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Destination: Door County
When I lived in the Chicago area, many Illinois travelers yearned to head north to the beauty of Door County, Wisconsin for vacation time. It is a popular vacation area for both Chicago area folks and Wisconsinites. With all the natural beauty in the area and plenty of recreational pursuits, it is no wonder that Door County has sometimes been called the "Cape Code of the Midwest." My husband and my two younger sons went there years ago, to the Sturgeon Bay area at the "entrance" to Door County. It is a beautiful area, but at the time we did not venture much further north than Sturgeon Bay. So it was with great anticipation that I booked a short trip to visit Egg Harbor and a few points north. My husband and I visited in early June, just before the peak tourist season.
Looking at a map of Wisconsin, Door County is the region on the "left thumb" of the state. (highlighted in red on this map) It is no wonder it has become a popular destination; it is a peninsula with the beauty of the Northwoods surrounded by Lake Michigan to the east and Green Bay to the west. Included in the relatively small county, are 300 miles of shore line and five Wisconsin State Parks. Did I mention lighthouses? You know I will...11 lighthouses all in one county. For a lighthouse lover like myself...what a score! I was able to visit two out of those 11, so probably need to go back to visit more!
So not only is Door County a popular vacation destination, it is rich with nautical and shipping history. The county originally earned it's name from the French phrase "Port des morts" meaning "Death's Door" which references the treacherous area in the waters around the peninsula. Sadly, the name was earned with documentation of over 240 shipwrecks in the area. In an effort to decrease nautical accidents and aide safe passage, 11 historical lighthouses were built in the area. Many were built in the 1800s. With GPS and modern navigation, many of the lighthouses are no longer in use, but are preserved for their historical significance. It's easy to slow the pace of modern living and think for awhile what the Lighthouse Keepers lifestyle would have been like.
With my fascination with lighthouses, it is no wonder that my leading photo for this post was the beautiful Cana Island Lighthouse. It was built in 1869, is 89 feet high and located near the town of Baileys Harbor on the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula. The Keepers quarters, a visitors center and a very interesting museum are on the premises. Including of course a museum store (Souvenirs!!) You put all these features together in one easily accessible location, then it is no surprise that it is supposedly the most visited and photographed lighthouse in the state of Wisconsin. My husband and I really enjoyed touring the lighthouse and the museum. Putting aside my fear of heights, I climbed the 97 steps to the top. One would think that with the enclosed staircase my height anxiety would not be triggered, but alas....I still had much anxiety. No amount of reasoning, telling myself I was safe...would work. Nevertheless, I made it all the way to the top and down alive. Phew. For the future, I may just admire lighthouses from the ground.
Another feature of note is the soil and climate in Door County makes perfect growing conditions for several fruit varieties. We were there early in the season, but saw several orchards and vineyards throughout the county. Cherries are probably their biggest crop with over 2,000 acres of cherry orchards. With this abundance of fruit, several wineries have become established. There are about 15 wineries in the county with a huge variety to please every palate. I am not much of a beer drinker, but craft beer lovers can also pick from a variety of brewers in the area. With our short trip, we only stopped at one winery but it was definitely worth the visit. I found several varieties I really liked and my idea that they would all be sweet fruit wines was changed. I found some dry and incredibly smooth red wines. Yum. The FREE TASTINGS at this winery made it easy to pick several favorites and fill up a case for that full case discount price. Yes, I only came home with one case. The Door Peninsula Winery is easy to find....right on Hwy 42 in Carlsville. (just 10 miles north of Sturgeon Bay)
Until my recent trip to Door County, I had never heard of the amazing geologic feature called the: Niagara Escarpment. Almost everyone is familiar with the beauty and amazing size of Niagara Falls in New York. The Niagara Escarpment is a limestone formation of cliffs creating a limestone "ledge" that extends over 1,000 miles throughout much of the Great Lakes region. The escarpment was carved out of the landscape by glaciers millions of years ago and starts in Wisconsin then winds through Ontario and down to Niagara Falls in New York. Many of the features are easily visible within several locations in Door County. During our visit to Peninsula State Park (near Fish Creek) we saw several cool outcroppings and features of the sedimentary rock. It is amazing that such a massive geologic feature can frequently go unnoticed as just part of the terrain. Yet knowing that it is truly connected, has it's own bio-system and spans so many miles and states, it truly is one of our earth's wonders. It's beneficial to take a second look.
Julie E. Smith
