8-26-2023 Door County, WI - Finale

The Harbor Light Inn -Our room
was The First Mate's Quarters,
on the 2nd floor just to the left
of that big tree in the middle of
this picture.

The Harbor Light Inn in Gill’s Rock, WI is a wonderful place to hang one’s hat.  Our room was complete with a kitchenette, dining table and chairs and a walk-out deck facing Green Bay (the body of water).  The Inn is located such that lots of other points of interest can be accessed to the north and to the south including the post office in Sister Bay.  This deserves a mention because, after acquiring what might be described as an “overabundance” of mementos and gifts (My bad?), it was necessary to ship our laundry home.  Importantly, we had to find a place for half a smoked whitefish and a chunk of “beer-washed gouda cheese,” from Charlie’s Smokehouse.  Since we never heard of or tasted either of these items, it was imperative to make room for these as well as lots of other important stuff in the luggage! 

This made the trip and is now
safely stored in the freezer
at 1640.  YUM!

 

The trees build tiny leaves up here!
Probably because it's so damned cold!

Friday was the first warm sunny day since leaving the reunion last Sunday.  We decided to explore and drive north until we couldn’t go any farther, up past Northport on highway 42.  The view of the islands and waterway from the tippy top of the peninsula was beautiful.  We packed a small lunch and sat on the swing by the water watching the ferry carry cars and folks back and forth to Plum and Washington Islands.

Hwy 42 on the way to Northport.
Designed by landscape
architect Jens Jensen.

 

Original window

The Last Supper took place at The Lure in Sister Bay.  The building used to be St. Rosalia Catholic Church, built in 1890.  Not realizing this, after looking around for a while, something dawned on this old Catholic girl.  I asked, “Wait a minute!  Did this place used to be a church?”  Indeed.  Fittingly, the bar that served us an ice cold martini and an old-fashioned used to be the altar where of course a lot of wine was consumed!  By the priest, yes, but I’ll guess the altar boys, too.  No ID required!  We were seated outside among thousands of flowers in the garden and placed our fish fry order:  Rob the walleye, Lindy the whitefish.  God had other plans.  He wanted me back in church.  A red cell storm was on approach and before we knew it, we were sitting inside facing the altar!  The fish fry was equally fantastic, indoors or out.

The Lure Restaurant

St. Rosalia Catholic Church ~ 1890

Original pews in what used
to be the Sacristy

Seated outside at The Lure

The bar - What was originally the altar.

 

Finally, the time arrived when we had to pack up and head back to the airport in MKE.  It rained on us the whole way.  All in all, though, this trip was an outstanding Wisconsin and family experience and we are after-glowing and grinning ear-to-ear.  Thanks for tagging along, t-loggers and bye for now!  Love from Lindy and Rob!

8-24-2023 Door County, WI

We did the Door County Experience once in the sunshine, 21 years ago.  This time, it was foggy, gloomy and cold.  I won’t be paddleboarding.  The Great Lakes, with an average water temperature of 65F, take no prisoners.  Cold?  Put on your parka!  Rob scheduled a cruise on Green Bay (the body of water).  With a t-shirt, flannel-lined long sleeved shirt and windbreaker with a hood, I was ready to roll.  The locals are loony toons.  They wear short sleeves, shorts and sandals.  Pick your poison.  I’ll take Nevada.  No snow shovels, no cold, no fog for me! 

 

Keepiing an eye on things

Our tour guide Chuck esplains:
This cave on the Niagara Escarpment
was under water during
the glacier age when the waters
were salty.  We know this because
in the cave are remnants of salt
water crustaceans.

Range light and behind it, the Plum
Island Light

Rob and Lindy freezing our
asses off!

White pelicans!  Not so common!

Our little tour boat departed from Sister Bay on the west side of the peninsula and headed north along the cliffs. The peninsula and cliffs are composed mostly of dolomite, a crusty type of rock that erodes easily but leaves behind a hard crusty layer.  The peninsula is a continuing section of the escarpment that millions of years ago created Niagara Falls, about 1,000 miles east of here.  How weird is that? 

 

We sailed along through a treacherous passage between the peninsula and the islands to the north where countless numbers of ships have foundered since the 1600s.  The Winnebago Indians, a crabby, vicious tribe who lived far south, decided to eliminate the Pottawatomie tribe, living in peace up north across the passage on what is now Washington Island.  Why they couldn’t leave the Pottawatomie alone is not clear to me.  A big war broke out between the two tribes but hundreds were lost in the treacherous waters of the boulder-infested, windy, turbulent strait before they could get to the war.  The Indians named the strait, “Death’s Door.”  When the French came along later (waving a white flag, most likely), they translated, “Death’s Door,” into French:  Porte des Morts.  Based upon the description of many a shipwreck lying at the bottom, it is an apt moniker!  Over time, Death’s Door morphed into Door County and the rest is history.

