We were really anxious to experience Lake Superior from a kayak - and the Apostle Islands came highly recommended by our friends, Lori and Stu. So Richie made arrangements with Living Adventures, Inc. for the boats and we drove into Bayfield to the National Park Service to reserve campsites on 4 islands and to pick-up the necessary permits.
With a few days before our planned adventure, we decided to hop on the ferry (with our bikes!) to Madeline Island.
Madeline is one of 22 of the Apostle Islands, named after Madeleine Cadotte, daughter of Chief White Crane (Ojibwe) and wife of fur trader Michael Cadotte. The town has a population of 220 people in the winter and 2,500 in the summer. With no school on the island, students must take the ferry (spring and summer until the water freezes) or take windsleds or the ice road (when ready) to the school in Bayfield (across the water 2.3 miles).
The picture above is of the Madeline ferry. It was built in 1984 and can carry up to 20 vehicles. We rode on the Island Queen, which was built in 1966 and can hold up to 15 vehicles. Today's ride, it was hauling an 18-wheeler. We must admit, it was a little scary to be on the boat when the truck was loading. The captain had to push the boat against the dock while the truck drove on, or the truck would have pushed the boat away from the dock and slipped into the water from the increased weight and pressure. The truck also had to be perfectly in the middle of the boat for proper balance and efficiency for the ferry.
We landed at La Pointe, which is the "city" at the ferry landing - similar to Winslow on Bainbridge Island. In fact, Madeline Island is similar in size to Bainbridge Island. Unlike Mackinac Island in Michigan, Madeline Island allows motorized vehicles.
We instantly sensed the "island" vibe with free-thinking, hippie-type folks, but a strong knit community. These islanders really depend on each other, especially in the winter when services are little or none at all and it is just plain frigid on Lake Superior. We imagine this is what Bainbridge Island felt like 20 years ago, except for the snow and ice bridge.
We did a lot of biking on the island - getting away from the tiny "downtown" and out where the rest of the islanders live. Unfortunately, we discovered rows of second (and expensive!) homes that had just emptied with the close of summer.
Our Route: Starting at the ferry landing, traveled southeast on South Shore Drive passing through the downtown area and by the yacht club with all of its fancy sail boats. Then we connected to County Road H and took that into Big Bay State Park (no entrance fee for bikes - - I was so excited about this!). We then took Black Shanty Road (also called County Road H) up to the tip of the island. Unfortunately, there was serious road construction which forced us to do a U-turn just before we hit the dirt North Shore Road.
My favorite memory was when we were biking back to "town" on the hilly portion of County Road "H." I was up front and Richie was immediately behind me. We were just discussing how I am a sprinter and he is an endurance guy. As we headed up the hill, Richie zoomed past me laughing and saying "I am feeling this hill." and just went up, up, up - leaving me in the dust, completely. Earlier in the day, I made a promise of ice cream after our bike ride, but I took it back at that point, yelling with a big smile on my face "No ice cream for you!"
Richie's favorite memory was our close encounter with the Bear kind! Somewhere along our route, as we were riding and talking, we spotted the little furry guy crossing the road about 30 yards ahead. Unfortunately he crossed too quickly for us to get the camera out.
After dinner, we played tourist and enjoyed reading the hundreds of quotations and admiring the unique and clever artwork at Tom's Burned Down Cafe.
There are no written histories of the place, but a photographic montage instead. It appears the cafe originated as Leona's Cafe - a small structure wheeled into town - boasting incredible outdoor concerts. It burned and the name was changed to Leona's Burned Down Cafe. Then, I'm not sure when, it seems that Tom (whoever he is) took over and began adding bits of wisdom and art to the place.
To see the photographic history of Tom's Burned Down Cafe, click here.
Meet Henry - our new found friend from Madeline Island.And if you are interested in learning more about Madeline Island, click here.
Note: All photos were taken with a Kodak Easyshare M893 IS Digital Camera.
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