Day 17: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (no kayaking...)

Last night we crossed the Eastern/Central time zone and realized it was much later expected, so we pulled over and camped in the Squirrel Rapids Picnic Area, halfway between the Apostle Islands (WI) and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (MI). We were up early to the sound of lawn mowing all around us. After a quick stop at a farmstand for veggies and breakfast, we drove across much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (the UP) on Route 28. 

At Pictured Rocks we attempted to find a campsite at the Twelvemile Beach Campground (I'm pretty sure this is where Marika and I stayed 3 years ago), but all the sites were full (on a Monday!). Instead, we headed a bit further east to the Upper Hurricane River campground and snagged a big site where we cooked up an extravagant veggie-full burrito lunch. 

Our site at Upper Hurricane River campground

Food coma overtook us and I sprawled out on the beach for an hour while Jeff went exploring (food comas affect us all in different ways). One lesson I've learned on this trip is that I am no longer capable of reading a novel. Goal #10 for my year of sabbatical: manage to finish reading a novel without falling asleep.

 

Excited about clean hair

We decided to stop being beach-bums and drive to Grand Marais, passing Grand Sable Lake on the way. West Side Diner had immediate ice cream potential. Immediate sensory overload overcame us upon entering the diner. Shelves of steaming baked goods were interspersed with quality touristy trinkets. The diner was busy, so we sat at the counter in the diner car before eventually ordering (1) apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, (2) cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting, (3) chocolate ice cream. Yes, we were craving sugar. Day 16 was clearly lacking in calories, because sugary things were on our minds all day. 

Sucker River Lagoon outlet

Feeling slightly sick, we decided to get some exercise. First, we drove to Sucker River Lagoon, at the end of a long residential road, and went for a brief beach walk. We had to hop over a few Private Property signs to reach the beach. Next, we hiked to Sable Falls and the adjacent beach (very easy hike down massive new staircase) before walking the Grand Sable Dunes trail and taking silly shadow photos from the top of the massive dunes. The dunes here are made of incredibly fine orange-reddish sand.

Grand Sable Falls

Dune slide at the end of the Grand Sable Falls trail

We then made another U-turn to Grand Marais to have a beer and people-watch at the Lake Superior Brewing Company. We impulsively decided to visit the Log Slide – the essence of which eluded us. A brief walk through the woods brought us to a massive steep sandy cliff where logs used to be slid down a wooden chute to the lake. Rumor has it that the chute was so long that extensive friction caused it to catch fire. To the east were massive untouched sand dunes basking in the warm evening sun. Signs everywhere warned of dune collapse that buried and suffocated previous visitors. It said “it takes 5 minutes to get down and over an hour to get back up.” Needless to say, we did not go down.

View of massive dunes from the Log Slide Outlook

Now we’re back at camp – I chopped veggies for a breakfast stir-fry and Jeff made a campfire that we are now enjoying. We are a little sad that we did not sea kayak here, but the rental shops were expensive and far away. Kayaking on Lake Michigan tomorrow!

Day 16: Sea Caves at Sand Island (Apostle Islands)

There are 21 Apostle Islands in Lake Superior (on the southwest corner), which were named by French missionaries after the 12 apostles (they clearly couldn't see all 21 islands). The islands were formed by wind wave erosion between ice ages, and were glaciated repeatedly after that. Terraces and wave cut platforms suggest that water levels used to be higher in Lake Superior. Of particular interest are the sea caves found on many of the islands. The Devils Island Formation geology is a red sandstone that formed from rivers depositing sediment thousands of years ago. The sea caves form when waves erode and undercut the base of the cliffs.

See the Apostle Islands on the SW corner of Lake Superior (in the Wisconsin portion)

Today Jeff and I had a chance to explore the sea caves of the Apostle Islands. We left Mike and Tonia's house at 8:30am and headed into Bayfield for some coffee at Big Water Coffee Roasters (also where I happen to be sitting at this very moment). We continued to Little Sand Bay where we unloaded boats and ate breakfast. Car after car loaded with expensive sea kayaks arrived and began unloading. One fellow paddler noticed my Greenland paddle and invited us to attend a Greenland-style camp in Minnesota.

Little Sand Bay harbor

We aimed for the western tip of Sand Island and began the ~2 mile crossing. The lake was calm, and we zipped across in 40 minutes. A horsefly insisted on buzzing in our ears/faces repeatedly. We hugged the shore for a couple hours, discovering our first sea caves on the north side of the island. A family of common mergansers (beautiful brown/gray ducks) perched on a rock withdrew from us a series of "ooooooo"s and "awwww!!"s.

Jeff thinking, "I'm not in Colorado anymore."

Jeff in sea cave

Nena in sea cave

More sea caves

At the northeast point of the island stands the Sand Island Lighthouse, which was first lit in 1881. It was built from sandstone quarried on-site. Unlike many of the other islands, Sand Island maintained a small population of year-round residents (farmers and fisherman). 4 years after the lighthouse was built, the lighthouse keeper paddled several miles into Lake Superior to save the entire crew of the flaming steamer, Prussia.

The Sand Island Lighthouse

We stopped for a short lunch break on some flat rocks on the west side of the island (mmmm champagne dill mustard). Jeff made friends with an ant while I basked in the sun. On the return crossing we encountered some cross-winds and choppy waves, but the breeze and spray was refreshing (and not salty!). We arrived with spare time for showers before returning Pierre, the yellow sea kayak, to the rental shop. Some of the employees noticed my BASK bumper sticker and said they were familiar with the Bay Area sea kayaking group. 

Back at the coffee shop, Jeff caved and purchased a Sugarbush Latte, which contains local maple syrup. YUM

Date: August 3rd, 2014

Distance: 13.5 miles

Time: 4.5 hrs

Day 15: Bismarck, Baggage, Bayfield, and Bud Light Lime

Early morning #5 billion. After a near miscommunication mishap with the Bismarck baggage agents, I successfully picked up (stole? it was so easy...) Jeff’s luggage before heading east to Fargo. We arrived within a few minutes of each other and booked it across the state of Minnesota in an attempt to arrive at the kayak shop by 4pm. 9 hours later, we arrived at Living Adventures Inc kayak rentals in time to pick up Pierre, the yellow Canadian Current Designs Storm. In Bayfield, we grocery shopped and discovered that Wisconsinites don't eat hummus or pitas (disaster!!!). Walking back to the car, we commented on the intense humidity to which neither of us is accustomed. We went for a 2 hour evening paddle, launching from the Apostle Islands Harbor and paddling south along the peninsula to Pikes Bay. The sandstone cliffs here are nearly vertical and bright red.

At Pikes Bay we found a breakwater constructed out of old train cars filled with boulders. Over time, they have filled in with sand, fostering a community of small birch trees. We floated in a small meadow of stiff green grasses before heading back to Bayfield. 

Breakwater made of old train cars filled with boulders

Back at the marina, we made a delicious spaghetti veggie dinner. I decided to pour half of my bowl on the parking lot... 5-second rule! Jeff enjoyed (?) his first Bud Light Lime. 

Cooking spaghetti and veggies at the Apostle Islands Marina

We’re currently camping in a yard in Washburn owned by my friend John’s cousins. They live in a beautiful house in the woods with a couple dogs and cats. We only chatted with Mike briefly since we arrived rather late, but it’s super nice here. If only I had fixed the marmot-hole in my tent, through-which mosquitos like to flock!

Date: August 2nd, 2014

Distance: 6 miles

Time: 2 hrs