Port Of Call: Ashland, Wisconsin, And The Apostle Islands By Michele Bergstrom             How do boaters find their way to this charming waterfront city, an important portal to Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands? First, they check the weather—it’s no secret Lake Superior loves to whip up surprises. On the all-clear, they fire up the engines, turn on the GPS, and unfold the charts. Delightful experiences beckon within these big blue waters and especially in energetic little Ashland, Wisconsin, a great place to stretch sea legs. Those taking a jog off the Great Circle Route at the St. Mary’s River, which divides the Canadian city of Sault Ste. Marie from its Michigan namesake, should follow the south shore west to Chequamegon Bay. Duluthians will head east, slipping around the thumb of the bay peninsula, then due south to Wisconsin’s mainland. Canadian boaters can island-hop from Isle Royale across open waters to the Apostles. Or they can city-hop the north shore between Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Grand Marais, Minnesota, then to Two Harbors, Minnesota, before heading east to the Apostles. From the islands, it’s a straight shot to Ashland, tucked into the middle of the bay’s north coastline. My husband, Randy, and I have boated on Lake Superior for over 20 years and love this mighty inland sea. Of the five Great Lakes, this one has generated the deepest respect, even fear, in boaters for its unpredictability, but it is also the one that inspires the most awe for its astounding beauty. Consider this mind-boggling fact: Lake Superior contains three quadrillion (that’s a three followed by 15 zeros!) gallons of water, making it the largest body of fresh water on earth. It is 350 miles long, 160 miles wide with a coastline length of 2,720 miles, and, at its deepest point, 1,333 feet. Average water temperature—don’t fall in!—is 40°. Covering 31,700 square miles, it borders the United States and Canada, and three states: Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, dedicated in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy in his last official trip before his assassination, is an archipelago of 22 islands scattered over 750 square miles of Lake Superior coastal waters. In addition to a 12-mile-long strip of shoreline, 21 of these islands make up this magnificent national park. Long stretches of near-deserted sandy beaches, sandstone sea caves continually carved by water and wind, old-but-functioning lighthouses, and rocky shorelines dotted with colorful rocks (including the elusive Lake Superior agate) are all for the boater (and kayaker) to explore. Since the summer of 2004, we’ve moored our 38-foot Ocean Alexander trawler in the Ashland Marina. That’s after we had purchased, then motored Ka-Ching 3,000 miles from Ft. Lauderdale through the easte...

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