Looking For The North Woods-Part 4

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Monday, July 02, 2007

We got up. We went to Sam’s. We went to a coffee place. I went to a museum. We left Minnesota. We found a National Forest Campground. We ate. Nan Lou beat me by one point. (This was Ham’s entry for today. He is very tired. I will now write the true log entry to the best of my ability.)

We had to be up, dressed, and on our way before nine A.M. This is always a chore for us. Perhaps we can sleep in tomorrow. The thing is Ham noticed low tires last night. He dug out his little thing that inflates them and one was still down a little this morning. So, it was off to Sam’s to be first in line, if possible, to see what the trouble was.

It’s a good thing we got there early because to look at one tire the men seemed to walk around a lot and did very little looking. Also, customers kept pouring in. Ham prowled around like a tiger in a cage looking at tires and, I think, hoping to let the walkers in the garage know that he was still around. I gave it up after a while and went looking at books and stuff; and, of course, that’s when everything was finished. It seems we had a nail. No charge! Good luck! We were in a town with a Sam’s, and we got the tire fixed fairly readily. And, we bought the new Evanovich book and Hammie found a pair of cargo shorts that sort of fit his criteria.

Then, we went down to the coffee shop with wi fi for a very poor bagel and a fairly decent cup of decaf. Hamilton hooked up to the internet easily and took care of a lot of business. Then, I wanted to go back to Target to look at a pair of white jeans on sale. They didn’t fit.

Finally, at long last, we were ready to leave town. This was accomplished with little difficulty by the Master Driver. I remarked that for a very small town, Duluth certainly had a lot of freeway overpasses. Be that as it may, we crossed the river and, Voila!, we were in Wisconsin once again.

Heading toward Bayfield where Ham is salivating at the thoughts of a fish boil, he spotted a building with a sign proclaiming it was a WWII history museum. Now, you know he couldn’t pass that up, so he did a quick u-ey, and went in to investigate. I passed, preferring to lounge in the LER.

After his history lesson about a local war hero, which is what the whole museum was dedicated to, we again headed toward Bayfield.

The temperature kept dropping to the low fifties. It was rainy and cold all day.

We stopped at a town campground and were appalled at the twenty-dollar cost. So, being chintzy we surged ever onward. Ham looked up the directions to a National forest campground and we went bravely forward. Actually the directions turned out to be pretty good. I thought the place would be full but we found a site right away. Perhaps the lousy weather had something to do with that.

It is the Birch Lake Campground and the lake looked like it had green algae all over the surface. But close inspection revealed a layer of water lilies, some of which were in bloom. I think Ham’s pictures turned out very well.

A brief rest; a LER meal; the aforementioned game of Scrabble; and the day has come to an end. nl


Tuesday, July 03, 2007

The cold and rain of yesterday changed into a rather nice night. It was pretty comfy and I threw the red bag off pretty quickly. I kept hearing a noise that I thought sounded like the call of a whippoorwill but I wasn’t too sure. I don’t know what else it could have been though, since it was wheep-perrr-wheell over and over. Later I heard an indescribable sound which might have been a moose calling Mrs. Moose, a coyote, or some new grunge music. Maybe it was a dog barking at the invisible moon.

We got up about 10:30 and were on our way at 11:00. I checked the computer map and tried to remember a name and a number so we could find our way out of the myriad of forest roads. Luck was with me and we made it to the highway and were soon into Washburn, Wisconsin. Their coffee shop only served sweets and pre-made sandwiches so we continued on our way through town finally finding a place we passed twice with a forgettable cutesy name that smelled so much of grease that the cigarette smoke was almost overcome. They had an exciting, heart stopping, menu and I couldn’t resist a concoction of hash browns, cheese, ham, tomatoes, and peppers. It was good. Nice Nan ate and egg and toast.

The next stop was a bookstore that was better than the overrated ones in Stillwater; we actually bought two books followed by three galleries, one of which had pretty nice stuff for a co-op. I asked a couple of auto places about my Check Engine light and got no help, no how.

Onward to Bayfield and the hordes of those nasty tourists and vacationers where we found another bookstore. It was what I think a used bookstore should look like, a jumble of all kinds of books in a functional but haphazard system. I didn’t finish looking and might return tomorrow.

Hunger hit, sort off, and we ate at a near the water restaurant which had pretty good victuals even though they were deadly. I have to stop this indiscriminate eating. By then we were tired and stopped at a local campground that wanted $24 in cash, such backwardness I have never seen. Then we went north a few miles to the Red Cliff Indian reservation, which had a casino, campground, and marina. Since the campground was just across from the casino we figured that freebie casino camping was a no-no and signed up for a $20 primitive site. It is pretty nice and fairly private with a little view of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands where we have camped in the past but are too cheap to take the ferry to and pay Wisconsin’s exorbitant camp fees. One could say, “Been there-done that” but, cheap is the name of the game.

