20 May 2018
Yesterday, after I checked into the Quality Inn in Ashland, Wisconsin, I thought I might better check with Isle Royale Seaplanes about Monday’s flight and my staying at their cabin on Sunday nite and Tuesday nite.
It’s a good thing I did. Ken, the pilot, answered the phone. He couldn’t find the reservation software but we had a long talk about camping on the island and such. Then he found I was indeed scheduled for a Monday morning flight at 8 am and a return flight on Tuesday at 5 pm. I had it as a 4 pm flight but that could simply be the time zone change and how Apple’s calendar doesn’t seem to convert those times.
He stated he had no idea about the cabin and would have Jon, the owner, contact me. Jon emailed me that the cabin was no longer an option due to a sewerage problem. He directed me to the Ramada Inn Waterfront in Hancock, 1.1 miles from the seaplane base. He said they had a special rate of $89 for people using the seaplane.
I went online and checked the place out. The $89 isn’t special – it’s their normal rate. In any case, the person at the desk reserved a room for me on Sunday night and Tuesday night. I’m glad I decided to check!
By the way, the Quality Inn serves a real breakfast. You can even get eggs to order. Strangely, they did not serve or have available any meat on the menu. Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast, eggs any style – just no bacon, sausage or ham.
The drive from Ashland to Hancock was short – 3 hours. Along the way, I kept seeing something white blooming along side the road. Finally, I stopped and looked. It was the white trillium blooming in profusion along the hillsides that got afternoon sun. I took a few quick shots with the camera and then noticed something growing among the trillium. I was thrilled to see the dog-tooth violet. I’ve always read about them but never seen them.
After checking into the Ramada Inn, I went to the jeep and began packing for my overnight at Isle Royale. My hope is to get a space at the Washington Creek Campground which is next to the Visitor Center. Ken (the pilot) thought I should be able to get space, especially since the seaplane will beat the boats to the island.
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There’s water at the campground but it may not be turned on as yet. The park opens in April but they don’t announce their schedule for the summer on their web site. They say there are limited services available. We’ll see.
After the packing, I decided to tour Hancock. It didn’t take long. It’s an old mining town on the Portage Ship Canal to Lake Superior. I like the old buildings and it looks fairly prosperous although downtown is mostly restaurants.
Across the canal is the city of Houghton, Michigan. It seems there may be a little rivalry between the two towns. Houghton claims the title of birthplace of organized professional hockey. Hancock has a city sign saying their youth groups won state championships in hockey – a little dig, I think.
It goes a little further than that. Once you cross the bridge from one town to the other, the bridge automatically routes into each others’ downtown area. It’s like they insist you visit the town before you can go anywhere else on their road system.
Even finding the Ramada Inn was difficult because of the way they route you from the bridge, into town. Once in town, unless you know the cutoff, you are immediately routed back to the bridge. It’s very confusing!
Tomorrow there will be no post unless there is a phone signal at Windigo Visitor Center, which I doubt.
Here’s a sign I thought was cut in the Ramada Inn Lounge. In case you can’t read it, it says “Martinis! Helping People Lower Their Standards Since 1927!”
