wagon trail campground

Grabbing Time . . . Part Five, the Finale

| Cindy Anderson

This is the last segment in my guided tour through Door County so listen carefully and take lots of notes.

To date we have

I know we’ve been really busy but that’s ok.  My vacations are always packed with adventures.  I figure I can relax when I go home.  So lets not let any grass grow under our feet.  Lets hit the road and see if we can’t wrap this adventure up.

There are so many places and things to do in Door County.  If one set out on the first day of summer with the goal of experiencing each and every one perhaps you might be successful by the end of the year.  Then again you might find you have only touched the tip of the iceberg.  Let me give you a list of suggestions:

On The Water

Experience the Wonders of Nature

  • Cave Point County Park is a wonderful place to climb amongst the rocks and enjoy the beauty of water carved caves along Lake Michigan.  Cave Point County Park is right next door to White Fish Dunes State Park.
  • Visit one or more light houses.  Many have great tours available.  They also provide wonderful opportunities for photography

Food

Here is a few more of our favorite places to dine and/or purchase Door County specific foods

Shopping

Every town in Door County has a wonderful selection of fine stores offering an enormous variety of merchandise.  It would take far too long to mention each and every one.  All I will tell you is there is a price range and selection to suit all tastes.

People Watching

If your feet get too tired and your wallet too empty there’s always the sport of people watching.  Sometimes it’s fun to sit a spell and observe as people from all over enjoy the many shops and restaurants.  During our most recent visit we made a list of the different states, districts and provinces represented by vehicle license plates.  Here’s what we saw:

Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Washington DC and Ontario.

If you counted them then you know people from thirty-one different areas visited Door County during the seven days we were there.  Amazing!

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoy my visit to Door County every time we go.  Leaving the area always brings a tear to my eye.  It’s like saying goodbye to an old friend.  The only thing that makes it a teeny-weeny bit bearable is the realization that I will return.  Nothing can keep me from going back.

Well, there you have it.  I’ve taken you on a tour of Door County from one end to the other.  Of course I have by no means mentioned everything there is to see and do.  I think it’s better to leave some things left unsaid.  Perhaps that way you will be curious enough to plan your very own exciting trip to Door County.  Who knows, maybe we will even see one another there someday.

Grabbing Time . . . Part Four

| Cindy Anderson

Welcome to Friday Favorites!

Here we are again.  I’m so glad you decided to return for my fourth segment in a tour around Door County.  My first installment started our journey in southern Wisconsin.  Once entering Door County we made stops at Renard’s Cheese, Door County Coffee & Tea Co  as well as Wagon Trail Campground.  Installment two took us to Seaquist Orchards Farm Market and Door County Ice Cream Factory.  Today we are going to visit Peninsula State Park.  Time to lather on the sunscreen, grab your sun glasses and slip on a good pair of walking shoes cause we are going to get some exercise.

State Parks

Some of the most beautiful spots to enjoy Wisconsin’s natural beauty are in its state parks.  Door County has five of them.  There’s Newport State Park, Peninsula State Park, Potawatomi State Park, Rock Island State Park and Whitefish Dunes State Park.  Potawatomi State Park is the only park we have yet to visit.  Of the five state parks in Door County we have two favorites, Peninsula and Whitefish Dunes.  Since we only have so much time today we will limit our tour to Peninsula State Park.

Peninsula State Park has so many things to offer.  Watch this video for a tour.

Our favorite activities inside the park have been bicycling the trails, climbing Devil’s Tower and photographing the light house.  We rented bicycles at Nor Dor Sport & Cyclery this summer.  Their shop is located just outside the entrance to Peninsula State Park.  Our first choice for bicycles was a pair of tandems.  We thought it would be kind of fun to try them out.  Before leaving the premises they ask you to take a test ride on the bike to make sure you can handle it.  Gary and I both hopped on, Gary in front and me in the rear.  We took a spin around a nearby parking lot.  Maneuvering the tandem bicycle was not a challenge.  My difficulty was the almost instantaneous wave of motion sickness that washed over me.  Apparently my blocked view, because I was riding behind my husband, brought on the all-to-familiar feeling of nausea.  This revelation brought about an immediate end to our cruise on a tandem bicycle.  Katie and Luke took their turn at sampling a ride on the tandem as well.  While their experience was not the same as ours they too opted to forgo tandem riding for individual bicycles.  The kind gentlemen assisting us switched gears from our original choice to fitting us for regular bicycles.  He wasted no time locating and adjusting a bicycle for each one of us.

Also included in our rental fee was the use of a bicycle helmet.  Each of us grabbed a helmet from the multi-shelved storage cabinet, adjusted it to fit our own comfort level then went inside the bicycle shop to complete our registration process.  After signing on the dotted line we left for our adventure.

All four of us made a few minor adjustments to our bicycles, then mounted the not-so-comfortable seat and set out for our nine mile whirlwind tour.  Weaving throughout Peninsula State Park are numerous bike trails.  Peninsula State Park is by no means flat.  Our journey took us up, over and through varying degrees of elevation.  Towering above us was a canopy of beautiful trees shielding us from the hot summer sun.  As we pedaled and shifted our gears we were visually entertained by the beauty of the terrain as well as the variety of bicyclists sharing our path.

As always there are courteous participants and not-so-courteous ones.  The polite bicyclists call out their intentions as they slide by on your left, ride single file and follow the signs marking the path.  The no-so-polite bicyclists behave in the exact opposite manner.  Those people are the ones that make sharing the path more difficult and challenging.

