Madeline Island and Richard I. Bong Museum PIREP

At 6 PM last Tuesday, Mary and I found ourselves with four unique
attributes:

1. Both kids were away at camp -- for a week (that's 168 hours -- but
who's counting?)
2. We didn't have to work for the next 2.5 days.
3. The gas tanks were full.
4. The weather was good throughout the Midwest.

We looked at each other, shouted "We're outta here!," drove 200 yards to the
airport -- and aimed Atlas north....

By sunset we made it as far as Ashland, WI (KASX) that night, landing at
their pretty little airport on the southern shore of Lake Superior. We had
intended to make it all the way to Madeline Island, just 18 miles farther
north, but the thought of landing on that little strip -- without hotel
reservations, in the dark -- didn't thrill either of us. When we noted that
they didn't sell fuel on the island, that cinched the deal for Ashland --
and, boy, was THAT a great decision!

As we shut down, with the last light of an absolutely gorgeous July day
bathing Atlas in orange, a fellow strolled up to say hello. Turned out he
was the FBO manager, working late on his own plane, and asked us if we
needed anything. Well, we needed *everything*, since we had no hotel
reservations, no rental car, and no knowledge of the area -- so we simply
asked him how we could get to town, and where he would recommend we stay.

He just chuckled, and told us we could take the airport's courtesy car
overnight down to the Hotel Chequamegon -- the nicest place in town, located
right on the lake shore. We thanked him profusely and headed into town,
arriving at the hotel just as darkness settled.

The Hotel Chequamegon is a huge structure, built in 1986 to resemble the
original hundred-year old hotel that preceded it. Had I not read that fact,
I wouldn't have guessed it, as all the rooms and structure look precisely
like a very old hotel -- right down to the authentic antique furniture, and
the 18-foot ceilings.

Our room was nice, and fairly reasonably priced at $82 per night. (The bed
was hard as a brick, and there wasn't even a coffee-maker in the room, but I
digress...) The restaurant served a wonderful "Northland Chowder" that
alone was worth the trip, and the bar had a special blend of Leinenkugel
that was brewed especially for the hotel. Very nice, indeed.

The next day dawned fresh and clear, so before breakfast we explored the
waterfront, paying special attention to the abandoned taconite loading dock.
This gigantic structure is over 100 feet tall, several blocks long, and
juts out into the lake like a dry-docked aircraft carrier. They used to run
trains right out on top of this pier, drop car-loads of taconite (iron ore)
into the giant chutes, and then pour the ore directly into ore carriers
docked right below the chutes. They could dump an entire train-load in
minutes, quickly filling the ships that would then hustle the ore to the
steel mills in Gary and Detroit.

At one time the docks were working night and day, and -- judging by the
trappings of wealth that are visible to this day -- the community obviously
prospered from the shipping industry. According to locals, however, the
last ship left that dock in 1965, and the entire structure has been slowly
rusting away ever since. It's an immense structure, too big to ever be
demolished yet no longer safe, and it's sad to think that this kind of
infrastructure is slowly decaying all over the country...

After breakfast we drove back to the FBO, and had some time to better
appreciate the wonderful log cabin that the city had built for them to use.
It's a real 2-story log cabin, with gigantic whole logs for beams, and is
rustic and well done. But they don't scrimp on niceties, as they have
computerized weather and a great pilot's lounge, too. In fact, Ashland's
terminal facility easily puts it in the top ten nicest FBOs Mary and I have
visited at an airport their size.

Soon we departed, having donated $20 to the "courtesy car fund" (this
airport is one of the few I've seen that actually has envelopes pre-printed,
with a formalized procedure for "suggested donation" amounts printed on
them.), and were winging our way 18 miles out to Madeline Island -- a pretty
spit of land in the lake, and the largest of the Apostle Islands.

We circumnavigated the island once, in a clockwise fashion so Mary could
take pictures. It's a beautiful island at this time of year, heavily
forested, deep green, and surrounded by calm, blue waters. It didn't take
much imagination, however, to picture this island in winter -- one of the
coldest spots on earth -- totally encrusted in ice to the horizon.
(Islanders actually use an "ice road" to the mainland for several months
during the winter... Brrrr!) Even at this time of year the water was in
the upper 40s, and we knew that ditching would mean almost certain death --
even in July.

