83 FALL 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 01 SNOWGOER . COM
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Not wishing to empty our wallets on a Sunday morning ( now , if it were a Saturday …), we rode past the casino and onto the edge of Lake Superior . Basswood Island — one of the famous Apostle Islands — had a certain appeal just across the bay , and the ice was snowcovered all the way to its shore , but our party gets nervous crossing unknown , Lake Superior ice , so we just viewed its hilly landscape from afar . Then we rejoined the trails and headed south toward the city of Bayfield , the touristy harbor town on the shores of Lake Superior .
Dick and Gary both said that riding all the way into Bayfield can be tricky , as the snow always gets thin close to the lake , and when we got into the north edge of town we did run out of rideable snow . The trip down to the city limits was worthwhile , though , as we crossed beautiful farm country , including a section of trail that cut directly through some of the apple and cherry orchards for which this area is known . Turning back , we were back into a foot-plus of snow within 3 miles as we got away from the lake . We saw a lot more white-trunked birch and tall , stately oak and maple trees this far
The Moquah Barrens in the Chequamegon features many clear cut areas and overlooks . north than we had farther south , and not such rugged changes in terrain .
Dick led us a different way into the Pub & Grub , which we were disappointed to see . Nothing personal — we enjoyed several great meals there and it always had a fun crowd ( the bar was packed with locals on this Sunday watching the NASCAR race ), but seeing it also meant that our three-day visit to this snowmobiling paradise was coming to a close .
A RETURN IS IMMINENT
Some people in our riding party called this the best Upper Midwestern riding they have ever experienced , thanks to the varied terrain , dependable snow and pick-anyroute exploration . Off-trail riding is generally prohibited , especially in the Chequamegon National Forest , but some of the county land in the northeast allows more cross-country travel . The Forest Service and logging trail maze is so vast , however , one hardly feels inhibited — be mindful and respectful of local road closures and trespassing laws so this paradise can stay as open as it is .
As it turns out , there wasn ’ t any banjo music , and “ Hotel California ” certainly wasn ’ t the theme song of the trip . We could check out any time we wanted , but we didn ’ t want to leave . Oddly it was a different song released in the same year ( 1977 ) that may have best described riding here : Fleetwood Mac ’ s “ Go Your Own Way ” seemed more appropriate , because that ’ s what a rider can do here — pick your own direction , and go your own way .