Madeline Island by car

It was time to drive out to the airport where there is an RV dump and potable water source. Along the drive we stopped at the WOW gallery where we met Steve McGugh, owner and artist. Steve is primarily a painter but also displayed some of his experiments with clay and whimsy.

The drive along the island’s perimeter roads, some paved, some well-kept gravel took us through mostly hardwood forest. We saw few homes as they are nestled back under the trees along the shore.

We stopped at a trailhead in the Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve. There we found a trail into the woods not unlike the “Woods” trail in the state park except that this one had recently constructed board walks over the wet spots. Lots of birch and maple and lots of mosquitos.

We concluded our tour with a stop at the M.I. Fudge and candle shop and a beer at Tom’s Burned Down cafe. The latter is an open air tent structure with eclectic seating, a “hippie” vibe, and humorous signs throughout. The tent replaces the original wooden building that burned down in 1992. Clearly one of the places to go when visiting the island.

We returned to our site for a canned smoked salmon and salad dinner and awaited the forecasted rain.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)