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Thursday, July 07, 2005

Ode To Madelline

This past 4th of July was the second year in row that I've had the priviledge of spending on Madelline Island. This year we spent five nights there at good old campsite 33.

If you've never been there you might want to check it out. The island is reached by taking a ferry from Bayfield, Wisconsin, unless you are one of the lucky ones that has their own boat.

A quick ferry ride drops you off in LaPointe, which is the only city on the island. Big Bay State Park is only about 7 mile away on a shouldered road so if you can do without some of the car camping comforts you could easily load your bike's rack and panniers, or BOB trailer, and make a nice bike camping adventure of it.

The park offers some nice hiking trails, many of which are right above the waters edge. If you like to swim and can tolerate the chilly temps of Lake Superior you can have a great time in the water on a long, long sand beach. Jordan and I pride ourselves in being among the few (maybe the only two!) who can stay in the water for an extended time. That doesn't mean that we don't come out with some numb arms and legs though! It's the closest thing to an ocean we've got.

If you hit the island and like pizza, put your order in at Emma's. Pick a nice night and eat on the deck watching the boats go by. One word of warning though, she can only cook one at a time so be prepared to relax for a while.

The roads on Madelline are nice and the traffic is minimal, but remember that the island is small so you can't go out and do a 50 mile loop! This year Becky and I did a nice ride from camp to the end of the island where the road turns to dirt and made a nice 20-some mile loop out of that. Narrow tires made it a bit more interesting for her than she would have liked, but she was a real trooper and finished with aplomb.

Driving back to the cities the other evening was the only bummer of it all. Six days surrounded by woods and water and I could take a lifetime of it. That's something I may have to start working on soon!

Spend some time outside! Even off the bike it will do your soul some good!
Kid

Posted by Salsa Kid : 6:35 PM 0 comments | permalink