Sunday, September 28, 2014

Cloquet, MN to Washburn, WI – September 22-28, 2014

Our last few days in Cloquet were spent preparing for our departure on Wednesday. This included repacking and reloading the trailer, have the brake wiring checked (following the tire blow-out a few weeks back), visiting with Mom for the last time ‘til we return in the spring, fueling the truck, last minute laundry…well, you get the picture. Dick also had his annual physical, and we’re happy to report that all’s well, so I can expect to have him around for the next while, Lord willing.



We finally got everything ready to go so we could “be on the road, again” by 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. We weren’t too concerned about the time since we were traveling less than 100 miles to our next destination: Washburn, WI.

A. Cloquet, MN
B. Washburn, WI

Washburn is located along the western shore of Chequamegon Bay, on the south shore of Lake Superior. A town of just over 2,000 residents, Washburn was founded in 1879 and named for Cadwallader C. Washburn, who was governor of Wisconsin from 1872 to 1874. While the timber industry and an explosives plant had been the basis for the economy there, timber resources soon grew scarce and the explosives plant closed (1971). Now, the town’s economy is focused on the tourist industry.

We arrived around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon, at Memorial Park, located on the northern end of the town. Donated to the town of Washburn by the DuPonts, this beautiful little park is city-owned, and is situated right along the bay. We have electric hookup, WiFi, and cable TV, but no water, so we’re depending on our on-board water supply to see us through our stay.




Our site, #16
The park's pavilion overlooking Lake Superior's Cheqaumagon Bay

Stairway leading from park to the non-existent "beach." Lake Superior
is the highest it's been in 14 years, so swim at your own risk. Note that
the temperatures of Lake Superior vary little from the 40-degree
year-'round temperature, except in shallow areas where it may reach 60 degrees.
We were hungry for a good burger, so we decided to eat out that evening. Our choice was Patsy’s Bar & Grill in downtown Washburn. Opened in the late 1800s, Patsy’s was the place to be. At one time there was a brothel on the second floor, but a fire put an end to that. Patsy’s current owners bought the place in the late 2000s, and completely remodeled it, restoring the original bar and adding a new kitchen. The burgers were fabulous and there wasn’t a speck of grease on the fries. YUM-YUM! Patsy’s is also one of the cleanest restaurants we’ve been in. It’s worth a stop!


Patsy's interior; it's so clean you could almost eat off the floor. Nice.
Dollar bills and playing cards are tacked to the ceiling. When I asked
the waiter about them, he just smiled and said, "Magic." Hmmm...
Thursday we explored the nearby town of Bayfield, one of the tourist destinations in the area. Bayfield, a town of about 500 people, is just north of Washburn about 12 miles. It’s home to the annual Apple Fest, which draws an additional 60,000 people to the town the first weekend in October; the annual Race Week Regatta is also another popular draw over the 4th of July weekend.

Bayfield has a few blocks of boutique shops and coffeehouses, selling pastries filled with the marvelous fruits grown on the ridge above town; fabulous eateries, including Greunke's and Maggies, both which serve whitefish livers sauteed with onions and green peppers (we've been told they're really good...); nature trails along the bay and a restored 1912 iron bridge. Nearby is the Big Top Chautauqua, where foot-stomping musicals about Lake Superior alternate with concerts by nationally known performers. You'll notice that what sets Bayfield apart is what you don't see: fast food or franchise motels, billboards, stoplights or condo complexes. That's due in part to the work of the people who have loved this Lake Superior community over the years. Due to its Scandinavian (mainly Swedish) influence, Bayfield has a lot of this influence throughout the town.

Above and below: Bayfield from the water

We really enjoyed our lunch at Pier Plaza Restaurant, located just adjacent to the town’s marina with access to the ferries and tour boats. Their special soup du’jour was smoked Gouda with shredded chicken and pasta. Need I say more? YUM-YUM-YUM!!! I was unsuccessful in obtaining the recipe, so I guess I’ll need to come up with something on my own.

