Door County Fall 23 :: Day 03

It's crazy how much sleep I got this trip. Since it was colder out, we wouldn't hang out by the campfire quite as long as normal. I was probably in bed by 10pm reading. The van is pitch black, and again, because you don't necessarily want to rush out to hang outside, before you knew it, it would be 8am. The last night I slept 9 hours! I can't remember the last time I did that, but it sure felt great. After packing up camp, we drove to Whitefish Dunes State Park. We haven't been here since we went kayaking with the boys in 2020, and I forget how spectacular this area is. Again, totally different from the other two we visited the day before. Just check out those rock formations and gorgeous water. It's unbelievable. Unfortunately, it was time to head home. But first, a quick stop at Il Ritrovo in Sheboygan for some delicious pizza. Luck was on our site, because we just made it. What a great trip. It felt so good to get away for those few days. 

Door County Fall 23 :: Day 02

We started our second day by walking from the campsite to the trail that took us to the Eagle Trail. We've done this hike before with the boys, back in 2020. It's not long, but considered "difficult." Lots of rocks and roots. It's beautiful. The trees, water and rock formations are spectacular. Afterwards, we made lunch at the site, then ventured out to another, new to us, state park - Newport. It's completely different from Peninsula, and is a Dark Sky Park, which is super cool. It started raining, so we didn't venture too far in. Afterwards, we drove around Door County a bit, ending Twelve Eleven Wine Bar. After a glass of wine, and more rain and cold weather, we decided to keep things easy and walk next door for dinner at Thyme, where we shared a whitefish spread and Brian had curry and cumin chicken thighs and I had risotto with grilled shrimp. It was perfect. When we got back, we walked around the campground again, admiring more of the Halloween decorations. 

Door County Fall 23 :: Day 01

Brian and I just got back from a couple days camping in Door County. It's my first time ever fall camping. I definitely was chilled to the bone on a couple different occassions, but for the most part, it was absolutely lovely. The first day we arrived was sunny and bright. We drove to Al Johnson's Stabbur Beer Garden for a bloody mary and quick bite, then walked around Sister Bay. We missed out on seeing the goats on the roof. It was just too cold and windy all weekend. But they are always fun to look for. Afterwards, we stopped by The Prince of Pierogi. Lucky, us, it happened to be National Pierogi Day! Can you believe it? I asked the the owner, who is awesome by the way, if every day was National Pierogi Day, and his response, is that it should be! But yes, I googled it, and it really was the national holiday. If you ever find yourself in Ephraim, be sure to check it out. Next it was time to check into our site. Brian scored a campsite right on Lake Michigan in Peninsula State Park. The imagine of the water and rock beach was a few steps from our site. Surprisingly, the campground was pretty full. During Summer, it's basically impossible to get into, so we felt pretty lucky. We walked around a bit, checking out everyone's Halloween decorations. That's right, decorations. So many of the sites decorated for the holiday. We need to up our camping game I guess. Evening was spent listening to the waves and staring at the stars. It was lovely. 

Washington Island 23 :: Day 03

Time to leave the island. First stop was Red Cup Coffee before hitting the road. They were running all five ferries that day, so we didn't have to wait long. Our van made it into a smaller ferry with less than an inch to spare on the top. Fortunately, the captain was an expert, and they were able to have us drive out a bit when exited, then raised the platform a bit so we could get out. Crazy. We were one of four cars on that boat. It was such a peaceful ride. Once on the mainland, we traveled through some of the more touristy areas of Door County. We stopped in Gills Rock to pick up smoked whitefish from Charlie's, and discovered an adorable little shop called Hill House. Then we went to Ephraim to stop at Island Orchard Cider. In Sister Bay, we got wild ramp chevre from Door County Creamery. Our favorite taco place in Fish Creek closed a few years ago, so we ended up at the Fish Creek Market and grabbed sandwiches to go before driving back. We are so lucky to have this place less than three hours away from our house. It's absolutely amazing. 

Washington Island 23 :: Day 02

What a jam packed, fun day. We caught the first ferry over to Rock Island and spent most of the day exploring. It was originally settled by Native Americans. The lighthouse that still stands was constructed in 1836, and is the oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin. It made the island a stop along the Grand Traverse route. The first settlers came around that time. By 1863 settlers moved to other parts of Door County, and it was deserted until a wealthy investor named Chester Thordarson purchased it for his summer estate. Fortunately, most of the land was left untouched, and what he did construct is truly remarkable. Just check out the boat house! The inside has board games and is a great space for campers. The hike around the entire island is about 5.3 miles. No vehicles, including bicycles, are allowed on the island so it's basically trails. We walked to the lighthouse then decided to do the entire parameter of the island, ending at the gorgeous beach. It was so fun. On the boat ride over that morning, someone mentioned we had to stop at Jackson Harbor Soup for a sliced of cherry pie. It's right next to the ferry parking, and he was right -- it was delicious. Brian had bumbleberry, which was also fantastic. Then we went to Nelsen's Hall & Bitters Club, the oldest continuously-operating tavern in Wisconsin, thanks to a loophole to serve alcohol during Prohibition, and joined the Bitters Club. A shot of bitters is pretty nasty, but when at Nelson's.... After that we had whitefish caught that morning at K. K. Fiske then went back to The Albatross for ice cream. How cute is that scoop I got? Needless to say, we all crashed pretty early that night and slept like babies.