Last weekend was Scott's birthday weekend, so we decided a day trip was in order. Even though the weather was a little iffy, we drove up to Sturgeon Bay in Door County. We had never been to the actual downtown- most of the time we were just driving through to other attractions on the Upper Door Peninsula. Downtown Sturgeon Bay was really nice with lots of shops and cafes. We had a nice lunch at Door County Fire Company, a bar/restaurant in an old fire station right downtown. After lunch, we checked out an antique store and stopped in Starboard Brewing Company, a new microbrewery with a nautical theme which opened about 6 months ago. The owner was really nice and we got to talking to him as we sampled beers. Next thing we know, his mom comes in and Scott recognizes her from a recent meeting he attended for work. She works for Door County Land Trust, so we started talking conservation and birds with her. Small world!
After the microbrewery, we took a ride out to the bayshore to see Sherwood Point Lighthouse. One of the neat features in Door County is the 7-mile Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal through the middle of the Peninsula. The canal, build in the late 1800s, was designed to allow ships passage in and out of the Port of Green Bay without the danger of passing through Porte des Morts or Death's Door (the straight in between Door Peninsula and Washington Island, WI). The narrow road back to the lighthouse along the ship canal was full of vacation cabins right on the water. Sherwood Point Light is still in operation and not open to the public, so we checked it out from the road. The ritzy house right next door is for sale if anyone is interested (Update: Listing price is $859,900!).
Sherwood Point Lighthouse, Sturgeon Bay
Since we were so close to Potawatomi State Park, we swung in there to hike a few more miles on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. We visited last fall and hiked part of the trail to the eastern terminus on Sawyer Harbor (of Green Bay), so this time we continued from where we left off walking toward the Town of Sturgeon Bay to the park boundary (about 2.5 miles). It was windy, but comfortable, and the park was mostly deserted except for a few fishermen out on the water. We completed the segment within the park and turned around to head back to the car before the rain finally came in.
