This trip was the first time I’ve seen Lake Superior. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes. By surface area it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world, and comes in third in the world for volume. I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I saw was not it. Having grown up next to Lake Michigan, I guess that’s what I expected – expansive, sea-like, blue. Since Ashland is along the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior, that expansiveness wasn’t there – I could see land on almost every side. The water was not sea-like or blue, it was a light brown that was offset by the green trees of the Chequamegon National Forest. By day two, I had already been struck by the amount of green. Trees are everywhere. This means that deer and birds were everywhere, and I constantly had to remind myself to be more alert than usual on the road in case a deer jumped out from nowhere (I did end up seeing many fawns and goslings!).
Luckily on this day I only had one stop on my schedule. In the morning I headed to the USFWS Iron River National Fish Hatchery. Since I have a degree in Marine Science and Biology, I loved every minute of my grand tour of the facilities. At this hatchery, they raise lake trout to restock some of the Great Lakes for fishing. I saw every stage of the process, from the spawning areas all the way to the trucks they use to release the fish into the lakes. The biologist giving my tour kept apologizing for the “mess” and the “smell” but I kept saying, “It doesn’t bother me, this is cool!” Anyone can stop by the fish hatchery and take a self-guided tour, see the fish, and learn some facts in their small visitor center. This hatchery also has a few walking trails through a few acres of butterfly gardens, and I saw a doe and two fawns when I drove in. Iron River is definitely a unique hatchery, and I think worth the visit.
Although I don’t drink coffee, I do love small local businesses, so I always try to seek out locally owned coffee shops. After vising the hatchery, this was my mission, and luckily it didn’t take too long to find one. I ended up at Tap Roots Coffee House in Ashland. In what used to be a house, this place has quite the homey feel. I spent a few hours here doing work on my computer, drinking tea, eating lunch, and talking with the owner and regular customers. I ended up getting a whole list of places to eat, since I was not happy with my choice the night before (The Deep Water Grill, which is supposed to be one of the best in Ashland. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing, but it wasn’t good and I found a fly at the bottom of my beer, which means they don’t clean their lines very well. Plus, service was ridiculously slow – I think I’m too used to Chicago…).
For dinner I ended up choosing one of the suggestions I received at the coffee shop – the restaurant in Hotel Chequamegon. I took a leisurely walk along Lake Superior. I wasn’t really hungry yet, but I ended up going straight to the restaurant because it was so HOT. I never expected northern Wisconsin to be that hot and the sun to be that intense. It was after 5pm and I felt like I was roasting like an afternoon in Miami (ok, not quite that bad, but still…I was shocked). Some kids were swimming in the lake and I was tempted to just jump in with what I had on. I ate inside in the AC, and was definitely pleased with the suggestion and my choice tonight. Service isn’t great (I was warned about that) but the salad I had was huge and filled with tons of fresh ingredients – being on the road, you never know if you’ll have a chance to get a decent serving of anything green.
Day two was now complete. I walked back along Lake Superior as the sun began to set and the heat began to die down. This is the time where Lake Superior really shines – sunsets on any body of water make me happy. But I didn’t want to get eaten by bugs, so it was back to the hotel to watch some crappy TV and get a good night’s sleep.
Places to eat in Ashland
Tap Roots Coffee Shop (http://www.taprootscoffeeshop.com/)
410 Lake Shore Drive West, Ashland, WI, 54806
THE place in town to get your gelato fix. I’d say about 65% of the people that came in both times I was there working for a few hours were coming for the gelato. They also claim to make the best Ruben. I had tea, vegetable soup, and a turkey sandwich, and I was happy with all of my choices – the ingredients were all very good quality. The fancy coffee drinks the owner made looked absolutely delicious as well.
Best Western the Hotel Chequamegon (http://www.hotelc.com/molly-coopers.aspx)
(Restaurant is named Molly Coopers but the locals just call is Hotel Chequamegon)
101 Lake Shore Drive West, Ashland, WI, 54806
I got the Chicken Walnut Salad, which was huge. Tons of fresh fruit, lettuce, and spinach and a large chicken breast. Go in knowing that service isn’t going to be good, but the view is one of the best in town. It was recommended to me to try the fish fingers, but I saved my fish fingers for the next day.
Mastering the Midwest 