Door County

October 7 (Mon) Saint Charles, IL - Door County, WI

Travel Day

Drive was about 280 miles on a nice day. Took about 4 1/2 hrs with no major traffic issues. Arrived around 5:30.

Diane and Lorri had already stayed a few days and Keith arrived a little after I did.

Weather was great and we had some wine on the deck watching the sunset. Pictures by Lorri!

We spent the evening relaxing, drinking wine and catching up.

My favorite story was the one Keith shared of his hunting adventures where the first deer kill was by his vehicle in the middle of the night! In the snow and dead of night Keith field dressed the deer while waiting for the highway patrol to arrive (quite the outdoorsman!). Although, I should leave out the part where, in the process, he also field dressed his thumb which required a trip to the emergency room for some stitches (ouch).

Dinner at our rented house

Lorri had made chicken and rice soup and a nice salad for dinner. YUM! Thanks Lorri!!

Lodging - Airbnb - 8379 Islandview Rd, Fish Creek, WI

Diane booked a really nice (looks brand new) 2 story 3 bedroom house with a four season porch and huge deck overlooking Green Bay. It was down a quite street then down a very steep drive to a secluded lot overlooking Green Bay. Stars: 4

All three nights.

October 8 (Tue)

Weather sunny and around 60. Nice!

We had a casual breakfast at the house and lounged around the rest of the morning. We didn't get moving until after noon which was fine by all of us. We all drove up to the northern tip of the peninsula (Gills Rock) and stopped at Charlie's Smokehouse for a simple lunch. We bought a pound of smoked whitefish and a pound of smoked salmon with some crackers and cheese spread to eat outside on the deck overlooking the water. Stars: 3

We then drove to the beach where you catch the ferry over to Washington Island. We didn't go across to the Island but, we did get a few nice pictures of the Island and Lake Michigan.

The trees along the drive, for the most part, seemed past peak and/or just not very vibrant this year. Still nice.

On the way back we stopped at a Cider House and did a tasting of various ciders. All the apples come from Washington Island and the cider is made on site. Unfortunately, none of us were very impressed with any of the flavors but, at least it was a new experience. Still, a nice day to sit outside and enjoy the warm fall day. Stars: 2

Dinner at The Post Office

We booked reservations for a Fish Boil at The Post Office in Ephriam.

We sat out back while the cook prepared the fish boil in a huge kettle over a wood fire. The boil had red potatoes, Onions and fresh daily whitefish delivered daily from the local fishermen. The highlight is when the cook tosses kerosene on the fire producing a huge fireball and causing the kettle to boil over. You then go inside and get the fish, potatoes, onions, bread and coleslaw. The staff comes around and efficiently debones the fish for everyone. For dessert, cherry pie. The meal was only $22. Stars: 3.5

After dinner, back to our house and relaxed and talked until late into the early morning.

October 9 (Wed)

Weather sunny and around 60. Nice!

Slept pretty late and just had a casual breakfast at our house relaxing and visiting throughout the morning. Keith headed back to Milwaukee in the early afternoon and Diane, Lorri and I headed back to the northern end of the peninsula to Newport State Park for a hike. Today the fall colors seemed a little more vibrant than yesterday so that was nice.

Hike in Newport State Park

We took a great hike in the park. About 1/2 the hike was right on the water and 1/2 was through the woods. Took our time stopping for pictures and small side spurs along the path. The trail was a little over 2 miles and was flat and easy. Lot's of pictures!

Since we had such a late start it was almost 5:00 when we finished so, we decided not to do another hike as the sun was already starteing to get lower in the sky.

Dinner at Wild Tomato in Fish Creek

We had planned to get some wine and cheese and finish the soup and salad at our house but, it was after 5:00 and all the places (we know now) close at 5. We stopped at a pizza place to pick up a bottle of wine but, our stomachs were growling so we decided to stay for dinner. Had a nice pizza sittng outside on the patio. Stars: 3

After dinner we haeded back to our house and watched a movie (Get Smart) and again talked until very late (2:30s). I think we all have some of Mom's night owl in us.

We also went out to look at the stars. Door county is very dark being on a narrow peninsula however, there was some overcast and a pretty bright moon so, not great for good star viewing.

October 10 (Thu)

Weather partly cloudy and around 60. Nice!

Slept pretty late, had breakfast at our house, packed up and hung around until about noon before cleaning up and checking out. We all headed back home. Drive was a little longer with construction (Racine, Kenosha) and traffic (Illionis) but I made it.

Home Sweet Home

Summary

This was a really nice, relaxing visit with Diane, Lorri, Keith and I. We did miss Steve (just a little tho).

The Airbnd house was really nice.

The weather was great.

The fall colors were so so this year.

Newport State Park was great for hiking.

The Fish Boil was fun.

Fact Sheets

A few more facts Lorri mentioned to me:
State Tree: Sugar Maple
State Flower: Violet
State Animal: Badger
State Bird: Robin
State Rock: Red Granite
State Mineral: Galena
Hightest Point: Rib Mountain