America the Beautiful

With just less than three weeks left my husband turned 62, in time to purchase his lifetime pass to National Parks for only $10.

This is what we've been waiting for, a retirement with lots of time to finish visiting all the National Parks with HaRVey. Maybe even work in one.

The pass will increase in price to $80 on August 28th. Still worth it, but I sure like $10 more. I won't qualify for mine until December. They are also now offering annual senior passes for $20.

The pass gets a vehicle into a National Park and even some discounts on camping fees.

This will also include US Army Corp of Engineer, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and Reclamations properties.

Locally you can get your pass at the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge office on Brice Prairie.

Sure hope America can stay Beautiful!

What's in your wallet?

Roche-a-Cri

We made a quick stop on our way back from Door County to another State Park.

Located smack dab in the middle of Wisconsin is Roche-a-Cri, once an island in Glacial Lake Wisconsin. The 300 foot rocky outcrop stands out in the surrounding countryside.
















You can climb to the top or just stop and admire the early Native American petroglyphs and pictographs.



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Ye Olde Fish Boil

Dinner and a Play- Dating Door County Style.


 
 
We got tickets for the Northern Sky Theater right in Peninsula State Park. This outdoor theater had several difference summer performances we chose Oklahoma in Wisconsin. The story about a  family owned Fish Creek Hotel searching for a way to attract more customers. They begin offering the areas first Fish Boil, a tradition of area fisherman. And the rest is history as they say.

Discounted tickets are available for campers!







We finally attended one of the Fish Boils in Fish Creek. They begin with a large pot of salted boiling water, toss in potatoes and onions then finish off with fresh caught Whitefish and ignite the whole thing on fire. Very dramatic. It was tasty but there are a lot of fish bones since these are not filets.

TTTo finish off our park date we tried catching some of the Perseid showers but the night sky was often overcast. So we made our own starry nights with the holiday laser light I got for my birthday last year.

Maybe a little hard to see in a photo, but very impressive in person.

Harbors, Bays and Shores, Oh My!

The Peninsula of Door County, Wisconsin is more than just parks. Instead of hitting the trails we got lots of steps in wandering the sidewalks of all the quaint little towns. Here's a list of our favorite stops along the way.















Bailey's Harbor-for a beer and lots of cheer. Door County Brewing Company has a new building with lots of charm. We joined a table with two seniors of UW. We enjoyed a tasting flight and some delicious Truffle and Parmesean Fries form the Chives food truck while we assisted them in a game of Cribbage.







Fish Creek-for frozen custard and Ducks. A short stop for an afternoon cone at Not Licked Yet. We rested at the creekside chairs and enjoyed the ducks.












Sister Bay- for goats and goat cheese. The famous rooftop goats on Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant are always fun to see. Another stop when in Wisconsin is for the local cheese. Door County Creamery had lots of tasting items and we left with some fresh Chevre with smoked Whitefish.













Egg Harbor-pottery and art along the way. Plum Bottom Pottery is just one of the unique countryside stops for inspiring art. Another stop was for a sculpture garden at the Edgewood Orchard Galleries. Just to name a few. We even had a chance to stop at the Peninsula School of Art for the Plein Air exhibit.











Sturgeon Bay-ships and shipbuilding are everywhere. Stop at the Door County Maritime Museum for a history lesson. Who knew a state in the Midwest built so many ships, even submarines. When you look at a map you'll see why, we connect to the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Ephraim-a tour of The Clearing. Established by Jens Jensen a famous landscape architect. On weekends they have a free walking tour of the folk school campus and we gained a new appreciation for his legacy.










Along the Way
Can't miss the cherries of Door County. Lots of Wineries too!

Peninsula Parks

Surrounded by Green Bay and Lake Michigan the Door County Peninsula of Wisconsin is a popular getaway for city folks from Milwaukee to Chicago. You won't find chain restaurants or big box stores more like lighthouses and rocky shores. Some say it feels like Cape Cod.

We had our fill of parks to visit with four State Parks and many County Parks. I've highlighted the best of each park.

Potowatami State Park


Our first stop in Sturgeon Bay and the water views are great. Enjoyed watching sailboats and skipping rocks. This is also the beginning point of the Ice Age Trail which demarks the edge of the last continental glacier across Wisconsin.


































Pennisula State Park

Just outside of Fish Creek we stayed at Weborg Campground in Peninsula State Park, only a dozen sites adjacent to a nice pier on Green Bay, great for early fishing with breakfast and sunsets or viewing the night sky.


















Whitefish Dunes State Park

On the Lake Michigan side is a sandier side for beaches and dunes. This park also displayed a recreated village of woodland and Oneota people, the areas earliest inhabitants.








Newport State Park

Another Lake Michigan Park at the tip of Door County offers a  beach and rocky shore. A wilderness park and recently designated by the International Dark-Sky Association. One of only 48 in the world for best places for night sky viewing.

Cave Point County Park

One of my favorite stops for lots of wave action. The shoreline  and caves are a favorite of kayakers.

The unique landscape is part of the Niagara Escarpment a 1000 mile long cliff running from Wisconsin to New York.














We can't forget to mention Rock Island State Park. We didn't visit this time, but we've camped several times years ago and enjoyed the Perseid Meteor showers with friends. It's a long journey to get there with a ferry to Washington Island then the Carfi to Rock Island. Walk-in campsites only and no showers except in the sky of course.