Monday, June  23, 2014

7:00 AM we drive a few miles and cross into Wisconsin again and the Central Time Zone.   We want to visit the Northern Great Lakes Visitor’s Center,  but it doesn’t open till 9:00, so we go back to Ironwood and McDonalds for breakfast and some wi-fi. 

Took this shot of a lone fisherman on Chequamegon Bay.  He noticed me taking photos and we exchanged waves.  It is still foggy this morning but close to 60.

Saw this snapping turtle on the approach to the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center – they tell us it is a female and that they are moving around looking for places to lay eggs.  Positively prehistoric looking!

The Visitors Center is nicely done, with a short film and lots of displays. 

They identify the purple/pink/white flowers we’ve been seeing as lupines – a relative of our Texas bluebonnet.  As with bluebonnets, many are growing wild and it seems that people have planted and encouraged them in other areas.  We are told they are a welcome sign of Spring here, as the Bluebonnets are in Texas a few months earlier.

Next stop is Houghton Falls Nature Preserve and Echo Dells.  A beautiful place!  The trail goes through the Dells canyon area, past a waterfalls and then to a lovely point on Lake Superior.  The air temperature is almost 60 and at the point we find two young women swimming!!  Brrrrr…. They are obviously locals – or Canadians!

Stop at a Fish Hatchery with a neat old building but not much happening. 

We decide we would like to take the Boat excursion to the Apostle Islands tomorrow (missed today’s departure), so we will camp nearby tonight.  We stop at the Apostle Island National Lakeshore Info Center in Bayfield and learn a little about this group of 21 islands. 

Also near Bayfield are  a lot of orchards and we read of a place that sells apple cider donuts, which were recommended by someone in Wisconsin at the pancake breakfast we went to on Memorial Day.  So we head out to Erickson’s Orchard and Market and they had me at the smell. 

Definite scratch ‘n’ sniff winner as we enter the market to heavenly smell of baked goods.  The apple cider donuts are the most wonderful donuts (warm even) ever!!

We try one, then end up buying half a dozen, saving 4 for tomorrow’s breakfast at the boat.    The apple trees had just dropped their blossoms and had the beginnings of fruit forming.

Stopped at another Orchard called Hauser’s. 

Both places were expecting strawberries to be “in” any day, but they are a few weeks later than normal.  Hauser’s had a few interesting items, like the self-kicker and John’s Hat collection, as well as local wines, preserves, and goo-gaws.

We head to the Little Sand Bay campground which is popular with kayakers.  It is run by a town but is adjacent to the National Lakeshore. We watch a film at their Hdq and look around an old Fish Camp that was run by three brothers for 40 years beginning in1927. Spend a little time talking with a couple from Thunder Bay, Ontario, ( Wendy and Joe), who are about our age and are kayakers.  They have a bigger motor home and are interested in touring the Trek as they are considering down-sizing.  We join them at their campfire a little later.

Nice sunset. 

 Beth made chicken fajitas for dinner, complete with avocado.  Tasty!