Sister Bay -- named after the Sister Islands that flank the bay, it was first settled by Indian tribes and much later by Swedish immigrants who came here because, well, it looked like Sweden to them. It does have a Scandinavian topography. All those birches and pines! I came to this town because this is where my daughter stays with her family, but in fact you could argue that it's the nicest of the Door County villages if you like serenity and, too, a good cup of coffee in the morning! Because it's further north up the peninsula, it hasn't the crowds of, say, Fish Creek or Egg Harbor in the summer. Of course, right now, Door County is quite without the crowds everywhere. Reason enough to come here now!
View from my window onto the "Main Street" and the Bay beyond.
They have what they call a grab and go breakfast at my hotel and I do grab a yogurt, over in this beautiful hotel lounge...
But for coffee I go elsewhere -- to the Skip Stone Coffee Roasters, where they also have yummy granola muffins.
(I feel like my old mittens, with their Scandinavian motif, really belong here.)
(Upstairs, there are a few extra tables. An older coffee drinker sits at one and reads her book. I'm thinking this so often is me when I travel solo!)
I take a brief walk, to take in the winter views. Last week's storm really blew in a lot of water which then immediately froze over anything in sight. The marina looks quite dramatic as a result.
I get in the car and drive further north. After Sister Bay, the landscape changes. Fewer houses. Young forests and cherry orchards are common.
I take a short detour to Ellison Bay Bluff (looking out over the Bay). It's a state natural area -- plenty of birches!
And a lookout point that shows off the cliffs along the coastline here.
And then I continue, all the way to Newport State Park, which is near the northern tip of the peninsula. This is my favorite forested area in Door County. I used to bring the girls swimming here because a curve in the shore creates a protected bay which is shallow for quite a distance. A gentle slope from the forest line has golden sands perfect for kid play. And in those days it was never crowded.
I park the car right by Newport Bay.
Some 150 years ago Scandinavian families came here for the timber. This used to be a bustling place: the trees were felled and loaded onto ships going to Milwaukee or Chicago. And soon the forests were depleted and the settlers looked for other sources of income.
(Newport Bay)
The woodland here is, therefore, fairly new, but at the same time, it has some saplings that are direct descendants from an ancient forest (lycopods, growing here for some 400 million years now). There are plenty of trails through the woods. I just have to decide -- which will it be, skiing or hiking? The snow conditions are rapidly getting worse -- we are in the middle of a heat wave! 40F (4C)! I mean, overall nice, I suppose, but the base of snow isn't strong enough to be supported by those kinds of temperatures. Still, I test a portion of the trail and is seems good! I take out my skis.
And I do a grand loop, skiing all the way to Europe Bay and back again. And it is quiet. And beautiful!
There are just a couple of rough patches where my ski catches on something and I tumble into what feels like a chilled soupy mix of water and ice. The trick it to get up quickly, which, at my age is a challenge! Still, by the time I'm done skiing I have begun to dry out.
As I tell Ed later, it is so good to ski a new trail every now and then. We love our county park back home and all that it offers, but to take in a new forest is magical. And the pines and northern cedars are so fragrant! The trail here doesn't pose any hilly challenges and that is a good thing. You can concentrate on the beauty of the forest rather than on the sport that allows you to glide silently between the trees.
Afterwards, I'm hungry enough for a real lunch. For this I drive "south" to Fish Creek. I hear the Hill Street Bar sells good stuff. Since it's a tiny bit too crowded for my Covid sensibilities, I pick up a "Charlie Brown" hoagie, so named because it has charred broccoli, pickled onions and peanuts. From here, I go to the Blue Horse Cafe and get a coffee to go. My gathered lunch treasures taste great by the fire back in my hotel.
And soon after, my younger girl arrives with her family. They stop by the hotel...
... then proceed to their rental, which is just across the street from me. (They stay in a place with a kitchen, for obvious reasons.) I join them there for the rest of the day.
(moving around behind this light stroller is a challenge, but Juniper is up for it!)
( a dancing Primrose)
I eat dinner with the girls. Pasta, to keep it simple. The parents will go out for dinner -- I'll keep an eye on the kids.
(and now, taking orders from customers at her "cafe")
(while Juniper reads a book that I swear every grandchild before her has loved to pieces...)
There is a fireplace in the little apartment and I keep it on for the evening. It seems so fitting for an escape up north! I live in a beautiful state, that's for sure. The Door peninsula certainly hasn't the vast wilderness of the northern most counties, but it has its share of wildlife (both black bears and wolves have crossed over Sturgeon Bay and have been sighted here). And the landscape is just so pretty! Tourism is a big deal, but like in the Cape Cod of my memories, the governing bodies have reined in growth, so that in fact, since I've been here last (in February 2008, with Ed), not that much has changed. A few good eateries have been added, my Sister Bay hotel is certainly a new kid on the block, but otherwise, the main road slicing through the village looks like it did decades ago.
I'm watching the flames of the fire and I'm thinking -- oh but it's great to be here now!
With love...
