B and D – On the Road

We are back in Wisconsin again, in the town of Bayfield.

Bayfield

We came here so we would have an opportunity to visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Apostle Islands consists of 22 islands and are know for their impressive sea caves. We had earlier arranged for an evening grand tour which was a 3 hour boat tour around some of the islands and out to the sea caves on Saturday. Fortunately Bruce had been monitoring the weather and noticed the forecast called for rain on Saturday so Friday afternoon we drove down to the boat tour office and they exchanged our tickets for the Friday trip. We went back to the motor coach and packed some sandwiches, snacks and water and headed back to the boat. They do sale a few snacks on the boat but told us we were welcome to bring on food and drinks.

I think they should have limited the drinks to non-alcoholic drinks. Some of our fellow tour group had a little too much to drink before we returned from a planned 3 hour tour that took closer to 4 hours.

We bundled up so we would be able to ride on the top deck, not only did we have on our wind breakers we had fleece vest on under the jackets and a pair of gloves might have been a good addition. We are riding on the top level of a boat going around 15 miles per hour with a 25 mile per hour wind blowing straight at us for the first part of the trip and the temperature was probably around 50 degrees, we were cold. In the safety training we learned that the water is 45 degrees at the surface and 38 degrees if you should jump in the water and go down about 10 feet. We were advised that if we had to exit the boat in an emergency that we should gently roll off the side (after putting on the life vest) into the water and not jump in going down several feet as we would instinctively grasp for air because of the shock of the cold water and if we were several feet under the results would not be good. We were supposed to then huddle together with our knees pulled up to our chest to conserve body heat until they could get the life boats to us or another boat came to the rescue. We were told to not swim towards any of the islands as the cold water would get to us first. Fortunately we did not have to try out any of the instructions.

We were told to watch for lots of wild life, they had seen 10 eagles earlier that day and one of the islands we would be real close to has the highest concentration of black bears of any place in the US. The best time to see wildlife is in the evening or early morning but I guess it was too cold, no one was out posing for us.

The first hour was sort of boring as we just rode on the boat as the guide occasionally told us about the islands we were passing but he was not as entertaining as other guides we have had on tours. Eventually we got to the old Manitou Fish Camp which was a logging and fishing camp started in the 1890s on Manitou Island and it has been preserved as it was when still in use. There is a volunteer, Denise, for the park service that lives at the fish came during the summer months and gives tours. She has a small solar panel to provide electricity for her satellite phone that she keeps for emergencies. She is around 50, has no running water and has to walk a mile each way to access a spring for water. She lives off what she can from the surrounding woods and water, has a wood stove for her cooking and heat plus an outhouse. She must like to be alone because the rest of the year she lives in a similar situation but on her own land in this area. She was off the island at this time as she was hiking across Alaska.

Manitou Fish Camp

Part of Manitou Fish Camp

They are in the process of restoring some of the buildings at the camp with new chinking between the logs. There was a very large number of yellow barrels sitting around the camp and we were told that they were used for hauling off any trash from the island. The tour guide was asked why she created so much trash if she was there by herself and come to find out there is more than normal as they have crews working on the island 4 days a week restoring the buildings and they stay on the island the entire 4 days then go home for 3 days.

Just in front of the island the water is only 2 feet deep and there are buoys marking the area. Our guide say they were out there with a tour group one day last year when someone came speeding up in their boat and ignored the marker, went in close to the island and tore up his boat. He got in his life vest and off the remains of his boat but had his emergency radio to signal for help. He got the captain on the tour boat and wanted him come in and get him. The captain refused and told him that if his small boat could not make it through that shallow water what makes him think their bigger boat would make it. The man was floating in the water with his knees bent up to this chest and the captain suggested he put his legs down straight and stand up and walk himself into shore at the fish camp. The man did and made it to camp as it was not even waist deep in most of the area. Denise, the volunteer at the camp, then called the coast guard to send out someone to rescue him.

While out on the tour we also saw several light houses.

Devils Island Light house by sea caves

Raspberry Island Lighthouse

Eventually we were able to get to the caves on Devils Island which was the whole reason I wanted to go on the trip. You can take a kayak trip into the caves and I thought that might have been interesting. I also had looked into taking a kayak trip when we were at Pictured Rock. Bruce put his foot down for both those suggestions. I told him we had done a 4 hour kayak trip in Alaska in much colder weather so we should be fine, although the one in Pictured Rock was 6 1/2 hours. His concern was the fact that I have had 2 surgeries on my left foot and the stimulator implanted in my back since the Alaska trip and he was not sure how comfortable I might be sitting in a strange kayak. It is one thing to go out for 3 or 4 hours in our kayaks that we have adjusted to fit our needs but another to go out in a strange kayak.

Caves on the smooth side

Caves

Caves

Caves

Caves

Caves

Cave on the side where the water was smooth

The caves were interesting and I would have loved to have seen them when they were filled with ice. Apparently the were still filled with ice in early July of this year. On one side of the island the water was smooth yet when you went around the corner the wind hit and the waves kicked up.

Shore of one of the islands

Eventually got back to the town of Bayfield and had a nice sunset. Found a restaurant that was open and got a hot meal before going back to the motor coach.

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Glad we changed the trip as it has rained all day Saturday, not like Texas is having with the hurricane, but still a cold steady rain. We stayed in and I made homemade soup and did laundry.