Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mommies Need Adventures Every Now And Then

When I was 20 years younger, I lived the adventurous life as an Outward Bound Instructor. I traveled from base to base in my AMC Concord and lived in a tent, or a simple room at whatever base I was working at. The job didn't pay much, but the flip side was the experience of living outdoors, leading expeditions for young people and sharing these adventures with co-workers/friends. In between our time on course, depending on where I was, Instructors would get together to surf, kayak, climb, backpack, canoe, or live in Key West for a winter of waitressing and basking in the sun. Ah, what a life.

Fast forward to the present. I am a wife and mommy of three kids, and every now and then, it's time for a little adventure with my Outward Bound girlfriends. Our last get-together was about ten years ago backpacking in Colorado, before I got pregnant with my first child. Ten years is a long time to wait for a girlfriend adventure.

Since I live in Bayfield County Wisconsin, we decided to do a little exploring of Bayfield and The Apostle Islands. We signed on for a one day kayaking trip to see the Sea Caves through an awesome outfitter, Living Adventures. I have lived up here for four years and still had not seen them yet. They are only visible from boats or by walking out to them on the frozen Lake Superior in the winter.




Anne and I are geared up to go.




Our first close-up look at the caves was a place called "The Crack". You paddle in until you can't go any further.








Here, Anne and Lisa paddle into The Crack for a look.



After time in different caves like "The Garage" and "The Car Wash" we took a break on "Lunch Beach".


Notice the folding table with the checkered table cloth? It was first class all the way, with a gourmet spread of freshly made deli wrap sandwiches, tasty GORP, homemade hummus with sliced apples and lemonade, served to us by Eric and Chris. What a treat to be on the other side, not having to be in charge of gear, safety, and of course, the food. Being a customer of a classy outfitter sure has it's perks. We just enjoyed our yummy lunch!


The last half of the trip was seeing the caves from a different point of view. The weather had changed, from a little on the overcast side to bright, sunny and calm waters.














What do you see hidden here?






So, if you are ever in the neighborhood of the Apostle Islands, be sure to look up Living Adventures. They offer overnights and day trips. Excellent, qualified friendly staff, all gear included and tasty food. We had an excellent adventure.

3 comments:

  1. Awesome! I've been musing over the idea of a kayaking trip the Apostle Islands for a while. Really great place!

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  2. Any time you're ready, we'll always have a place for you Stan. It is totally worth it.

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  3. What an awesome way to hang out with your girlfriends-and I can especially get into the tasty lunch which you did not have to prepare yourself! Very, very cool stuff!

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