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Hey, so I'm on my way to
Ashland, driving up
Highway 13,
I'm looking forward
to kayaking
in Lake Superior.
Checking out the murals
in the town,
but along the way,
I had to stop near
Mellen and check out
Copper Falls State Park.
It's
one of my favorite parks.
And it starts
with this gorgeous
view of the Bad River,
which ain't bad at all.
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It's good to be back
here in Ashland.
It's
actually been a few years
since I've been here.
It's a beautiful summer day.
Lake Superior looked
gorgeous on the way in.
Copper Falls was amazing.
And now I get to
explore the town.
The murals Deep Water Grill
in South Shore
Brewery is right next door.
I'm looking forward
to walking around downtown,
checking out the whole city
and enjoying a nice
day in this new Cobblestone.
Nice big TV, desk to
work in,
classic pictures of Ashland.
And wow, look at this.
What a gorgeous view.
All right.
Time to get out there
and check out the town.
This is one cool tunnel.
And not just because
it makes your voice cool
and reverby,
but on the side,
it's maps of the area,
its nature,
its murals of birds.
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Hey, Mark.
Eric, welcome to Ashland.
Great to be here.
Yeah, fantastic.
Great hotel you have here.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
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So you actually
played a crucial role
in starting South
Shore Brewery here, and now
it's also a restaurant
which you have.
Correct.
So tell me,
what made you want to be
in the restaurant
business too.
You know, in 1979,
I was a senior in
high school,
and my dad said to me,
you got to get a job.
So
my first
job was washing dishes.
And I've been
in the restaurant
business ever since.
I started the brewery.
We were the seventh
craft brewery
in the state of Wisconsin.
Early on, I know, I love it.
And look at things now.
So, yeah, we've been here
at this location
over 20 years.
So you also got involved
with cobblestone
here in Ashland.
What made you want
to get into hotels, too?
You know,
when I was working here
and listening to
the customers talk about
they wanted to stay close
so that they could sample
some of these great beers
and walk back to
their rooms.
It occurred to me
that if we had a hotel
right next door,
it would make sense.
So one demand created supply
and then another
supply created demand.
Yes.
This is like an
economics lesson.
The fact that
they're building
in these downtowns
of these smaller
cities and towns,
I think is really cool.
And the fact that the key
was it
for it to be walkable,
not just to the brewery,
but to the rest of downtown.
It gives you
an opportunity to,
you know, park your car
and get out,
stretch your legs
and see what the
town's all about.
But I'm looking to
have dinner here
in a moment.
What do you recommend here?
We've got a cold smoked rib
eye steak that's the best,
but honestly, I think
you should
have the whitefish.
Well, I'm thinking
some seafood actually.
Like food. Really? Yeah.
Yeah, fresh whitefish.
It's caught by nets
right out of Bayfield.
And I would say probably
one out of three people
are ordering the fish.
Cheers to that.
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It was
swimming in Lake Superior
maybe 24 hours ago.
Sometimes you don't need
those deep fried.
This is one of those times.
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So up and at 'em,
looks like we're going
kayaking on Lake
Superior today,
which is going to
be exciting
and a pretty neat
experience for me,
never done it on a
great lake before.
But first,
a little O.J., a
little work out.
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Captain Shelley.
Eric Paulsen,
nice to meet you.
We're safe right here
in the docks by the mainland
in Redcliffe.
We're going out on
the waters, though.
Where are you taking?
Well, how does twenty
two miles out
into Lake Superior
sound to you?
One way, one way.
Nautical? Nautical.
All right. I'm in for that.
To Devil's Island
where there's
dramatic sea caves
that it took millions
of years to create.
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So, Eric, what did you
think of Devil's Island?
The islands well named.
I love it
because it's hella awesome.
But I've never gone
kayaking on one of
the Great Lakes.
I've been on rivers
and Inland Lakes
and Lake Superior
it's really cool.
And just hearing the waves
crashing into those
caves, the colors,
when you're under the caves
looking up, I mean,
it's a whole sea of color.
And there's more
than just devils.
There's 21 islands
with beautiful sandy
beaches, 50 miles
of hiking trails
that are beautiful.
You can hike an island
and be the one on
the island.
When I have my customers
on the boats
and bring them up
to Devils Island.
I just get so much joy
from the happiness they get.
I just love showing this,
they they
leave so impressed.
And that's
a great living to me.
Like when it was
time to get out, I was like,
"I don't want to get out."
Nobody does.
Things have to come
to an end eventually, right?
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Another great morning
here in Ashland.
Great
stay at the
cobblestone here,
beautiful hotel
right downtown.
Got to enjoy South
Shore Brewery and the Deep
Water Grill again.
But I'm telling you, the
kayaking on Lake Superior,
checking out the
downtown murals,
the natural
beauty of the area,
starting with Copper Falls
State
Park on the way up here.
Just a fantastic
time here in Ashland.
I highly, highly
recommend it.
And it's a great gateway
to Washburn, Bayfield
and Points North.
So check it out next time
you're in Ashland.
And I hope you come soon
because it's a lot of fun.
I will see you next time.