Category: American Adventures

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Isle Royale

I like maps. The older the better. I’ve pored over them, studied them, and dreamed about far away places my entire life. My eye is irresistably drawn to the remote places on any map, the isolated, less traveled areas and the unknown. One such place is Isle Royale.

Isle Royale National Park was established in 1940, then protected from development by wilderness area designation in 1976, and declared a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. At 45 miles long and just shy of nine wide, Isle Royale is one of the least visited National Parks – Yosemite gets more visitors in one day then Isle Royale sees in an entire year. Located in the far north of Lake Superior near Canada, Isle Royale National Park is actually an archipelago that covers an area of 850 square miles or approximately 571,790 acres. It has 165 miles of trails, and no vehicles are allowed on the island.

The only way onto this remote island is a several hour long boat ride across Lake Superior to Rock Harbor or Windigo, or a 35 minute ride by bush plane. It was at that moment in my research that a rough plan began to form. I was within striking distance of the seaplane base at Houghton, Michigan, a mere 6.5 hour drive from our home north of Chicago. So, with school out for the summer we threw caution to the wind and booked the flight for the three of us. We’ve done a lot of family camping trips, but we wanted something truly different, off grid, and challenging. This huge leap of faith proved to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Arriving at Isle Royale Seaplanes I quickly realized that my expectations were going to be exceeded. Not only was the company extremely professional, we were flying across Lake Superior in the quintessential bush plane, a classic de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. I may have squealed like a little girl when I saw it land and taxi towards the dock.

An aircraft from a more civilized age, it’s big rotary engine has a sound and feel like nothing else. Designed specifically for the unique needs of bush pilots and built in Canada after WWII, the de Havilland Beaver is a workhorse, carrying 6 passengers and all their gear into short landing strips or in our case, lakes. Our pilot, Ken, made us feel right at home and after a quick safety brief and life vest fitting we were on our way.

This was the first BIG backpacking trip for my 9 year old daughter, and our plans on the island were based around that fact. A bad experience backpacking now could sour her on the whole thing for the future, so we intended to take it easy over 4 days and 3 nights on the island. The idea was to hike 3-4 miles per day between campsites. So a round trip itinerary from Rock Harbor to Three Mile to Daisy Farm and back had been laid out as well as hydration and meal planning. Backpacking on an island like this is much different than truck camping in the lower 48, if you forget something you can’t just run back to town for it and there’s ZERO cell service anywhere on “the Rock” as it’s affectionately known. You’re out there in the elements with the clothes on your back and, as the old saying goes, you “run what you brung, son”.

Arriving at Rock Harbor, we were faced with the usual brief by the Park Rangers about NPS rules, Tread Lightly! and Leave No Trace principles, and we received our permit so they would know our itinerary. There is a small lodge and a very small store with supplies (fuel cannisters, food etc), so after a last call for snacks, water and gear checks we hoisted our packs and set off down the trail toward our first night’s destination at Three Mile.

 The initial hike in was a bit of a challenge for us as the first day was all about acclimatization and getting our legs warmed up so I took less photos on the way in than I would have liked. Suffice it to say that the views of the surrounding islands, the sights and sounds of the forest, and the prodigious wildlife provided a stunning experience.

Once at Three Mile we were greeted with a very small and well organized campsite. Shelters make it easy on hikers, and we gladly settled right in to the first empty one we found. Lightweight gear from Nemo, Snow Peak, and Marmot would pay off now. Time for rest and relaxation!

Of all the backpacking food we tried on this trip, NONE compared to Backpacker’s Pantry. To say that it was delicious after a long day on the trail is an understatement, and Savannah LOVED their Mac and Cheese! The Risotto with Chicken was my favorite meal of the entire trip so it gets 5 stars from me.

We hadn’t been in camp long when lo and behold, a moose cow and calf walked right up the shoreline and decided to have lunch with us. Right in camp. They roamed around nibbling this and that for about an hour amongst the campsites, clearly uninterested in us, before wandering further inland.

This was day one on Isle Royale!

To be continued…

Full Disclosure:  The travel arrangements, equipment and provisions for this trip were funded entirely by the author, and all endorsements and opinions in this article are unsolicited. #IndependentMedia

 

 

 

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Tour De’Colorado: 2 Up

What do you get when you add 2 weeks time, one beautiful wife, a whole shebang of camping gear, and a big blue motorcycle? The trip of a lifetime is what! And what better setting to place such a trip than gorgeous Colorado!

This trip took place in the first bit of August 2017. “It’ll be boiling hot!” “You’ll get soaked!” “You’ll ruin your backside!” Naysayers aside, we were hot, we were cold, we were wet, and we were tired, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world!

What better start to a Colorado adventure than the quaint little town of Telluride? There is some seriously surreal property in Telly, and as Ferris said, “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.” Well, we can dream.

As they say, “With a van, you can!”  Never mind who “they” are. You’re looking at 21 feet of American Made glory right there. Fits a Tenere pretty darn well!

