Today after much harassment, haranguing and basic hectoring from a former co-worker of Ruthi’s, we finally drove up to Door County. You know how Michigan is sort of shaped like a mitten with the thumb extending out into the Lake Huron. Well, Wisconsin has a similar thumb shape extends into Lake Michigan. Wisconsin’s thumb is much thinner and looks more like it’s from a witch’s hand.
Anyway, we drove the exact course prescribed by Maryann (up WI Route 42 to WI 57; back down WI 57 to Interstate 43). This made for a lovely view of the lake and some very large farms as we headed North. Some of the farms had 2 or 3 silos which indicate a great deal of acreage and large harvests. We even saw one with 6 silos. If you buy “Lands of Lakes” dairy products, we saw from whence they came. The farms have signs that indicate their crops are sold to “Land of Lakes”. We saw a lot of corn and soy bean fields but not very many actual cows. Though there were the accoutrements for a dairy farm (milking barns, calving areas, etc.), just the cows were far afield.
We passed through Sturgeon Bay where the bay connects Green Bay and Lake Michigan, with the assistance of a canal on the east side of the peninsula. The bridge is a draw bridge and was up upon our return to let a boat get into Green Bay. We slowly drove through Egg Harbor – lots of tourists walking around. Then we stopped for lunch at the White Gull Inn (approved by Maryann) in Fish Creek. The Boiled Fish dish was not offered for lunch or Mondays, so we settled on breakfast dishes. Really we were just thankful that we could do a pass on the Boiled Fish. No matter how much people praise it and Maryann pushes it, we just couldn’t get our heads around boiled fish. We know, we know, we’ll eat a lot of raw fish (sushi) but boiling it with potatoes and vegetables doesn’t work for us.
We had to park our 22 foot long truck in a parallel spot. Luckily there were 2 spaces which we could slip into (yeah, it was that easy ha ha ha), leaving the possibility of a nasty note upon our return OR someone parking in the remaining space so that we’d be locked in for the afternoon. When we got back a vehicle from Illinois (a good state, if Ruthi does say so) had taken the front spot and, THANK GOODNESS, left a good 3 feet for us to maneuver out. The town/streets were full of tourists again but of a more mature variety.
On the way back we stopped at The Cherry Hut, which has everything imaginable made from cherries, then a cheese “factory” and a cheese shop that offered samples. We brought home our favorite kind of souvenirs – food! (Including some Fat Louie’s balsamic vinegar – there were lots in the guide books about Fat Louie’s olive oil at 3 locations in Door County. At the Cherry Hut, you could taste a variety of their oils and balsamic vinegars. On the front label it says “Fish Creek”. Once home, Boots discovered it’s made in California!!!) Oh, well, it’s tasty anyway!)
