Bayfield, Wisconsin

Family vacation, Fall 2014

My family has been driving up to Bayfield on Lake Superior every October for as long as I can remember. Before that, my mom made the journey with her parents — that's 50+ years of Bayfield for Mama Lawler, but it never gets old. It's a relaxing long weekend filled with changing leaves, Grandma's blueberry coffee cake, naps, Scrabble, apple cider donuts, quaint Main Street shops, and plenty of quality time.

This year on our way up to Bayfield, we stopped at Black River Harbor Park. There you can walk along a stony, driftwood-covered beach, then follow wooded trails that lead to the park's five waterfalls. We took the trail to Rainbow Falls this time, and next year we hope to scope out one of the other four.

When we reached Bayfield on Friday afternoon, we checked into our Bayfield on the Lake condo and ran around like kids: four bedrooms, a loft, a foosball table — way more space than the four of us needed, but it would be the perfect place to stay with a party of ten or twelve. That night, we went out for pizza at Ethel's — a charming Italian restaurant at which, next year, I'd probably try the pasta instead of the pizza.

On Saturday morning, I made coffee cake and my mom whipped up baked oatmeal (recipes to come!). Then it was off to our first Bayfield must-see — the cemetery. My family can't be the only one that gets a kick out of exploring old cemeteries, right? (Right?!) We go not only for the spooky thrill of it, but also for the fiery tree that's always in full color at this time of year.

There are also nearby nature trails and a junk yard filled with heaps of scrap metal. We joke that it's a scene from an alien landing. We can't be the only family that's into both cemeteries and UFOs, right? (Right?!) We wrote my Uncle Bob's name in the dirt and texted him a photo saying that the aliens left a message for him (totally the norm).

On our way back to the condo, we stopped for apple cider donuts and bummed around the shops on Rittenhouse Ave (we call it "Main Street"). There's the Scandinavian boutique, boasting stacks of lace doilies, wool socks, and picture books of Scandinavian folklore — and they also have a statue of a troll out front. There's Roxanne's gift shop, which has had the same assortment of lotions and cutesy fall decor for as long as I can remember. Our favorite place to stop is Sweet Sailing, which never has fewer than twenty sorts of jams, mustards, butters, and spreads for sampling — not to mention fudge. 

 
















That night, after a just-okay dinner at Cornucopia's Village Inn, we settled in for "Friends from Outer Space" movie night. That would be "E.T." and "The Iron Giant." Our up north movie selection is always meticulously planned. If a movie takes place at the peak of autumn, it's in. If it has a solid fall scene, it will most likely make the cut. If a movie has the right seasonal vibe, we'll consider it. We only bring along movies that aren't too heavy, somber, or scary. Comfort is our aim.

On Sunday morning, we headed to the Egg Toss Cafe. It's a darling diner with egg-ceptional breakfast. Bayfield's famous Maggie owns it; she owns everything in Bayfield. Okay, maybe not everything, but I still like to think of her as Aunt Polly in "Pollyanna," running the show. Maggie lives in a hedge-guarded mansion and owns three delicious restaurants in Bayfield (that I know of) — the Egg Toss Cafe being one of them. I must say, that biscuit breakfast sandwich was my favorite meal of the trip. 

We then burned off breakfast calories with a long walk on The Path. My family has been calling it "The Path" for as long as I can remember, but its rightful name is the Brownstone Trail. It's a gorgeous hike through the woods along Lake Superior. "When I die, toss my ashes here," said Mom. We told her she needed to be more specific, so she pointed out a spot where the trees break and there's a perfect view of the lake. That's the spot. We can't be the only family who laughs about eventual cremation, right? (Right?!) 

That night, it was off to another Maggie restaurant — simply called "Maggie's" — for dinner. It's probably the best casual eatery in Bayfield. The building is a shocking shade of pink and the inside is covered with flamingos from floor to ceiling: flamingo toys, paintings, string lights, tapestries, nick-knacks — you name it. The place is so kitsch and so tasty that I think we should just go to Maggie's for dinner three nights in a row next year. 

After dinner: Scrabble and "Big" — a total peak-fall movie. Come Monday morning, it was time once again to pile into Mom's car and head home. We always mope about going home and say that we really should stay an extra night next time. We could all use some more peak fall comfort, and Bayfield is just the place to get it.