Going on a long out-of-town trip this fall just wasn't in the cards. However, I still needed a quick out-of-town trip. Door County is not that far away, and is usually quite nice in the fall. I've been there before on two previous trips, in 2007 by myself, and again in 2016, with Rich. I think, after this last trip, that I am kinda "Door County Outed" now. I've seen what it has to offer, and should explore other places for vacation. Other than allowing for a whole heck of a lot more days and crossing over to Washington Island and spending time there, I think I'm DONE with the DOOR. Still, we did have a pleasant few days together on the journey between Monday, September 19 to Thursday, the 22nd.
I used this long trip to try out a new App that my friend Darla showed me, and which I think she learned from my other friend Sharon. It allows you to record your tracked path via GPS and Cell technology. You can then attach pictures and pin points along your trip. It turns out to be a very fun way to remember a road trip by. Here is the one I put together for this adventure. The App is called Relive.
I worked the entire previous weekend. No amount of cajoling or uber organizing my work tasks would allow me to escape from work early. I could have taken an attendance hit, but it was not that important to get on our journey early, other than my wanting to take a nap. Rich was going to do the driving, and I could snooze in the car, which is exactly what I did. I would go on to have my sleep/wake schedule completely messed up for the entire trip. I was out for the count most nights by 7 pm, waking up around 2 am. At least two out of three mornings I had someplace I could retreat and not disturb Rich as he slept.
My goal for the first night was an AirBNB along Lake Michigan. My searching located the Forst Inn. This was an incredibly quaint lodging in which I had a very comfortable nights rest. If you like old houses with creaky wood floor character, soft and sweet-smelling sheets and feather down comforter cozy, antique-like or maybe real antique furniture, and reading/coffee drinking nooks with surprise books, this place is definitely for you. Add to it a full theatre and pub downstairs, and the package is complete. The evening we were there the actors were gathered to practice an upcoming production, which we listened to in the adjoining sitting room with an alcoholic beverage from the bar. I imagine this would be a very pleasant night out when there is a play, and neighboring community gathered at the pub.
There is a deck to sit out on while you wait for your play to start. Or just soak up the evening ambiance.
A little rubber duckie was a gift from the host. I would later inquire if it had any significance. He said "No", just a nice little touch he has added to the experience.
Here is a panoramic of the room we stayed in, the Mary and William Room. There are only two rooms upstairs. The corner with lamp and chair was nice to sip coffee in the morning when I woke long before Rich, and after a hot shower in the shared bathroom. We did depart early as I wanted to catch the sunrise over Lake Michigan.
The sunrise was beautiful! A fast moving thunder storm was tracking into the region. There was some dramatic lightning displays on the horizon which I did not catch on record. The rain would pass over the area quickly, with a pleasant fall day to follow.
When in Door County, or at least almost there in Sturgeon Bay, you have to do pastry! It is just one of the things you do when you go there. I located a tasty source for pastry and breakfast at Scaturos. After a hearty skillet, we grabbed sweets for the road.
Mmmmmm . . . doesn't that look good? It tasted as good as it looks!
Our first stop was Cave Point County Park. It was still a bit morning and fast moving thunderstorm cold and windy. We walked around for a little bit, mostly by ourselves, with only one other set of people come for a morning walk, and took pictures. I'm always impressed by the first experience at this location. When you depart your car you see Northern pine forest all around, yet you hear and feel the sound of ocean. The Great Lakes are so vast they are inland seas. There is significant tidal action, and you feel the waves crashing against the shore through your feet long before you actually come to the shore.
This shore has a rather impressive drop-off.
After our walk the cherry turnover was wonderful!
Just a couple of contemplative glancing off the cliff pictures.
Door County, Wisconsin is all of about 45 miles from stem to stern, if you were making a sailing vessel analogy. The microclimate of this peninsula is perfect for the growing of cherries and apples, which is the major crop produced. It is also the focus of a lot of the tourism of this vacation destination. Oh, and there are lots of bays where lake-going vessels are docked. It's a pretty drive!
We spent the day driving up the Door, stopping at all the little villages on the West side. Our goal was to make it to Gills Rock where our second nights lodging was booked. At our destination, we ducked into the Charlies Smokehouse where we bought some cherry ice cream and enjoyed it on the back deck overlooking one of the ferries that transport people to Washington Island. By this time all the morning clouds had cleared out, for a beautiful fall day in the sunshine. Rich bought a new hat to add to his rather extensive collection, I bought some smoked white fish and lake perch for enjoying later, which turned out to be when we got back home. Across the street I bought a hand thrown ceramic mug to add to my own kitschy collection.