After landing at their very nice -- but unstaffed -- airport, we wandered
around a bit, trying to figure out how to get into town. (With more prep
time we could have brought our bikes, but, alas, we did not.) Eventually we
called the Chamber of Commerce (the number was on the wall), and they
recommended that we just start walking toward town, and someone would soon
pick us up. They told Mary that "everyone picks up people walking in from
the airport"...

Well, not that day. It was a pleasant enough walk of maybe 1.5 miles, and
we were luckily in the shade, even at high noon (the trees come right up to
the road) -- but none of the dozen or more cars ever stopped to see if we
needed a ride. (In fairness, it's not like we had our thumbs out.) So, we
just set a good "Oshkosh pace" and headed into town.

LaPointe, the only city on Madeline Island (actually, the only city in the
Apostle Islands), has a small downtown, but it's bustling at this time of
year. We chose to eat lunch at a waterfront cafe with a great view of the
ferry docks. The ferries run every 30 minutes at this time of year, and run
from "break up" in the spring to "freeze up" in the late fall, early winter.
(After that there is a period where neither ferries can run nor the ice road
is safe -- so they run "ice boats" to the mainland -- essentially air boats,
just like you'd see in the Everglades. Double brrr!)

Prices on the island were amazingly reasonable, considering that everything
had to be brought over by ship or by air, and considering that the
businesses are only open for a few months each year. A Coke was just 75
cents, and lunch -- a wonderful Lake Superior broiled whitefish sandwich
with fries -- was just $6.00. Having mentally prepared myself for
"Mackinac Island prices" (double what everything costs at home), this was a
pleasant surprise.

Wandering around downtown a bit, we were somewhat surprised at the lack of
"tourist trap" stores. We only found two T-shirt stores, and -- GASP! --
we never found a single store selling any of those stupid (and ubiquitous)
lighthouses that have become so popular throughout the Midwest. (Hell, you
can buy them here in Iowa, where the nearest lighthouse is 400 miles
away...)

We found the authenticity of the place to be really refreshing. Obviously
tourism, while important, isn't the only reason these people are here.

The ferry company also runs a tour bus, which, in our car-less state,
sounded like just the thing. Tickets were just $11 apiece, and the tour
lasted several hours. Our tour-guide was a full-time resident (there are
only 250 of them) who had lived on "The Rock" (as she called it) for 25
years, raising a family. She was also an EMT and a history teacher, and had
done extensive research on the history of the island -- so we were truly
blessed with an outstanding tour of the island!

(One juicy tid-bit: The Ojibwa Indian tribe still regards the island as
somewhat "taboo," because their ancestors over-populated the island to the
point where they had to resort to cannibalism to survive. At one point
there were over 20,000 Ojibwas on that little island! Interestingly, the
tribe left right just a few years before the French "discovered" the
island -- the Indians were never driven out, as happened in so many other
places.)

The tour also includes chances to hike along the Lake Superior shoreline --
a truly worthwhile experience. The water is absolutely clear and clean (our
tour guide and her family have no compunctions about drinking it straight
out of the lake), and the scenery is stunning. To see the Big Lake -- the
largest in the world (by surface area) and containing over 10% of the
world's fresh water -- up close and personal is worth the trip alone.
(Although they DO have a bear hunting season on Madeline Island, and we were
warned semi-seriously to watch out for them...)

Our tour guide kindly agreed to drop us off at the airport near the end of
the tour, so we bade farewell to our fellow tour-mates, and were soon
winging our way west, toward Superior, WI, located along the southern edge
of Lake Superior adjoining Duluth, MN.

As Mary flew along I gazed out at the lake in puzzlement, trying to figure
out what the weird white swirly stuff was in the water. At first I thought
it was a glare on my window, but Mary pointed out that it was in fact the
white puffy clouds above us, being perfectly reflected in the mirror-like
calm waters! There probably aren't three days in any given year where
Lake Superior (aka: The lake made famous by the "Wreck of the Edmund
Fitzgerald") is as smooth as a kiddy pool -- but we were there to see it!

Approaching Superior we were surprised to see the hills -- almost
mountains -- behind Duluth, rising up from the water's edge. I had never
been to Duluth, and had no idea that the terrains was so quasi-mountainous!
The whole effect was quite beautiful, and this lovely approach was only
slightly marred by trying to figure out the almost intersecting landing
patterns of Sky Harbor (Superior's "Meigs Field", out in the bay) and Bong
Airport. Mary was landing on Rwy 31 (which the AWOS made clear the winds
were favoring), while another pilot was landing on Sky Harbor's Rwy 13 (?)
just three miles away -- which seemed pretty bizarre. Between her and a
student doing touch & goes in the pattern, Mary had her head on a swivel
looking out for traffic.

