Heading South and Arriving Home

The past month has been a bit of a blur.  We crossed through half a dozen states and continued, for the most part, indulging in our favorite diversions; fishing, kayaking, biking, and hiking.  As we traveled, the internet, and sometimes even phone connections, were a challenge.  Consequently, I haven't posted anything in a while.  We are actually back home now, but I wanted to produce a composite of our most recent experiences.

At Pattison State Park in Wisconsin.  Big Manitou Falls is the highest 

waterfall in the state at 165 feet. The park is located south of Superior.

 

Hike along the Black River at Pattison State Park.

Alan returning to our campsite at Weber Lake.  This park is part of the Iron County Wisconsin park system.  Only 11 campsites are available.  During our visit, only 2 of the sites were being used, so it was almost a private campground on our own little lake.  We caught countless panfish, that were returned to the water, but we also caught numerous trout which provided several dinners.

Canadian geese at one of the 4 lakes at Hartman Creek State Park in central Wisconsin.  We had planned to hike the Ice Age Trail but persistent mosquitoes persuaded us to make use of the parks' extensive bike trails instead. 

We were lucky to spot about 2 dozen (early bird) sandhill cranes in a cleared cornfield near the Aldo Leopold Center outside of Baraboo, WI on our approach to Devils' Lake State Park. Starting in November and through mid-December over 10,000 cranes pass by the area and stop for a break.  Tours are offered by the Center.  Check out the attached link for a YouTube video and more info--Aldo Leopold Center Crane Tours.

Hiking on the Tumbled Rock Trail at Devil's Lake State Park.  The 1.6-mile linear hike is a relatively easy walk along the lakes' western shore cutting through boulders and providing lovely views of the lake.  There are a total of 29 miles of trails in the park, but most sounded more challenging than we wanted to attempt.  This was just right! 

      

 

                                          Harvesting pumpkins near Baraboo, WI

After stocking up on a variety of cheeses at Carr Valley Cheese in Sauk City, WI, we headed south to the Dubois County campground in Indiana.  In scanning info for cultural or musical events in southwestern Indiana, we found a one-day happening in nearby Ferdinand.  The free Ferdinand Folk Festival featured 2-outdoor music stages, artisans, food trucks, and a diverse representation of environmental and community groups.  A large open field, surrounded by shade trees provided ample room for social distancing for this popular event.

Lake at our campground on the south side of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Cherokee Dam located in Jefferson City, TN.  We didn't take advantage of kayaking opportunities here but enjoyed the biking and hiking trails through the park.

In Louisville, KY at Churchill Downs, we enjoyed mint juleps and contributed a small amount to the financial well-being of the track.  Rains moved in after the fifth race, so we moved on.  Unfortunately, the downpour continued over the next few days and made it impossible to explore the beautiful horse farms of the Lexington area.

At Lake Powhatan in the Pisgah National Forest outside Asheville, NC.  We were able to secure 3 nights in a row in the park (a rarity this summer).

The Asheville Art District is one of our favorite stops.  We followed up with a visit to the popular 12 Bones barbecue restaurant.

Our private campground in Zirconia, NC, allowed us an opportunity to explore nearby Hendersonville and Flat Rock.  Alan was able to catch a 16' rainbow trout in the stream running alongside our site.  

The Bearfootin Auction helps raise funds for various local non-profits in Hendersonville, NC. each October.  Twenty brightly painted fiberglass bears are displayed along Main St.  Our timing was perfect for experiencing the 61st Annual Art on Main offering the works of dozens of local artists and craftsmen.  Saturdays' Farmers Market provided freshly baked goodies, local wildflower honey, and organic veggies. 

For over a decade, whenever we were in the area, we have tried to secure campground reservations at Anastasia State Park outside of St, Augustine.  While this popular park typically is booked months in advance, we lucked into a last-minute site due to a cancellation.  The weather was ideal and the beach deserted.   It was a perfect conclusion to our summer travels.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island.  This view of the lighthouse is from the dunes along the beach. 

