Apostle Islands to Madeline Island

Don’t worry about that broken plank- you can’t actually fall in- the tank is contained.  Also, I appreciate that someone left a trowel and some just-in-case TP.

Then I packed up camp:

and hit the trail!

Farewell, Lake Superior, hello forest!

The ups that I struggled with on the way in felt so much easier on fresh legs!

I even found a few more thimbleberries!

and the dirt-covered sections I worried might turn to mud in the rain weren’t nearly as bad as I feared they might become:

Look at this tiny tree!!!

They were EVERYWHERE and I seriously contemplated digging one up and taking it home.  Still kinda regret leaving him behind 🙁

I was hoping to maybe see some kayakers on my hike back, but the waves are still pretty strong here:

It’s crazy just how different the rocks look in the shade:

compared to those in the sun:

Moody clouds, but no rain!

Along this boardwalk section, I ran into a coworker! There were quite a few people on this trail, but I never expected to see someone I knew. So it was fun to stop and chat for a bit (even though I was probably a bit stinky at this point- sorry Kate!)

I still had some water left, but it tasted a bit like a chlorinated lake, so I exchanged it for a fresh bottle:

Then headed back toward Cornucopia for lunch- I need to catch a ferry over to Madeline Island for part 2 of my trip, but it leaves on the top of the hour from Bayfield and I won’t make that, so I’ve got a bit of time to kill. Along the way, I spotted a bear!

Of course, by the time I pulled out my camera, he had disappeared into the bushes.

Raspberry scone, lunch of champions:

I strolled along the beach, eating my snack:

There are several old ships displayed here:

I ran into another couple I had passed on my hike earlier in the day, and they pointed me toward this little gazebo, which I had seen when I pulled in but hadn’t check out yet- it’s an artisan spring! So I once again exchanged my bottle for some ice-cold, spring-fed water!

Then, it was time to make my way over to Bayfield to meet the ferry:

Outback’s first ferry ride!!!

Also, if you ever wondered how concrete gets to an island:

Farewell, Bayfield:

Hello, Madeline Island:

I wasn’t quite ready for lunch yet, so I drove out to Big Bay State Park, where I’ll be spending the next couple nights:

There were a few other cars here at the walk-in parking site:

I wasn’t until after I got out of my car that I realized why this close spot was still open- check out what’s in the tree just above me:

Yikes! Hopefully it’s not in use…

My site (#39) seems to be about halfway around the loop- I took the right-sided path, but apparently that map is not to scale- left-side is definitely shorter (and passes fewer people/sites):

Home, sweet home for the night!

I set up my tent to mark my site as “occupied”:

but pretty much as soon as I got to camp my stomach started growling, so I headed back into town and found some fish tacos from the Beach Club Grill!

Yum! My freeze-dried camp meals aren’t bad, but nothing beats fresh food.

Spotted a wildlife on the drive back and got actual photographic evidence:

Instead of heading back to my campsite, I decided to park my car down at that lot by the red dot and do some hiking:

Found a selfie-spot!!!

I love selfie-spots!

I appreciate when parks make side-quests more accessible:

Because even without the stairs there, you know people would be climbing down onto that rock.

and with good reason- look at the views from out here!

I decided to head north-ish along the Bayview trail, where I found this maple still clinging to life:

I’ve developed a few hot-spots on my toes and seriously contemplated soaking my feet on the beach there:

Maybe I’ll have to come back later this evening

The big bay for which this park is named:

Boardwalk leading back to camp:

and a boardwalk loop!

I really wanted to hike it, but I’ve got about 2 hours of daylight left, this trail is at least 4 miles long, and I left my car down at a parking lot that’s about 2 miles from where I am now. This will have to wait until tomorrow.

I took the Woods Trail back toward my car, but honestly, I should have just backtracked along the Bayview Trail- there wasn’t much of a breeze so the mosquitos were annoying and while I found some fun birds:

I’d rather have these lakeshore views:

I made it back to my car, finished setting up camp, then grabbed my chair and came back down to the bay to watch the sun set:

I tried to soak my feet in the water, but it was much warmer than I expected. Nice for all the people I saw swimming- it looked like they could still stand pretty far out so I’m guessing the shallow water here gets warmed by the sun.

Don’t mind the taped up toes- I’ve got some serious blisters 🙁

I tried hunting for yooperlites as it got darker, but all I found was this little crayfish- apparently they fluoresce under my black light:

The bay didn’t have the best angle on the sunset, but the colors were still quite pretty:

I stayed until the moon rose:

Then headed back to my campsite for the night: