. Kids have to travel to the
mainland for middle school and high school. And in the wintertime, they’ve got to get the early morning transport to get to school on time. Then in the
afternoon, they’ve got to get the transport coming back by around 5 pm. Anyone having extracurricular activities such as sports or whatever, has to
make arrangements to stay with family or friends in Bayfield for the night. “Amy” said her husband had to be medivaced off the island once because
he thought he was having a heart attack.
The whole tour about island life was extremely interesting. We finished around noon, and from there I headed down the street five minutes to
where I’m seated right now at Joni’s Beach, on a quaint little bench listening to the rhythmic wave splashings of Lake Superior.
July 31, 2009 …..
Once back on shore at Bayfield from Madeline Island, I drove up to the Red Cliff Indian Reservation which is only a zippity five minutes away.
Just had to take a peek. From there I found myself continuing to drive on over and around to Cornucopia. What a trek that was, through a thickly
forested wilderness which had unexpected amazing hills. That took a long 15 to 20 minutes. I toyed with the idea of continuing on to Duluth, but once
I finally reached Cornucopia I said, “Whew! Time to turn back.”
Entering into Bayfield from the Red Cliff side was the quintessential icing on the cake. The views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands from
the California-like hills of Bayfield were absolutely spec-TAC-cular!! I’m telling you, some of the hills of Bel-Air have got nothing on these hills, ‘cause
they “ain’t got that view”! I just couldn’t BELIEVE IT! The town of Bayfield literally sits right on these hills. Two of Bayfield’s bed & breakfast villas
are perched on those hills with breathtaking panoramas. I drove up and down and over these streets ooohing and ah-h-hing all the way. Even
Bayfield’s Holy Family Catholic Church has a lake view that could kill!
THIS was how I ended my day, and truly God saved the best for last. Bayfield has got to be one of the best kept secrets in the upper midwest. It
only has 611 residents, according to its population sign. But on the richter scale of laid-back quaintness with a view ... it’s off the charts!
August 1, 2009.…
I took the Island Princess Grand Tour cruise of the Apostle Islands today. Whoa! What a wild wind galloping tour that was! It had just rained
earlier that morning. You know, the kind that looked like a wash-out. When it cleared up, the winds came in behind it and boy, were they gusty and
cold. It felt like a blustery day in March rather than the first day of August. The Lake waters were choppy, and the ship’s captain said we might not
make it out to all the Islands. But it was partly sunny, partly cloudy, and totally exciting. So we were all ready to go. And man, what an adventure!
Our cruise boat was bobbin’ and swayin’ and splashin’ all over that Lake. Waves broke over the top of the boat and caught us by surprise several
times this morning. We screamed, then laughed, then wiped ourselves off ... and kept right on going.
The Apostle Islands are amazing! Each one is extremely thickly forested. They are oval or oblong shaped, and most were like large compact
hills sloping directly down to the water. At the base of most, I could see thick, rocky foundations. Some looked hollowed out a bit, and I imagine
there were low-lying caves underneath that only a swimmer or kayaker could enter. Now, back to those trees ... they were so thick they looked like
grass covering the entire islands. Indeed, from the pictures I had seen, I thought it was grass. And all the islands looked exactly like the mainland.
They looked like they were sliced off the mainland and shoved out into the Lake at random spots. Most were like floating giant hills all scattered
about.
As we galloped across the choppy waters around the islands, I quickly made friends with “Meredith” (not her real name), the woman seated in
front of me from the California Bay area. She was on vacation while her daughter was visiting her father, from whom “Meredith” was divorced. I
also made the acquaintance of the two guys seated behind me who talked practically non-stop in between the captain’s tour guide narration and the
splashing of the waves.
The captain pointed out some bald eagles flying overhead, but they were too high to get a good shot on my camera. I got several shots, however, of
the islands. And when we pulled back into port 3 hours later, I had “Meredith” take some shots of me with Bayfield in the background.
Accommodations
During my “up north” adventure, I found the Bad River Lodge and Casino Convention Center a nice, inexpensive place to stay. It’s only a 50-
minute drive from there to Bayfield, around Lake Superior. During the week the rooms are $44.50 a night. On weekends, rooms are $54.50 a night.
My room was basic: two queen-sized beds, coffee maker, TV & remote, iron, and nice bathroom. The restaurant served good hearty food, most
notably an all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet on Saturday nights that also included shrimp, crab legs, barbecue ribs, fish, and chicken cordon-bleu. At
$16.95, that was one of the most expensive things at the hotel. But the food was delicious, and I settled in my restaurant chair with a good book for
almost two hours savoring all the flavors while I ate enough to get my money’s worth!
