Way Up North...

Nestled near the shores of Lake Superior approximately one mile south of Bayfield, Wisconsin, the Apostle Islands Area Campground was not a disappointment in the slightest! The anticipation for this camping excursion was tempered by the severe case of poison ivy that Amy and I received from working in our yard the weekend prior to this trip. So bad, in fact, that antibiotics and steroids were prescribed in order to treat the condition. However, we were not going to allow poison ivy to ruin our vacation. After all, Samantha and her boyfriend, Jordan, were going to meet us at the site and spend a couple of nights with us. Suffice it to say, we needed to block all the discomfort from our minds as much as possible. That, was certainly easier said than done.

The drive up to the Bayfield area was relatively uneventful, although we had a couple of detours up past Phillips, near Mellen, which took us through about 9 miles of gravel road through the Chequamegon National Forest. To say the drive through the Chequamegon was scenic or rustic would be a gross understatement, as we were the only vehicle driving on the stretch for quite some time. Of course, the detour, while inconvenient, proved to be a lesson in patience and forced the issue to not be so consumed with "getting there," but rather, just enjoy the ride. I have a feeling there will be many such lessons moving forward.

So, as previously mentioned, our third excursion in our new RV led us to the campground near Bayfield; this was our second time being in a dedicated, private RV campground and the experience was a polar-opposite of our first. Check-in was somewhat awkward only because the front-desk computer lost Internet connectivity, so Amy had to show her email reservation/confirmation from her iPhone to the attendant, but whatever. The overall layout of the grounds and traffic pattern made it relatively easy for pulling into the camp site. Now, since this was the first time Amy drove the new vehicle pulling the camper, she had the pleasure to learn how to back the camper into the RV site. I have to admit, she seemed to be more of a natural at backing it in than I, and was quite surprised at how well she did for her first time. Once the camper was backed in its spot, setup took about roughly 15 minutes from using the Levelmate Pro to ensure we were level on the pad all through hooking up the water, electricity, and sewer dump. The overall size of the site was reasonable with a fire ring and picnic table and a large Juniper tree to block the view of the camp sites across the road. I think one of the more enjoyable aspects of our site was that it backed up to the woods, so even though we were parked in a RV spot near other campers, we had ample trees and roughage to feel as if we were in a secluded State Park camping area.

After Samantha and Jordan arrived, we had "wine time snacks" and just enjoyed winding down from the drive and campsite setup. The evening had cooled significantly and with the fire going, made for a comfortable evening to chat and catch up on what's been going on in the world of Team Sam & Jordan. After all, I can't remember the last time was that I saw them. As the evening continued, the campsite was enveloped by the night and light pollution was not an issue; Samantha was able to capture some high-quality photos of the night sky from the campground area.

The next morning, we leisurely awoke from the night before and Amy made fresh coffee and I shared my banana-zuccinni muffin that Sydney baked a couple of days ago with Swede and Maggie. After about an hour or so later, Samantha awoke and joined us, followed by Jordan. We continued to chat, enjoy our coffee, and I eventually made bacon and eggs on our Blackstone griddle, which made great bacon, but I'm not sure about the eggs. After we cleaned up the breakfast dishes, we left for Meyers Beach to hike the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Trail.

The trailhead led us down through the forest on a boardwalk for approximately a mile, and then transitioned to the forest bed with raised tree roots and flora of Wisconsin's North Woods. Actually, I'll have to go back and research the area a bit more because I think we're up past the area that's traditionally known as the north woods. But what I can tell you for certain is we were at the highest geographical point of Wisconsin's land mass, meaning, even the North Woods were SOUTH of where we were! In other words, we were way up north!

Each of us with a dog, Amy and I hiked along the boardwalk trail, getting deeper and deeper into the woods. The overcast sky's effect on the trail gave it a rather ominous presentation with plenty of fresh downfall of a rather significant storm the previous week. Finding the dogs difficult to control, Amy donned both dogs on the waist leash in order for them to calm one another down -- somewhat counterintuitive of what one might expect. Amy and I love hiking, but hiking with two dogs is a challenge. For one, Swede absolutely MUST have Maggie by his side ala-sled dog style in order to be somewhat comfortable in moving forward. How do I know this? Well, ask Amy...she'll tell you all about how he pulls, hacks, chokes, heaves, pants, and is nearly impossible to calm; Maggie is no better in her own....special way. Second, Maggie MUST walk on the left side of her people, making the narrow bridges and paths across the gorges somewhat nerve-racking. Be that as it may, both dogs ended up getting used to walking in the woods and, at times, I would have to handle Maggie in order to ensure Amy would not get pulled into a gorge or ravine because of overzealous "sled dogs."

The overall hike's distance was not that far -- less than two miles in...but two miles with increasingly difficult terrain with the dogs led to a longer-than-anticipated excursion. And, with the weather report showing it highly likely that a thunderstorm would hit in our vicinity, the prospect of getting caught in the rain was a reality we just had to embrace..."embrace the suck," as we used to say in the Marine Corps. Expecting to run into a thunderstorm mid-hike, we began our trek with a brisker pace than we should have, although the terrain would certainly dictate much of that. The distant, delicate sound of thunder boomed as a stage backdrop as the sky darkened. Moreover, tree roots, dips, pits, downed limbs, mud, and overturned trees certainly caused us to be cognizant of how the dogs moved through the trail.

We arrived to the northern shore to the pleasant surprise of sunlight glistening on the undulating water of Lake Superior, and the sounds of splashing of waves at a variable interval provided the background music to the scene that no photograph can do justice. Amy and I walked about another quarter-mile up the shoreline but, upon seeing the terrain regress from the lush orange-hued carpet of pine needles to uneven tree roots and downfall, we decided to turn back. We subsequently met Samantha and Jordan at the scenic overlook bench and gave the dogs the last of the water we packed for the trip before finishing our break and then proceeded back the way we came.

Surprisingly, the return trip to the vehicle was pleasantly uneventful until about approximately 20 meters from the vehicle -- thunderclaps -- lightning -- significant temperature drop! As it turned out, we did get that thunderstorm, after all, but it was not until the doors of the vehicle closed that the first evidence of a downpour occurred! As our luck would play out, not only did we have a successful hike, but we evaded the rain!

Making our way back to the campsite in the rain proved to be a pleasant adventure as there was just something unique about how it seemed to contrast with the dense greenery of how the the tree lines framed the road. Upon our arrival, I immediately began prepping vegetables from our garden for sautéing on the griddle. Also on the menu were burgers, brats, and hot dogs (Swede loves hot dogs, by the way). I must say, while I love the griddle for making vegetables, chicken, and fajitas, I am not impressed with how it cooks burgers, brats, and hot dogs...I found them to be greasier than I prefer and they just seem easier to cook on the grill. The flavor was okay, but I think I'll bring the grill next time.

Overall, we enjoyed the three days at the Apostle Islands Area Campground and had a relaxing time, despite the poison ivy. And while there is plenty to experience up here if you want to get on on the town and see the quaint boutiques, we'll just have to plan for another excursion sometime next year.

We will definitely come here again!