Over Labor Day, we ventured up to the Wisconsin shores of Lake Superior. I’d never been to the Apostle Islands and was intrigued with hardscrabble island life after visiting Maine. We stayed in an over-decorated, tiny house in Ashland. The architecture of that little town was a treat unto itself.
For this first trip, we weren’t brave enough to try kayaking out to and around the islands, so instead, we took our bikes on the ferry out to Madeline Island for the day. We biked all of the paved roads and hiked all of the trails. We then discovered, after not packing enough food and it being Covid and all, that there was no place to get food. So, we headed back to the mainland, both hangry and filled.
Other highlights:
Chequamegon Books in Washburn. We spent hours, and over $100, as this used bookshop. After months of not traveling and a year of no-purchasing, it was a treat to find this well-curated, huge shop.
Tetzner’s Dairy. The owner of Chequamegon Books pointed us a couple of miles out of town to this honor-system dairy farm. For $3, we got a quart of ice cream right off the farm. It was oddly full of preservatives and not the best ice cream, but I’d still recommend a trip.
Strolling downtown Ashland. While Bayfield and Madeline Island get all the spotlight, Ashland, which is about a 30-minute drive from Bayfield, had its own charms. Black Cat Coffeehouse delivered a good breakfast.
Ashland, Wisconsin Photo Essay
