OK. We're in Door County, Wisconsin, at Peninsula State Park just outside the quaint village of Fish Creek. The little towns along the coast are quaint harbor towns, now nicely spruced up to be 'touristy', are reminiscent of the New England or Washington state coasts. This is Fish Creek There is a Swedish and Norwegian custom that is practiced up here called a 'fish boil'. Some of the restaurants practice this custom and we had to check it out. We think of a crawfish boil, and this is similar except there is no corn on the cob, just potatoes and small onions, and whitefish sections. It's all done outside with a big kettle with fire underneath. The fish sections in this basket are lowered into the boiling water. As the fish cooks it gives off an oily substance which forms a film (scum) on the surface of the water. At the time the fish should be done, the fire is rapidly increase to cause the water to boil over the top, to throw off this scum, then the fish basket is removed and served. Did I say the fire was rapidly increased? They throw gasoline or diesel fuel or something to flash it up quick. Anyway the meal was "OK" - kinda bland and not real tasty like our favorite, fried catfish. But we had to have the experience. The campground has a 75' observation tower on a 230' bluff which offered a spectacular view. This island is 3/4 mile away and we paddled to and around it. It's called Horseshoe Island and at one time was owned by some rich person who built a fine home there. It's now part of the park and the house is no longer there. It is so cool to be on that clear fresh water on a bright, clear day. Throughout this part of the country there were many farms with silos. I think most of them are dairy operations and the silos hold feed for the cows. I'm thinking I got a whiff of 'government subsidy' here, but I'm not sure. I did stop to ask a farmer about the silos and he said they are filled with silage, which is chopped up corn stalks, soy plants, alfalfa, and maybe other stuff. Apparently the farms grow there own ingredients. Anyway, he was bailing hay at the time. Here's an interesting note (to us anyway). We came upon a marker that proclaimed that the spot was on the 45 degree of latitude, which means we were the same distance from the equator as we were from the north pole. That degree of latitude goes across the US and around the world, but we found a spot on a minor road up here. In Door County cherries are a big crop, and the tart varieties are just beginning to come it, but the sweet ones are still a week out. There are several roadside markets selling all kinds of cherry stuff and other things, but a good place to sample all the products. They have cherry jams, jellies, salsa, donuts, strudel, and the list goes on. Strudel making in progress. After two nights at the Peninsula State Park near Fish Creek, we moved a few miles down the road to Potawatomi State Park (say that fast three times) near Sturgeon Bay. Again heavily wooded, narrow roads and just beautiful. They also had a tower and a cove. We paddled around there in the morning. The two big islands have houses on them and as we were getting our kayak ready, a lady paddled up in a canoe from the smaller island on the right. She lives on the island and has to come to the 'mainland' by boat, except in the winter when they can walk over (on the ice). The town of Sturgeon Bay is again quaint, with marinas and touristy stuff. But it also has a significant shipyard. We happened to see an aluminum hull under construction. Here is a huge crane at the shipyard. We have really enjoyed the 70 degree temperatures with low humidity and sparkling clear skies. It's not quite that good here but we will be heading back north up the other side of Green Bay tomorrow. Destination, Lake Superior in the upper peninsula (widely known as UP) of Michigan. Actually, it's quite pleasant as the sun sets and evening falls over the Walmart parking lot in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (think Green Bay Packers!)
See you on down the road. Chuck
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Who We Are
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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