Quarry Bay to Presque Isle Bay - Stockton Island

Day 4, August 3

We awoke to an angry bay that caused the boat to continue to rock.  We performed our typical breakfast straightening ritual before setting out on a trip around the bay in Dink.  As we were heading for shore, we met a group of young kids who were in some sort of a camping program and were traveling to their various destinations in kayaks.  The kid were all quite young, I would say in their mid teens and were accompanied by two female and one male counselor (who by the way were also quite young.)   I asked where they were heading and they said that they were going to Bayfield today – a distance of 15 plus miles.  I asked how long it would take, and they said that they should be there by noon.  They had been traveling all around the Apostles over the past several weeks.  I had been amazed when we would see kayakers in what we considered really rough water sometimes miles from shore. 

We motored over to the beach, pulled Dink up onto the sand and spent about a half hour walking around checking out the facilities offered by the National Park Service.  This is truly a primitive camping area.  There are no trash cans and the signs in the area tell you to carry out everything that you bring in.  We saw absolutely no trash lying around throughout the entire area.  The wild blackberries were ripe and a troop of boy scouts was feasting on them.  We also saw a tiny flowering plant with beautiful white flowers, brilliant red berries and leaves with veins that reminded us of a dogwood tree.  These plants grew close to the ground probably no taller than 6 inches.  We also saw a lot of a species of what I expect is princess pine; a primitive plant that produces spores that were used in the old days by photographers as their flash powder.  The main tree species are birch and firs.

Back in Dink, we toured the perimeter of our cove looking at the various rock features and taking pictures.  The wave action cuts interesting shapes in the sandstone rocks.  In this area, in the late 1800s, there was a quarrying industry that produced brown sandstone building materials that were shipped as far away as Cincinnati OH. 

Docking in Presque Isle Bay - Stockton Island

Our next stop was on around the corner to the main dock on Stockton Island in the bay called Presque Isle Bay.  There is a ranger station located there and a fine enclosed dock behind a concrete and stone breakwater that provides outstanding protection during all types of weather.  Although the docking area is quite small and there is limited space for boats, we found a hole into which Panache fit nicely.  We were aided in landing by a gentleman and his wife, John and Susie.  We had decided that since we had been through two nights with limited sleep and significant discomfort, we would treat ourselves to a night in a tightly enclosed area. 

The island is crisscrossed with hiking trails that are dotted with campsites.  We stopped at the ranger station and were greeted with an interested and friendly ranger.  He and I talked about the various forms of vegetation that we had seen and he told us that he was not a botanist, but was interested in the carnivorous plants that grow in the huge bog located on the island.  I inquired as to their location and he said that they were not far and that he would take us there.  We had an interesting walk for about .2 mile which ended in a bog that I would estimate would between 5 and 10 acres in size.  We walked out on the soggy bog to a patch of pitcher plants.  On our way back to the station, he pointed out the root mound of a blown down tree that had been excavated by a bear and confirmed as a hibernation den.

We spent the afternoon catching up on our much needed sleep, reading, and completing my correspondence.  During the lunch preparation time, we realized that our water tank was dry so I started carrying a gallon jug from the ranger station to the boat to supply enough water to last until we can get to a marina with water.  During my 5^th trip to the water tap, another boater enquired as to what I was doing and offered that he had a 5 gallon water jug that I could use.  That made the process much more efficient.



John, the Fighter Pilot, and wife Susie



Later in the afternoon, John and I were talking when the question of our professions came up and he said that he had retired as a fighter pilot.  I ask him what he flew and he said, “I flew 101s, F-4s ...” at which time in interrupted him and told him that I had been a maintenance officer on those two aircraft.  From there the conversation turned into an hour long session of tales and lies.  It turns out that his operation and mission were almost parallel to what I had done.  It was really neat to reminisce.  Later, I mentioned that we had to leave tomorrow because we were very low on ice and he said that he would take me in his Boston Whaler back to Bayfield.  I took him up on his offer and we headed out in to a roughening sea.  By the time we started back, the wind had kicked up and was building waves in a short chop that were running up to 4 feet.  It turned out to be a long (15 miles) bumpy ride.  We were most appreciative because the new weather forecast called for severe storms tonight and rough weather for the next several days and we could now stay in our precious secure mooring for as long as necessary.