With my backpack locked and loaded, we stepped from Karfi Ferry onto the floating dock. Arriving at Rock Island, we sought campfire, hot chocolate, beach dwelling and a restful night of sleep under the stars. Located just off of the Door County peninsula, travelers must make a two ferry crossing through Lake Michigan to get to Rock Island.
Our first ferry transported us across the lake from Northpoint Pier in Ellison Bay through the ominous Porte des Morts, or Death’s Door, to Washington Island. After a short drive across Washington Island, we abandoned my beloved Toyota RAV4 to board Karfi Ferry. A passenger ferry, Karfi brings both day hikers and backpackers directly to Rock Island.
From Rock Island To Reykjavik
On arrival, we climbed a wooden staircase running from the floating dock up the bluff to the Rock Island landing. Just ahead, a grassy expanse gave way to winding woodland trails. A large, white stone Icelandic boathouse stood off off to our right.
As we entered the boathouse, we were transported into the world of Chester Hjortur Thordarson circa 1927. Much to my surprise, we found ourselves standing in a great Viking Hall inspired by the design of the parliament building in Reykjavik.
A monumental stonework fireplace bearing runic and block letters hand carved by Icelandic artist Halldor Einarsson grounded the large room. Just beyond the fireplace, we admired the vast display of artisan wood furnishings intricately carved by Einarsson to illustrate Nordic myths (FORI, 2016). Wandering through artifacts lining the Viking Hall alcoves, we learned of Thordarson’s entrepreneurial ventures and pioneering electrical patents along with his passion for nature and conservation.
Couscous By Woodland Stonehenge
Urged onward by our desire to get our tent set up before sunset, we left the Viking Hall to check in to our campsite. After checking in, we replenished our water supply from a nearby pump. Now headed back through the grassy expanse and into the woodland trails, we found our campsite to be a short ten minute hike from the boathouse. Throwing down our footprint, our two-person tent took just minutes to assemble.
Our campfire, however, was another story. Thanks to recent rain, our soaked firewood refused to ignite. For the first hour, we had more smoke than fire from these wet logs. To coax water from the remaining firewood, I surrounded the campfire with the rest of our logs. With each log standing on end, our campsite took on an almost ritualistic demeanor. As shadows danced around our drying logs, I delighted in my very own miniature woodland stonehenge.
With our smoky campfire clearly unsuitable for cooking, I rooted around my backpack for the WhisperLite stove. After fumbling around with the stove for a few moments, I somehow managed to not only assemble the stove—but also light it. Water now boiling in a hard-anodized halulite pot, I added whole wheat couscous along with freeze dried veggies, broth powder, curry powder, turmeric and a touch of pepper. After resting for 10 minutes, our dinner was ready. While eating our curried couscous by the fire, stars glistened overhead in the crystal clear night sky.
Adventures In Astrophotography
After we finished dinner, my boyfriend jumped up, smiled and said, “Grab your camera!” My camera? I quickly grabbed my camera and a bottle of water before running to catch up with him. After a short hike through the woods, our dirt trail gave way to sand. Within moments, we found ourselves standing on a secluded beach under the moonlit sky scanning across Lake Michigan.
Glancing at me, he asked, “Are you ready for some astrophotography?” What? Yes! Awesome! In that moment, I felt so fortunate to find myself standing on the beach with someone who shares an interest in astrophotography. I couldn’t wait to break in my Olympus E-PL5 shooting pictures of those stars, satellites, planets and far away galaxies that can only be seen in a very dark night sky. Free of light pollution, this wonderful little remote beach on Rock Island offered an ideal location for astrophotography.
Before beginning, we adjusted our camera settings to manual with an increased ISO and decreased shutter speed along with the self timer set for 5 seconds. As I looked to my right, I noticed a stunning view of the milky way emerging from the clouds over Lake Michigan. Desperately wishing I had a tripod or a beanbag handy, I propped my camera rather awkwardly on a rock to get the shot. And just like that, we were shooting stars on Rock Island.
As I peered deep into the night sky, I saw the reflection of my child self looking back at me. As a child, I fully expected to have flying cars and space travel options by now. I also assumed that we would have ready access to space stations capable of hosting citizen travelers. As a fan of science fiction, I often fantasized about taking an interstellar romp across the galaxy. In many ways, I am disappointed by how little progress we have made in my lifetime. At the same time, I am still as captivated by the night sky as I was as a child and remain a casual space explorer through hobbies such as amateur radio, space weather prediction and now astrophotography.
Exploring The Andromeda Galaxy
On this particular night, we experienced a quiet sun. Without any solar flares to speak of, we were unable to capture the elusive aurora borealis. What I did capture, however, was a fairly clear shot of M31: the Andromeda Galaxy.
Although the Andromeda Galaxy is our closest major galactic neighbor, this spiral galaxy still remains roughly 2.5 million light years away. If you wanted to travel to the Andromeda Galaxy, it would take you a very long time to get there. Suffice it to say, you won’t be booking a flight to M31 any time soon! Astrophysicists believe that the Andromeda Galaxy contains nearly one trillion stars, which is more than twice the number of stars found in the Milky Way (NASA, 2016).
Looking towards the Milky Way, we began to notice activity in the surrounding night sky. From shooting stars to satellites, you didn’t have to keep your eye on the sky long to see things moving about. When you’re gazing into the dark sky and you see a satellite, it is most likely passing through an atmospheric layer known as the thermosphere. Our International Space Station also travels though this same atmospheric layer. Our thermosphere sits roughly 53 to 372 miles up, so you can gauge the height of those satellites you see as likely being somewhere within in that distance range.
Descending To Rock Island
Bringing our thoughts back to Earth, we grabbed a few last photos before heading back to camp for some sleep. Because there are no bears on Rock Island, I slept well knowing that any rustling noises outside were from animals that would not likely try to eat me for breakfast. We woke up the next morning to the sound of rain drops hitting the top of the tent.
Eager to make the most of this misty morning on Rock Island, we put on our rain gear and went for a hike. We quickly discovered a cemetery near the campsite containing, among others, the gravesite of Chester Hjortur Thordarson.
Over the course of several hours, we wound our way through the woods hopping from trail to trail. Along the way, we discovered scenic bluffs, rock carvings and stunning water views.
When you’re on the island, you’re on ferry time. We soon realized our own ferry would be arriving within the hour, so we headed back to break down camp. Our backpacks loaded, we checked out of our campsite and returned to the floating dock to meet Karfi Ferry.
After our trip, I ran one of my photos containing M31 through a processor at Astronomy.net for pinpoint identification and annotation. On the annotated image below, you can see abbreviated names for many of these stars. This picture includes parts of the constellations Cassiopeia and Andromeda.
This simple, overnight backpacking trip took us from Rock Island to Reykjavik to the Andromeda Galaxy and back again. You don’t always have to travel far to find an interesting adventure. If you keep yourself open to the natural wonders unfolding around you, you’ll be surprised by what you find.
Learn More About Rock Island
To learn more about Rock Island yourself, visit Wisconsin State Park System. For information on the ferry, see Washington Island Ferry Line.
