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Like many evenings this summer, I am journaling on a beautiful lake shore as the sun goes down. Tonight, howeer, I am on my favorite beach on the greatest of lakes. I’m back at Big Bay.I left Jess and Ivan’s this morning before either of them were stirring. In the brightr morning sunshine I rode to Cornucopia, where I stopped in at the Siskiwit Coffee Shop, then ate a late breakfast by the beach. Then I headed up into the Bayfield Hills on Highway 13. I have always wanted to ride this very scenic, hilly, woodsy stretch of road. Wild turkeys and sandhill cranes took flight at my approach.
The most direct route to Tom Glazen’s farm, a two-mile stretch of gravel road, was closed due to a bridge out, so I had to take a longer detour up through the orchard country above Bayfield. Aside from the climb, this was quite a nice ride along low-traffic paved country roads. I made it to North Wind Farm around 11:30 and found Tom in the fruit shed dealing with customers. After they left (apparently to his relief), we shot the breeze for a while, then I went out to the berry patch and picked a pound and a half of the sweetest organic blueberries to be found anywhere.
I lingered for a while, conversing with Tom’s partner Anne and a guy stopping in who I knew vaguely. Then I carefully packed up my squishable fruit and headed toward town. I made a brief stop at Blue Vista Farm, which has very nice flower gardens (and lots of their own berries, but their organic ones are more expensive than Tom’s, and it’s just more commercial).
In town, I stopped in the Bayfield Carnegie Library to use the internet for an hour or so, then got ice cream at the Candy Shop (disappointingly, they no longer put a giant malted milk ball in the bottom of their waffle cones). After wandering around downtown a bit, I headed to the ferry dock and caught the next boat over to Madeline Island.
In the island town of LaPointe, I found Tom Hart, the bike mechanic who sold me my bicycle back in 2004. He still sets up shop on the island once a week during the summer. He recognized me and the bike and was excited to hear about the use I’ve gotten out of it. While we were conversing, a guy on a mountain bike loaded with camping gear rode up to ask about his tire pressure. I wound up asking if he wanted to share a campsite, and we rode up to the Town Park together. His name was Mike.
The Town Park campground was quite full, and we grabbed the last non-electric campsite. After swimming at the beach, I made dinner for two, and we ate and socialized before I went off to do my journal entry for the day.
Being in this peaceful place brings back so many memories. Tomorrow morning I plan to hike the boardwalk over to the state park side of the bay and go around the point, and hopefully run into some old co-workers at the park office. Then it’s a short ride to Ashland for a Bandshell picnic and time with good friends there.
