Bayfield

Warren, Gary, Dale and I ate at Maggie's Restaurant for lunch during our jaunt to Bayfiled.

Island View

A view of Madeline Island from the ferry we took to Bayfield, Wisconsin. During a July 2011 visit from our friends Warren and Gary we took an excursion to Bayfield, Wisconsin. Here is a view of Madeline Island taken from the ferry as we were crossing over.

Ferry Ride Photo

Another photo taken on the ferry ride on an excursion to Bayfield from Madeline Island. Here you see a house on the Island.

Ferry Ride

Photo taken from the ferry on the trip from Madeline Island to Bayfield. Madeline Island is in the foreground at right and Bayfield, Wisconsin is in the background.

More Tommy's Burned Down Bar

The following is from the website travelandleisure.com:

"Tom's Burned Down Cafe, Madeline Island, Lake Superior, WI. The Scene: An old tavern burned down in 1992 and was totally destroyed so that only the decks remained. That didn't bother owner Tom Nelson, who thought, 'Do not rebuild it, and they will come.' Nelson pulled in a 40-foot trailer to the decks and began serving beer from the back of the truck. Since then, he's built more decks and a bar and added a tarp roof and knickknacks. It's a quirky place that could keep your attention for hours between the bartenders' stories and the view of kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders on the lake. There's even a chance of glimpsing the northern lights."

Above photo from July 2011

Tommy's Burned Down Bar

When Dale first got the job on the Island I remember telling people that I'd be spending some time with him up there over the summer. One friend who'd actually been up to Madeline before told me about her visit to the infamous Tommy's Burned Down Bar. The story goes that the bar has burned down so many times that it can't get insurance anymore so now all that's there is a tent over the foundation and a few trailers.

Here's a review for the bar that I found online:

"Best bar within 500 miles. The first time I walked in, there was a large blonde woman passed out face-down on the floor. A dog was crouched beside her, licking the side of her face. As I walked up to the bar, the 'tender must've noticed my raised eyebrow, to which he responded 'She does that all the time'."

"Drinks are very strong and affordable for the island. Strange things happen at Tom's. If you're dainty or Victorian or douchebaggy, go have a cup of tea at one the the B & B's that dot the island and point your pinky toward heaven."

The above review is from the website yelp.com and was written by a fellow identifying himself as Eric S. of Minneapolis. He rated Tommy's a 5 out of 5 stars.

Above photo from July 2011.

Madeline Island Museum

More from the Madeline Island Museum website:

"On the front lawn a pair of fog horns and a bell from nearby Long Island greet your arrival. Anchors from the schooner-barge Pretoria and a propeller from the tug Ashland pay tribute to the area's maritime history.

The above photo was taken in July of 2011.