September 7 – 14, 2020
We left Michigan behind as we drove from Ishpeming on the Upper Peninsula into Wisconsin. Our route today took us south around Green Bay and then north onto another peninsula. Our destination was Door County. We wanted to put this area on our Plan A (Alaska) trip but thought that early May might not be the best time. Luckily it fit in nicely with Plan C.
So, where exactly is Door County?
“Door County” refers to a 70-mile long region in Wisconsin, USA that contains 34 named islands and dozens of small cities, towns, and communities, each with its own distinct look and feel. The entire region is located on a peninsula, with the exception of the islands. A “handy” way to remember this is to hold out your left hand—keeping the fingers together—and studying the area between your bottom thumb knuckle and the top of the thumbnail. You betcha: we’re the thumb of the Wisconsin mitten.
Destination Door County
Our campground of choice here was Baileys Grove Campground in Baileys Harbor. We selected this location as a convenient base from which to explore both the northern part and southern parts of this beautiful county.
Discovering Door County
Our first discovery day was a cool overcast, drizzly day so we decided to stay near Baileys Harbor.
Baileys Harbor was discovered in 1848 by Captain Justice Bailey while looking for shelter during a violent storm on Lake Michigan. He spent time exploring the area and took samples of rock and wood back to his employer Alanson Sweet in Milwaukee. Seeing the potential for the area, his employer began developing the area in 1849 by sending men to build a dock, and harvest wood and stone around the harbor. Using his political influence, Sweet was able to set apart Door County, establish Baileys Harbor as the county seat, and build the first Baileys Harbor Lighthouse in 1851.
In the 1860s immigrants from Poland, Ireland, England, Germany, and Scandinavia began to arrive. Farming, logging, quarrying, fishing, and tourism became significant industries in Baileys Harbor.
As we drove around, we just happened to stumble upon the Range Lights located in the Ridges Sanctuary.
Built in 1869 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, the Upper Range Light and its companion Lower Range Light are the only lighthouses of this design that are still on range and functional as navigational aids. These modest but enduring structures played a critical role in the history of Baileys Harbor and in the founding of The Ridges.
At the time they were built, the Range Lights were considered a more effective way to keep ships off the treacherous reefs and shallows at the entrance to Baileys Harbor. From the water, a sailor got “on range” by vertically aligning the white light in the Upper Range Light, which shone at a height of 39 feet above the water, with the Lower Range Light’s red beacon, fixed at 22 feet above the water.
Ridges Sanctuary
A bit further north of Baileys Harbor is Door County’s most iconic lighthouse, the Cana Island Lighthouse.
The 150 year old lighthouse is located on Cana Island, reachable from the mainland via a causeway. When the lake levels are high, the water flows over the causeway making it unsafe to walk across. For those times, the Door County Maritime Museum provides a tractor-drawn hay wagon ride to take tourists across the causeway. However, if the water is rough, the tractor ride does not run. Such was the case when we were there. The best we could do was catch a glimpse of the very top of the lighthouse from the mainland.
Best Laid Plans
I threw a wrench in our discovery plans one morning by suggesting that we drive to Egg Harbor for breakfast at Pelletier’s Restaurant and Fish Boil. You’re probably thinking that doesn’t sound like a breakfast place but they have crepes so how could you go wrong? Actually, the restaurant is known for their nightly fish boil but the crepes were good. After breakfast we checked out some of the shops in Egg Harbor and Fish Creek.
Fish Creek to Sister Bay
Getting back to our plan, the next day we drove back over to Fish Creek where we stopped at Peninsula State Park, the third largest park in Wisconsin. This 3776 acre park offers camping, hiking, biking, golfing, and skiing. We drove along the Shore Road through lush green forests with occasional pull-offs to view the cliffs, sandy beaches, and the blue waters of Green Bay. Along the way we stopped at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse.
Built in 1868 at the cost of $1200, the lighthouse on Eagle Bluff aided navigation through the channel between the Strawberry Islands and the mainland north of Fish Creek. The lighthouse was continuously manned until its automation in 1926.
After leaving Peninsula State Park, we continued north through the town of Ephraim where we stopped to get a photo of the iconic steeples.