 

Our tour guide, Chuck, told us that we had lucked out on this day.  The water was smooth enough for us to sail all the way out almost to Lake Michigan.  We were able to see the range light that lines up with the light house on Plum Island which, when aligned in the captain’s line of sight, help ships navigating through the strait.  Normally, Chuck said, the water is way too turbulent for the tour boat to make it out that far.  As a bonus, a bald eagle sat on a pole posing and showing off, keeping an eye out for enemies like the cormorants.

 

The Boilmaster, Jeremy, aka
"Torch," tends the fire and the
stew pot.

At this point, the pot contains
salty water, potatoes and onions.

The boilover

Half of the whitefish that will 
go into the pot

The evening was capped off with a fish boil at The Old Post Office in Sister Bay.  This is a Scandinavian tradition that has developed a life of its own here in Door County.  When we arrived, the big black kettle was already boiling above a hot, log fire.  The 10 lb. of onions and 150 potatoes were already simmering in the salty water.  Rob obtained a wonderful bottle of Pinot Grigio from the outdoor bar and the entertainment began.  Jeremy, aka “Torch,” was our “boilmaster.”  He explained the whole procedure and was also a happy showman, joking, marching around the pot, stoking the fire and finally, carrying the strainer around to show us the slabs of 50 pounds of freshly-caught whitefish that will be added to the pot.  Into the pot the strainer went.  He eyed his watch carefully as the fish boiled.  At the right moment, he threw a can of kerosene on the fire.  There was a gigantic explosion of fire and the pot boiled over.  This is a good thing as all the foam, scum, ash and fish oils on the top of the broth boiled over into the fire below, leaving a clean, tasty fish stew that was served to the awestruck guests.  There were three kinds of bread, melted butter and seasonings on the side.  And a bonus:     A slice of homemade Door County cherry pie for dessert!

World famous Door
County cherry pie!

Rob about to dine on whitefish dinner

YUM!

Fishboil dinner

8-23-2023 Algoma to Gill's Rock, WI

(To the t-loggers who enter your kind words in the “comments” at the bottom, thank you for that but please, please sign your name so I know who you are, Nice Person!

Also, I’ve been asked if this is a motorhome trip.  No.  We are only here for a week.  We flew into MKE and will fly back this Saturday.)

 

Looking out from our deck
at the Algoma Beach Motel

Algoma Pierhead Light

Roberto and the light.  You can't
get out to the light unless you
swim part of the way.

There are 11 historic lighthouses on the Door County peninsula.  The stories at the few we’ve visited seem to be related to shipwrecks that created the need but not this one.  In 1878, about 8 miles north of the Algoma Pierhead Light, the schooner Daniel Lyons was northbound to New York and the Kate Gillett was headed south to Chicago carrying a load of fence posts.  They wound up on a collision course and the Daniel Lyons turned sharply to starboard but this evasive effort did not pay off.  The Kate Gillett impaled the Daniel Lyons punching a hole in her hull amidships.  The ship that did the hole-punching kept the hole-punched ship afloat until all the crew were rescued, then the ships disengaged and the Daniel Lyons sank.  It now lies more than 100 feet below the waters of Lake Michigan and is an historic landmark and archeological exploration site.  I surmise that if the Great Lakes were ever empty of water, a million ships would be found on the bottom.

Out past the breakwater, goin'
fishin.'  Nope, not this girl!

 

Rob standing at Christmas Tree
Ship Point.
The Algoma Pierhead
Light is way out there.

Algoma was the home of many captains and crew of the Christmas Tree Ships.  In the late 1800s and early 1900s, 52 schooners transported Christmas trees from up north to Milwaukee and Chicago, passing by Algoma. Several of the schooners lost the battle with the winter gales.  “Christmas Tree Ship Point” is designated here to honor those who braved the angry lake to deliver Christmas trees.

 

On the way north, we found Wienke’s Farm Market.  It’s actually a working farm featuring wonderful huge fresh zucchinis, beautiful corn on the cob and other shiny vegetables, cherry pies, homemade cookies, fresh cheese and curds, brats and other smoked meats including salmon pulled from Lake Michigan, jellies, jams and peppernuts.  Peppernuts (pfeffernüse) are a small cookie rolled in the thousands by the Krauts including moi as a child.  They are about ½” in diameter and I rolled about a million of them.  They sell for $8.50 per bag of about 20.  I may have missed my calling!

