Vacation in Bayfield, Wisconsin! The Apostle Islands!



I had never heard of Bayfield, Wisconsin until the news coverage several years ago of the huge storm that took out the vendors that were participating in the Bayfield Festival of Arts. Here is a blog post and photos of the catastrophe. I had always wanted to visit the annual art fair and this turned out to be the year we went. It was a win win for us, art for me and photography for Rocketman.

If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of bed and breakfast establishments and found a beautiful one in Bayfield. It was called the Old Rittenhouse Inn. It was conveniently located to downtown Bayfield so we didn't need to drive at all. The building was beautiful with plenty of parking in the rear.

The first thing we saw as we exited our car was this. It always reminds us of South Korea.

There were lots of steps to get to our room. The steps to our room are on the left of this picture. It was worth the climb.

             Here are some photos of our room. As you can see, we like to "rough it" when traveling.

The first stop after checking in and getting settled was feeding Rocketman. We chose Maggie's which was just a couple blocks away. They say you just have to try the white fish livers but I was too scared. Instead I had the kimchi burger. The kimchi turned out to be more like sauerkraut but I still liked it a lot.

We saw this bicycle at the side of a bicycle repair shop as we made our way to Maggie's. We had to eat dinner quickly because I had booked a boat tour of the Apostle Islands which started at 5:30 pm. I booked through Apostle Island Cruises. We arrived at the dock about five to ten minutes before 5:30 to find a huge line of people. We were the last to board when the ship arrived.

As the line started to board, Rocketman found an IPhone someone had left on the dock. We found the owner, a gentleman who's wife let him know what she thought of his forgetfulness. She also was surprised that he got the phone back. She said that a lost phone would have never been returned in St. Louis where they were from. I hope that isn't true but she now is a firm believer in "Minnesota Nice."

The boat held about 100 people and there was 50 to 60 in our group. The top of the boat quickly filled so we made our way into the lower level. It turned out to be the best choice. It was a pretty warm day but I know how cold Lake Superior is so I had layers just in case.

We had a quick introduction by our captain, "Frosty" and a safety demonstration much like you would find on an airplane and off we went. Captain Frosty spent his whole life on the islands and was very knowledgeable sharing many stories. I'm a history buff so I loved every minute of it. 

      They also had a couple of co-captains who offered snacks during the 3 1/2 hour tour.

        Bayfield is such a beautiful town. It reminded me a lot of Duluth with it's hills and old homes.

                  We did the Grand Tour which took you to the main or most interesting islands.

The remains of a homestead. The Apostle Island is now a national park but at one time families owned several islands. There was quite a dispute at the time when the government made good on their "eminent domain" policy. Captain Frosty also told us that at one time the islands had no trees as the trees were cut down for commerce.

 

 

This was the Manitou Fishing Camp where in the 1930's - 1950's you could come and learn the art of fishing from the masters.  

 The most popular island for the photographer is Devil's Island. It is the northernmost point of land in Wisconsin. It's sandstone cliffs are just beautiful.

                       Then add the sea caves and it is no wonder this island is such a draw.

 

 

  

                                                      Yes, I took about a bazillion photos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

                                      Captain Frosty also came around answering questions. 

                                             Raspberry Island Lighthouse. Built in 1863.

 I highly recommend this tour if you want to see the islands. I also suggest that you dress appropriately meaning lots of layers. Most of the upper deck ended up with us in the lower deck due to the cold temperatures. Lake Superior is 32 degrees and even the air is chilly especially as the sun goes down. We got in at 9 pm which was dusk and it was cold. I even ended up with Rocketman's jacket on.

            he Creamery - Beer, Wine and Spirits. Here I thought it was milk and cheese products.

                             We also had a meal at this wonderful restaurant called The Fat Radish.

                                         We got our lunch to go and ate it in our room.

                  This was a turkey and bacon wrap. I only managed to eat half. It was delicious.

                        Rocketman had the Cuban and said it was the best he had ever eaten.

                                                    A view out of one of our windows.

My choice for breakfast at the Old Rittenhouse was the herbed eggs. It was so good.

 

Rocketman had the French toast.

The dining room is so lovely. Tomorrow I'll share the Art Fair with you.