This may be the end of an era.  While we have been camping for 45 years, we have decided, once again, to sell our travel trailer.  We're not sure what the future may bring, and certainly, the travel situation will continue to be impacted by covid-19 for some time, but whenever we travel, I'll be sure to bring you along for the trip!

 

Passing Through Wisconsin

Yellowstone Lake

Limited availability of campsites in Wisconsin State Parks provided us with only one night at Yellowstone Lake SP.  Though the lake is stocked with game fish, we failed to take advantage.  Iffy weather and unfortunate timing, throughout our travels in Wisconsin, put a damper on activities.

The afternoon of our arrival at Mirror Lake State Park, we scoped out the park enjoying lovely weather.  Kayaking was on the agenda for the following morning, but awakening to a heavy downpour put a halt to those plans.

Moving on to Chippewa Falls, we were able to secure a very soggy campsite in a private campground.  Once again, the nearby Lake Wissota SP was full.   

Plans for an outdoor concert at the local Harley Davidson dealer, as a forerunner to the massive Sturgis bike week, was scheduled for Saturday evening, rain or shine.  The event featured country-rocker, Chris Kroeze.  But, our plans were squelched as torrential rain and lightning moved in.  

The following morning as the rains ceased and the sun finally appeared, we explored the town. Our first stop, Riverfront Park, is located on the Chippewa River and a dam in the center of town.  The dam creates the only ”falls” for the community. 

Producing the Leinenkugel craft beer in the area since 1867, the brewery provides a popular tourist spot.  The Leinenkugel family were German immigrants, arriving in the logging town of Chippewa Falls in 1845.  Tours and tastings (for a price) draw hundreds of visitors daily.  Their product is distributed nationally but is heavily promoted regionally. 

The nearby Irvine park was a large, meandering city park offering everything from a small zoo to a skate park.  During our Sunday visit, the park was packed with families and a church picnic.

Olson’s Ice Cream on Bridge St. has been creating home-churned treats since 1944.  So in the interest of checking out and supporting locally made products and businesses, we had to purchase a couple of scoops.  We also visited Sokup’s Market and Jacobson’s Butcher Shop to stock up on freshly made sausage and some of Wisconsin’s finest cheese.  The business names in the community reflect the diverse heritage of the town’s residents.

After being skunked by the rains Saturday evening, we were looking forward to a Sunday evening concert at Riverfront Park.  Once again the event was rained out.  We decided to move on from Wisconsin into Minnesota hoping to dry out a bit.

Wildlife mural under a bridge in Chippewa Falls

At the brewery

At Mirror Lake State Park

At Lake Wissota State Park

Wisconsin Festival and Minnesota Loons

Matt Wahl providing morning entertainment at the Festival

Moving west toward Minnesota, we stopped overnight in Cable, WI for their Fall Festival.  Once Alan saw the sign for the Pumpkin Pecan Pancake Breakfast, I knew we would be finding a nearby campground.  This tiny town (pop. 850) knows how to put on a party.  Starting on Friday night with a pig and corn roast and lots of music, the evening finished off with an opportunity to purchase desserts submitted by local bakers for the Dessert Contest.  Saturday morning brought vintage cars lining the town street, live music performances, a farmers market, chainsaw wood sculpting presentations, dozens of craft and food vendors, and a community fund raising pancake breakfast.  Quite an affair, it was a wonderful slice of mid-western Americana.

View of North Shore from Split Rock

We had not originally planned on going to Minnesota but a couple we met in Wisconsin told us how much they enjoyed visiting the North Shore along Lake Superior.  Doing a little research online, we found eight state parks along or near Highway 61 on the 150-mile route.  How could we pass that up?  Securing a campsite in Superior, WI, we decided to leave the RV behind for a few days as we explored the North Shore.  We decided to bypass the heavily industrialized Duluth waterfront area. The harbor transports products such as coal, iron ore and grains, obviously important to this entire region, but not on our agenda.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Lighthouses on this massive lake were essential.  Split Rock Lighthouse State Park houses a lighthouse completed in 1910. For almost 60 years, it provided a light flashing out for more than 20 miles onto the Lake’s waters.  Pictures of the lighthouse from the cliffs below can help you imagine the extreme hardship of trying to complete this project in a time when no roads existed in the area.

