On (to) Wisconsin!

July 10 - 17, 2020

Our first stop in Wisconsin was at Fireside Campground outside of Lone Rock.  This was a very rural campground in the middle of hilly cheese country!  The rolling green hills comprised a mixture of crop farmland, dairy farmland and forests.  I grew up with farmland surrounding me in Eastern Iowa; however, the rolling hills presented a new look at farmland!  Beautiful!

We spent a day hiking and picnicking at Governor Dodge State Park.  We've been here before, only on our past visits it has been to cross country ski!  This provided a different look at some of the same trails we have undoubtably been on before!

One of the effects COVID-19 has had on our lives was attending Sunday Mass.  Churches have adapted quickly and have been providing Mass virtually via various social media venues.  Although, this has been amazing, we have really missed not attending mass in person and not being able to receive the Eucharist.  Well, we researched how COVID spreads and how to best be able to avoid being exposed to it and compared that information to the practices different parishes have implemented to make attending Mass safe from an exposure standpoint.  We found a church (St. John's in Spring Green) ten miles from our campground that was offering Mass and seemed to have implemented guidelines to make attendance safe.  For the first time since March, we attended Mass!  Although we didn't know anyone, it was such a joy to be back at Mass!

This hilly country is filled with cheese factories!  We had to check out a couple of them!  First, we went to Meister Cheese in Muscoda, WI.  They had several award winning (world wide) cheeses so, of course, we had to purchase a few to sample!  We also toured Cedar Grove Cheese factory outside of Plain, WI which provided free and interesting tours of their cheese-making process.  Enjoying cheese curds made an hour ago from milk that was delivered from neighboring farmers that morning was "whey" better than any cheese I've eaten!

Baby Quilt Time!

Rainy days are inevitable; however, I've been itching to get my sewing machine out!  Maggie's baby girl is growing and getting stronger and it's time I get started on piecing her quilt together!  It was a joy to start making the squares that are going to swaddle this little love of mine!  It's awesome how the heart bonds even before the heart beats! 

Just to keep things real, I want you to know that that rainy day exposed a seal that had allowed a window to leak!  Yes, a little bit of maintenance surfaces from time to time!  I guess we can't spend all our time hiking and biking! 

You really can't camp at Fireside Campground without at least one campfire and, of course, S'mores!  This was a sandy campground which made for a bit a of challenge to keep the camper clean; however, it has been a great place to get to know a bit of rural Wisconsin!

Door County is so amazing!  Cherry trees ripe with fruit ready to pick line Highway 42! We reserved our campsite in January, looking forward to being able to partake in the Cherry Festival; however, with COVID…  we had to make our own Cherry Festival!  Instead of a weekend, we had two weeks to discover all the delicious cherry delights Door County has to offer!  Face masks are mandated in all public buildings, so it feels safe to be out and about.  Upon entering any business, you are greeted with hand sanitizer!  Oh, how the social norms have changed!  Each village in Door County has its own unique qualities about it.  Here are the highlights we found in each of the villages we spent time in.

Egg Harbor:

·      We have a quaint site at Egg Harbor Campground.  We are at the end of the campground, next to the trail, nestled in a lightly wooded area.  There is a simple, circle of rocks fireplace that lends to the cozy feel of the site.  The hummingbirds have found our feeder hanging from the rear window of the camper.

·      Picnic lunch in Harbor Bay

·      Hy Line Orchard (fantastic “You pick” tart and sweet cherries, delicious chopped cherry jam)

·      Hatch Distilling Company (great bourbon and gin!)

·      One Barrel Brewery

·      Music in Harbor View Park every Thursday evening (beautiful sunset views!)

·      Shipwreck Brewery is also worth a trip!  Try their Cherry mimosa!

·      Local long arm quilter who was able to quilt the baby quilt I’m making for Flicka Crane!

·      Daily Mass on Tuesday mornings

·      Cute local shops

·      Lautenback Wood Nature Preserve

·      Door County Kennels (Thank you, Dave, for providing such good daycare of Frankie!)

·      Petpourri (Frankie got a wonderful haircut here!)

·      Farmer’s Market on Friday mornings

·      Door County cherry strudel and cherry pecan bread

·      Pink Bakery (fresh Door County cherry pie and cherry scones)

Fish Creek:

·      Home of White Gull Inn where we enjoyed Good Morning America’s “Best Breakfast in the County” (Door County cherry-stuffed French toast – the half order was more than what I needed)

·      Peninsula State Park (Sunset Bike Path, Eagle Trail, Skyline Trail to Sven’s Bluff are all great trails)

·      Sunset Beach

Door County cherry-stuffed French toast!

Sunset Trail in Peninsula State Park

Eagle Trail in Peninsula State Park

Ephraim:

·      Cute shops!

·      Fish Boil at Old Post Office Restaurant

·      Wilson’s Ice Cream (Door County cherry milkshake and sundae)

Fish Boil!

Fish Boil boilover!

Cherry sundae at Wilson's Ice Cream

Zoom session with grandchildren (Origami folding!)

Sister Bay:

·      Cute Shops!

·      Beautiful Sunday Mass

·      Swedish pancakes topped with Door County cherries at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant (Goats on the sod roof are his trademark)

Ellison Bay:

·      Pop Up Lavender Event

·      Ellison Bluff County Park and Scenic Overlook

·      Newport State Park (stunning trails!)

·      Mink River Estuary

Gills Rock:

·      Charlie’s Smokehouse for fresh smoked fish

·      This is where we caught the ferry to go over to Washington Island

Bailey’s Harbor:

·      Upper and Lower Range Lights

·      Ridges Nature Reserve

·      Shipwreck kayak tour (view shipwrecks through clear-bottomed kayaks!)

Shipwreck kayak tour

Upper Range Lighthouse

Bird Cage Light House on island behind us

Whitefish Bay:

·      Whitefish Dunes State Park (Old Baldy- 93’ tall sand dune)

·      Cave Point County Park (“unofficial trail” is right along the shoreline)

Sturgeon Bay:

·      Potawatomi State Park (Ice Age Trail and Tower Trails are really nice!)

·      Sherwood Point Lighthouse

·      Sturgeon Bay & Lake Michigan Canal (two lighthouses and interesting canal!)

Washington Island:

·      Island Clipper Ferry – take your bikes for free! (which travels trough “Death’s Door” past Plum Island and its lighthouse)

·      Rode bikes past vineyards, lavender fields, the airport and out to Little Lake Nature Trail (possibly the prettiest trail we hiked)

·      School House Beach for a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan

·      Fresh fish at KK Fiske and Door County cherry cheese cake gelato at Sue’s Sweets

Leaving Door County this morning was difficult!  It's been a delightful (and delicious!) two weeks here.  If you haven't been here, put it on your bucket list!

Up Next:  Michigan!