THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2011

Another short day of travel brought us to the charming town of Egg Harbor.

Mostly just did boat chores and relaxed. We walked up town to get some lunch and settled on trying the Shipwrecked Brew Pub/Inn. Promoted as Door County’s only microbrewery we figured we better have a brewski.

The pub’s history and ghosts are evidently well known in these parts. Not that I would ever question the reliability of information printed on the back of a menu, but… The pub was built back in the late 1800’s and evidently there are tunnels and caves beneath it. Al Capone and his gang used to come up here when they needed to disappear for a while. Capone would use the tunnels to make a fast get away if need be.



In the 1920’s two IRS agents came here to arrest Capone. They evidently got “lost” in the tunnels and were never seen again.

Capon had an illegitimate son named Jason who was going to turn Capon over to the authorities. Before it happened though, Jason’s body was found hanging from the attic rafters of the inn. His death was believed a murder rather than a suicide. It is said his ghost use to appear on the roof.

Walking back to the marina we noticed that there was going to be a concert in the park at 5.

So about 5 we went back to the park to spend an incredibly perfect summer evening listening to a blues trio, sipping wine and wiggling our toes in the grass.  Summer went way too fast!

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.

TUESDAY AUGUST 30TH, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!!!!!

Today we traveled from Fish Creek further up the Door county peninsula to Washington Island. Washington Island has one of the oldest Icelandic and Scandinavian settlements in Wisconsin. Before then, it was inhabited by the Potawatomi Indians.

The waters off the island are known as some of the most treacherous on Lake Michigan. Shallow shoals combined with strong currents from different directions along with the wind make this an area where hundreds of wooden ships have wrecked. The French named this area “port des mortes”, or door of death. Door County is named after this area.

It was a quiet ride over to Washington Island. No problem with the door of death. (thank goodness) We had cell service so I could look up info on the Internet. Ross and I were wondering about the Whitefish we ate the other night at the fish boil. Turns out they are very healthy for us and are higher in Omega 3 oils than even salmon. So hopefully that counteracts all the bad oils from the melted butter we drenched it in.  They are primary bottom feeders and eat crustaceans, snails and insects. I wonder if they eat zebra mussels? There are oodles of Whitefish and since they tend to be on the bottom the nets that the fishermen use to catch them are not a hazard to boating.

We took a bike ride once we got to the island. We happened by the Washington Island Post Office. It’s for sale in case anyone is interested. Price has been reduced from $169,000 to $159,000. There are many, many properties for sale on the island. The economy and real estate market has hit this island pretty hard I’m guessing.





This is a beautiful Stavkirke built back in the woods a ways. The name stavkirke means “church of staves”. It is a replica of a wooden stave church built in Norway around 1150. This replica was hand built by locals in homage to their Icelandic and Scandinavian heritage. It was completed in 1995. It still smells like fresh cedar wood when you walk in.

Close up of the 3 carved dragonheads.









 At the base of the alter is  carved the words HAN ER OPPSTANDEN. I researched the translation of this. It is the Paschal greeting of Christ is Risen. I couldn’t make a definite determination as to if the words are Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian so I’ll just say Scandinavian.

There is an evening prayer service held here once a week.
















 



The ceiling of the church.

MONDAY AUGUST 29TH, 2011

Our friends left for Minnesota early in the day. It has been so much fun spending the past few days together!

Ross and I are no longer under such a tight time frame since crossing to the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan, so we decided to stay in Fish Creek an additional day.

We spent a quiet day catching up on boat chores. I did laundry, Ross changed fuel filters, we both took a couple of naps. There’s nothing like a good old lazy day once in while.

Ross checked his email and had a note from one of our followers. (you know who you are!!) He pointed out that I had been slacking on my blogging duties. Well hey; in my defense I’ve been having way too much fun with my friends to be doing my homework.

We had been told that the Whitefish chowder at the Cookery restaurant was not be missed, so we walked up town and had a bowl for lunch. They were right.

















On the walk back to the marina we stopped at the market and bought a package of Nueske’s apple wood smoked bacon. Deone had left us with some homegrown tomatoes. Our first of the season. This means BLT’s for supper!!!




Just before arriving back at the marina we noticed this HUGE green caterpillar trucking through the grass as fast as it could go. Any of you who know Ross know how long his fingers are. So this gives you an idea of the size of this guy. It is a type of Sphinx caterpillar. Those are a type of moth you sometimes see about dusk and may think is a hummingbird.

SUNDAY AUGUST 28TH, 2011

The guys had a tee time at 8 am so Tami dropped them off at the golf course. Then we gals walked up to the White Gull Inn for breakfast. We had heard they are very famous for their cherry stuffed French toast so we figured we’d check it out. When we arrived we found out it was a 45 minute to an hour wait. Better be danged good French toast if I have to wait an hour.