After we tied up and went into the FBO, I inquired about the runway
difference, and the guys behind the counter told me that it was quite common
for the wind to be 180 degrees different at Sky Harbor, due to the
lake-effect winds. Amazing what a huge body of 48 degree water can do to
the winds on a hot summer day!

Again, we had no reservations, no rental car -- we were just relying on the
recommendations of the folks at the FBO, and the kindness of strangers.
We've never been disappointed yet, and this time would be no different. The
line guy first recommended a chain "McMotel" -- at which we expressed
dismay, of course! -- and then the FBO's head cheese recommended Barker
Island Hotel, an independently owned hotel within walking distance of the
Bong Museum, a floating nautical museum (the last surviving whale-back ship
in the world, built in 1896), and several good restaurants.

I called the hotel to reserve a room, and they offered to send us a cab.
Upon over-hearing this, a nearby "hangar flyer" in the FBO -- obviously a
regular -- offered to give us a ride over instead. We eagerly accepted his
offer, and piled into his Subaru wagon for the short drive to the hotel.

"Les" turned out to have gone to college in Iowa City back in the '60s, had
a doctorate in engineering, and had just written a book about the technical
aspects of the Wright Brothers aeronautical achievements. He let us look
through his manuscript as we drove, which had just been approved by his
publisher, and we were blown away at the truly technical nature of the book.
It was equal parts prose and long, mathematical formulas -- some of them
full-page length -- explaining how the Wright Brothers had actually achieved
flight! Now that's not my cup of tea, but Les was incredibly friendly and
outgoing, sharp as a tack, and more than willing to drive us anywhere in
Superior.

After Les dropped us off, we dropped our stuff in our room, and immediately
set out for the nautical museum and dinner. The museum was closed, but we
were able to walk all the way around the old freighter (it's land-locked),
which turned out to be enough nautical stuff for us. We then set out for
the Boat House, an excellent waterfront restaurant with somewhat "fru-fru"
food, which was great nevertheless. The pace was almost painfully slow,
but -- without kids -- we were able to actually sit and enjoy it!

After walking miles and miles around Barker Island, we returned to our hotel
to watch the planes landing out on Sky Harbor -- right in front of us! A
floatplane was practicing docking and "getting up on the step" -- so we had
our own private airshow as the sun slowly set on another beautiful day.

The next morning our weatherman predicted that things might fall apart later
in the day -- so we scooted over to the Richard Ira Bong World War II
Memorial museum, just a few blocks from our hotel. Admission was $8
apiece, which at first I thought was rather high for what appeared to be a
"one-hangar" museum.

Once inside, however, we were amazed at the number of exhibits, and the
truly marvelous high-tech video display systems. Being computerized (and
practically new), all of the displays were crisp, informative, and -- best
of all -- they were ALL in working order. (How many times have you pushed a
button on a display at a museum, only to see and hear nothing?) It
literally took us several hours to work our way through all the displays,
and then we spent 30 minutes admiring the museum's beautifully restored
Lockheed P-38L Lightning, painted just like Major Bong's plane, with his
girlfriend/wife's picture ("Marge") painted on the side.

The story of the aircraft restoration is amazing in itself. After Major
Bong, a true national hero, was killed at age 24 in 1944 while testing a new
Lockheed P-80 jet fighter, the air force donated a P-38 to be displayed in
his home town of Poplar, WI (near Superior). Because of a lack of funds,
they literally parked it out in a corn field, where it sat for several
years.

Eventually they got enough money together to mount it on pylons -- which
they achieved by cutting off the landing gear, and welding the stubs to the
pylons. There it sat for many years, slowly corroding away -- until plans
were made to build the grand new facility in Superior. The Minnesota Air
National Guard, in Anoka, MN, volunteered to restore the Lightning to
pristine condition (along with the help of dozens of volunteers), and they
slowly (it took over 5 years) brought it back to the almost-like-new
condition seen today.

The museum's gift shop was chock-full of P-38 and Bong memorabilia, and we
picked up a boat-load of it, all to be displayed in our soon-to-be-opened
"Lightning Suite." Prices were not unreasonable, and the selection was
unusually rich. We highly recommend paying a visit to this fabulous museum.

