Door County - Post

Photos from the trip are now on flickr, click here.

Door County is a solid 5+ hours from where we live, and a world away.

We got up to the peninsula, an area surrounded by Green Bay and Lake Michigan, just in time to enjoy the tail end of its fall color spectacle. Now back at home, you will be hard-pressed to find a tree past it’s prime, if not just starting to turn colors.

There are so many things to love about Door County – but what I love the most is an area where you can live in the “country” and be far removed from everything, yet you are part of a greater community. I love that a Peninsula, which you can cross in about 10 minutes, is filled with forests, woodlands, bluffs, and farmlands that make you forget the water lapping the shores straight ahead and the busy little town centers. I love that you can drive on a country road and stop off at a barn where inside is an art gallery with incredible art, where cherry and apple tree orchards share land with cows, and where even the “fanciest” restaurant doesn’t mind you walking in off the street (low-season) in your jeans and wind blown hair – after all, you just got back from Washington Island.

Last time we were in Door County, it was the middle of November, snow was blanketed, leaves had fallen, and not much was open. The little we spent outside consisted of running to and from the car. But we only spent 1 full day there, which meant getting engaged, seeing sights, and having a nice dinner at the White Gull Inn. We have no photos from this trip, so that’s all I remember.

One month earlier this time means colorful leaves, cool crisp breezes that a lightweight scarf can handle, and a little bit more life. Although a lot of places closed right before we got up there (the weekend of the 18th was a big festival and then a lot shut down), I would venture to say that early October would be slightly better (you can rent mopeds in the park), but we were told that September was the best time of year.

What we like about the off-season is abundant parking and no reservations. You can go just about anywhere and you don’t compete with a single soul. It’s almost blissful. Until you realize you’re in the middle of a forest and there isn’t a single soul…

Matt and I really made the best of the time we had; we stayed at the beautiful BlackSmith Inn so we made sure to spend enough time there to enjoy the hot tub, the view outside our balcony, and the treats (popcorn, cookies, hot apple cider). We also had a couples massage at Sacred Ground Spa. This was Matt’s first massage and it was actually really fun to have this done together and then talk about how good it was all day long.

This time we also went to Washington Island in an impromptu decision that had us speeding along winding roads to catch the next hourly ferry. Washington Island was DEAD. Nothing except the corner store was open so we just enjoyed the sights – Schoolhouse Beach, Little Lake, the Lookout Tower, and Jackson Harbor. That evening we ate at The Inn at Kristoffers, which was a really nice restaurant and we had views of the Sister Bay marina. Matt had this butternut squash soup with maple syrup that was killer, licking the sides of the bowl killer (and ohmigod, here's the recipe). Dessert was a pumpkin mousse cake that almost sent us into a sugar coma, a good sugar coma.

Another day we checked out the Lighthouse at Cana Island, which was so off the beaten track, you were amazed to still be on the Peninsula (and even more amazed that people live back there in the woods). Then we went through Peninsula State Park, and took one of the hiking trails where it was surprisingly warmer in the forest.

We also did – finally – one of the fish boils that Door County is famous for at the White Gull Inn (there are a lot of restaurants that do this). It starts on the back patio where a cauldron of hot water and salt is set over a fire, then in goes the potatoes and more salt. Finally the fish is added and kerosene is added to the fire to raise the heat over 500 degrees. The oils – the good omega 3 oils – from the fish rise to the top and get skimmed off, then it boils over from the heat and voila, the fish boil. It’s served with butter, lemon, and tarter sauce; as well as the potatoes and cole slaw (for greens). And cherry pie finishes the meal.


The ironic thing about the fish boil, as our boil master told us, is that the point is to skim the oils off and then eat the fish with butter and tarter sauce. So we take a healthy fish, remove the most excellent essentials from it, and replace it with artery clogging butter. I wonder if the dairy council runs the fish boils?? Although this is thought to be a Scandinavian tradition, it runs counter to their healthy eating habits. Tarter sauce has to be a new phenomenon for sure.

We drank some very good pumpkin and cherry ale at Shipwreck brewery and got a six-pack to go, we shopped at Bea’s Ho-Made goodies for cherry jams, and found a local potter who makes such beautiful bowls and vases. It was nice to talk to a local artist and buy her art for our living room – our little memento of Door County.