July on Isle Royale

Ranger III at Rock Harbor

 We made it out to the island on July 4.  We were SO excited to move in to our new home and have an island wilderness out our front and back doors!  There are 165 miles of trails on the island as well as countless water routes for canoeing and kayaking. 


Here we are in Rock Harbor...our new home!

The beginning of our time was very stormy and foggy.  We spent a bunch of days hiking in the local vicinity and then warming and drying up in our cozy home.  Gradually, the weather improved and we began to journey in to the backcountry, mostly by canoe.  Jasper seemed to take to canoeing quite quickly.  He loves boats, throwing rocks in the water and looking for bugs...he's in the right place!

We ended up doing two backcountry canoe trips during July, both in Rock Harbor channel.  The first was to Threemile Campground and the second to Daisy Farm Campground.  On a different weekend, we were dropped off at Daisy Farm and then did dayhikes from there. 

The wildflowers were spectacular and the berries were coming on by the end of the month.  Every day in the month of July had an adventure and we lived up every moment!

A foggy start to our time on the Island

 

A spectacular day on the Stoll Trail

 

Orange Hawkweed

Jasper leading the way in our canoe

 

Rock Harbor Ranger Station

This moose was right outside our house!

Three-sided shelter at Daisy Farm, our first backcountry experience on the Island this summer

Wow!!  What a day for paddling!

Our canoeing set-up with Jasper in the bow in front of Susanna and all our gear in the middle

Loon in front of Middle Islands Passage

Canoeing near Daisy Farm

Sunset on Tobin Harbor

Life in Northern Michigan...

Looking North from on a lonely beach along Misery Bay, Lake Superior

 We spent from June 29 to July 4 in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  Most of that time was spent frantically going about getting ready for the remainder of the summer on Isle Royale...but we did have time for some fun too!  We spent the first two nights with our friends Don and Gene at their beautiful place on the shore of Lake Superior at Misery Bay.  We waded in to the cold water and enjoyed the cumulous clouds that rushed on by.  One of the evenings there was a rather dramatic thunderstorm over the water.  The sunsets were out of this world.  It was a wonderful welcome back to the North.

Looking South from a lonely beach along Misery Bay, Lake Superior

Sunset from the cottage

Don and Gene's lovely cottage at the edge of Lake Superior

Thunderstorm to the North!

From Colorado to the North Woods of Michigan

 Our long journey to the North Woods of Michigan began again after our week of relaxation in Colorado with the family.  We continued east on June 27th, leaving the glorious mountains of Colorado and driving out on to the plains.  Our route took us in to Nebraska and up to Valentine (Northern Nebraska) on the first leg.  That evening, a powerful thunderstorm rocked our hotel with hail, strong wind and wicked bolts of lightning.  Jasper happily slept right through it.  We happily watched from the safety of our hotel room on the third floor. 

We continued on in to South Dakota, which was surprisingly beautiful.  Small, yellow flowers covered the grassy hills.  Round hay bales dotted the landscape.  Everything seemed alive and well.  We crossed the Missouri River and continued on through eastern South Dakota and in to Minnesota.  We angled up through beautiful farm fields and scattered forests and rivers to the tiny town of Milaca, where we spent the night. 

On the last day of our journey, we crossed the border in to Wisconsin.  We stopped at the St. Croix River for Jasper to throw rocks.  Hello, mosquitoes!  We met up with friend Rori for lunch in Minong and then continued through the forests of Northern Wisconsin.  Finally, we crossed the border in to the state of Michigan!  By evening, we had made it to our friends house on the shore of mighty Lake Superior.  Yes, Michigan!!

Thunderclouds building over Northern Nebraska

Round hay bales in South Dakota

Missouri River, South Dakota

Southeast Minnesota

St. Croix River, Wisconsin

Jasper and Rori

Welcome to Michigan!!

Ausema Family Reunion

In late June, the whole Ausema clan met up in Breckenridge, Colorado for a wonderful week in a beautiful home deep in the mountains.  We had a wonderful time hiking a variety of trails, catching up on many stories, exploring the town, and lounging in the hot tub at night.  Snow draped the mountains in ribbons of white.  Thunderstorms loomed in the mountains most afternoons.  There were lots of interesting animals around.  We saw beaver, fox and mule deer.  Jasper had lots of fun playing with his cousins, hiking the rocky, rugged trails, looking for fish along the river walk in Breckenridge and taking the gondola in to the mountains.  It was a wonderful week which ended all to soon.  Thanks to everyone for making the reunion happen!  Until next time...

The four brothers and lots of kids!

Jasper and Grandma walking on a trail above Dillon Reservoir

Large snow drift on the trail near Hoosier Pass

Jasper loved the snowdrift and puddles of water!

Linnea is all smiles in her cool sunglasses!

Lots of kids...

Grandpa and Linnea reading a book

Our giant chalet deep in the mountains

On the trail to McCullough Gulch

On the gondola above Breckenridge

Anneke and Jasper peering out the window of the lodge

Eastward...

On June 18th, we began an epic journey to the east on our return to the Northwoods.  The first segment of our journey involved crossing many of the Northwestern states en route to a family reunion in Colorado.  We left California to the north and entered Oregon.  We traveled across southern Oregon, then worked our way out across the wild, barren and surprisingly beautiful lands of SE Oregon.  Spent the first night in Hines, Oregon. 


Eastern Oregon

From there, we continued east in to Idaho and in to the spectacular Sawtooth Mountains. The second night was spent in Hailey, Idaho.



Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho



From Hailey, we went to Craters of the Moon NM, Yellowstone NP, and on to Livingston, Montana for the night.  

Craters of the Moon NM, Idaho

Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

Bison in Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

On day four, we cruised through south central Montana with it's beautiful green grasses waving in the wind and towering, snow-covered peaks to the west, north and south.  We stopped at Little Bighorn Battlefield NM and then went on in to Wyoming. 

Little Bighorn Battlefield NM, Montana

Big Sky Country, Montana

Our next night was in Gillette, Wyoming.  A massive thunderstorm caught us in town, but we mostly missed it as we sat in a local restaurant eating ribs!  Our hotel had an indoor water park, which Jasper loved...but probably not as much as Susanna and I!

From here, we traveled south across the grasslands.  There were pronghorn everywhere.  We stayed with friends in Laramie and watched more powerful thunderstorms rumble through the area. 

Thunderstorms in Wyoming

The end of the first segment of our trip was Breckenridge, Colorado, the site of our Family Reunion!


Welcome to Colrado!