Great Lakes - Day 8 - Saturday

We woke up to the sun and a quiet campground.  Scott made pancakes while Lorelei and I showered and while we were eating we realized there was a 5k going on the path next to our camper.  We yelled the requisite “you can do it” and “you’re almost there” that any good race cheerleader would and one lady yelled back that she could smell bacon.  We were on the road by 9:00 for the 30 minute drive to Bayfield, WI.  This was a beautiful, quaint, picturesque little town on a hill right above Lake Superior. 

We had tickets for the 10:00 boat tour of the Apostle Islands.  It was a good tour, we got to see some caves by the water, listen to the corny jokes of the captain, Lorelei did her junior ranger book and we enjoyed the time talking and laughing and looking at the different islands.  The day was bright and sunny so we had all changed to shorts and t-shirts but I told the kids to bring sweatshirts/jackets because the lake might be cold.  Scott forgot his and we were all glad for the hot chocolate and interior seating of the boat as the wind was chilly.  Bayfield was having their Arts Festival weekend and we walked through the booths and town before grabbing Yeti and walking up to the visitor center for the park and getting our park stamps and Lorelei’s badge.  Scott and I agreed this is one town that we would like to come back to if we had time because it was so nice.  We would be like the other 90% of the population that are really tourist who only come for the summer.  The ranger that we spoke with said he does nothing but stay inside all winter because he is a local.

We had a long drive to get to Minnesota and our next stop for the night so we hit the road around 3:00 and drove through woods and small towns along the lake all the way through Duluth and up the western edge of the lake.  We stopped just east of Duluth at a McDonald’s for sweet tea and it was excellent.  The 2 lane highway skirted Lake Superior the entire way and the running joke became – oh look, a lake.  We pulled in to the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino – run by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which also has a campground.  The spots are first come, first served and I was worried because we were pulling in around 7:00 and I hoped all of the sites were not taken.  They weren’t and we had a beautiful view of the lake with the marina just below us.  It was another great day where everyone was happy.  Tomorrow we hit Isle Royale National Park which can only be reached by boat or plane and the Grand Portage Monument.