Our only nit to pick with the whole thing was that they chose to build the
museum on the waterfront, rather than at the Bong Airport. I spoke at
length with the FBO manager, and apparently the original plans were for it
to be at the airport -- but developers demanded that it be placed on Barker
Island instead, because of the greater traffic. While this may have made
sense economically, I'm sure Richard Bong would have preferred his museum to
be located at an airport, where his fellow-pilots could fly in to visit.
(At the following year's budget presentation, the Airport Manager supposedly
sarcastically proposed that the city of Superior build a boating museum at
the Bong airport! I like their airport manager -- a lot.)

After a short cab ride back to the airport, we were soon aloft and bidding
Lake Superior farewell. An easy 2.5 hour flight later (during which we saw
nary a cloud), we were back in Iowa City, wondering if we had merely
awakened from a dream. Atlas had once again given us with a vacation that
only a personal airplane could provide, and it was with pride and reluctance
that we closed our hangar door and returned to "real life"...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Mary was landing on Rwy 31 (which the AWOS made clear the winds
were favoring), while another pilot was landing on Sky Harbor's Rwy 13 (?)
just three miles away -- which seemed pretty bizarre.

It does, till you're heading in to one and hear someone on the frequency aiming
for the other. Heads up! They're so close, it kinda makes sense to have them
on the same freq, in case you don't have 2 radios to monitor traffic at the
other strip, which could wander into your pattern. I love Sky Harbor, even
though I couldn't spot it the first time I went there until I saw a floatplane
landing on the "runway" next to it...in Duluth Harbor!

There's nothing like flying downwind for Sky Harbor's runway 14 and looking out
over that vast lake. You can't see the far shore and just as you think how cool
it would be to go fly out over it you hear the strains of Gordon Lightfoot's
"Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in your mind and realize how cold and hungry
that water looks...it's about 40 degrees year-round, and has the greatest depth
of any place in North America. Don't ditch. You won't last long treading water.

Is the restaurant on Bong Field (nautical themed, with a few nods to aviation)
closed now? Is Barker Island another length of the Park Point strip that
shelters the harbor from the lake?

If you ever get a hankering to go even further north, Ely with its wolf museum
is a wonderful destination. Feels like you're at the top of the world, and the
sectional will warn you of the areas where the concentration of iron ore in the
ground tweaks your compass...

(StellaStar) wrote in message

If you ever get a hankering to go even further north, Ely with its wolf museum
is a wonderful destination. Feels like you're at the top of the world, and the
sectional will warn you of the areas where the concentration of iron ore in the
ground tweaks your compass...

The flight from Duluth to Ely messes with the GPS as well. I've flown
it three times and each time I lost position part way there. The last
time I was getting erroneous data...the moving map had me heading east
over Lake Superior at 600 knots! (I fly a Cherokee 140). I've learned
to have my sectional open on my lap for that leg, as you can't trust
the compass or the GPS. Ely has a VOR on field, but I like redundancy
in navigation. Ely is a cool place, sort of the last outpost before
the civilized world turns into wilderness. The economy relys on
wilderness tourism, so it has more than adequate amenities, but is
still unspoiled.

Our first trip there was a round-robin of Oshkosh to Mackinac Island
to Ely and back to Kansas. Our last fuel stop before Ely was Ashland.
Thanks for the memories, Jay and Stella.

JP Krievins

Is the restaurant on Bong Field (nautical themed, with a few nods to
aviation)
closed now?

The restaurant is open, although we sadly didn't get a chance to eat there.

Is Barker Island another length of the Park Point strip that
shelters the harbor from the lake?

Barker Island is that little spit of land between Sky Harbor and the actual
lake shore. It's full of tourist stuff, from a maritime museum, to a
marina, to hotels, to the new Bong Museum

See a map here at http://visitdouglascounty.com/maps-page-superior.htm .
It's hard to see, cuz when you click on it to enlarge the map, it neatly
splits Barker Island in half!

If you ever get a hankering to go even further north, Ely with its wolf
museum
is a wonderful destination. Feels like you're at the top of the world, and
the
sectional will warn you of the areas where the concentration of iron ore
in the
ground tweaks your compass...

Yeah, the iron ore does do strange things to a compass. Of course,
navigating from Ashland to Superior is as easy as pie -- just follow the
lake shore west! Who needs a compass?

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"