We thought the camping season was over with our late season trip up to the Porkies, but Mother Nature gave us a treat in early November that could not be missed. Record breaking warmth- multiple days with highs in the 60s (and lows in the mid-40s!!) arrived during the first week of November. That week would have been one of my busiest field work weeks of the year with our annual wild rice seeding, but we moved it up this year for, get this...better weather. Very funny to miss it by a week. Yes, it was colder the week before when we seeded, but at least there was no ice!
The first weekend in November presented an opportunity for some recreation and excellent camping weather with temperatures more like September than November. We decided to head up the road to Door County with bikes and camping gear for a last hurrah. The first stop was a 12 mile bike ride on the Ahnapee State Trail, a rail to trail which we haven't visited in quite awhile. It was odd to be riding in a thin long sleeved t-shirt with all the leaves down, but it was great- not too many people on the trail and great views throughout. After biking, we visited Bridge Up Brewing and Sonny's Pizza in Sturgeon Bay for a beverage on the patio and take out Greek deep dish pizza, which was excellent. Also caught the draw bridge going up for a boat to pass through! We arrived at the Peninsula State Park Tennison Bay campground next, and there was no problem getting a walk up campsite for 2 nights- and in fact, we pretty much had the immediate area to ourselves. A camping dream come true! That was also a little weird given that Peninsula is the most visited state park in Wisconsin and the hundreds of campsites are usually completely full throughout the summer. Navigating the "winter camping" procedures was a little more challenging (self-registering, which restrooms are open, where to get the heated "winter water"), but it got sorted out eventually. Of course the sun sets at about 4:15 PM, so we got things set up and took a quick ride down to the bay to watch the sunset, then it was dinner and campfire in the dark before early bedtime. It was very comfortable sleeping with such nice temperatures, but we did have some raccoon visitors to the campsite who tried to open the truck cap to no avail!
The next day we hit the bike trail along the Sunset Bike Route in the morning to get ahead of any crowds. It was fantastic- nearly no one else encountered on the trails, gorgeous views, and a little bit of challenging hilly terrain (yes, flatlanders say things like that!). We stopped in at the Eagle Bluff lighthouse on the route, which was boarded up for the season. After biking we stopped at the newly constructed accessible observation tower (which Scott had a hand in acquiring the wood to build through his work) and took a ride further north on "the Island" (we previously learned this is local vernacular for the Door Peninsula north of Sturgeon Bay, which is technically an island because you have to cross a bridge over the shipping channel). We stopped at Island Orchard Cider's takeout window to buy a few bottles of very delicious hard cider made from apples from Washington Island. So good! Next was a walk at The Nature Conservancy's Mink River Estuary Preserve, which we passed haphazardly but had never been to before. We weren't really prepared and didn't know where exactly to go, but it was a nice hike anyway and we saw a few people out on the trails. Next was a beer break at Door County Brewing Company over on the lake side (Lake Michigan proper) in Bailey's Harbor. Interestingly, the weather was much cooler and cloudy over there (lake effect clouds), which really dropped the temperature for sitting comfortably outside. They did have a nice fire going so that helped a little. One group of bikers were in shorts and were absolutely freezing so they didn't stay long. After a bit, we picked up takeout dinner from our favorite restaurant Coyote Roadhouse and took sandwiches back to the campsite for early dinner. Another sunset, and another long dark night (with less raccoon activity).
One of the interesting experiences camping at Peninsula was the habituated wildlife. These are packed campgrounds and the wildlife seems to know that people are suckers for feeding them or they can easily steal food and trash. Before we left, one of the resident turkeys literally walked right up to us, and got really excited when I moved a grocery bag around thinking I was feeding him. I had to chase him off to get him away from the truck. A red breasted nuthatch also flew up to me and landed right on my finger the day before (Snow White moment!), and several chickadees hung around regularly. While it's cool to see wildlife up close, this is a bad sign for the animals. They become so dependent on people that they don't learn to take care of themselves. Plus it's dangerous such that they could unintentionally hurt someone or be hurt themselves. I hope they make it through the tough winter.
The next morning, it was up early to pack up and head home. What a nice reprieve and a more positive camping trip for the end of the season!
On the tribal lands of the Pottawatomi, Menominee, and Odawa peoples. https://native-land.ca/