I didn’t notice any smoking ban, and some of the patrons did smoke in the restaurant. It didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I was
more surprised that the restaurant allowed it. In fact, I also smelled cigarette smoke in the hotel hallway, but not in my room - which was a
designated non-smoking room.
This whole complex is part of the Bad River Band of the Ojibwe Indian nation. It’s run and directed by Bad River members. And all the profits (I
think) go to the Bad River community. The tribal offices are just two minutes away. So one of the other reasons I chose to stay here, aside from the
cost savings, was to support this nation in my own small way.
Eileen Cecile Hocker is a diversity outreach coordinator for the Wisconsin DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement, a writer, and an absolute lover of
traveling adventures!
walked over by the little wedding gazebo behind the hotel to take my first look. Ah—h—h! So peaceful! From there, Hwy 2 took me straight through
Ashland, a sprawling little town of 8600 plus. I noticed the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the left ... quite an impressive little building. After turning right
onto Hwy 13, I passed through Washburn, a cute little place. Then the terrain begins sloping upwards into some hills, and I realize I’m traveling into
an area I hadn’t quite expected. And then before I knew it ... wha-la-a-a ... Bayfield!
The town itself is a hill that slopes right down to the Lake. The homes and shops are Victorian, quaint, rustic, very well kept, some colorful, and
most with a breathtaking view of the Lake!
I turned right from Hwy 13 onto Rittenhouse Street and then, down I went … through town to the docks. The signs clearly marked the way to the
Madeline Island Ferry. I parked along the street and walked over to purchase my ferry ticket.
No reservations are required. And between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the ferry runs every 30 minutes. Round-trip fare is only $11.50. Passengers sit
upstairs. Those who drive their vehicle on board pay about double that, and sit with their vehicle. The steps are pretty steep, so you have to hold on
to the railing really well.
I was lucky to get there in time for the 10 a.m. ferry. As our ferry revved up its engine to go, the Island Princess Apostle Island Grand Tour cruise
boat pulled out first. I’m taking that ship tomorrow! As our ferry pulled out, I saw my first Apostle Island. It looked like the pictures I’ve seen, just
bigger. And not as flat. It actually looked like part of the hilly mainland that somehow broke away. As our ferry got further out, I could see the other
islands. They all looked like the mainland. Fully forested and green. Madeline Island was straight ahead and it’s long.
The ride over was pleasant. Not too chilly. Not too windy. And it only took 30 minutes. After landing, I walked over to the Madeline Island office
next to the Post Office and met the person who leads the walking tour, “Amy” (not her real name). She only had three guests: a couple (he was from
Miami, she was from Japan) and me. The walking tour began around 10:30 a.m. “Amy” said the Ojibwe were the first to live on the island. Then,
when the French came, one of the priests married an Ojibwe woman from the island. He had her go to a priest on the mainland to convert to
Catholicism. Her new Christian name was Madeline — pronounced Madeleen. So the island is named after her!
“Amy” said about 200 people live full-time year round on the island, including herself. In the winter, here’s how she said they get back and forth
to the mainland. When the Lake is slightly icy, they use jet ski sailboats to glide across. After the water freezes solid, they use snowmobiles and
also their cars to drive on the ice. She said the water must freeze up to 12 feet below the surface before it’s safe to drive back and forth across. She
said they use old Christmas trees to line the path across the lake. When there’s near white-out conditions or at night, “Amy” said you gotta look for
those trees to help you stay on course in your driving lanes. She said one night a snowmobiler lost sight of the trees with his headlights and ended
up on another island. Lucky for him, she said, the water was fully frozen at least 12 feet around that island as well.
“Amy” said they have a grocery store, a library — which she showed us, some other shops and an elementary school. Kids have to travel to the
mainland for middle school and high school. And in the wintertime, they’ve got to get the early morning transport to get to school on time. Then in the
afternoon, they’ve got to get the transport coming back by around 5 pm. Anyone having extracurricular activities such as sports or whatever, has to
make arrangements to stay with family or friends in Bayfield for the night. “Amy” said her husband had to be medivaced off the island once because
he thought he was having a heart attack.
The whole tour about island life was extremely interesting. We finished around noon, and from there I headed down the street five minutes to
where I’m seated right now at Joni’s Beach, on a quaint little bench listening to the rhythmic wave splashings of Lake Superior.
July 31, 2009 …..
Once back on shore at Bayfield from Madeline Island, I drove up to the Red Cliff Indian Reservation which is only a zippity five minutes away.
