Day 1: We left Stoughton around 10am after getting our gear all packed up, Maddie off to the kennel and kids to Martin Luther. It was a 5 ½ hour drive to Bayfield. Jill started out driving so Matt could get some work done. We stopped in Stevens Point for some lunch. We ate at the Hilltop Pub and Brewery. After our marginal meal we hit Dunham's for some last minute items. Matt was in Seattle earlier in the week so he wasn't able to go with me to Rutabaga to pick out a life jacket. Rutabaga is Madison's great kayaking store. I had gone there 2 days before leaving on our trip to find out what we were in store for. The lady helping me out looked at me a little strange discovering that Matt and I hadn't done any kayaking other than the Madison Lakes and Lake Tomahawk. I guess the right thing to do when kayaking "The Apostles" would have been a tour??? Oh well….how hard could it be anyway? The lady at Rutabaga then points out that we should definitely have a signal mirror…and a weather radio….I was getting a bit nervous hearing about the necessities of the trip. Matt and I could handle it, right? This trip started out a bit differently than past ones. Jill has often researched things out left and right….this time I didn't…the books I checked out at the library were going to have to suffice….how much do the islands change anyway….shouldn't matter that the books were from 1980…. The lady at rutabaga convinced me to get a newer one. She didn't sell me however on the neoprene shirts costing $70 a piece. I figured Matt and I would probably wear our wetsuits since Lake Superior would probably be a bit chilly. Back to our trip….after finding a lifejacket at Dunham's we hit the road again. We stopped in Minocqua for some last minute must haves for our biking part of our adventure…some spare tubes and CO2 cartridges. We finally got to Pinehurst, our Bed and Breakfast in Bayfield around 6pm. We had our usual ice cream an hour earlier so we were okay to hold off on supper awhile. We got on our bikes and did a 10 mile out and back to check out the town. Bayfield is a town of 600 people. Every other corner has a Bed & Breakfast or a berry farm. Jill is anxiously waiting when we can go blueberry picking. After our trip through town we showered up and went to a nice restaurant with outdoor seating facing Lake Superior. We sat next to a couple who sounded like crazies like us! The woman was a marathon runner who was trying to convert her husband into running. They are running their first marathon together in Chicago. She had a stress fracture so she was going to ride bike next to him the next day as he ran his 14 miles around Madeline Island. The only twist in their story I don't' see Matt and I doing…they rode their Harley's here from MN. Can't haul kayaks on a Harley! After dinner we headed back to the B & B and zonked out. Matt had never stayed at a Bed & Breakfast. This place is gorgeous. At one point Matt and I said we'd like to own one….not so much. The owners of this one agreed that it really ties you down. Not so good for our active lifestyle. Plus Jill can't even keep up on her own house…how could I manage a B & B??
Day 2: We woke up early to go for a short run. Afterward we met our neighbor's at Breakfast. The breakfast was great….egg spinach quench, a multigrain muffin, and local organic fruit salad. Next we headed out for a day of kayaking. We kept getting mixed suggestions on where to go. We really wanted to see the sea caves….but for us not having that much experience we decided to stay on the southeast side to avoid any high winds and quick weather changes that could have made it brutal. After checking out the local kayak shop and visiting with some Chicago rookies….we were all set. By 11am we finally hit the water. We both wore wetsuits, lifejackets, and spray skirts. What a change from the kayaking we were used to. The first few minutes I felt I couldn't breathe I had so much gear on. The weather turned out beautiful. Partly cloudy and mid 70's. The water temp was nice too….low 60's. We made it to our sand bar and pulled up for some lunch….power bars, fresh fruit, almonds, pea pods, and water. After refueling we had to decide whether to keep going or head back. The waves had picked up quite a bit. I knew the way back would be more in the wind and opted to head back a bit sooner than we had planned. That is when the excitement hit for Matt… "the adrenaline junkie". The waves definitely were a challenge. We had to have our kayaks lined up just right going over the waves or else they would tip. Three quarters of the way through the trip my arms were tired….Matt was hot….my reaction time was slowing. Matt knew I was getting tired when I didn't even have the energy to talk. We made it back by 3pm….I figure we went 4 hours….according to Matt's GPS we went 5 miles. We loaded up the boats and headed for some ice cream. Well deserved….we were beat. Now we are back at the B&B. Matt is sleeping next to me in the common room. I knew the quiet time would turn into sleepy time for him. At least I got my journaling in….time to wake him up. Jill needs some dinner!! We headed into Bayfield for dinner. We ate at a coffee shop. I got a great hummus platter. Matt's order…lets just say he wasn't too pleased with it. There was a menu change and they felt they didn't need to update the actual menu. We did get a free drink out of the deal. We headed back to the B & B and hit the sack. One thing about the B&B Matt didn't care for so much….no television. Jill didn't mind one bit!
