#Fallplans

Oh hey there July, can you ever not be a jerk and go by so quickly? 

How is there only a few days left of of this month? 

Honestly though, right now I'm finding it hard to really care all that much with some highly anticipated autumn plans coming up. Don't get me wrong, my summer in Bayfield is easily one of the best decisions I've made and a super amazing experience I never imagined having.

bbbuuuuuuuuttt...

knowing there is this guy on the way it's hard to focus on anything else. Towards the end of September I get to drive to Chicago O'Hare Airport, spend way too much on coffee and probably pace manically in front of the arrivals board as I wait to greet him into the U.S.

I have been planning a pretty epic road-trip route complete with the best of the Midwest & Rocky Mountains. I think I'd be lost without roadtrippers.com and my Lonely Planet Guide. It will be his first time ever coming to the States so of course I'm planning hardcore to make it awesome, but nothing too crazy.

So far I'm thinking fireworks, shooting ranges and meals consisting of hot dogs and s'mores. 

Yup.
That should do.
Only 2 more months!

Cheers! 

#BayfieldLately

 

This first week of July has finally brought a slew of sunshine, tourists and heat. We went from wearing wool hats and coats in June to being hot, sweat messes this week with temps climbing easily into the 90's (35c), which is unbearable for the average Wisconsinite. I'm lucky to have years spent in Australia adapting to smoldering heat to the point where I actually enjoy a nice, sweat-induced nap in the sun. It's even more enjoyable now that I have a cold-as-ice, freshwater lake at my disposal. 

This nice weather came at a very convient time with the 4th of July and the prime, tourist weekend here. Work has been super busy with all available trips filling up and luckily we haven't had the weather drama like we had in June. Working in the office of a kayak outfitter is making me incredibly good at reading radars. 

The job also has connections to really cool peeps who have brilliant ideas and traditions such as paddling out into the lake, rafting our kayaks together and watching the fireworks light up directly in front of us. In the distance we could also clearly see the Madeline Island, Ashland and Red Cliff shows going off. It was easily the best 4th of July festivities I have taken part in so far. 

This week the annual Raceweek in Bayfield was held. What I believe to be, hundreds of sailboats added to the already gorgeous backdrop of Lake Superior and it's 21 islands. There have also been nightly concerts in the park and on the rooftop bar across the street from us, providing some good entertainment and people watching opportunities. 

The residents are also giving a big hallelujah as the main street construction in town has finally finished enabling myself and the rest of the town to sleep in past 7AM. I can now walk to my favorite shops without tripping over all the mounds of dirt and rope. Always a plus. 

So basically that's what I've been up to so far this month. 

I'd say it's been pretty neat. 

Cheers! 

#PaddlingOut

The summer season at the new job is now officially rounding into full swing! These past couple weeks at Living Adventure have been some of the most exciting yet with a plethora of training, trip shadowing and groovy staff hang-outs.

Admittingly, the Bayfield/Apostle Island area is easily one of the most amazing hidden gems (I think Wisconsin, as a whole, is but this especially). I honestly had no idea the Apostle Islands and caves existed until a couple months ago... pretty sad considering I grew up only 5 hours away!

That being said, I've been keeping pretty busy exploring the area, mingling with the locals and learning more about kayaking than I ever could have imagined. I'm working with some seriously cool folks that have some crazy skills and experiences that I am incredibly envious of!

But hey, at least I get to spend the summer soaking-up all their knowledge and testing it out on one the greatest lakes there is! Keep reading/skimming/glancing to check out some of the trips I've been on thus far...

Mainland Sea Caves

They're baaasically the pride and joy of the area and for good reason. 

Paddling out and about these caves is pretty effin' cool. If you're lucky enough to go on a perfectly calm

 day you'll be able to duck in, out, around and through some some pretty stunning sea caves you never 

thought a giant, tandem, sea kayak would fit through. Along with the caves, I can almost guarantee you 

that you'll most likely have some bald eagle spottings. I have a hard time believing they were once 

endangered with how many I have already seen around the area. 

Bark Bay

There's no better way to paddle and experience this level of local wildlife & plant diversity.
This trip is only reserved for taking out folks when the conditions at the sea caves are too rough'n'tough for the newbs that generally make up those trips. It's a pity though since it is still gorgeous, especially if you take a liking to water fowl watching. While I was there, my group was able to paddle past two loons floating on the lake while bald eagles were soaring in the distance and a couple of cranes were chilling on the shore. It was one of those moments you could have stopped and stared for an eternity. 

 Staff Overnight

Getting out to explore the islands is definitely in the stars for me this summer. 

I was lucky enough to be able to tag along the first night of the staff overnight where we camped out on Oak Island and experienced the most incredible sunset. The next day a chunk of us left the others, who continued island hopping, and we checked out a bit of Basswood Island as well. The islands use to be a happening place once upon a time, but now most are in the transition of being kept away from human inhabitation (other than camping). Enough time has passed where getting to see nature take over the left-over relics is both nostalgic and stunning. 

That concludes my trips so far!

As per usual, my instagram is constanly being updated with photos from my trips, days on the Living Adventure base and life in Bayfield. So you should definitely check that our for more frequent activity on my summer happenings! 

Cheers!