(Part 1 is here.)
Cool Campground
When there’s wind, the lake is pushed against the shore right behind the trailer so that it sounds like the ocean.
That breeze is cool and keeps the insects away. Banjo loves it.
Hiking trails leave right from the campground, and there are more just a short drive away. Many follow rivers as they create gorges and flow quickly into Lake Superior.
At the campground, the elderly seasonal campers stay inside for the morning, so Banjo and I have the little city park here and promontory into the lake all to ourselves.
Hummingbirds buzz us all day long because we’re right between the feeders that our seasonal neighbors have out all summer. I can hear them twittering like a soundtrack to our day.
A bald eagle frequently perches in the nearest tree over the bay.
Cool Towns
The small town that we walk to is Washburn; slightly larger Ashland is just 10 minutes away.
They’re obviously sister towns dedicated to tourists, with the same vendors at each other’s farmers markets (bummer on that), plus bicycle shops, soft-serve ice cream, kayaking tours, trails along the lake.
There’s a surprisingly good grocery store with cheese curds and a wide selection of beer. A hardware store that’s fixing my bike.
What’s super awesome is that these small old towns, thanks to tourism, have been able to keep alive a main street. Each has a pharmacy, a restaurant with the town’s name in it (as if that’s the only one in town, but really some lucky guy just got rights to the name somehow), lawyers’ offices, antique stores, right on Main Street. We get a chance to walk along, soaking in a feeling for the town, and even window-shopping.
This dress had my name written all over it so I did slip in and buy it.
Normally I hate shopping, and the last thing I’d choose to do is window shop, but that’s a way to get to know these towns on foot. Actually, I’d been looking forward to buying something small every now and then, maybe starting a collection of tea towels or fridge magnets; with the pandemic obviously I haven’t been doing that. But because this area is so walkable and because there’s a mask law in effect in this county, I’m feeling a little more like the tourist I had in mind.
Murals are big here, especially ones that show off the town’s history. These are just a few from Ashland.
Banjo drinks a little of Lake Superior and says to please stay safe.
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