Cascade Rivers State Park provides a trail immediately off the highway, for exploring the lovely falls.  Alternate trails lead up into the mountain and provide an overview of Lake Superior from a different perspective.  The massive lake looks like an ocean and on the day we visited, it was producing surfable waves.

Temperance River State Park provided trails along the highway and easy access to the deeply etched gorges and waterfall at the edge of Lake Superior. 

Tettegouche State Park was filled beyond capacity.  This park is the site of the tallest fall in the state at 60 feet, but surprisingly, to us, on this late September day, the parking lot and the trails were jammed with visitors and we decided to forego the visit until another day.  Unfortunately that day did not occur because when passing the park on our way back to Superior, the weather was cold, rainy, and cloudy.   Not exactly the type of scenario we would prefer for hiking.  Even though I might have rallied for the walk, Alan, at this point, had seen more waterfalls than he cared to see in a lifetime and we drove on. 

Kayaking on Leo Lake

Grand Marias was the end of our drive on the North Shore.  We decided to travel inland on the Gunflint Trail.  Hoping to do some kayaking or fishing, we explored the numerous lakes and rivers running near the Trail.   Finally, we chose Leo Lake.  On this windy afternoon, this smaller lake was sheltered by stands of golden birch.  Once we ferreted out the landing area, which was hidden behind growth along the road, we shifted the kayaks from our rooftop of the Honda to the water and loaded up our fishing gear.   Paddling out onto the lake we were soon rewarded with the haunting call of the loon.  The pair that claimed ownership of this lake (typically only one pair of loon will be on a lake) would not let us get close enough for photos but provided the extra sensory experience that made this lake special.  Once again the fish failed to cooperate, but such an ideal day on the water was not spoiled by our failure to catch fish. 

Now it was time to head south and meander toward a totally different type of location, Chicago.

Autumn coming to Wisconsin

Cable, WI cafe

Two Harbor Lighthouse

Falls, Falls and More Falls

Sept 25, 2011     From Bayfield, WI, we had driven less than an hour when we spotted a sign for Copper Falls State Park.  With hiking trails, a lake, rivers, and three waterfalls, it sounded like a place we needed to visit.

Arriving on a Sunday, we were able to easily reserve a campsite for the next five days.  With so many offerings in the park, it was hard to decide what to do first.  We started with the parks’ namesake, Copper Falls.  The trail up to Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls was constructed after WW I by Doughboy crews, which worked for two years constructing the flag stone steps, walkways, and packed trails up to the falls.  The workmanship is clearly from another time.  We are not talking Niagara here, but the falls were still beautiful. 

Loon Lake

Loon Lake was next on our agenda.  We had enjoyed the experience of kayaking with loons in the Adirondacks.  We wanted to do some kayak fishing but also hoped to glimpse and hear the mysterious loons once again.  The loons were never present; perhaps they had already migrated to warmer climes.  Fishing until the sun was barely over the horizon we called it quits, even though there was plenty of action we were departing empty handed. 

Trail to Red Granite Falls

Red Granite Falls trail led us up to a slightly higher elevation.  It was as though autumn was unfolding in front of our eyes.  The maples were turning orange and fiery red the further we traipsed up on the hill. The gravel crunching beneath our feet, the wind blowing through the maples and birch and the river along parts of the trail below us made for a lovely trek.  A couple weeks from now this will clearly be a most spectacular hike. 

Weather once again played a factor in our activities.  The lows in the 30’s and 40’s and highs in the 40’ and 50’s led us to desert our planned pursuits on a couple of the days.

