My remedy to all the sad nostalgia of late has been found. I simply go to a place I’m not familiar with so it doesn’t matter how much it has changed – it’s all new to me anyway. I know now that I’ve not been to Bayfield or I certainly would have remembered it. The first BIG thing about the area is the remarkable geography. Lake Superior is such a big, big water that you cannot help but be impressed by the vistas. Many of its shores are cliffs of gigantic rock outcroppings that have broken off and tumbled into the lake in eons past. Where the rock is softer the waves have carved caves and passages. And there are actually mountains, or what appear to be mountains (and are named as such) making up the high ground rising up in the surrounding countryside. In these higher elevations there are numerous little farms and orchards that make good use of the growing season, raising and selling all kinds of berries and tree fruits. Farmland, forests, beautiful views…
We went up to this area Saturday hoping to catch the 1 pm ferry across to Madelaine Island – one of the Apostle Islands – where my brother and his family were camping at a state park. Bayfield is small and on a rather steep hill so we had no trouble finding the marina and the ferry dock. We didn’t have the same luck finding a parking place since they don’t really provide a lot for walk on passengers. I dropped Dennis off to get tickets and drove around town looking for a place on the street. Several blocks away, all uphill, I parked and hurried to get down to the ferry. At this point I would have liked to be in my shorts and hiking shoes but, short version, I was not.
Arriving at the island side, we met my brother, a business friend of Dennis’s, and a nice family of hitchhikers all in the first half hour. At the state park for the next couple hours we (meaning the combined group of young and old) visited the beaches, the jumping cliff, the campground and the forest trail and it was all beautiful. At the jumping cliff, my brother was the only older person who jumped the 20 feet into the bay, but all the younger ones were doing it. At this point I would have liked to be in my bathing suit, but of course, I wasn’t. Jumping off the rock is going on my bucket list though. I did get my feet wet and climbed some rocks.
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| the “jumping off” rock is also good for reading |
The park also had a long half-moon sand beach where we watched some impressive storm clouds gathering in the distance. A bird that I never did get a look at, relieved itself as it was flying over me. I felt it hitting my back. At this point I would have liked to have been wearing anything except what I was wearing. I opted for hiking back to my brother’s campsite through the woods and was able to take pictures of these woodland creatures. They were not at all disturbed by those of us who kept watching and photographing.
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| Hello Dear |
I Just Have to Say... 
haha – from my experience I have no idea why they would think that. But it is interesting in a twisted kind of way.
In China it's lucky to get pooped on by a bird…or so I've been told;) I love the picture of you sitting by the water too.