Bayfield Fourth of July Holiday.

One of the best small town Fourth of July celebrations can be found in Bayfield. The setting on the waterfront is perfect for fireworks. Memorial Park along the water is perfect for viewing the harbor and the display that is set off from the end of the city dock. Click on the link for all the details. http://bayfield.org/festivals_events_fourth_july.php

Load of Coal for Ashland

The bay area gets all it's power from Xcel Energy in Ashland. You never think about it until you see the big ship going outbound after leaving a load of coal at the power plant. It takes alot of coal to generate all that power we use to keep warm all winter. I'm guessing they have to build up a supply as they can't get any in the winter due to the ice. They mix the coal with wood chips now to be more efficient with the coal. http://www.xcelenergy.com/Company/Pages/Home.aspx

Sea Horses and kayaking

Just south of Bayfield is a wonderful beach called Bayview. A very nice sandy beach that has good shallow water. Excellent for wading and swimming without worries for younger swimmers. The water here is clear and if you paddle out with a kayak, you can see the bottom in as much as 20 feet of water. Sitting in the kayak looking back at the beach made me think of access to a different perspective. I got the same feeling while skiing in Colorado. Kayaking and skiing are both enjoyable but it is the access to the view that I really enjoy. On top of a mountain at 12,000 feet, looking at the view or floating in the bay looking back at the landscape it is much the same. People can talk about all the technology of skis and kayaks, the best models or brands, all the pros and cons of owning this or that but it’s of no great concern to me. I want to be in a wonderful setting. Nice weather does help this situation. The Sea Horses were on the beach and got a cool down in the water after a run down the beach.

Kayaking Dog and ticks.

This beautiful Golden is very tolerant of silly things we do with her. She will always hold her position long enough for a picture no matter what we do to her. When in the North land with your dog always check them for ticks. It's prime tick season now and they are even in shallow grass. So if you walk your dog at a wayside or even a park check your prized family pet.

Lupine Time

The Lupine are blooming and it seems there are more then ever before?There is a bit of debate on how they came to be in the Northland. Were they brought here or are they native? Are they a invasive plant? I know of no harm they might do?I can't imagine they cause any harm to native plants if they were brought here. I really like them and I believe others do as well. I saw many tourists this weekend pulling over cars and looking at them and even picking some for a table setting. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LUPE3

Both will cause you to make a funny face.

This cutie was affected by very cold water in the bottom of the kayak. She wasn’t expecting it and made quite an expression. The Apostle Islands rangers have quite another problem to deal with. The Sea Caves North of Bayfield is very popular with large kayak groups.

From Wisconsin Public Radio: http://www.wpr.org/

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is having some of its rangers go on poop patrol this summer.While Apostle Islands management likes to keep the wilderness area wild, some of those areas lacking outhouses are having what may be a predictable problem: Human poop.
Park Superintendent Bob Krumanaker says there’s been a particular problem at a remote beach near the mainland sea caves, which he describes as a “back-country” site. He says there’s been a fair amount of complaints about human waste on the beach or more commonly, in the woods just above the beach.So starting this summer, Krumanaker says they’re requiring professional outfitters who bring in groups for kayaking and hiking to pack their own privy. He says there’s some concern expressed by some about carrying toilets, but he says that’s the price of going into the back country. He’s optimistic that people will eventually transition to the policy.
Krumanaker says people going alone don’t have to pack their own potty.

Outstanding weekend but rain coming

A wonderful weekend will be followed by rain showers this week.The cooler then normal spring makes nice days more special. Schools are now out and tourism season begins. Big Top starts this weekend and the kayakers will be in Washburn for the Inland Sea Kayak Symposium.

http://www.inlandsea.org/

The Flood of 1942 in Bayfield.

Starting this weekend at the Heritage Center in Bayfield some interesting history. History of a huge event that took place during the summer of 1942. A huge rainstorm which caused a flood that washed out parts of Bayfield and did much damage. http://bayfieldheritage.org/ I have collected some postcards from this event which are posted on the website: http://www.bayfieldwis.com/Bigflood.htm

Bears,bears,bears.........

While driving the back roads of Bayfield we spotted a smaller female bear. Rolling up to the bear on the road we watched it along the ditch. It was small perhaps 180lbs?Then we looked a bit to the right of the female bear and there was a much much larger bear which was male. This big male was at least 400lbs or perhaps more? It was very dark but I took a shot anyway. Too dark for the bear to even show in the view screen of the digital camera. Enhanced with Photo shop for brightness you can see(bearly)(pun), a image of the backside of the big bruin walking away into the woods. I said something to the bear from the car and it turned and gave me a stare. I'm not sure if the big boy was curious or he was saying I could crush your girl like SUV?? That was the big adventure.

Coming soon at a big tent near Bayfield

The new season of the Big Top Chautauqua. It's something everybody should see as the setting at the Ski Hill is very nice. When have you ever seen a show in a tent? For more information you can visit their web site http://www.bigtop.org/.

No bears seen recently but many fawns have been seen in the area. Soon the Blueberries will be in season and the bears will be eating good again.

Another shot of the bear

A close up shot of our young visitor. Have to enjoy these visits, they look so cute.