Fishing along the Bad River

While hiking on the Copper Falls Trail on our first day, we had noticed some prime trout holes.  We waited for the temperature to climb up to 45 degrees one day and headed back up to the Bad River to find the trout.  We had been told the fishing had been slow and it turns out that was the case but Alan was still able to nab a nice native brook trout. 

Now, we are heading west and a bit north into Minnesota to check out the North Shore region.

Doughboy Trail

Madeline Island, Wisconsin

Big Bay State Park

Arriving at the Bayfield ferry over to Madeline Island, we had 10 minutes until the departure of the ferry, but due to minimal demand, we were able to slip on board.  Around four months from now, the 25-minute ferry over to the Island will not be needed.  This portion of the Lake Superior will be frozen solid and we would be able to drive over, hard to believe. 

Madeline Island boasts a year-round population of 240 and a summer count around 2500.  Our primary reason for venturing out to the island was the Madeline Island School of Art.  Last spring, Alan had tracked down a Plein air art class, for himself, with Tony Van Hasselt.  Tony is considered one of the top ten watercolor painters in the country. Luckily (for me), Catherine Watson, former travel editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a widely published travel writer, was teaching “Effective Travel Writing and Memoirs” the same week.  Wisconsin had been on the agenda, but this arrangement couldn’t have been more ideal.

Big Bay Town Park

Arriving on the Island on Saturday, we had two days to explore before our classes started on Monday.   Big Bay State Park provided our campsite.  An extensive self-guided boardwalk near the waterfront and numerous other hiking trails run through the park.   The roads inside the park offer a nice wide trail for biking with few vehicles to worry about.  The park is 7 miles from the ferry, with bike lanes on both sides of the roadway.

The Birthday Deer

Saturday evening, we celebrated Alan’s birthday with grilled steak and fish, a special chocolate chip cake, and a campfire.  A mother deer and two fawns came next to our campsite and hung out for several minutes munching on the grasses before moving on, so this was a nice note added to the evening.  

Wisconsin provided primarily sunshine, but also nighttime temperatures dipping down into the 30’s for 3 of the 8 nights of our visit.  Driving to and from, or around, the park during early morning or dusk was a bit of a challenge due to the large number of deer.  Creeping along the roadway was the only way to ensure not hitting one.

Our classes started on Monday at 9 A.M. and they met daily through Friday.  Unfortunately, for Alan’s Plein air class, the nippy weather prevented painting outside, except on the first two days.  Regardless, the class provided multiple new techniques and was a productive and positive experience.

Madeline Island School of Art

The writing class was held in the second story of an extensively remodeled barn originally built back in the 1800s.  High ceilings and numerous windows provided a light and airy setting which surely helped foster our creative side.  With only six students in the class, we had plenty of time to discuss and review the writings we produced on the previous evenings.   The all-female class certainly affected the dynamics.  By the end of the week, we were creating a bond.  We had shared a lot of our personal histories, in many cases more than we’ve communicated with family and friends.

Big Bay Town Park

Madeline Island has a long history.  First inhabited hundreds of years ago by the Ojibwe (Ojibway) Indians, French fur traders followed them in 1659 and then, British and American fur traders, missionaries and commercial fishermen.  The local museum in La Pointe offers an extensive collection of historical items and a film that squeezes the last 400 years of history into a 20-minute snapshot of the islands’ past.

Multiple small galleries around town display and offer for sale the creative talents of the islanders.  Woods Hall Craft Shop, a few blocks away from the center of town, presented the most diverse and original jewelry, pottery, rugs, fabric and more.  I’m always swept away by the number of incredibly talented people and this shop was a prime example. 

Madeline Island Ferry

Finishing our trip on the island with a lovely campfire on Saturday evening, we hustled the following morning to make it to town for the 8 A.M. ferry.  Not that we needed to worry.  On this cloudy, chilly morning, no one was coming to or leaving the island.