Apostle Islands, Wisconsin

Sorry, can't talk now. Dave's driving through Chicago!

I start each blog with a greeting we receive as we travel to various parts of the country. But this time I'm the one giving the greeting. Did you know Dave now has punked-out hair? He said driving through Chicago was a hair-raising experience. 

I planned for low travel miles to our stop-over in Rockford, IL on our way to the Apostle Islands.I figured Dave would need a break after The Windy City traffic. Our campground in Rockford was Rock Cut State Park, and (no surprise) no water at the campsites. No problem! No rookies here when it comes to that! 

Trooper liked this park because wild turkeys roamed freely around the grounds. He kept a close eye on them, but never tried to take off after them. We spent one night at this park, and then prepared to finish the drive to Bayfield, WI. However, those turkeys may have been too much excitement for the dog. He began to have intestinal issues during the night and by morning was a miserable mutt. We had to stop several times en route to let him do his thing. 

Trooper wants Turkey Jerky!

But we made it! A lovely drive once we got into Northern Wisconsin, following the shore of Lake Superior. I always think of the shape of this Great Lake as a wolf in profile looking toward my left. If that is true, we are in the jaws of the wolf!

Camping on the peninsula jutting into the wolf's mouth.

Apostle Island Area Campground is a class act. Electric, water, sewer hook-up, nice bathrooms, showers, and laundry facilities. And 7 Golden Retrievers in our immediate camping area! 

We took a kayak tour of sea caves along the northwest side of the Bayfield Peninsula, and this was an amazing journey! We started out in the rain, but soon it stopped and the sun came out, giving the cliffs and caves an orange-colored glow. We paddled into caves and through tunnels; the only issue I had was when Dave would stop paddling to take a picture.

A few caves carved out of the sandstone cliffs.

Going through a tunnel.
Duck, Dave!

Dave always finds interesting trees.

My favorite picture.

As we kayaked along, I noticed an interesting sound. The water was swishing around in spoon-like hollows in the rock, and then splashing back out. It sounded a bit like a toilet flushing, and I immediately dubbed this phenomenon a Wisconsin bidet! 

This water action reminded me of an event earlier in our trip.

In the meantime, our poor pupper continued to decline with vomiting and diarrhea. He wasn't eating or drinking, so when we left the Apostle Islands, we drove to Duluth to an emergency veterinary clinic. After drawing blood for liver, kidney, and pancreas functions, white blood cell count, etc., the good news was that his organs were functioning well. He was a little dehydrated, so they gave him fluids, and then meds to stop the vomiting. When we took him back to the camper, with a lighter wallet, we had a game plan to ease him back into normalcy. Boiled chicken, rice, scrambled eggs, and a special intestinal-diet dog food for 5 days, with a slow reintroduction to his kibble. As of this posting, he is getting half bland diet and half kibble. So we're almost in the clear. And he is feeling much better.

Our next stop was the Duluth International Airport where we picked up daughter Kristi, and we headed for Cascade River State Park in Minnesota. To reach the "North Shore" as this area is called, we drove northeast along the muzzle of the wolf-shaped lake along Minnesota Route 61. Quite the scenic drive, with many parks from which to view Lake Superior. The first we visited was Iona's Beach. This is an interesting beach, made of pink pebbles that create a singing sound when the water recedes. 

Iona's Beach along MN Rt. 61

I will save the rest of our adventures along the North Shore for the next blog, but suffice it to say the area was beautiful and I would like to return and spend more time exploring.