Never a Wrong Turn (Ever): Wisconsin

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We left Minneapolis late Thursday afternoon with Labor Day weekend fast approaching and no reservations anywhere. We headed for the Chequamegon National Forest in Northern Wisconsin hopping to find campgrounds that didn't take reservations. We crossed the Mississippi River and the Minnesota River and then entered Wisconsin. We saw more dairy cows and less beef cattle and more and more large barns. I am facinated by these barns several times larger than their accompanying houses, and often built on stone foundations.

As we headed north, dark clouds began gathering on the horizon and the wind was blowing. I almost expected to see Dorothy ride by on her bike with Toto in the basket. It appeared that we were going to have a severe storm so we found a campground near Cumberland to take shelter from the storm. The wind blew for another fifteen or twenty minutes and then stopped. There was some distant thunder, but nothing else. Oh well.

The next morning, Friday, it was pouring cats and dogs and alligators too as we headed into the forest and turned down a gravel road with a sign indicating that Black Lake campgound was 6 miles away. It was late morning when we arrived and we spent the day reading, playing cards and relaxing inside because the wind was very cold outside. Saturday, it was sunny and cool. Sunday it was sunny and warmer.

Cold windy Black Lake

We took a couple hikes through the woods which were mostly maple, hemlock and birch trees with a few pines sprinkled here and there. I was suprised to see braken ferns growing in the underbrush and many mushrooms similar to the northwest. Mushrooms were popping up all over and I suspect that the rain, after the previous heat had something to do with it. While some of the mushrooms had bites taken out of them, I didn't see any slugs or snails. I think that Wisconsin must be inhabited by phantom snails that come out at night and suck the juices of unsuspecting mushrooms as they sleep.

Doesn't this one look like it has oatmeal stuck on it?

Wild Parsnip - many people are allergic to it.

We learned that birch does not make good fire wood because the bark is strong and the wood rots from the inside out. It is really smokey on the fire!

By Sunday, the mosquitoes had recovered from the rain and were unmercifully hungry. We hiked about a mile down the trail and literally ran back to the trailer when we could take no more and were running out of blood. There were many boats of fishermen out on the lake, but nobody reported catching many. I was suprised to see mercury warnings posted for this isolated lake. How does this contamination get so widespread?

Drain off from lake

Shades of fall . . . .

Fishing for mercury!

Tree butt.

We left Black Lake on Labor Day and went north to Lake Superior. We had planned on staying in the Wal Mart parking lot in Ashland (I kept looking for Shakespeare theaters, but saw none) however, Ashland has statutes banning people from overnight parking there. So we went eight miles further and stayed at a casino that provided free parking and hookups. They also gave free $5 in casino bucks. It took us about 10 minutes to lose the $5 in the penny slot machines and then we left. And I got my first glimpse of Lake Superior. The weather was blustery and the wind off the lake piered through our clothing. The waves were as big as those in Puget Sound and the water just as cold.