Well, it was. Here’s Tami with hers. It was Texas toast stuffed with cream cheese and spices and covered with cherries. Oh boy!


















While we waited to get in at the White Gull, Deone wandered around and ended up next door at the Episcopal Church. They had this charming gate of the 3 fishes, which was at the entrance to the churchyard. The churchyard was full of gardens so there was no keeping Deone out. The church ladies were in the process of setting up tables for their coffee hour so Deone went over to visit. The church was tiny so they had their fellowship time out in the gardens.









After breakfast we went out shopping. One of my favorite shops was one that sold various flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegars. You could sample any of them and then they would bottle any you wanted to purchase.









For dinner we all headed back to the White Gull Inn. It’s not the only restaurant in town by any means, but it’s supposed to have the best fish boil around. We arrived early enough to watch the show of the fish boil. They get a hot fire going around a cast iron kettle. Cut up potatoes are put in the kettle first. After about 10 minutes a couple buckets of white fish fillets are poured in.















Along with a “pinch” of salt.




















The kettle is then boiled for a few minutes to cook the fish. Then kerosene is thrown on the fire to cause sudden intense heat, which makes the kettle boil over. When it boils over, it takes with it the oils from the fish. White fish is a very oily fish.












The kettle with the potatoes and fish in it is raised from the kettle and carried inside.
















After the waitress demonstrates on Tami’s fish as to how to debone the hunk of fish, we are left with a teakettle, yes a teakettle, of melted butter.

Deboning the fish was not as easy as the waitress made it look.

The traditional fish boil meal is small red potatoes, whitefish, coleslaw, bread, melted butter, tartar sauce and CHERRY PIE!!!! It is all you can eat, except the cherry pie. Dang.

SATURDAY AUGUST 27TH, 2011

When we check into marinas, they oftentimes give us a packet with local information, maps and coupons. The marina here in Sturgeon Bay gave us just that and included was a coupon for 10% at a local bakery. So we were off first thing to bring back fresh baked goods for our friends. Loaded up with tasty pastries and a coffee cake we headed back to the boat. On the way back we remembered we forgot to use the coupons. So typical for us!




Ross and the two Marks (Heimer and Ward) headed out on the boat for Fish Creek. We gals were going to shop our way there. And there was no shortage of shops along the way.


















The flower gardens up here are phenomenal.

The guys arrived in Fish Creek about 10 minutes before we gals. We headed up town to check out a few of the many shops.

Peninsula State Park is just outside of Fish Creek. The have an outdoor amphitheatre and we all decided to go see the play LUMBERJACKS IN LOVE. It was a  comedy/musical that we all enjoyed. And it was a perfect night to be outdoors.

On the way back to the boat we stopped and ate dinner at Julies Café. Rib night! And we sat outdoors. It was a bit cool, but winter is coming so we have to take advantage of every chance to be outdoors.

FRIDAY AUGUST 26TH, 2011

The weather report is for small seas and light winds till mid morning, so we headed out into the pitch dark of Lake Michigan around 4:30 a.m. Only a sliver of a moon so you couldn’t see a thing…unless you looked up! The night sky was incredible. With no artificial lighting around, it was like being in a planetarium. There was no missing the Milky Way. And the Big Dipper was so low in the sky that the last star in the handle was just about the horizon. I was supposed to be keeping a lookout for lights on other boats, but I kept finding myself staring up at the night sky. It was mesmerizing.

Dawn did finally come.








It was an uneventful crossing of the lake. This photo is of the entrance to the channel at Sturgeon Bay. It is a very significant place to us as it is right here that we are “crossing out wake”. We started out at this spot when we first bought our boat. And somewhere around 6300 miles later, we are back. Hardly seems possible.


Since we have now crossed our wake, we can take down our white AGLCA burgee and now fly the gold burgee. The gold burgee signifies that we have completed the Great Circle Loop of the eastern United States.















Our good friends, the Wards and Heimers, from back home drove out to Sturgeon Bay to celebrate with us.













They met us at the marina and took us to the Door Peninsula Winery and Distillery.















They make flavored wheat vodkas here. This is what the still looks like. Kinda looks a ship from outer space. And since this is cherry country, they do make cherry vodka.













We tasted a number of wines at the wine bar. It was fun to sample so many different flavors. They had a dessert wine that tasted like chocolate cherries. Not sure this is true, but according to them you get the same great health benefits of cherry juice from their wines. Only with more fun!

Our friends stopped along the way today at a well know meat market named Nueskes. Famous for their applewood smoked meat products. They picked up smoke pork chops for dinner tonight. And since sweet corn would taste perfect with it, we were on a mission to find some. A couple of closed roadside stands later, success!!
















  Tami and Deone









We had to get a bit creative in carrying all the corn back to the boat.

Can’t you just smell these pork chops? Man, where they delicious.