Door County, Wisconsin --- part one

Roger here...  We stayed at Door County, Wisconsin (some call it the Door Peninsula) for four nights.  We barely scratched the surface of the wonderful sights there are to see and do in this amazing place.  That being said, the star of the show was our campsite at the Wagon Trail RV Park near Sister Bay.  Wow, wow, wow!!!

Campsite...

This campground is amazing!  Our large, water/electric, fully-wooded site is so secluded, even though there are neighbors that are fairly nearby.

We were in the deep woods of the Door Peninsula and felt as if we were all alone.  The back of our site where the Airstream was nestled was totally shaded.  Below is a view from my outdoor chair.

How could a Wisconsin campsite get any better than this?

Below are a couple of additional photos of our site.

The outdoor kitchen (above) was an ideal place for Dianne to fix chili with the Brooks Chili Hot Beans that she cannot seem to find away from the midwest.  

Our sitting area was so very spacious, and yet cozy.  The temperatures were perfect --- mid-70s.  So nice!

Dianne is in her element when she can build a campfire in this type of setting.  The campground provided a free fire starter and free kindling.  We actually had two fires during our stay.

Hiking...

We actually spent quite a bit of time hiking with the dogs here.  The trailhead for our first hike started a few steps from our campsite.

We followed the hiking trail to a quiet road, and then walked a short distance to Rowley's Resort on Lake Michigan.

Dianne made a bee-line to the resort's Swedish Bakery, while I took the dogs to a bench on the dock so that we could enjoy the (non-keto) deliciousness.

After our mid-morning (unscheduled) snack, we found our way to the back of the resort where myriad hiking trails could take us to a beach, or back to the campground.  They could also get us hopelessly lost :-).

We did eventually find our way to Sand Beach, a county park, where dogs were not allowed.  We took a couple of pictures and moved on.  We know when we are not welcome.

Dianne thought this bright red dragonfly was dead.  However, it was evidently posing for a picture.  It flew away after Dianne snapped the photo.

We did actually get lost a couple of times trying to follow the old "wagon trails" back to the RV park. but we survived to write this post :-).  

Fish Boil....

That evening we walked back to Rowley's for a fish boil.  

An old school bell was rung to announce the beginning of the event.


Fish boils are a traditional Scandinavian feast.  Rowley's replicates the food preparation with authenticity, history, and a story teller.

We met the story-teller (cast as Rowley) prior to the performance while having a glass of wine outside the staging area.  Interesting guy.  He is a retired English professor from Iowa State.  We talked about this part of the peninsula.  (He directed us to the best place in the area for homemade ice cream --- next post.)

The food prep began with red potatoes and salt being lowered into the boiling water.  Yellow onions were later added --- then the white fish.  At one point all the participants were moved back as the "boil master"  threw kerosene over the hot coals, and...

... the boiling water flowed over the cauldron removing all the oils from the white fish.

When the spectacle ended, we were led into the dining room where a complete buffet awaited us, including fresh cherry desserts.  We ate too much, but were able to walk it off on the way back to the RV park.

Stay tuned for more fun from Door County, including some amazing photographs.

Dianne's Teensy Weensy Trailer Tip:

Have we talked about our minuscule closet?   We literally have no hanging space the way we have configured it for the trip.   One morning I remembered that I had brought along a large friction hanging bar that I had used in the motor home to dry things on over the shower.   In the back bed area there is out-of-the-way wall space, so I tried the bar and it fit perfectly:
   

Best of all, it is not even visible unless you are Roger back in his bed, and it does not interfere with his space at all.   Unbelievably, the clothes we hung there have not fallen off during travel (I thought they would).

The small black packet with a handle on the left in the photo above is actually my travel raincoat.   It unzips to reveal a full-length black raincoat with a hood.  It looks nice enough that I wore it in New York when we went into the city.   I bought it from a company called Travelsmith years ago.   

Pet Picture of the Day.

Yet another picture of Poquita staring at the Airstream waiting for Dianne to emerge.  Dianne truly mistreats this little dog!

Mommy, come back!

Prophetstown State Park and friends

Scene from an extension of the five-mile hiking trail

Roger here....  Our Indiana camping friends joined us during the second half of our week at Prophetstown State Park in West Lafayette, Indiana.  It was so good to spend time with Chuck, Cindy, Audrey, Pat and their dogs Sophie (the luckiest dog in Fishers, IN) and Ranger.  We shared meals (thanks to Cindy, Audrey, Pat, and Chuck) and had three great days.  The subtitles of this post are:  hike, games (with rain), beer, and wine.

Hike...

Since our last visit, the paved hike/bike trail has been extended to the Tippecanoe River.  Chuck (and Sophie), Pat (and Ranger), Dianne (and Poquita), (Bandido) and I hopped in the cars to check out the new extension.

The Prairie Pond

Wildflowers Everywhere Along the Trail

The trail ended at the Tippecanoe River (below) before it flowed into the Wabash River.  There were new additional hikes to the confluence of the two rivers and along the Tippecanoe.....

The Tippecanoe River.  I canoed this river a couple of times in my youth.

... but, Sophie let us know that it was time to stop :-).

Before returning to our campsites, we walked over to the Circle of Stones.

The plaques on these boulders represent each of the native American tribes that at one time occupied the land that is now Prophetstown State Park.  There is a great deal of history here.  

Games....

This is a game-playin' group of people.  On the first night we played a new game (for Dianne and me), Play Nine.

Chuck, Pat, me, Cindy, Audrey

On the second night we played hand and foot under a tent and in a downpour!  We lowered the tent, and that helped for a while.  Eventually, water saturated the tent surface where it found openings.  Wind blew a horizontal rain on us.  The dogs lying under the picnic table found themselves in a running stream.  We fled into Audrey and Pat's motor home. 

The game continued but, sadly, Chuck (my partner) and I did NOT win!  

Enough of these games!

On to the ...






... Wine...

Audrey and Pat told us about a local winery that they liked.  A little sampling was in order.  We all ended up buying a couple of bottles.  Kudos to the Wildcat Creek Winery!  On to the...

Cindy, Pat, silly Chuck, Dianne, Audrey

... Beer...

How does that saying go?  Wine and Beer, never fear?  Dianne and I treated the group to a round at the People's Brewery.

The picture below shows Chuck (Indiana University grad) enjoying a glass of Boiler Gold --- such a tolerant man!

Dianne's Teensy Weensy Trailer Tip...

I found these dandy collapsible pet food bowls in an RV dealership parts department.  When traveling, they fold up and are easy to stash away:

Then when it's dinner time, the legs unfold and they are good to go:

Notice anything odd about the photo?   

Yes, I prefer the pink bowl -- what of it?!

Bandido made it clear (by not eating unless we served it in the small pink bowl) that that bowl was his, leaving Poquita to dig deep for her food in the larger green bowl...

Don't worry, she finds every molecule of food!

Pet Picture of the Day...

On the trip north to Door County, Wisconsin, Bandido (Houdini)  managed to escape from both his car harness and his regular harness.  He then plowed between the front seats of the SUV and forced his way into Dianne's lap.  He was so proud of himself!  Poquita was not amused, nor was Dianne.