WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31ST, 2011

It was a short 16 miles from Washington Island to Sister Bay as we hop down the western shore of the Door county peninsula. The weather continues to be beautiful.






We walked around the town. It has a very strong Scandinavian flavor to it. We decided to have lunch at the Sister Bay Café.






Today’s special is a lefse wrap with brat, kraut and cheese. The hostess asked us if we knew what lefse was? We answered “ya, you betcha.” She laughed.

Because we have learned it is best to travel early in the day on these waters before the wind picks up, we had the entire day to waste. So why not go bowling? We had the place to ourselves and it was like stepping back in time to the 60’s.








I don’t think I have ever broken 100 when I have bowled, so check out line 5. That’s MY score. I finally beat Ross at something!!! I told him it was because I was lefse powered.







If you ever pass through Sister Bay a must stop is Al Johnsons. If only to take a photo.  Al started the restaurant in 1949. He married a gal named Ingert in 1960.








It was Ingert’s vision that changed it from a place where you could get a plate of meatballs and a slice of limpa bread to the Scandinavian experience it is today. The trees and garden have grown up around the building hiding the amazing detail from my photos. The shutters around the windows are all carved, as are the support beams.















Al was known for his sense of humor and booming laugh. Each year his buddy, Wink Larson, would give him some type of strange birthday gift. One birthday Wink walked through the dining room with a goat named Oscar. Oscar had ribbons tied to his horns and a sign that read “Happy Birthday.” Al loved it. I’m sure it caused quite a commotion in the dining room.

In 1973 the Johnsons had a log building assembled in Norway, taken apart and shipped to Sister Bay. Once in Sister Bay, they reassembled the structure around the existing restaurant. The roof had a special underlay so they seeded it with grass.

And up went Oscar on the roof! Oscar and Al are both gone now, but Al’s family still run the restaurant.















Each night the goats climb down this slanted ladder on the back of the building and go home in Lars’  (Al’s son) pickup truck. Spend the night in the barn and then are back at work in the morning, causing traffic jam as people spot them on the roof.














They have on occasion fallen off the roof. But neither man nor beast was ever hurt. The roof is now equipped with “goat cam”. So no matter where you are in the world, you can check out the goats during daylight hours. Oh, and the goats only work during the tourist season.


This is the link to Goat Cam in case you want to check it out.













We did eat dinner here and of course ordered the Swedish meatballs. The female wait staff is dressed in traditional Swedish garb. The interior of the restaurant is exposed log with wooden carving. Beautiful. We did get our slice of limpa bread, along with an assortment of crackers, which we ate with lingonberry jam. Not certain what lingonberries were, I figure I better check it out. Turns out that it’s a staple food in Scandinavian cuisine. It’s very plentiful in the forested areas inland in the Scandinavian countries. It has very good keeping qualities and is high in vitamin C. It has been popularized in North America by the store IKEA where it is sold in large quantities, including buckets! I’ll have to check that out because it was good jam. Not sure I could eat up a bucket full though. I thought the lingonberry had a mild, sweet flavor similar to a cranberry but not that tart.

So there you have it. Our Scandinavian experience in the scenic little town of Sister Bay.