The Buffalo House Campground in Duluth was admittedly the second worst one Chris and Jay had the “pleasure” of visiting, behind of course, Tallahassee. The Buffalo House was actually a rustic restaurant/bar and the campground lay behind it. The sites were narrow, shallow and grassy so that when a 16,000 pound trailer backs into one that has been rained on for a day and a half the wheels sink several inches into the mud making leveling the rig a bit of a challenge. Chris was thankful that she would be gone most of the time they were there and Jay planned on catching up on paperwork and computer tasks. On the bright side, there was little in the area to distract them from their self-imposed duties.
Fortunately they only spent one day there after Chris’ return. Jay had kept himself holed up in the RV not only due to all of the tasks he had to complete but also because it rained almost the entire time Chris was gone. They happily moved on to the quaint, seaside town of Bayfield, WI, the gateway to the Apostle Islands, and a popular vacation destination for residents of the larger cities within a day’s driving distance. Chris had no idea what the town was like when she made the reservations. To her it was just a convenient location further along the lake coastline where they could spend the 4th of July weekend and she felt lucky to have gotten a campsite on such a busy weekend. But, you guessed it, once there she wished she’d booked more time as there were sooooo many interesting, fun places to visit!!
The area is home to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore which includes 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland shoreline. The area is mainly sandstone and the shores are dotted with sea caves carved from the eons of Lake Superior wave action. There were waterfalls, artesian wells, a plethora of local farms growing seasonal fruits where you could pick your own or purchase already picked, kayaking and boutiques packed with adorable and unusual gift items. All of this in a town with a population of just over 600. Who would know it was such a little treasure!?
The berry farm also had acres of flower gardens and orchards.
Walking the downtown streets and fondling the merchandise only entertains for so long but it was a mandatory first-day-in-town activity. Chris and Jay visited one of the local berry farms to stock up on raspberries for breakfast then went into town where they found a beautiful necklace and earring set for their daughter-in-law’s upcoming birthday gift and absolutely had to stop by the local ice cream parlor for two scoops of decadent ice cream each. Chris had a scrumptious caramel, toffee, chocolate concoction and Jay experimented with Superman, a multi-colored ice cream of red, blue and yellow, the colors of Superman’s suit, emblem and cape! What fun!
A Sculpture outside the store where Chris bought the earrings.
A fun figure and abundant flowers outside a local shop.
They explored a nearby trail that wound its way through the base of a shady, wooded gorge. As peaceful as it was that beautiful, sunny, summer day, a nearby sign told of the devastation the town suffered in the early 1900s when two different flash floods ripped through it and plunged through town, destroying everything in its path. A huge concrete and earthen dam now stands at the mouth of the gorge with a chute to direct the water toward the lake in protection of the surrounding homes and businesses.
Lush fern and canopy of trees line the path through the gorge.
Considering the size of the town Chris and Jay didn’t expect much of a fireworks display but were pleasantly surprised! They arrived at the waterfront park about 1/2hour before they thought the fireworks would begin at about 9 p.m. It was still fairly light and a number of people were milling around, most with ice cream cones in hand, (from you know where)and beginning to settle into empty spaces and wait for the show to begin; and wait, and wait. A week after the longest day of the year, that far north and at the eastern boundary of the Central Time Zone it didn’t get dark enough for the fireworks until after 10 p.m.! As a reward for the long delay they got to see two shows; one across the channel from the town of La Pointe on Madeline Island which began first, then the one in Bayfield. Although not on the scale of Washington, D.C. or other larger towns, the fireworks were imaginative and colorful, and fun enough to draw oooohhhs, aaaaahhhhhs and wows from the crowd.
The Harbor view before the fireworks.
A gorgeous sunset precedes the fireworks show.
The remainder of the week was spent exploring the nearby area for photo ops and they found a cornucopia of opportunities in a town of the same name.
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