I believe we will return to Bayfield tomorrow where Nan Lou saw a gallery or two and I have books to look at. Maybe we can find a good old Yiddish breakfast somewhere, I doubt it though. How can these people get along without Einstein’s, Noah’s, or Panera’s? It is just so discouraging I could spit. Awrkk petoooie splatt. So there. hb


Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Wow, it is the Fourth of July! I didn’t see a parade or hear a firecracker, except for a few small bangs the Red Cliff Rez. It was pretty warm in the LER this morning and we were on the road back to Bayfield by 10:00.

The sun was shinning and the lake was blue like the sky and not all gray like yesterday. The ride into Bayfield had some nifty vistas of the lake and the Apostle Islands and the many ferry and excursion boats running back and forth. There was also a large contingent of sailboats sailing, what else, about the bay just like yesterday. There were so many small ones I bet there was some kind of sailing club having a regatta. Does anyone else have regattas?

I had no hope of a nice breakfast but Nan Lou spotted a deli not far from our parking place near the center of town. They didn’t have any bagels; whatever is the matter with these Cheese Heads up here? They did have cranberry scones and the best coffee we’ve had in a long time. The cranberries in the scones were tasteless, but the scones were pretty good anyway. We tried a blueberry scone that had a lot of blue showing, but its blueberries were tasteless too. Nan Lou did say she detected a blue taste, but I think the coloring swayed her. All in all, it wasn’t a bad breakfast. I wondered where the people flocking to Bayfield called home since there seemed to be a few loudmouth women that I pegged as Chicagoans, but Nan Lou reminded me that Milwaukee and Madison probably had a goodly bunch of souls up here.

We stopped in a couple of galleries and I was really taken by a local watercolorist who did street scenes with many large buildings in colorful washes and small people walking about in their shadows. I thought the most striking were the tall vertical ones matching the buildings. Nan Lou urged me to get one, but she wouldn’t get her colorful trees from yesterday’s gallery, so there you have it. We saved about $600 there. That feels good!

When Nan Lou was looking at something I didn’t care about I looked into the fish boil place. Sure enough it was the place we ate at 15-20 years ago and they were taking reservations for tonight. They have room for 40 and they were up to 25. As I remember, back then we just walked up, went in, and ate our boiled whitefish and veggies.

I returned to the bookstore and any book I might have wanted was much too expensive for it’s condition and edition. One more trip around the block and we headed out of Bayfield.

Soon we were in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and we needed gas. I hadn’t felt like stopping in Wisconsin for gas even though Miss Smarty Pants reminded me that Michigan always has higher gas prices than anyone. We stopped at Mickey’s for their little chicken delights and a fruit and apple thing for Miss SP before the gas and tried to figure out where we were going. I think we made a decision but that changed when we finally stopped for the $3.13 gasoline. Our choices were a state park on our route which would cost $25 to $30 or a backtrack of 20 miles to a national forest campground. We took the latter and it was a “Good Thing.” It is on the shore of Lake Superior that is at the bottom of a really high cliff accessible via a 150 foot path through the woods, the Northwoods, that is. And therein lies a problem. We had been searching for the North Woods this whole trip and thought we had found it. But these woods really look different, taller deciduous trees, a whole different undergrowth beneath the canopy, and we did see a sign about someplace with Northwoods in the name. It is all too confusing for me, but I think we have found both, the North Woods, and the Northwoods. Even though Word refuses to honor the latter spelling. Back to the campground, Black River something or other, when we got here we were surprised to find it three quarters empty we thought it might have been totally full and we would have to head for the state park or some private place. Nan Lou had made the final decision to head here since we, after all, the intrepid explorers of previously found land, are out doing our exploring thing.

A wee snack, a wee rest, computer time, and maybe a Scrabble game to come, will make our day complete. I lost by many, many points last night and not the one point of the previous night. My time cometh!!!!! Oh my, we just had a very small rain fall. I have stashed the red bag under the bed; Nan Lou has warned me that if it gets cold I might be “Out In The Cold.” So be it. hb


Thursday, July 05, 2007

It was a nice woodsy site and by the time we woke up the neighbors on each side had pulled up stakes and left.

As we were dressing, Ham asked me to look at something on his hip. Yikes! It looked suspicious, but without glasses I wasn’t sure of what I thought I was seeing. Getting the specs on my nose; and, sure enough, there was a tick. Ham was surprised and seemed not to believe that he could have a tick! I doused the thing really well with Purel Hand Cleaner, hoping to smother him, and using tweezers, I pulled him right off. It must have been there since the walk in the woods yesterday. Ham finally figured out that he probably got it when he knelt in the undergrowth to take a flower picture. For me, I must add! Anyway, he was tick free; but we gave each other a head inspection before starting out.

