Safe arrival

Although we took off in rain this morning -- and went through some torrential stuff for the first hour -- the weather cleared up after a couple of hours and we arrived safely at our destination mid-afternoon. The cabin is as described, better in fact. There is a large sitting room downstairs as well as upstairs, both with fireplace, television, easy chairs and so on. The bedrooms are comfortable and do indeed have views of Lake Superior. Tom and I sat out on the upper deck after dinner, enjoying the view of the lake, of one end of Madeline Island and of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan beyond Long Island. (We think. And, obviously not that Long Island!) There is noise from traffic passing on the road, but the house is well sealed and you hear nothing inside. None of it is visible from anywhere inside or out. And I learned long ago that if I let traffic noise be white noise, equivalent to wind in the trees or waves on the shore, it doesn't intrude.

Before going to the cabin, we visited the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center, which had interesting exhibits and a nice trail that wound about three quarters of a mile through woods, by a pond and along a marsh on the property. You got an excellent view of the surrounding area from their observation platform on top of the building, reminiscent of a Great Lakes lighthouse. (This helped me get in my 10,000 steps despite being cooped up in the car for five hours.)

We had a nice evening meal at a place in Bayfield, Ethel's at 250. Tuesday nights they have a "Back to the 60's" menu, because that is when she and her husband began dating. Ethel herself greeted us and told us all about it when we came in, then dropped by the table to chat later. Tonight's menu was all burgers, pizzas and salads -- but really, really good. For lunch we had stopped at McDonald's. I have not eaten at one for a long time, and I was shocked at how tasteless the food was. I am not surprised that they are having difficulties. At any rate, at Ethel's, I opted for a Caesar salad and Tom took the non-beef option of grilled whitefish on a brioche bun, which came with a mixed greens salad served with an apple vinaigrette. So not at all the same thing as fast food! We may go back for dinner tomorrow to sample their regular menu.

Tomorrow the plan is to take the ferry over to the island and visit the historical site, then come back and visit some of the shops in Bayfield. Or just relax. Looks like the weather is going to be perfect for anything we choose.