Pier Plaza Restaurant and their lookout, located right above the marina
After lunch we took advantage of the “Architectural Tour of Bayfield,” a walking tour of the town led by Sven. The tour was 1½ hours of walking the streets of Bayfield, taking note of the history of the town through its buildings and architecture. Very interesting, but be prepared to walk up hill and down while taking in the sites. Bayfield residents have done an excellent job preserving the historic character of the town; a number of buildings and residences are on the National Register of Historic Sites.
Sven, our walking tour guide
Examples of brownstone, quarried right here in Bayfield

The Nelson home, circa 1900, with locally quarried brownstone and
locally fired bricks

A home built by a couple who divorced shortly after moving in; he left,
taking the porch balustrades and railing with him. They have since been replaced.

Le Chateau Boutin, now an inn

Local architecture: 

A Victorian house built and occupied by a former Civil War general


Among other notable attractions, Bayfield is considered the main gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, a favorite destination for sailors, boaters, and kayakers. It’s also the main access to Madeline Island, just across the bay from Bayfield. Ferries shuttle both foot traffic and automobiles across the bay to the island, the largest of the Apostle Islands. Madeline Island is the only island in the chain with year-‘round residents, and offers opportunities for dining, shopping, camping, boating, and golf. A little known fact is that Madeline Island has one of the top ranked art and craft schools in the country: Madeline Island School of the Arts.

Because the weather was going to be so “cooperative,” we opted to take the Grand Tour of the Apostle Islands on Friday. The weathermen were right on: 78°, calm seas, little wind—perfect for a day on the lake. We boarded the Island Princess, one of the 2 tour boats that takes you through the Apostle Islands boarding at 9:40 a.m. and departing at 10 a.m. The cruise allowed us to see most of the 21 Apostle Islands up close and personal. We also saw fabulous rock formations, beaches, historic lighthouses, bald eagles, and sea caves during our 3½ hour cruise. The captains (there were 3 onboard) shared many stories of the Apostle Islands and surrounding area, including the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. So interesting. If at all possible, it’s a cruise not to be missed.



Main dock at Bayfield
Our cruise ship through the Apostle Islands, the Island Princess
The sister ship, the Superior Princess
View towards the stern from our seats 
Blocks of brownstone quarried on Bass Island
One of the bald eagles we saw on the cruise; the
other was a juvenile eagle
A deserted bald eagle nest on Stockton Island.
 Stockton Island is one of the largest of the Apostle Islands.
 Artifacts found on the island suggest that early Woodland Indians
 used this area for their summer camps. And, at one time the island
 had the largest population of black bears of any island in the country.  
A private fish camp on Manitou Island
Shore features on Otter Island
Raspberry Island Light House, first operated during the
1864 navigation season
Shallows warning light secured in a concrete pad,
poured from a concrete truck loaded on a barge.
One of the most spectacular sites of the cruise was the sea caves along the north shore of Devil’s Island. Formed from Lake Superior waters undercutting the shoreline, the caves create moaning sounds from the wind coursing through them. Indians declared the island the home of Matchimanitou, the evil spirit whom Kitchie-Manitouo, the great spirit, had imprisoned there. Wind at 20 mph creates a moaning; at 50 mph the caves whistle or screech; and when the waves block the wind inside the caves, they thunder and boom, reverberating through the island. 





Following our return to the dock, we drove up the hill a few miles to the Apostle Highlands Golf Course, where we were told there were fabulous vistas of the area. Amen!



A stop at one of the local orchard, Hauser’s Superior View Farm, was next on the list, where we purchased apples, corn salsa, and special gifts for friends. The Hauser Farm was begun in 1908, when John Hauser and his family settled in Bayfield. John was a gifted horticulturist, whose gift was growing strawberries and prize-winning potatoes. From there he started growing and selling perennial flowers and strawflowers, which continues today, as one of the largest producers of northern field-grown perennials in the country.

