Apostle Islands
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was a last-minute addition to our Epic Road Trip itinerary, made possible by shifting one of our planned layovers. We love it when we can squeeze in an extra adventure!
The gateway to the Apostle Islands is Bayfield, Wisconsin, a picturesque town on Lake Superior, where fewer than 500 people live year-round.
A word about Lake Superior: it's the world's largest freshwater lake, holding 10% of the world's surface water. It is so huge that it's impossible to see the land on the far side (Canada was 85 miles away). It looked like an ocean to us.
There are 21 Apostle Islands in this national park, and they are accessible only by boat. We managed to get reservations on a boat tour that was nearly sold out for the summer.
It was a beautiful day for a boat ride! We sat on the top deck of the catamaran to enjoy the view and watch our captain at work (he was also our tour guide).
We didn't mind being splashed by an occasional wave, but we were grateful for our fleeces because it was quite windy up there!<br/>
We cruised around and saw nearly all of the islands, which are popular places for camping and kayaking. There are deer and bears on the islands, and we were surprised to learn that they are good swimmers. We didn't see any deer or bears, but we did see three bald eagles perched near their nests, and a flock of hopeful gulls following a fishing boat.
A couple of the islands had interesting cliffs and/or caves. And the outermost islands had historic lighthouses. Devil's Island had both!
In winter, the lake freezes over and people walk to see the famous ice caves. We were perfectly happy to be there in the summertime.
After our cruise, we had lunch in Bayfield and enjoyed tasting freshly caught whitefish and trout. Then we took a quick drive around the nearby apple orchards and berry farms, an area fondly known as the Fruit Loop.
We congratulated ourselves on our successful bonus adventure. Then it was time to get back on the road and head toward the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - the next stop in our Epic Road Trip.
