When you ask people what you need to see when you go to Lake Superior, one of the answers is the Apostle Islands. Located in western Lake Superior, there are 22 islands that cover more than 720 square miles known as the Apostle Islands.
When we made our way to Bayfield, WI on Wednesday we cut through the islands but we had decided the best way to see them all was to take the boat cruise which is 3 hours in length (cue Gillagan's Island theme song). That proved to be very informational and we were able to get up close to some of the caves and beautiful rock formations and really enjoy the scenery while someone else captained the boat.
For boaters, cruising among the islands offers protection from the "big lake" and you can snug up to shore for protection from the weather. As far as secure anchorages go, there are no all-weather anchorages like we have enjoyed in so many other great locations we have visited, and you have to pick a spot with a back-up in mind in case the winds change direction. We will anchor out among the islands after we spend a few days in the cute touristy town of Bayfield.
We were able to catch up with fellow loopers, Dave and Colleen from Moon Shadow for lunch. We looped with them in '16-'17 so it was great to reconnect. They suggested we take the ferry over to Madeline Island, which we did on Friday. Madeline is the only island in the group that is not part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and has a population of 302. We were lucky enough to talk to a 20 year resident and a 5 year resident that told us a lot about living on the island year round. To me the most interesting part is how you get on and off the island in the dead of the winter when the ferries can no longer run due to ice. Initially they can take snowmobiles across or a windsled (looks like an airboat that sleds across the ice) which is run by the ferry company. Then when it freezes to a particular depth of ice they create an ice road that you can drive across on, which doesn't happen every year. Sometimes they can drive their cars to a particular spot and then walk the rest of the way because a crack has formed. This must be why in the winter there are only 305 people living on the island.
As we were walking around Madeline we came up to this car covered with beads and decorations under a tent. We did some more investigating and realized we were at Tom's Burned Down Cafe. Mark said he had read about it and we had to go in. The best way to describe it... you have to see it to believe it! See the pictures below. Tom's has been named one of the best beach bars in America more than once. Tom's Burned Down Cafe, as the name implies is what remains and what sprouted back up after a fire in the 1990's. A trailer, a few tarps, a bunch of signs and viola you have Tom's. No shirt, no shoes, no problem ...they will serve you at Tom's no questions asked (except age) and it's a must see. I personally recommend the bloody mary with the $1 beer chaser, what can I say...when at Tom's your a different person.
We ended up moving over to Pikes Bay Marina, the only place close by to get laundry done. We are stocked with food, clean laundry, fuel...checking the weather to see when we can shove off and anchor in the Apostles then possibly on to anchor at Isle Royale. We know the internet will be spotty once we leave the marina and start anchoring out.
Wow - what a great start! Those caves are so cool - you don’t think of caves on a lake. Tom’s Cafe looks like it was worth the stop there - and that Bloody Mary! That could’ve been your lunch with all of those toppings!
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