The flowers of the North Shore maybe short lived but they
offer a spectacular display of beauty while they are in bloom. This past week I
had the pleasure of visiting the shores of Lake Superior in the quest to find
some of these beautiful gems along with some of the most beautiful scenery on
the planet. While I never found the elusive "Showy" Lady Slipper I
did manage to find some nice pink ones, though they were at the end of their
life cycle.
Another beautiful flower that I found was the western
columbine and these cute little orange flowers known as Hieracium or hawkweeds.
These little orange flowers were everywhere and were often covered in
these cute little orange months.
Our trip started out with a visit to Madeline Island, we had
hopes of capturing a nice sunset and sunrise, though all we managed to get was
wet. Yep, it rained before out visit and during the night. We still managed to
drive the whole island, explore La Pointe and have a nice dinner at the Pub at
the Inn.
In the morning we packed up the wet tent while enjoying our
coffee. I payed extra for the electric set up so that I could use my electric
tea pot instead of the camp stove and headed to the ferry. Of course we had to
stop and take a few photos on the way out. The ferry ride is a short jaunt,
about 20-25 minutes, and before we knew it we were back in Bayfield, WI. We
enjoyed a quick breakfast and Gruenke’s. Gruenke’s is a cute little restaurant
that is filled with nostalgia and quirky memorabilia, giving a diner lots to
look at while you wait for your food.
After breakfast we headed up the coast towards Ashland, WI.
This trip took us all day because we took many side roads to explore the
country. We also enjoyed a nice hike up to Houghton Falls, which unfortunately
had dried up, but if you are a fan of hobbits and elves this is surely where
they live. Most importantly though we stopped to photograph Lupines. Lupines
bloom over a two month period and come in a variety of colors, though we seemed
to find them mostly in blue and pink. Some were so tall that a person could
easily get lost in a field of them. They were truly a delight.
Arriving in Ashland we, dined at the Deep Water Grill, where
I enjoyed melt in your mouth beef medallions and picked up a growler of Nut
Brown Ale for my husband. The North Shore has quite a few microbreweries and
while I myself am not a beer drinker I find that my husband likes the variety
of microbrews that are offered on the Shores of Lake Superior, besides when
they are empty I smile at him and say, “awe shucks, they’re empty, I had better
go refill them for you.” He laughs because he knows I am ready to grab my
camera and head Up North on a moments notice.