From start to finish we logged nine miles of exertion sprinkled with periods of joy and enthusiasm.  All-in-all we had a wonderful adventure.

Devil’s Tower

Climbing look-out-towers is not something I personally can do.  I’ve made several attempts but have never been successful.  Typically I can make it up a couple of flights of stairs before feeling the beginning stages of panic set in.  Once my heart starts to race and my knees begin to shake it is time to abort my mission.  As I begin my retreat my companions forge ahead.  That is except for Luke.  He usually doesn’t even try because he has the same problem I do, a fear of heights.

Once my feet are firmly planted back on earth I uncap my camera lens and begin shooting pictures of my husband and our daughter Katie.  No sense missing a photo-op just because it’s from the ground up.  My husband and daughter have always been successful at reaching the top of Devil’s Tower.  I think I recall having a few pictures in my library taken by them, looking down at me.

Unless there’s some miracle that cures my phobia, reaching the top of Devil’s Tower and enjoying the spectacular view will be something I can only do in my dreams.  For those that are unhindered by heights or the inability to climb many flights of stairs, to enjoy the accomplishment as well as the awesome views from above, I’m told, are well worth the effort.

Before we leave Peninsula State Park let me say there are so many more activities one can experience aside from bicycling and Devil’s Tower.  There is swimming, boating, camping, hiking, to name a few.  There is also a neat old light house that lends itself to photos.  As many times as we have been to Peninsula State Park we always find something new to see and do.

By the way winter is also a great time to visit.  We have had quite the spectacular display of ice chunks piled one on top of the other.  Some of the towers were as tall as or even taller than we are.

This brings us to the end of yet another segment in my guided tour through Door County.  With only one more section planned, our tour will end soon.  Stay connected for the fifth and final edition.

Grabing Time . . . Part Two

| Cindy Anderson

The last time we talked I left you at the entrance to Wagon Trail Campground.  Let’s pick up our travels there.  Grab a comfy chair, put your feet up and prepare to resume your journey through Door County Wisconsin.  You might want to grab a few marshmallows and a stick in case you get hungry as you read.

Located on the eastern shore of Door County, in Rowley’s Bay, Wagon Trail Campground is our favorite place to camp.  We find it so pleasant because its quiet, nicely wooded, has large sites, friendly employees and very clean restrooms and showers.

Since we are tent campers it takes us a little longer to get situated.  First on the agenda is a walk through our campsite to determine if, where and in which direction the ground slopes.  Having ones head slope down hill tends to make for an uncomfortable night’s sleep.  Together we both decide where the best place is to put our tent.  Once we agree upon just the right spot it takes no time to stake out and erect our REI Kingdon 6 Tent and our Coleman screen house.

Next we load in our sleeping bags, clothes, etc., hang the clothesline and decorative lights and carry the picnic table inside the screen house.  On top of the table, we carefully unfold and lay out a vinyl table covering.  This tablecloth has been in our family since the early days of our marriage.  We estimate its age to be approximately 30 years old.  I often wonder how many times it has accompanied us on picnics and camping trips.

Our Favorite Picnic Table Cloth

On the back side of our tablecloth is a soft fuzzy material.  Some of the fuzziness has disappeared from use.  The top is red, yellow, white and blue with splashes of flowers. To keep the vinyl cover from blowing away we anchor it to the table with those nifty clips you can purchase just about anywhere.  The clips come in either plastic or metal.  From experience we have found the metal ones to be much sturdier.  On top of the table, at one end, sits our two burner Coleman stove.  On the seat below rests our five gallon water jug.

There, I think we are ready to go.  Over the course of the next seven days we filled our time with a plethora of activities.  Rather than bore you with the minute by minute details let me share a catalogue of our favorites as well as those still on our list of things to do.  We’ll begin our journey at the water’s edge.

Boats, Boats and More Boats

Door County is well-known for the beautiful bodies of water surrounding her shores.  Where there’s water there are boats.  Lining the docks of every harbor are rows and rows of watercraft of every shape and size.  Some are simple in construction and others are decked out with fancy gadgets, gleaming sides and unusual names.  Whether large or small I marvel at their collective vision.  I often find myself daydreaming about their origins and destinations, what adventures might they have had and what new excursions are they headed for.

Since I fall victim to motion sickness floating across water is not something I can do.  The best place for me in on solid ground.  Although my feet will never set foot on their carefully maintained decks I draw pure enjoyment through the lens of my camera.  If you happen to be within earshot of my camera you will hear the clicking of my shutter as it snaps first one, then two, then three photos recording the memories I’ve collected.

Sunsets

How can you enjoy water without admiring a sunset.  No matter where I am a sunset will always draw my attention.  I’m intrigued by their beauty, their colors and the peacefulness that washes over the landscape as nature prepares to rest.  One of our favorite places to watch a sunset is at Ellison Bluff County Park.  There you can sit and observe the sun as it sets over Green Bay.  Somehow the vision created as the sun sets over water is so much more beautiful than those over land.  The sun’s rays, as they shimmer on the water, hypnotize its observers.  The glimmer draws you in and captures every ounce of consciousness til you find yourself frozen, unable to turn away, afraid you might miss even a second of the magnificent display.

The following short clip will give you a sample tour of the park.

So what do you think?  You’re probably wondering why you didn’t get to watch one of the spectacular sunsets.  The only way you will see one those is to travel to Door County yourself.

I think we will call it quits for today.  Don’t get discouraged though because Part Three will be coming very soon.  Until then, find time to watch one of your very own sunsets.