Door County

This was what we heard from lots of people when they heard we were going to be in Wisconsin this summer. Door County is about the top 2/3rds of the peninsula which sticks out into Lake Michigan and forms Green Bay on its western side. We had been told this area reminds people of Maine or Cape Cod as it is covered with little towns rich in artistic appeal and surrounded on all coasts by lighthouses. The weather there was cooler and more rainy than we have so far experienced on our journeys this summer. However, this did not stop us from getting around and seeing the sites. Our first day, we went to downtown Bailey’s Harbor for lunch and then walked out on the marina. Then we took in the Ridges, an area just north of Bailey’s Harbor where the ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan formed ridges along the landscape as it retreated. This are has a lot of lush vegetation, but mostly mosquitoes. They were attacking in swarms as were walking along the paths. The Bailey’s Harbor guide lights are also in this area.

Then we drove up to Sister Bay and down the coast of Green Bay to Egg Harbor. We stopped in various towns along the way and each had their own particular charm. For instance, in Fish Creek, the main street is lined with flowers, and Sister Bay has many signs in the shape of goats. In Egg Harbor, there were three foot high eggs all over town done up in different art motifs.

On the second day, we drove to Northport at the end of the Door County peninsula and took the Washington Island Ferry to, you guessed it, Washington Island. Here we boarded the Cherry Train tour, which was really a couple of tram cars pulled behind a pickup truck. It had some nice tour commentary and we stopped at a few of the attractions on the island. One was School House Beach, where there is no school house, but is one of only five beaches in the world covered with round stones. They have a town law which prohibits removing any of the stones from the beach. The stones were apparently formed by a glacier.

On our last day in beautiful Door County, we went looking for the last of the lighthouses we would be able to look at. We went to the Cana Island Lighthouse just north of Bailey’s Harbor. You are able to climb the stairs to the top of the tower for a fee, but we opted out of that. Then we drove to Peninsula State Park on the west coast to see the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. It was a very nice day for photography as there was hardly a cloud in the sky all day. It was another addition to the record number of days on this trip which have been gorgeous for us. Next we are off to the U.P. of Michigan. We hope our luck holds.

The Lighthouses of Door County

Cana Island Light	Eagle Bluff Light	Plum Island Light
Bailey’s Harbor	Ranging Lights	Pilot Island Light