Door County WI (many pics)

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sped372
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Door County WI (many pics)

Post by sped372 » Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:18 pm

Just got back from a week in Door County. We had a nice reprieve from the exceptionally hot and dry weather we've been having at home; I think being near Lake Michigan really helped with the temperatures. Here's a quick synopsis...

Door County is the small finger of land off the north-east corner of Wisconsin; it juts out into Lake Michigan and forms the eastern shore of Green Bay. We did end up taking two ferries to make it out to Rock Island on a day trip (photos further down) but the bulk of our time was spent on the main peninsula. Our "base camp" was at Peninsula State Park near Fish Creek.

Map:
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On the way over we stayed at Kettle Moraine North, near the Horicon marsh. We enjoyed swimming in the clear water to cool off, took a twelve-or-so mile bike ride to the visitor center, and just plain relaxed. It was our first visit to this particular forest, and although it was pretty nice, it probably won't make our favorites list. It was just plain nice, nothing special.

The headwaters of the Milwaukee river:
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Restocking supplies:
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Sunset over the marshy lake:
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Soon we headed further north to Door county and passed though all the small maritime (and touristy) villages along the bay. The scenery up there is immediately recognizable as Great Lakes shoreline.

Ephraim:
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Peninsula State Park:
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We had a nice site on Welcker's point, where they're spaced a bit further apart than in other areas of the park. We were spared nocturnal visits from raccoons which can sometimes run rampant here (it's a popular place). The site functioned as our base camp while we explored the park (including a kayak trip to Horseshoe Island and another lengthy bike ride though the woods to town) and made day trips to other places nearby. We also were within walking distance of a great vantage point for watching the sun set into the waters of Green Bay.

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The highlight of the trip was the trip to Rock Island. First we caught the car ferry (and I mean, literally caught it the minute it was leaving) to Washington Island.

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Then we drove across the island and waited for the Karfi passenger ferry to depart for Rock Island. Vehicles aren't allowed on Rock Island (not even bicycles) to preserve the remote and primitive nature of the landscape there. Anywhere you want to go on the island, you're hiking. The lack of mechanized traffic makes things all the more peaceful.

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There are a number of intriguing old buildings on the island that were built by an inventor that actually owned (the entire island!) it at one point. The style of architecture he commissioned reflected his Icelandic heritage.

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We circumnavigated the island before catching the ferry back to Washington Island. It had been a very scenic and peaceful hike (I've only included a few of the photos here to save space).

Another day trip was to Whitefish Dunes State Park and Cave Point County Park (they're adjacent) south of Jacksonport. The thimbleberries were abundant and we enjoyed a trailside snack on our hike along the dunes.

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It was worth the drive but the unexpected surprise was Cave Point... the waves crashed agains the Niagra Dolomite (yes, the same rocks that make up the famous falls hundreds of miles to the east) to create overhanging ledges and caves along the shore.

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We made our way back to Peninsula and caught some sleep before heading out the next morning for Point Beach, further south along the main Lake Michigan shoreline for our last two nights. The dunes here were sandy and inviting, even if the water wasn't quite as clear. We spent hours reading on the beach listening to the waves crash.

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We drove back this morning and didn't have any troubles... another great trip in the books. We did a little over 500 miles and spent eight nights, nine days in the bus. Summer sure is going quick!

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hambone
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by hambone » Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:40 pm

Epic! What a grand world!
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Bleyseng
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by Bleyseng » Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:39 am

Nice trip!

What you didn't have to do on-the-road repairs to the speedo, generator and wipers!
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by yondermtn » Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:33 pm

Awesome!

Peninsula State Park has been a family favorite since the 1950's when my Mom's family started camping there. We had a pop-up camper when I was growing up and Peninsula was always our go-to campground. We continue to vacation in DC, now some family members own a cabin in Ephraim so we go often but camp less.
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Hippie
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by Hippie » Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:29 am

Door County is another world. Awesome!
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sped372
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by sped372 » Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:48 am

I love it up there but we can only go once every so often; it's just so busy with tourists. Not that I'm a recluse but I like going camping to get away from the masses and I don't get into the whole wine-tasting type of thing. I guess the scenery makes it worth it.

Rock Island was awesome because there were so few people there, it was so quiet and very peaceful. Just the sounds of the outdoors uninterrupted by man made conveniences. I could see camping there but it would mean leaving the bus behind!
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by RussellK » Wed Jul 25, 2012 12:21 pm

Next time we get up there we'll have to cross to the islands. Pretty pics. Door County was a great place to ride a bike. Did you do any nice rides? No fish boil?

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sped372
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Re: Door County WI (many pics)

Post by sped372 » Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:25 am

RussellK wrote:No fish boil?
You know, we didn't. We don't generally go out to eat very often on camping trips, except for maybe breakfast when we hit the road early. I can remember a boil or two from when I was younger though, the geyser effect and the clanging bell!
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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