First up is our trek up to Northern Wisconsin for a family...er...TOWN reunion in Washburn. It's "just a little town on a big lake" - a really big lake - Lake Superior. It's the largest, coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes (remember H.O.M.E), and has the biggest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world.
My mom's hometown, Washburn, is up on the tippy top of the state near the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It's a remote and truly beautiful part of Wisconsin and is on many an outdoorsperson's bucket list of place to visit. We were fortunate enough to explore the lakeshore and sea caves by kayak - even though some rough waters tried to stop us. Our day started early at Living Adventure kayak and canoe outfitters a few miles north of where we were staying in Bayfield. They're a great operation with guides that give the right balance of instruction and information about the area.
// apostle islands national lakeshore //
We made it into "the crack", but couldn't meander through the rest of the sea caves thanks to some choppy waves dipping us up and down. Paddling along the shoreline, we spotted a soaring eagle landing on a huge nest - the size of a small car. Also caught a glimpse of skull rock - aptly named - and some breathtaking sandstone rock formations up and down the shore. Thanks so some unseasonably hot weather we cooled off with a dip in the normally icy waters of Lake Superior before loading up the boats and heading back.
// sandstone formations // skull rock // the crack //
22 islands make up the Apostle Islands, and all but Madeline Island are part of the National Lakeshore. A ferry from Bayfield services Madeline Island and it's residents - a whopping 246 according to Wikipedia! We loaded ourselves into two carloads on the morning ferry over to the island for a day of exploring. Rain threatened but we lucked out with blue skies and sunshine. We divided our day into beach activities at Big Bay and in-town fun in La Pointe. Big Bay State Park beach is 1.5 miles with views over sandstone bluffs and calm waters of the bay. We braved the chilly water, skipped stones from the beach and enjoyed the sunny day. Beach Club in La Pointe was the perfect spot for a bite to eat and a enjoy a pint of Spotted Cow. The fish fry was the winner - both the white fish and the walleye were awesome. Pretty sure D and I ate our weight in fish during our time in Wisco...starting with the smoked fish at Everett's in Port Wing on the drive up from the Twin Cities. Our Madeline Island adventure rounded out with an early happy hour at Tom's Burned Down Cafe. It's junk yard meets Waterworld - eccentric might be the word to best describe this spot. But either way, it's awesome. The whole place is open air and everywhere you glance you're met with a witty quote or clever one-liner. Not a bad way to top off the trip to Madeline.
And if you're up for experiencing a SWEET Angelfire website, check Tom's out http://www.tomsburneddowncafe.com/).
// ferry ride // big bay beach // tom's burned down cafe //
// more of tom's // madeline island ferry // rock skipping at big bay // fish fry //
Back in Bayfield we explored the beachy shops and cafes before heading to Washburn for the night. Big Water Coffee is a local roastery and cafe dedicated to some seriously good coffee. They also have a talented graphic artist handling their branding - love that kraken on the sea smoke blend. We missed grabbing the whitefish salad sandwich this time around at the Fat Radish but will be back in another five years in 2020! Joanne's Scandinavian is another great boutique for Scandinavian designed homegoods, footwear, clothing and artwork. They also carry the Oiva Toikka birds, collectible Finnish handblown artglass birds in nearly 400 species (my mom really nerds out over these). After some time poking around stores and lounging at Big Water we walked back to Winfield Inn for some time on the porch overlooking the lake.
// bayfield // big water coffee roasters //
// bayfield // winfield inn //
My mom and aunt's 45th high school class reunion was being held back in Washburn, so the rest of us went to a local supper club, the Steak Pit. Naturally, they offered ice cream drinks, in true supper club fashion - Pink Squirrel and Golden Cadillacs for us. Reminds me that I still need to watch the Supper Club movie - from 2012, visiting 50 supper clubs around the state. Next up was a Washburn Homecoming classic - Souvenir Views at the catholic school gym (used to be at Big Top Chataqua - pics below of our Hawaiian night). Souvenir Views is an illustrated musical history of Washburn devised in 1983. It's fun to see my mom's family history intertwined with the town's history. Photos of my grandma at the library, my great uncle catching fish and Wendy and Wanda in front of DuPont Elementary. After Souvenir Views, we walked over to local hangout, Patsy's to cap off the night. Pretty standard to shut down the highway for a street party right?
// washburn // souvenir views // patsy's // steak pit //
Our family really looks forward to getting together for Homecoming every five years. It's a unique thing to head back to such a pretty area of the country where our family has so much history and special memories.
// washburn homecoming 2015 //
