Day 48 – Saturday, July 10, 2010

46° 46.316’ N
090° 46.864’ W
Madeline Island, Wisconsin

Barb and I had seen everything we wanted to see in Bayfield, Wisconsin (pic on left - leaving Bayfield) a beautiful small harbor town. The weather was starting to get a little unruly and I didn’t anticipate a pleasant stay some where on the hook so we decided to move to another location with a harbor. We chose Madeline Island ( pic on right) as it was close by! The Island was on our exit list when departing Lake Superior. Madeline Island is the only island that is not part of the National Park Service. It’s also the largest island with people living here year round, less than 300.

The harbor assigned us to a slip with just enough room to get the boat in. This is by far the tightest slip I have ever docked our boat in. It’s so tight that after getting into it we had to force the bumpers between dock side and the boat next to us to keep from scraping them!

The island is a destination for many tourists as the ferry from Bayfield makes many trips here daily. Part of the island is known for its watering holes. One in particular is “Tom’s Burned Down Café” it burnt down some years ago and a canvas fly was put over the remains and then reopened for business. (See photos). It was a little rough around the edges but fun!

In general the community is focused on the arts with painters, sculptures and ceramics playing a major role. Weaving is also a major cottage industry with considerable influence from the indigenous people of the island. The shops are small with high quality workmanship but very expensive.

Tonight we will batten down the hatches as a major storm is predicted.