Day 3: Our plan this morning was to have breakfast at "The Egg Toss". Unfortunately it was closed for a private party. We found a cute café instead that served a perfect pre workout meal for us….granola for Matt and oatmeal for Jill. Both were covered in fresh Bayfield blueberries and raspberries. We then got on the ferry and headed to Madeline Island. We changed into our bike clothes and started around the island. The popular thing to do is moped around it…we opted for the exercise route and biked instead. The island is 14 miles long. We biked a good hour and then decided to grab some lunch. We sat up on a roof-top patio and soaked up some rays. Jill had an awesome BLT and Matt had pizza. Next we figured we had to check out what the big talk was all about. We drove by "Tom's burnt down Saloon". They were charging $1 for tourist walk throughs. It was a junk yard of a place with a bunch of old signs and slogans up on the walls. Not worth our money…. Next we did some hiking and swimming at Big Bay Beach. The water temp was not bad at all. We didn't even need our wetsuits. We chilled in the sun awhile while watching the sail boats. We caught the 4:30pm ferry back to Bayfield and headed to our next B&B "The Rittenhouse". The place was an old French Victorian place unlike anyplace I've seen before. We were the odd couple when it came to the guests of this place…most were there to chill and play some backgammon…instead we were all about playing hard and getting sweaty…kayaking, biking, running, swimming, hiking….you get our gist. Our room got mixed up with another couple by the name of Hanson. We ended up staying in "The Master Suite"…a little pricier than we wanted…oh well. We got dressed up and headed to the dinner at the main house. Jill wore her much proud of white sundress from Goodwill (only $8)…which is a bit ironic considering the place we were staying in. This B&B is one of the only places that serves 5 course meals. We opted not to go that route. We had our eye on some ice cream down by the Marina. We started out with glasses of red wine sitting on the front porch swing. Jill isn't a big drinker so only a few sips and I started babbling. I'm sure Matt would have wished I'd shut up….but I had all these ideas!! The one Matt is fond of….Jill becoming a brew master! After our drinks we headed in for our meal. Jill ordered brushetta and Matt got stuffed lasagna rolls. Next we headed down the main drag to try a new ice cream spot. It hit the spot. We made our way back to our B&B, made some tea, and turned in for the night.
Day 4: Early in the night Jill awoke starving…usual occurrence when she drinks alcohol. After 3 hours of tossing and turning, countless snacks, and racing new ideas I finally crashed shortly before our alarm. We set our alarm early so we could get the first breakfast seating at the main house. Breakfast consisted of steel cut oatmeal and fresh berries….oh yeah…Matt ate a yummy looking freshly baked cinnamon roll too. Next we packed up our stuff and headed to Buena Vista to pick blueberries. It was a gorgeous farm with beautiful flower gardens and picturesque views of the countryside. I even got Matt to pick with me! We picked 11 lbs….actually probably 11 ½ since we ate some while picking. We laugh, but Jill's ADD kicked in before Matt's with this endeavor. I was ready to move on to more active activity. We drove to Copper Falls State Park and ran a 2.5 mile trail run. We saw some water falls along the way. Next we jumped in the lake and did a ½ mile swim around the perimeter. Next we hit the road and headed south. We stopped in Park Falls for lunch. We found a local café and had sandwiches. The trip is now coming to a close. Matt and I have already started brainstorming our next adventure trip. Maybe hiking the Porcupine Mountains???