Extra income was needed by the Hauser family during the great depression, so in 1928 he started his first apple orchard. Today, operated by the 3rd, 4th and 5th generations, the Hauser farm has approximately 30 acres and 2,000 trees with a variety of apples: Cortlands, Dudleys, McIntosh and Honeycrisps; they also have a winery which produces apple-based wines and hard ciders; jams, jellies, syrups and salsa made onsite from their home-grown fruit and produce. As a side note, the historic red barn in which they have their retail business was built in the early 1920s of western fir. It was mail ordered from Sears, Roebuck & Co. for $800, shipped by train from out west, hauled up the hill from Bayfield by horse drawn wagons, and assembled by local carpenters. Until the 1950s, the barn originally housed purebred Golden Guernsey cows.

The Great Lakes Visitors Center, just outside Ashland on Highway 13, was our first stop on Saturday. The mission of the center is to connect folks with the natural world. The heritage and history of the Lake Superior Region is the focus, taking you back in time from the Ice Age to present day—illustrating stories of people who made this land their home. Two theatres are featured at the center: The Martin Hanson Theater which offers a selection of film topics ranging from stories of animals to modern-day mysterious shipwrecks; and the Northern Voices Theater which through special lighting, music and sound effects, images, and unique objects weave a story about the men and women who wandered, trapped, fished, logged, mined and farmed this rugged country.




Bald Eagle exhibit
Ojibwe, Mr. Bearskin, circa 1800
Ojibwe beadwork
Atop the center is the 5-story observation tower, from which you can see for miles around. One of the attractions at the center, which we didn’t take advantage of, is the 3/4–mile interpretive boardwalk trail that winds through neighboring swamps and meadows.


From there we drove into Ashland. We were intrigued by brochures for the Ashland Mural Walk, which covers an 8-block area of downtown Ashland, WI. The buildings used as backgrounds for these fascinating murals are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To pique your interest, here are photos of some of the murals.

This is of 2 murals, painted on 2 sides of a building
A tribute to the veterans of all wars in which the US was involved
Various Ashland storefronts from the 1900s
The men and 1 rare woman involved in Ashland's lumberjack era
A snapshot of the 1950s era in Ashland
The Ashland bayfront in the 19th century
Built in 1916, Ashland's 1,800 foot ore dock was the largest concrete dock in the world. Shipping
was an integral part of Ashland, Note that the top of the mural is a "to scale" painting of the ore dock
itself, including every properly numbered ore chute. The lower section includes 21 "postcards" telling
the story of the varied uses of the structure over the years.
There are a total of 17 murals painted by artists Kelly Meredith and Susan Prentice Martinsen. As a result of these murals, Ashland has been named Historic Mural Capital of Wisconsin. And here’s a link to the murals and the history behind them. We were so impressed by the craftsmanship of these murals. Wow! It’s worth a trip to Ashland just to see them! 

After lunch at a local eatery, The Breakwater Café, we stopped at our local favorite store (Walmart!) to pick up a few items before heading back to the camper. A truck wash was also on the docket for the day; that is until we lost $5 in the money exchange machine! (We’re supposed to be getting a refund from the owner before we leave town…) And, no, the truck didn’t get washed…yet...


There’s a gem of a spot just north of Washburn called the Houghton Falls Nature Preserve and the Houghton Falls State Natural Area, where the Houghton River flows over a series of sandstone ledges on its way to Chequamegon Bay. While I wrote the blog RJ rode the motorcycle north of Washburn and took the right turn on Houghton Falls Road which took him to the parking area on the right for the Houghton Falls trail.  The trail is a less than a mile, non-strenuous, hike to the falls (this time of year a trickle) and spectacular views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands.






We’ve had spectacular weather since we arrived here in Washburn. The days have been warm and sunny with temps in the mid- to upper 70s, with little or no wind. Sunday was no different. The sun shining on the changing leaves made for spectacular views.

Stay tuned for more.

Hoping this finds you well, we send hugs,

RJ and Gail

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