August 18, 2020

We left McLain State Park bright and early because when campgrounds state first come, first serve...they mean 10:00 is when most campers are gone and sites are available. We had 5 campgrounds on the radar and found a nice spot at the Memorial Park in Washburn. We dropped off the kayaks and headed for a local beach at Friendly Valley Road. We stopped by and found the beach beautiful and very accessible. We continued into Bayfield and the Apostle Island National Park Visitor Center. Not open, but we snagged some interesting info and checked on Dalyrymple Campground, which was one of the campgrounds on our radar. It was tiny and full. We headed over to Meyer's Beach and hiked the Lake Shore Trail. It was full of twisted roots and breath-taking views. We used Bodie as an excuse for our many pit stops, but between the views, water and snack breaks, and picture opportunities, we enjoyed the hike immensely. We ended at the beach with all of us cooling off in Lake Superior. The water was bracing, but felt so good after miles of up and down hiking. We swung by Little Sand Bay on the way back and found the kayak launch to be much easier than the 60 stairs at Meyer's, so that is in the running for tomorrow's adventure. We looked for a boat launch at Red Cliff, but it doesn't look terribly public, so we headed back to Washburn to figure out tomorrow's adventure.