Door County

We exhausted the longest legs of our road trip in the first 2 days. After the first 1300 miles, we've a quick shot from Minneapolis over to Wisconsin, and up the peninsula. In case you didn't know, Wisconsin is shaped roughly like Michigan (save the Upper Peninsula): vaguely like a left-handed mitten viewed from the back. The Wisconsin peninsula (the thumb) is Door County, where Leigh's aunt Rachel lives. About half way up, an active ship building center and shipping lane, Sturgeon Bay is nestled on a body of water of the same name. I have been hearing about Door County, Sturgeon Bay, and fish boils since Leigh and I started dating, so I was very excited to be there at last. A fish boil (pictured left) is exactly what it sounds like, and has a long history in Green Bay area, and especially on the peninsula. The actual food was not much to write home about (sorry), but the experience was well worth it.

Following the fish boil, Rachel drove us up to North Port (or as she pronounced it "Nawth Pawt") and Death's Door. Until a canal was dug through Sturgeon Bay, the Door County corridor was the gateway to Green Bay (the body of water, not the city) and infamously treacherous to ships (and therefore particularly enticing to divers). Pictured at left, breakers and an island lighthouse in the distance.

Before we headed to Milwaukee, we stopped in the Door County Museum, which did not disappoint. We learned about the history of loggers and shipbuilders and fishers. We learned about the wildlife of the region and the taxidermy thereof. We learned about the Scandinavian heritage of the upper midwest. We learned about a wreath made of hair (pictured left).

Before we left the peninsula, we did not neglect the local alcohol industry. At a wine and beer store we stocked up with Wisconsin beer and wine made from Wisconsin grown grain and grape. We have imbibed readily, and will be lobbying for its importation back East.