Spontaneous Trip to Bayfield WI

The drive was spectacular.  Spring forests have so many interesting colors, and Northern Wisconsin forests have such an intriguing mix of trees.  There were lake views, rolling hills, little valleys, and tiny farms. The orchards around Bayfield are in bloom, but we didn't really end up looking for any of them.  We did see a few tiny orchards from the road though.  

Bayfield is a tiny little town, population 611.  In the winter and early spring it is sleepy and quiet, especially in the middle of the week right as things are closing up for the day.  (In the summer and fall it is quite a tourist destination, and things get much more hectic).  It has many of the same elements as the city we live in:  interesting local art, a fascinating maritime history, beautiful scenery, boat tours, marinas, neat little shops, and on the nearby islands, lots of lighthouses.  But everything is just presented so much differently because the town is cute and cozy.  You drive down a hill, and the deep blue afternoon water of Lake Superior just sparkles.  The sailboats are right in the middle of everything that happens in town, and there are always a few out on the water.  

The kidlets LOVE this really neat playground, where all the elements are built of wood and old tires.  There was a park in Marshfield, Wisconsin with this same idea, and it was so fun for kids.  We ended up playing there for several hours and having a picnic lunch as we watched the Madeline Island Ferry.  

They loved bouncing around on this tire contraption.  

On the way home we stopped to play at a beach near Cornucopia.  We wanted to go to a National Lakeshore beach, but when we got there we realized that we didn't actually have $3 in cash to pay the daily use fee, so we drove to a public beach instead.  It was still beautiful, and we really enjoyed seeing a sunset on Lake Superior.  We're on the wrong side of the lake to get a good sunset over the lake.  We also stopped at a wayside with a fantastic wide open view of the water at night.  We used our binoculars and could see Duluth 45 miles away, as well as lots of places up the North Shore across the lake.  

He had so much fun dragging this big stick and drawing lines and pictures and tracks on the sand, and then floating it out in the water.  

During the whole trip, Mr. Sneaky Pants referred to Bayfield as "Haybale, Wisconsin."