![[bicyclist near Chippewa Falls, WI]](http://images.midwestweekend.com/graphics/biker_chippewa.jpg)
![[The Mississippi Queen in La Crosse, WI]](http://images.midwestweekend.com/graphics/mississippi_queen.jpg)
![[web site logo]](http://images.midwestweekend.com/graphics/title_and_tag.jpg)
Long before Chaucer wrote "The Canterbury Tales,'' inns were a place to meet interesting people. They still are. When travelers gather for breakfast, or for evening drinks and hors d'oeuvres, they tell stories and trade tips that pave the way for the next day's travel.
If you're on vacation and you want to get to know an area, staying at a B&B gives you a big head start. Supplying information and personal service is how B&B proprietors set themselves apart from hotels. They've certainly helped me over the years. Sometimes, I feel like the Blanche DuBois of travel journalism: Wherever I go, I depend on the kindness of strangers.
It's never too early to plan summer travel and book lodgings. Many B&Bs are small, and if they're popular or in a busy tourist area, they book up quickly.
In the Upper Midwest, travel can be competitive.
Many events are so big and so fun that everyone wants to go. If you do, too, you have to plan ahead.
Start thinking about summer lodgings by January, at least. At Custer State Park in the Black Hills, campsite reservations for the entire season open Jan. 2. Reservations for blinds to view the sandhill-crane migration at Nebraska's Rowe Sanctuary also go up for grabs Jan. 2. And anyone who wants a certain entry point in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness during peak season should have an on-line lottery application in by Jan. 15.
January also is a good time to reserve for such huge events as Apple Festival in Bayfield, when 60,000 people cram themselves
into the tiny northern Wisconsin village. Most people rebook their lodgings as they're leaving after a big festival. But often
deposits are due in January, and there’s always someone who doesn’t send one and forfeits the room, so you can snap
it up.
People who want choice campsites in popular state parks need to plan ahead. Here's how to do it.
Iowa: In Iowa, sites can be reserved three months in advance at 877-427-2757, www.reserveiaparks.com. The reservation fee is $4 if made online and $6 if made by phone, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Only 50 percent of campsites can be reserved. For details, call 515-281-5918, www.exploreiowaparks.com.
Of all the vacations a person can take in this region, a Circle Tour of Lake Superior may be the best.
It appeals to waterfall watchers, lighthouse fans and history buffs. It's a magnet for kayakers and hikers. It makes a great honeymoon and also a great family trip, because small children adore the many pebble beaches.
You can do it in a car or a motorcycle; you can camp or stay in motels. It’s all things to all people, the perfect vacation for anyone who loves the outdoors.
There's a staggering number of things to do and see on Lake Superior. But if you have only a week's vacation, you can see the
highlights on this nine-day, eight-night Circle Tour. For more planning help, see Planning the perfect Circle Tour.
Duluth to Thunder Bay, 113 miles: Readers of Lake Superior magazine have voted Minnesota's North Shore their No. 1 favorite for the last four years, and Duluth was No. 2 for two years before falling to No. 3 in 2008.
With Lake Superior rarely out of sight, it's everyone's favorite drive. Stop to watch boats on Duluth's Canal Park. See Gooseberry Falls, visit Split Rock Lighthouse and take a run down the Alpine Slide on Lutsen Mountains.