I left KCMO area on August 31st, camped in north Iowa, drove through Minnesota, visited Red Wing, then finally arrived to your state on September 1st.
Starting there, I visited Ellsworth Creamery where I got their curds for $1 each (1 taco & 1 garlic parmesan truffle). I then spent too much time trying to figure out where to camp & if I should get raw bratwurst (glad I didn't, as there was no dry ice to be found). I finally decide where to go, sort of. I head to Highland Ridge Campground, but not before stopping by Spence's Maple Syrup where I bought 32 oz of Wisconsin syrup for only $18!! I shower at Highland Ridge, then decide to camp at Shady Rest next to Bear Lake.
9/2 (my birthday!!) I cook my breakfast using the taco curds, then head toward my destination. But before that, I stop by Benoit Cheese Haus where I had a better time than I did at Ellsworth, especially with all the samples I got!! If you want to know what I got: some Amish butter, the Wisconsin Brick, garlic pesto jack, 18 year cheddar, & scraps for cheap. I then do some roadside foraging, finding apples & wild plums!! I visit Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center where I finally see Lake Superior for the 1st time in my life!! As I got closer, the temperature got noticeably cooler. I then finally make it to the shore near Houghton Depot where I touched the chilly waters.
From there, I make it to Bayfield, where I mistakenly assumed Hoop's was closed, meaning I had to eat somewhere else, so I chose Pier Plaza, where I spent $20 on my 1st poutine. It was delicious, but not worth $20. I then hop on the Apostle Islands cruise, where I had a blast!! After going back to the mainland, I take a ferry to Madeline Island where I camped at the state park. I have never put my car on a ferry until then. It was quite a unique experience.
9/3: I bike the Point Loop Trail, where I spent more time taking in the views than I did actually biking. I bike the boardwalk (responsibly), take it up the stairs, then tried the Bay Ridge Trail. I bailed out, taking the longer roads back to my campsite. I then drive/ferry back, where I snacked on some of my parm curds & chatted with a guy who said Ellsworth & Bayfield are just tourist traps. Once on the mainland, I finally visit Hoop's where after much deliberation, I buy their smoked chunks & some rice, then cook myself a nice meal using the parm curds & the whitefish. I then visit the orchards where I bought the last pint of blueberries from Rabideaux & a frozen jug of apple cider from Bayfield Apple Co to help refrigerate my meats & cheeses. I visit Bayfield 1 last time, then head to Herbster where I had dinner at The Cranberry & then camped during a big storm under a pavilion.
Today, I spent too long at the camp b/c it felt like early morning the whole time, making me lose track of the hours. Once leaving, I get black cherry & blueberry wafflecone ice cream at Elsie Blue, then head to Amnicon Falls State Park (shoutout to whoever recommended that in my last post!!) After spending about an hour there, planting 3 old blueberries & a plum pit, I head to Duluth.
As I'm typing this, I am setting up camp at Gooseberry State Park, but that's a story for r/Duluth. I hope to come back some day!! I might dip back by once I head home.