Mmmmmm . . . Cherry Ice Cream!
Our second night was booked at Harborlight Inn. It's an older place but has been tastefully updated. An added bonus was a community room where I was able to retreat to after I woke up (again) at 2 am on Wednesday morning. I found supplies to make a mug of hot tea, and knitted while waiting for a more reasonable hour to go wake Rich up.
The community room had a nautical theme. I knitted in silence that morning, as I had not brought my power cord for my cell phone, and was charging it with my car. That morning my power level was low, so I optimized silent knitting.
My current knitting project is just experimenting with a lace pattern. It's something you can work on without much brain effort, and does not take up much storage space, for easy transport. Soon I may start a new major project.
The boil over is the most dramatic part of this dinner/show.
Good Food! I Love Fish!! The is Good Fish!
Cherry Pie to top off the night. There is no better way to end a Door County dinner.
After dinner we drove back up to our evening lodgings, and watched the sun go down over Green Bay. Such days make for great memories.
At an appropriate hour, after knitting and drinking tea in the community room, I returned to find Rich up and having a shower. I wanted to get onto the road, as we had an appointment to keep that afternoon in Ashland, and needed to cover some miles to keep our date. We stopped in Sister's Bay at Al Johnsons Swedish Restaurant for breakfast. It's the famous restaurant with "the goats on the roof". The goats had not yet arrived that morning, as we were there at 7 am when they opened for business. My own goats at home are rather lazy beasts, and do not get up early.
Only Scandinavian cut-out goats were to be found this morning.
Swedish pancakes are in order, with Lingonberries, of course! Oh, and Swedish Meatballs.
On our way out the door I found a friend to take a picture with.
For most of the rest of that day we drove across Northern Wisconsin. It is mostly forested land, lakes for fishing and recreation, hunting. Our goal was to come to Ashland, where I had an appointment to meet a possible dog adoption. Well, the picture on Petfinder did not reflect the dog. He was far bigger and much more out of control that what the picture portrayed. In fact, he even bit me. No skin breaking, but still, teeth application is not polite. It was a 'no go' for me.
Our last night's lodging was at a small hotel just outside of Superior. It has the appearance of an older motor lodge from days gone by, but has been maintained and recently upgraded. In fact, while we were there some new insulation was being squirted into the walls. We got dinner down the road at a local bar. Sadly, no steak (I would have liked one) but they did have a very juicy hamburger.
The next day was Rich-focused in Duluth.
It is somewhat of an ongoing joke with me and Rich, and the "Big Dumb Boat" in Duluth. He has wanted to see the SS Meteor for quite some time. Whenever we have been up in Duluth, it has either been too tight a schedule to see it, closed, or my not really being interested. For this little trip, I decided to put it on the schedule. The web site even said there were tour times on that Thursday. Well, the web site lied. Normally it may have had tours, but staffing has been an issue with everyone, and I guess if there is not enough interest, no tours are conduced, except on the weekends, and we could not overstay to do that. So, yet again, the Meteor eludes our efforts to see it. I'll endeavor in the not too distant future (next year or two) to make sure Rich gets to see this darn thing.
Duluth has more than one "Big Dumb Boat" to see. The USS William A. Irvin was open for tours. We went and walked through her.
Duluth has a long history as a port city, as well as a shipyard where new vessels are manufactured, however I can not find any information to indicate this industry is still alive in the area. It is a tourist destination if you want to watch many of the large freighters come in and out of the channel, and I know they have a Tall Ships Festival of Sail every few years, and other celebrations of all things sailing ships.
The William A. Irvin is retired now, and a museum. She was unique in that she had a couple levels of posh accommodations where muckety-mucks in the steel industry could catch free voyages with their wives and sail from Chicago in comfort while the ship was delivering cargo back and forth.
Below is the sitting room above the suites where the captain of the vessel could entertain his guests. The picture on the wall is of Mr. Irvin, who was president of US Steel.
The rooms were rather nice, in a 1930's kind of way, with their oak and walnut veneer.
Rich and I steering the ship. Good thing it is permanently moored!
Poor Rich, so disappointed he still can't see the darn thing.
Yup, no tour for him today. Thumbs down on the tourist experience.
As we drove away from the experience, stopping at a KwikTrip prior to heading home, an appropriate song played on my Pandora. I recorded a little teasing song for Rich. Don't Stop Believing my man! Some day you'll get to see your "Big Dumb Boat".
