Bayfield County Wild

John Murphy and Joe Groshek are avid fat bikers and are dedicated to creating and maintaining fat bike trails in our area. Joe says fat biking is very different than mountain biking. For one, the tires are more than four inches wide, compared to less than three inches on mountain bikes. You can also bike year-round and can go anywhere on snow, sand or ice on a fat bike. You can climb anywhere with gears that shift easily and smooth pedaling. One big difference with a fat bike is its weight, which is considerably heavier than road bikes; 1 mile of fat biking is about the same as 15 miles of road biking. Fat bikes are also slower, but they give you plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. These two guys created an activity they call “fat bike safaris” as a way to educate riders in a group led by an experienced guide. Joe’s favorite adventure is biking on Lake Superior ice but warns that you must know what you’re doing since conditions can change rapidly on Lake Superior. John has fascinating stories about wolves and tracking them in the forest. Wolves often separate into smaller groups and when they return to their pack, they re-greet each other just like domestic dogs, wagging their tails and rolling on their backs. And if you are fearful about running into wolves, don’t be. They are very cautious and will keep their distance from humans.

October is the perfect time for family fun and corn mazes. Bayfield County has two very popular corn mazes: one in Oulu and the other at White River Ag in Mason, Wis. The Oulu Corn Maze has been around many years. Each year, the owners come up with a new design to make it more interesting for repeat visitors. Everyone gets a punch card that is stamped every time they get to a different station within the maze and then the card is turned in at the end for prizes, hot cider and treats. The weekend before Halloween, the maze is turned into a haunted experience for those who love to get spooked. At White River Ag, there are different activities for the kids, including a hay pyramid they can climb.

With travel restrictions in place to help stop the spread of the COVID 19 virus, Co-hosts Nancy Christopher and Mary Motiff, Director of Bayfield County Tourism, are doing their part to keep their distance. This is a slightly edited version of a previous episode. They talked with Jennifer Maziasz, the Recreation Manager for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest about all the ways to explore and enjoy the nearly 1.5 million acres of public lands and waterways in Bayfield County.

No matter what time of year, Bayfield County is a great place to relax, rejuvenate and reconnect with nature. On this episode, Mary Motiff talks about what makes Bayfield County a great place to get away from it all. Half a million acres of public land offer an abundance of ways to recreate outdoors in some of the most beautiful and scenic parts of the state.

On this episode of Bayfield County Wild, we talk to the area’s foremost authority on ice fishing and why Bayfield County is ideal for this popular pastime. Plus, will there be access to the famous ice caves on frozen Lake Superior this year? Our guest from the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore fills us in on the details and why these magnificent ice formations draw thousands to the Northwoods.