Traditionally we've taken fall trips to the scenic North-Central region of Pennsylvania. We love the fall colors, plus it's my birthday, and also around our wedding anniversary. Unfortunately driving for fourteen hours in a jeep loaded with gear, the family, and a canoe seemed like a little much.
Instead we drove to the northern most part of Wisconsin in order to take a ferry to Madeline Island. There we camped out in Big Bay State Park. The weather turned out to be rather windy, and it rained every night, but it all worked out. Our campsite was nestled in a thick patch of woods that protected us from the winds, and the rain helped lull us to sleep. Also, we had the entire section to ourselves which made the experience a little more special.
Freja loved to "adventure" on her own on the animal trails that surrounded us. She'd often try to sneak out, and then slip back, trying to surprise us. Of course, we'd act all frightened when we heard her "Cheetah" snarls and growls. An owl also paid us a visit as it hunted prey among the ferns. It wasn't bothered by us at all, and Freja followed it along as it moved from perch to perch. The sound of the nearby waves hitting the beach also helped mask sound, allowing us to view deer up close.
During the days we'd explore some of the more natural areas. There's a nice boardwalk that runs along the natural bay. To one side there's a beach with grass covered dunes. To the other a boreal forest extends away from the lake with a large lagoon. We'd hoped to do some canoeing but the winds were just too strong. There're also some great rocky shores which were being pounded by large waves coming off of Lake Superior. You could feel the impacts through the soles of your feet!
We did take the ferry back to the mainland for one day. We coincidentally planned our trip when Bayfield was having it's 52nd Annual Apple Festival. The highlights for Freja were getting to ride the tilt-a-whirl, and playing with the traditional Indian dancers she made friends with. For Teri & I it was the hot lunch with the draft beers. Although the place we had lunch at tried to pull a fast one attempting to charge us for 3x the beer that we actually ordered. Always check those receipts!
The ferry trip back from the festival was especially exciting as gale force winds came howling across the bay, causing over four foot swells. One of the three ferries apparently was damaged by said waves! Naturally, Freja enjoyed the very choppy ride whilst both Teri & I had our brains shaken up.
While we'd planned on staying through Sunday, due to impending storms we left early Saturday. It's a good thing too as really heavy rains hit us almost the entire eight hour drive south. We're thinking we'll return to the island, though we may try a little earlier in the season.
