posted 06-17-2012 09:37 PM ET (US)            

I think we will be up there July 4-8.

Do you know anything about the ramp at Little Sand bay?

posted 06-27-2012 09:10 PM ET (US)            

We'll miss you x2

posted 07-08-2012 05:57 PM ET (US)            

Quick trip report:

Wednesday--Encountered severe weather on highway; high winds and intense rain forced a change in plans.

Thursday--Arrived Apostle Island late about 9 p.m. local time. Weather was great. Launched boat. Enjoyed a quiet night in the harbor.

Friday--Weather gone to the dogs. Rain, Rain, Rain, wind, Rain. Gave up on boating. Unhitched the trailer and took truck to town.

Saturday--Weather perfect.

Sunday--Weather perfect.

posted 07-09-2012 09:58 AM ET (US)            

In middle June, my son and I met a friend and son in Bayfield and spent the week aboard his sailboat, with my Outrage serving as same-sized tender. Great week, though we also experienced some weather coming through, which created a challenge due to our limited interior space for 4 on a 20 foot sailboat. 2 of us could sedate into a nap, but the boys aren't afforded that luxury and suffered some cabin fever.

I love boating in the islands, though the week's end trip to LaPointe on Madeline is always the highlight. Turns out, I'm an island gypsy-hippie stuck in a city dwelling professional's body.

posted 07-09-2012 09:56 PM ET (US)            

Dave--How about a list of the islands? Maybe they're starting to count big rocks as islands. It is a bit awkward to use the chart plotter for navigation because the scale must be zoomed in and out all the time to get the big picture and the details ahead.

Of course we had to visit MICHIGAN ISLAND today. There is a great lighthouse there--actually two towers, one old, and one newer. But there was no docent or park volunteer stationed there, so they were all locked up. When we came to the dock there was only one other boat--another Boston Whaler, a 21 EASTPORT out of Ashland.

I'll have to figure out how to become the volunteer at that lighthouse next summer. It would be a great place to stay for a month or two.

The harbor we are in tonight has a ton of classic Boston Whalers. From the old work boat 16-footer with blue interior to a 1989 20 OUTRAGE, with many classics of the 1980's at 22 to 25 foot in between.

I have the GRIB forecast and there is no precipitation predicted for a week. The winds are forecast to peak at 5-MPH and basically come from random directions for the next few days.

posted 07-09-2012 10:56 PM ET (US)            

Madeline
Basswood
Stockton
Gull
Eagle
Sand
Bear
York
Cat
Rocky
Long (not really an island but included nonetheless)
Raspberry
Devils
Eagle
Michigan
Outer
Hermit
Ironwood
Otter
Manitou
South Twin
North Twin

You are confusing the islands included in the "National Lakeshore" bureaucratic designation with accepted geography. There are 22 islands in the Apostle Islands.

posted 07-11-2012 09:42 PM ET (US)            

Based on a recent visit, the two appear to be connected. The technical term I belived is a tombolo has formed between them--a sand dune.

posted 07-11-2012 09:52 PM ET (US)            

--nine deer; five of them alive and running along or across the highway or standing in the middle of the highway, and four dead, on the road shoulder; and,

--about a dozen wild turkeys, most all alive except for a couple road casualties.

The best road side sign we've seen was in Wisconsin in the extreme Northeastern portion, in a mining region. It read:

STOP THE WHINING AND START THE MINING

We love the Wisconsin consumer labeling regulations for gasoline, All gasoline containing ethanol is clearly marked as such.

posted 07-12-2012 12:06 AM ET (US)            

I hope you were able to make it to both Quarry Bay and Julian Bay. In my opinion, Julian Bay has the finest beaches in the Apostles (seconded only by Big Bay State Park on Madeline).

posted 07-12-2012 07:44 AM ET (US)            

Forgot this wildlife sighting: bald eagle soaring over the Roadside Park along Hwy-2 in extreme Western Michigan Upper Peninsula.

The drive from our home to Little Sand Bay was 710-miles. The first 275-miles were interstate highway, but after that we were on "blue highways," the old two-lane federal highways of the 1960's.

We decided to break up the drive home into two legs. We moved the boat to St. Ignace, Michigan, which was an eight-hour highway drive. We then cruised over to the Les Cheneaux Islands, where we visited Dave Buckda, who was vacationing at a cottage there with his newly restored Eastport 16. Dave has extensive experience in the Les Cheneaux Islands, and knows the history of almost every cottage and home. We spent a couple hours cruising while Dave gave us a guided tour.

posted 07-12-2012 08:05 PM ET (US)            

It was fun to rendezvous with Hal, Margaret, John, Holly, and Emmarie.

posted 07-14-2012 08:21 AM ET (US)            

I'm sorry we missed you - it was killing me not to be on the Island last week.

Our place is on the beach that is on the NE end of Madeline - basically 4 miles SW of the NPS docks on Stockton.

If you are serious about doing a volunteer stint as a guide at one of the lighthouses, the NPS calls the program that staffs those position VIP (Volunteers in Parks).

They have slots at Sand, Raspberry, Devil's and Michigan. They have had volunteers at the light on Outer, but not for several years.

posted 07-14-2012 08:27 AM ET (US)            

quote:

---

Also, there are four lights...

---

Actually Dave, several more than that.

If you are counting the historic lighthouses, there are 6 (or 7, depending on how you count Michigan):

Sand
Raspberry
Devils
Outer
Michigan (two actually)
Long

I've been to the top of all but the one on Outer.

posted 07-14-2012 12:45 PM ET (US)            

The National Park Service has some onerous rules about using grills on boats at the dock--they're not allowed. We did manage (somehow) to chargrill a delicious steak on Sand Island. The steak was from a cow owned by Holly's family, and the animal was grass fed while grazing in a open field and kept in the most comfortable and pleasant conditions. Chris said it was the best steak she ever ate. We had brought some Brats to cook, but the steak was so big it fed five of us with ample portions for all.

In Bayfield we went to MAGGIE'S, whose food was delicious but the tables very crowded. You have to go early or late to get a table without a long wait.

On Madeline Island we ate at a little dive right at the ferry dock. We were not into haute cuisine that night.

I'd like to try living on an island at the lighthouse for a week as a trial run, before committing to a longer stay. Also, I'd have to bring my amateur radio gear and be able to put up a good antenna so as to be able to give the radio waves a bit of a workout while there.

posted 07-16-2012 08:59 AM ET (US)            

The water color and clarity was also a surprise. According to reports I heard from other boaters, the city of Duluth had received a very heavy and very fast rainfall a few weeks ago, which caused flooding. The water around the Western Apostle Islands was unusually brown, was not especially clear, and had a lot of floating debris. One local told me a refrigerator had been sighted floating in the Lake. We did not see anything like that, but there were many small logs and other vegetation you don't normally see in Superior. As we moved East, the water clarity improved. When we were out on Michigan Island the water was back to the normal clarity, and we could see the bottom in 25-feet depths.

posted 07-18-2012 09:50 PM ET (US)            

What happened in Duluth in late June was really unprecedented - at least a 100 year flood, perhaps worse.

This image http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/image/id/86512/headline/ Satellite%20photo/ shows just how muddied the water became.

posted 07-19-2012 09:17 AM ET (US)            

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/235521/

I did not know of this event. It is a good thing we changed our plans and did not head for Duluth.

I also found this NOAA satellite image of Western Lake Superior on the day we arrived. (It is a very large image; zoom in to see better.)

posted 11-30-2012 01:52 PM ET (US)            

http://continuouswave.com/sail-logs/apostleIslands2012/