Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+pics)

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sped372
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Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+pics)

Post by sped372 » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:20 pm

We spent ten days on a lazy drive-about up north visiting a few parks we'd seen before and one that we hadn't. Here's a brief writeup.

The first two nights were at Brunet Island near Cornell, WI. We had an excellent site on a thin (maybe 75 feet?) finger of land separating the main channel of the Chippewa with some fish-rich backwaters. We did plenty of angling right from the site and made good use of the wonderful weather.

Views of/from the site:
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We also got plenty of use out of the oven on this trip.
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Next stop was Copper Falls near Mellen, WI. It's so relaxing here and the scenery is beautiful. There's something in the air. Two refreshing nights with another nice campsite.

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We did some more fishing here, while the loons called out. We should have caught more, but the big ones were crafty and kept getting loose in the weeds.

A "tree shaker" 'gill:
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A pop-top hinge bolt snapped and I "fixed" it with a scavenged tent stake. Worked fine the rest of the trip... I'll have to pick up some hardened hardware now that we're back. I think some of those Wyoming winds last year did a number to the hinges so I may as well inspect both sides.
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Continuing on we drove through Ashland and stopped for a quick breakfast.
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A short while later we caught the Ferry and were headed out into Lake Superior for Madeline Island.
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The Apostles have a certain recognizable look to them. We did some hiking and walked the boardwalk. The water is clear but cold!

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We had a nice campsite but had a dreaded mouse in the night again! I pulled the splash-pan down at about midnight and found a few moldy old acorns, seriously, is that what was drawing them in!?
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Little did I know I'd be back under the bus in a few short hours. The next morning we decided to drive back across the island to check out the town and as we pulled through the main intersection we heard a "trink!" as I stepped on the clutch. Of course it was cold, rainy, and windy. I was actually happy, though, when lying in the wet street I was able to see the cable frayed back near the transmission. I could put the thoughts of a broken pressure-plate or throwout-fork to rest.

We visited the historical museum while waited for a break in the downpour. After lunch the wind and frigid rain had let up so we pushed the bus to get it rolling fast enough that I was able to jump in and nudge it into gear without the clutch. One of the shop owners a couple blocks away had agreed to let me use his carport tent thing, which was nice, because it was still drizzly and it wouldn't have been much fun working on the side of the road in the muddy gravel. Thankfully the procedure went without a hitch and we were mobile again in less than two hours.

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We spent the night in town at an Inn; we had gotten the last vacant room right after the cable broke because we wanted to have a backup plan in case things didn't play out smoothly. It was nice to take a hot shower after being thoroughly wet all day from walking all over town in the rain and then working on the ground. The next morning we headed back to Big Bay State Park and let the sun pull the dampness out of the bus (now at a different site to hopefully evade the mouse, if he was after more than the now-removed acorns).

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The last two nights were at Lake Wissota near Chippewa Falls. It rained off and on so the infamous Wal-Mart canopy made an appearance.
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We got a bit bored here because we had been spoiled by all the scenery earlier in the trip. The lake was nice, but just didn't have the same appeal as the other places we'd been.
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We drove home in the heat yesterday after a pretty heavy thunderstorm Sunday night. I was glad we left as early as we did. We came back through the driftless region, a good portion on Highway 71 and it was very pretty despite the heat. We put on almost 800 miles and had a very relaxing break from work. Speaking of which, I've really stretched my lunch break with this one and should probably get back to it.
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1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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Sylvester
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Re: Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+p

Post by Sylvester » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:12 pm

sped372 wrote: Image
What a great story, write up and trip! And fixing the clutch cable, so you had a spare?
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue, I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace. Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

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sped372
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Re: Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+p

Post by sped372 » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:15 pm

Yes, had a spare. That's why I was glad it was indeed the cable. For a short while I was worrying about having to pull the engine and work out next-day parts delivery if it was something more sinister. All on a lightly-inhabited island of Lake Superior.
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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RSorak 71Westy
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Re: Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+p

Post by RSorak 71Westy » Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:41 pm

Cables are cheap and fairly easy to replace if you drive a VW long distances and dont carry spares, you're some kind of brave.....
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.

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Re: Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+p

Post by hambone » Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:27 pm

Very nice! Sure is a lovely bus, your attention to detail is madness. It is nice to see an early bay get out there, like it always has, uninterrupted.
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Re: Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+p

Post by BellePlaine » Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:01 am

Thanks for the pics and the great write-up Sped. I love how you and your wife do so much exploring in your home state!
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Re: Brunet Island, Copper Falls, Big Bay, & Lake Wissota (+p

Post by locoqueso » Fri Jun 22, 2012 5:53 pm

Beautiful photos and story! I love Wisconsin.
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