Traveling Here, There, Everywhere: Weekend Edition of Fresh Air

There’s nothing like time spent in the great outdoors, so last weekend we made the trek to Door County, Wisconsin. You may remember we went to Door County a year ago. (Details about that trip and traveling with a 2 ½-month-old are here.) Well, this time we went camping in Peninsula State Park. With a 14-month-old. Crazy? No, because Isabelle was a pro!

After driving, a brief picnic outside a quiet rural church, and more driving in a heavy storm, we arrived in Door County. Our first stop was Egg Harbor where we stocked up on Wisconsin beer and milk. Can you guess who drank what? We also popped into a few shops, explored a park and refueled at a local coffee shop.

After Egg Harbor we made our way to our beautiful, tree-filled camp site (#511) in Welcker's Point. You could see Green Bay through the trees and hear the waves lapping against the shore. The entire park is a quiet zone, so it was very peaceful.

Outside our new tent

We managed to get the tent set up while Isabelle yelled at us from her pack n’ play. That was wasn’t so peaceful and I'm sure we broke the quiet zone rule, but we got everything set up in under 20 minutes. Not bad! Of course, once the tent was set up Mother Nature decided to test it out. It started to pour and we took shelter in our nice, dry tent.

After the rain stopped we went out for dinner at Gibraltar Grill. Excellent food and this time we ate IN the restaurant. That’s right, we didn't have to get take-out this year, because Isabelle does pretty well in restaurants. Are you wondering why we didn't cook at the campsite? We decided that having a 14-month-old around a roaring campfire wasn’t a good idea. OK, we could have brought a camp stove, but to be honest, it was just easier to eat out at the mouth-watering restaurants in Door County.

After dinner it was bedtime for Isabelle. The nights were chilly, so she wore a onesie, fleece footie pajamas, and a fleece Halo Sleep Sack. Then, before we went to bed I covered her with a few blankets and put an old comforter over part of the pack n’ play. Don't worry! She was nice and toasty. The first night she was a little scared, so we snuggled in the tent for a bit so she could get used to the new environment.

After Isabelle went to bed, we sat around the campfire and relaxed under the stars. It was a beautiful night!

"Only YOU can prevent wildfires." An early morning before the sun rose.

So how did we spend the rest of the trip? Our days started at 6 AM and we didn’t want to rouse the rest of the campers, so…

Went “roading” and found a farmers market where we bought pumpkins, coffee and cider donuts.
Walked to Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. There was a nice trail from our campsite to the lighthouse.
Picnicked at Nicolet Beach where Isabelle provoked seagulls ("duck!" to Isabelle) and the bees, but luckily she wasn’t stung this year.
Isabelle attempted to nap, while Tom and I played scrabble.
Climbed 75 feet of stairs to the top of Eagle Tower. Amazing views 225 feet above the water.
Went hiking around Peninsula State Park.
Attended a fish boil at White Gull Inn in Fish Creek. Definitely try this at least once!
Checked out the cute shops in Fish Creek, including a kite store.
Ate an early breakfast at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. Sadly the goats were not on the roof that early, but the food was delicious!
We went to a lot of parks and playgrounds.
On our way home we bought a ½ bushel of apples and ate at the Rusty Tractor Cafe that advertised “Barn Good Food”. It was really good food and I love their slogan.