This past Monday, I was lucky enough to spend a day in Door County, WI with my wife. The day turned out to be a perfect example of how diverse a day in the door can be. It also made me realize that a picture can be found anywhere, regardless of lighting and conditions.
For those of you don’t know, Door County is the “thumb” on the hand that is Wisconsin. On the west, it is bordered by Green Bay, and on the east, it is bordered by Lake Michigan.
We started our day in Sturgeon Bay, which is basically the gateway to the northern part of the county. Heading north from Sturgeon Bay, we made our way up through one small town after another in pursuit of the best smoked fish we’ve ever found. Gills Rock holds one of the jewels of the door: Charlies Smokehouse. We purchase the usual, which is fresh smoked Whitefish, straight from the waters surrounding Door County, and fresh smoked Atlantic Salmon, straight from… well… the Atlantic. A pound of each is the norm.
From Gills Rock we took the short, winding, scenic drive to Northport, which is where you are able to board the car ferry for Washington Island. We have yet to make the trek across Death’s Door, but hope to by the end of the summer. From there, we made our way back to Gills Rock, then back south through Ellison Bay, Sister Bay, and Ephraim before arriving for lunch in Fish Creek. Another of our favorite spots makes its home here, and that spot is “Not Licked Yet.” This restaurant sits just short of the south entrance to Penninsula State Park, which could be an entire blog in itself, and perhaps it will be. Offering great food and desserts, it’s a must try for anyone traveling through Fish Creek. How could you pass up a dessert with a name like “Cherry Bomb Sundae,” or the “Snowball Inferno Sundae?”
Leaving Fish Creek, we worked our way south again, passing through Juddville and Egg Harbor before arriving at our next stop, Carlsville. Carlsville is home to another of our favorite stops, the “Door Peninsula Winery.” Besides being one of our favorite stops, it’s also the oddest. One would think that stopping at a winery would end up with a wine purchase. This is not the case. Their cheese spread is amazing. Door County Cherry Wine Cheese Spread to be exact. I sometimes think that this alone would be worth the two and one half hour drive.
In case you are wondering, this is where the diversity part comes in. From the winery, we cut across the door to the east side, and to our single favorite destination in Door County. Up to this point, we had spent the entire day on the bay side of the peninsula, where it was in the upper 70’s, sunny, humid, and just abnormally uncomfortable for Door County. Upon our arrival on the east side, it was almost cold, breezy, and cloudy. To give you some perspective, the county is roughly 7 miles wide at this point, give or take. In that short distance the weather had done a complete 180. Now you’re probably wondering what our favorite place is, aren’t you. Cave Point County Park is one of the most beautiful places I personally have ever seen. Unfortunately the weather was less than picturesque, but it still lent itself to some amazing pictures. Sea fog was rolling in off the lake, which proved to me once again that “inland sea” would be a better term used in describing our great lakes. It rolled like smoke, and condensed on the trees making a beauty all its own. The lake of color offered up a perfect opportunity for some black and white photography.
Upon leaving Cave Point, we headed for home. The drive back is always long, and sometimes depressing. It’s one of those places, for us anyway, that you want to go to and never leave. It’s really a small piece of heaven on earth if I’ve ever seen it. I’ve attached a couple of my favorite shots from Cave Point below.
Until next time…
FPh