Just had to take a peek. From there I found myself continuing to drive on over and around to Cornucopia. What a trek that was, through a thickly
forested wilderness which had unexpected amazing hills. That took a long 15 to 20 minutes. I toyed with the idea of continuing on to Duluth, but once
I finally reached Cornucopia I said, “Whew! Time to turn back.”
Entering into Bayfield from the Red Cliff side was the quintessential icing on the cake. The views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands from
the California-like hills of Bayfield were absolutely spec-TAC-cular!! I’m telling you, some of the hills of Bel-Air have got nothing on these hills, ‘cause
they “ain’t got that view”! I just couldn’t BELIEVE IT! The town of Bayfield literally sits right on these hills. Two of Bayfield’s bed & breakfast villas
are perched on those hills with breathtaking panoramas. I drove up and down and over these streets ooohing and ah-h-hing all the way. Even
Bayfield’s Holy Family Catholic Church has a lake view that could kill!
THIS was how I ended my day, and truly God saved the best for last. Bayfield has got to be one of the best kept secrets in the upper midwest. It
only has 611 residents, according to its population sign. But on the richter scale of laid-back quaintness with a view ... it’s off the charts!
August 1, 2009.…
I took the Island Princess Grand Tour cruise of the Apostle Islands today. Whoa! What a wild wind galloping tour that was! It had just rained
earlier that morning. You know, the kind that looked like a wash-out. When it cleared up, the winds came in behind it and boy, were they gusty and
cold. It felt like a blustery day in March rather than the first day of August. The Lake waters were choppy, and the ship’s captain said we might not
make it out to all the Islands. But it was partly sunny, partly cloudy, and totally exciting. So we were all ready to go. And man, what an adventure!
Our cruise boat was bobbin’ and swayin’ and splashin’ all over that Lake. Waves broke over the top of the boat and caught us by surprise several
times this morning. We screamed, then laughed, then wiped ourselves off ... and kept right on going.
The Apostle Islands are amazing! Each one is extremely thickly forested. They are oval or oblong shaped, and most were like large compact
hills sloping directly down to the water. At the base of most, I could see thick, rocky foundations. Some looked hollowed out a bit, and I imagine
there were low-lying caves underneath that only a swimmer or kayaker could enter. Now, back to those trees ... they were so thick they looked like
grass covering the entire islands. Indeed, from the pictures I had seen, I thought it was grass. And all the islands looked exactly like the mainland.
They looked like they were sliced off the mainland and shoved out into the Lake at random spots. Most were like floating giant hills all scattered
about.
As we galloped across the choppy waters around the islands, I quickly made friends with “Meredith” (not her real name), the woman seated in
front of me from the California Bay area. She was on vacation while her daughter was visiting her father, from whom “Meredith” was divorced. I
also made the acquaintance of the two guys seated behind me who talked practically non-stop in between the captain’s tour guide narration and the
splashing of the waves.
The captain pointed out some bald eagles flying overhead, but they were too high to get a good shot on my camera. I got several shots, however, of
the islands. And when we pulled back into port 3 hours later, I had “Meredith” take some shots of me with Bayfield in the background.
Accommodations
During my “up north” adventure, I found the Bad River Lodge and Casino Convention Center a nice, inexpensive place to stay. It’s only a 50-
minute drive from there to Bayfield, around Lake Superior. During the week the rooms are $44.50 a night. On weekends, rooms are $54.50 a night.
My room was basic: two queen-sized beds, coffee maker, TV & remote, iron, and nice bathroom. The restaurant served good hearty food, most
notably an all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet on Saturday nights that also included shrimp, crab legs, barbecue ribs, fish, and chicken cordon-bleu. At
$16.95, that was one of the most expensive things at the hotel. But the food was delicious, and I settled in my restaurant chair with a good book for
almost two hours savoring all the flavors while I ate enough to get my money’s worth!
I didn’t notice any smoking ban, and some of the patrons did smoke in the restaurant. It didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I was
more surprised that the restaurant allowed it. In fact, I also smelled cigarette smoke in the hotel hallway, but not in my room - which was a
designated non-smoking room.
This whole complex is part of the Bad River Band of the Ojibwe Indian nation. It’s run and directed by Bad River members. And all the profits (I
think) go to the Bad River community. The tribal offices are just two minutes away. So one of the other reasons I chose to stay here, aside from the
cost savings, was to support this nation in my own small way.
Eileen Cecile Hocker is a diversity outreach coordinator for the Wisconsin DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement, a writer, and an absolute lover of
traveling adventures!