I had asked where the road went if we had continued on and Ham said, “Nowhere, we were at the end of it.” So, he took us exploring and sure enough we were almost at the end. There was a restored fishing boat built sometime in the ‘30’s in a very nicely mowed park like area. There was a shelter, a boat ramp leading to an area with the breakwaters we saw yesterday, and a concession stand that we didn’t visit.

Then, going back toward civilization I spotted the big ski jump thing and wanted to go see it. They seem to call it “ski flying” not jumping, around here. It is supposed to be the highest in the world, or something. Anyway, you had to go up on a ski lift going up a very steep cliff. Not for me! So, we said that we had seen it from the road and it was time to be on our way.

On the main road there was a town called Bessemer and we were very hopeful about finding something to ward off the wolf in our tummies. We were delighted to find a Bakery/restaurant that looked nice. There wasn’t a parking place to be had. Circling around, Ham found one with a short walk. The place was very nice, but we had the bad luck to get in line behind a party of seven. Tables were shoved together to accommodate and this took time. Then, when it was our turn, all the empty tables had been reserved.
The chief cook and bottle washer told us we could wait for a table. “How long,” I wondered. He said about fifteen minutes. Ham said, “No way” and we went on our way. The two ladies who came in behind us seemed delighted to wait fifteen minutes.

On down the road, Hammie admitted to being hungry for a change. Finally we came to Antonio’s in Bergland. Here, I had an egg sandwich because it was too late for breakfast. Now I have to ask, it they put a scrambled egg on toast, why couldn’t they have put said egg on a plate with the toast on the side? North woods people have no sense, that’s why!
Ham had a pasty; and it was the best we have ever eaten. He did share a few paltry bites with me. The crust was nice and flaky and it had potatoes, meat, and turnips (which I learned make an authentic pasty) and a few carrots. Unfortunately, the delectable local specialty dish repeated on Ham on into the afternoon. Also, Unfortunately, we gave in and each of us had a piece of pie.

Stopping at the grocery next door we picked up some necessary supplies and on we went!

We went up to the Porcupine State Park near Silver City and walked the beach on a lovely day with temperatures around 70 degrees. The lake was lovely and the sky blue with alien clouds overhead and a semi-deserted beach, it really couldn’t be beat. We amused ourselves looking for heart rocks.

It was time to start thinking about where to spend the night. Even with crawling, attacking ticks, you can’t beat the six dollar price at the National Forest Campgrounds.
Not too far away was the Lake Courtney Campground and we headed directly there. It was lovely to find it was only five dollars. How frugal we are!

Since this is a holiday week we were amazed that the place seemed completely deserted.
All the campers were clustered together at the turnaround at the end of the road. Ham found a very nice site that not only looks out over the lake, but also has a view of a small pond with blooming water lilies.

So, it was time for a read, a rest, and for Hammie, a nap.

Now, it might be time for a snack; and possibly a game? Who knows? The ticks in the woods, perhaps! nl

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Photos

Puny North Woods
If this is the vaunted North Woods, I'll eat your hat. Looks like Georgia to me. Nice sky though.

P-38
A WWII museum dedicated to Richard I. Bong, a fighter ace of WWII. This is a restored P-38 similar to one flown by him. His nose art was a painting of his wife Marge.

Same old P-38
Bong was one of several war heroes who died during aircraft testing shortly after the war. He was testing one of those new-fangled jets at the time.

International docks.
It's a long way to the ocean from Duluth, but many freighters make the trip through four of the Great Lakes. I was surprised to see so many containers from China off loaded onto trains.

One water lily flower.
This campground had a nice lake with lots of water lilies.

Five water lily flowers.
See, like I said, lots of water lilies.

Trees
Hey, it's the North Woods, what do ya expect! I kept looking for Indians and their Birch bark canoes. I saw one on a jet ski the other day.

Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Looking toward the Apostle Islands from Bayfield's main street. We could've gone to a campground on one of the islands, but we did that many years ago. Maybe next time.

Bessemer, Wisconsin.
Is that like the Cole Porter song, Bessemer Mucho. A linguist I ain't, can you tell? Several buildings had their backside painted like this one. Some of the fronts could have used it too.

Lake Superior
Way off in the boonies we found this campground with a great view. It is the Black River something-or-other and due north of Bessemer.

Now, that's a hat.
Tried to take a pix of the lake and those darn old farts popped up again. A rather handsome couple though, eh what?

Flower, red.
I crouched down to take a close-up of the pretty flower and was attacked by a tick which was removed by Nurse Nan a little later.

Flower, yellow.
Maybe it was the yellow flower that led me into the tick ambush. The tick was kind of cute when he was rescued from overfeeding on my blood. We released him in true sportsman like fashion.