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!