Jumping off: Day 1

Layered up, rain gear on, and everything strapped down, we head off into the rainy morning on day 1. Ahead lies Gateway Canyon, John Brown Canyon, a startled black bear, and Moab, Utah. Bonus points if you can find the ‘hanging flume’. Of course, we had to say hi to the horse version of Fabio on our way to seeing some very old footprints.

Turns out, Moab is hot in August. Leaving Castle Valley and heading to City Market to fuel up both the bike and ourselves had us very much looking forward to a dip in the river. All the recent rainfall had the Colorado brown and full. It was still mighty fine!

 

Getting out of Dodge: Day 2

The new morning had us going up to the 70 and into Grand Junction. A word to the wise, avoid the 70. It’s friggin’ boring. Long, straight, flat. But, it gets you access to Colorado National Monument, which is almost cool enough to redeem that abysmal road. Almost.

Up next: Grand Mesa. Everything between Grand Junction and Cedarville is pure bliss. If you’re in the area, don’t miss Grand Mesa. Skiing? Check. Trails? Check. OHV? Check. Fishing? Check. Boating? Check. Freshly repaved roads? Ohhh, buddy. This place has it all. Don’t forget to stop and get your hard cider in Cedarville either!

To finish off the day, we dodged a bugger of a storm cell to scoot through Montrose and down into Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This is one of those places that you’d never see if you were just driving through. You have to make an effort to get here, and go specifically out of your way, but when you do, you are rewarded with a special treat. East portal campground is well worth the harrowing drive to get to. The roads are seriously steep.  

Hot, wet, left and right: Day 3

Twisty roads, hot springs, and the best camp spot of the trip. The 92 heading north from Gunnison is pure bliss. Epic views and unending twisties leaving you ready for more. That said, the 133 is one of my favorite paved roads of the trip; fast, flowy, gorgeous. Them Colorado engineers really know how to put a road in.  Don’t forget to play tourist and see the coke ovens on your way into Redstone.

We enjoyed soaking in the hot springs and seeing the mountaintop amusement park in Glenwood Springs. We then hit up the local grocery where I learned my headlights had both burnt out. At 7:30. As the sun is setting in an unfamiliar town where we don’t have a camp planned. Crud! AutoZone to the rescue, and much thanks to Mother Yamaha for using standard H4 bulbs. Crisis averted. Now where to sleep? KOA’s full, hotels are $$$, and national forest is far enough to be finding camp in the dark. Well, we put our newly minted headlights to task, and found a viable spot up Avalanche Creek Rd. Luckily, no snow this time of year.

Of course, the entry fee is a nighttime water crossing on a 800lb motorcycle! Talk about fun! Hah. Set up camp, cook dinner, everything in the bear bag, hit the sack. We awoke to the best spot of the trip. Towering mountain ridges closed our view on either side, lush alpine streams serenaded us, and morning sun filtered through the trees.  Can’t we stay another night?! The water crossing was much less eventful in the daylight.

Pizza, Crusty Butt, Cheap Cups: Day 4

Next stop, Crested Butte by way of Forest Rd 12.  This one’s a stunner guys. Of course, the camera was charging, so you’ll have to take my word for it.  If you’re in the area, make it a point to drive this road. Then you can try the Elizabeth Anne pizza in Crested Butte.  

Onward and outward. Coming up, Tin Cup. It’s a weird little historic town up in the sticks. Pretty cool place, just don’t count on a great hamburger while you’re there. We ended up camping right next to a ‘fixer upper’ right out of town. I counted four tailing piles, but I didn’t want to push my luck climbing around old mine shafts. We found some appetizers and washed ourselves down in Slaughterhouse Gulch. Nasty name for a picturesque book.

You Take the High Road, I’ll Take the Adventure Bike: Day 5

The next morning we would tackle the only pass road of the trip. I know, I know. I came to Colorado on an adventure bike and didn’t ride the passes?! Well, been there done that, and I’m a firm believer in ‘horses for courses”. In other words, muscling an 800lb pseudo streetbike two up through a scree field-turned-road isn’t my idea of fun. Hey, she’s light on her feet for a fat girl… we’ll come back on the dirtbikes and rip it up right proper.

We would then pass over Monarch pass, where we got our first real opportunity to don our rain gear in earnest! Rain, then hail, then BIG hail! At least it felt big. Had to pull over and wait that one out on order from the spousal unit. That storm would chase us all the way into Colorado Springs, where it decided it liked us and wanted to ruin our views for the next couple days. But not before regaling us with stories of hurricane force winds whilst traversing HWY 24. That’s another one you can skip, especially on a bike. My neck still hurts.

We’re both starting to get pretty ripe. That means it’s laundry day. We’ll be in Colorado Springs for a couple nights, so might as well hit the coin-op. I packed just enough, which means I bum one of wife’s extras. Hey, I know what I’m about. Over the next 36 hours, we enjoy some excellent food, burn up some amazing roads, and laugh at some incredibly cold mountain bike tourists. It was 28 degrees and wet at the top of Pike’s Peak, but at least the fog broke and awarded us the epic view we were suffering for. I tell ya, Pike’s Peak is a helluva thing with 30ft visibility.