Ephraim was founded in 1853 by the Reverend Andreas Iverson as a Moravian religious community. The steeples of the Ephraim Moravian Church and the Free Evangelical Lutheran Church-Bethania Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation are the landmarks of the village as seen from Eagle Harbor.
Wikipedia
Driving further north we arrived at Sister Bay which is named for the twin islands (the Sisters) offshore. Sister Bay was first opened as a shipping point in 1870. With the introduction of a large sawmill and grist mill, the area became an important business center for the county. It was incorporated in 1912. Today Sister Bay is a tourist town with gift shops, eateries, wineries, and lovely parks and beaches. There is one thing that sets it apart – goats!
It seems that the late Al Johnson, who founded his restaurant in 1948, could appreciate a good gag gift. He got one every year on his birthday from his friend Wink Larson, and one year it was a goat.
Oscar the goat went up on the restaurant’s sod roof in 1973, tourists loved him, and the rest is history. Now, there’s a goat cam so visitors can follow the real goats, and art goats that hang from signposts in summer.
Midwest Weekends
The restaurant specializes in Swedish and Norwegian foods including Swedish pancakes and meatballs served with lingonberries. We decided to bypass the restaurant since it was rather busy that day, but we did visit the Butik which offers a large collection of unique Scandinavian products.
Sturgeon Bay
Our discovery plan for this day was to drive south from Baileys Harbor and investigate the area around Sturgeon Bay.
The city of Sturgeon Bay is located at the midpoint of the 90-mile long Door Peninsula in Door County. Named for the long, fish-shaped bay it borders, Sturgeon Bay was settled in 1850 when the first house was built along the waterfront. The town developed quickly after that, home to more than 200 residents and three sawmills by 1862.
Wisconsin History
Later in the 19th century, Sturgeon Bay became a center of stone quarrying, with five quarries shipping limestone to many ports throughout the region for harbor improvements. In the 1880s, a canal was completed linking Sturgeon Bay to Lake Michigan, providing a safe pass for ships that had previously been forced to travel through the dangerous Ports des Morts (Death’s Door) Strait. The new passage quickly attracted thousands of ships and Sturgeon Bay became a center of maritime traffic and shipbuilding.
Incorporated in 1883, Sturgeon Bay is the site of the Sturgeon Bay Bascule Bridge, which connects upper and lower Door County.
Upon entering Sturgeon Bay, we found a parking spot near the shopping area of town so that we could check out some of the sites and shops. Naturally I had to get some candy and cherry soda from the Door County Candy Store. We were hoping to get a glimpse of the shipyard at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding but couldn’t get close enough. Instead we hopped back in the truck and headed north toward Jacksonport. Our intention was to visit Whitefish Dunes State Park but we missed the turn and ended up in Cave Point County Park instead. We didn’t mind as it’s a lovely park.
In 1943, the Door County Board of Supervisors took a visionary step in preserving the 19 acres that would become Cave Point County Park. It was the fifth park established in the county and its preservation well preceded the formation of Whitefish Dunes State Park just to the south in 1967.
The cavernous stone found at Cave Point has been carved out by centuries of violent waves crashing on their shore and dissolving the limestone. Those waves are still crashing today, often reaching heights of more than 30 feet when they meet the immovable rock.
Destination Door County
After visiting the county park we debated about going back to the state park, but since it was getting late, decided to return to the RV.
Ellison Bay and Washington Island
The final part of our plan was to investigate the northernmost part of the county. We wanted to take the ferry from the tip over to Washington Island but decided that getting our big truck on the ferry might be problematic. Touring Washington Island requires transportation of some type and although we could have rented bicycles we decided not to go. Additionally, the Cherry Train Tour of Rock Island was not running which was also on our list. Perhaps next time.
We did go to Ellison Bay one evening for some German food at Hügel House. Potato pancakes with applesauce, Jagerschnitzel for Bill, Käsespätzel with chicken for me – good stuff!
Do we have to leave?
We really enjoyed visiting Door County especially during this timeframe when it was not crowded. We’ll definitely have to come back sometime to explore some of the areas that we missed. For now, it’s time to move on (in) Wisconsin.