Wienke's Farm Market

 

Inside the wonderful 
Wienke's Market

Smoked meats galore!

Bearcats is a fish market and smokehouse.

YUM!  The ears are HUGE!

I took a stab and we wound up at “the best restaurant in Bailey’s Harbor.”  There are tables in the grass in the back yard a few steps from the lake.  It isn’t a sunny day, kind of gloomy as a matter of fact, but it’s warm and being on the water is a nice touch for a couple of desert rats who don’t see water at home.  The building was constructed in 1908 by August Schram and was a tavern and dance hall.  Poor old Gus died when he was 36 from a tooth infection.  His widow remarried.  The tavern stayed but out with the dance hall, in with the ice cream parlor.  Later, another owner continued the tradition and it is still a tavern and restaurant, the Harbor Fish Market and Grille.  We learned that the restaurant features a fish boil 4 evenings a week but the management here decided to upgrade it to a lobster boil.  The damage for attendees is $70 per person.  Our bill tonight for a whitefish boil will be $25 each.

Our table on the grass at
the Harbor Fish Market
and Grille

The black kettle in the foreground
is the centerpiece of the lobster boil.

August Schram's original tavern 
and dance hall, 1908

The same building 115 years later

 

After our delicious perch lunch and a few side trips in an attempt to spot the Bailey's Harbor lighthouse, which never happened, we continued north along the water to the tippy top of the peninsula to the Harbor Light Inn at Gill’s Rock.  We are in the First Mate’s room on the second floor overlooking the water.  The water is Green Bay.  Humbly I will admit something:  Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know that Green Bay was actually a body of water.  Up till now, in true fashion of a devoted fan, I guess I thought that Green Bay was just the name of a town that was named after the Green Bay Packers!  Who knew?!

This Viking cruiseliner
anchored near our motel
in Algoma.  A tender
carries tourists back and forth
to land to see the haps.

8-20-2023 Dacada, WI

The first St. Nicholas Catholic Church, built by the settlers such as the Gonwas and Krauses, was a tiny 20 X 40 foot log cabin.  The land for the church was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Milwaukee for $50.  The church was a collective effort of 10 families, completed in 1848, and accommodated all the faithful from local communities.  There were no pews and no heat in the little church and the faithful knelt on the cold dirt floor.   

St. Nicholas Church 1848

Philip Gonwa, tailor and
saddlemaker.
My Great Great Grampa, born
in 1802 in Luxembourg

By 1863, it was decided that a larger church was needed as the population grew.  The little cabin was replaced by the second church in 1863.  (This has to be the first time in our travels that I’ve learned that the first building did NOT burn down.)  Once again, in the early 1900s, the parish faithful outgrew church # 2 and church # 3 was built on the same site.  This is the church that stands today.  It was completed in 1912 for $24,791 (in today’s dollars, $781K). 

Inside the "new" church, built in 1912

This window went for $350 in 1912

St. Nicholas Schoolhouse, 
Church and Cemetery

 

Inside the grade 1 & 2 classroom
in the schoolhouse, built in 1884

Lindy and Kevin and a model of the
first log church

Desk in the Grade 1 & 2 classroom.
Remember these?

Cousin Kevin played a significant role and devoted countless hours organizing the church’s 175^th anniversary and creating displays of the Gonwa-Kraus family and their history.  He also marked the headstones in the cemetery across the street with Luxembourg flags and placards to point out the graves of my ancestors.  We located the gravesites of Philip and Suzanne Gonwa as well as Philip’s parents, my Great Grampa George and Gramma Margaret.  The picnic at the church was quite a jolly gathering of several hundred people.  We picnicked on brats and sauerkraut and pitchers of beer.  At least a hundred times, I laughingly declared, “I bet I’m related to you.”  Nine times out of ten, I was!  After many hours, we bid a wistful farewell to Bill and Karen, Cousin Kevin and several other Krauses and Gonwas and called it a fine, happy day.  I bet this is a boatload more Catholic information than you ever hoped for.

Meet Stanley.
He lives on the church grounds.

Great Great Grampa Philip's barn, c. 1848

Kevin, Lindy, Bill, Rob and Karen
at the beer party

Great grandparents' stone,
George and Margaretha
(Gonwa) Kraus

 

Door County is the “thumb” of Wisconsin where, between Green Bay and Lake Michigan, the weather and soil are perfect for apples and cherries and every recipe that can possibly be imagined.  And because whitefish are harvested in abundance from the waters, fish boils are a tradition here.  How much fun is this?!  Driving up the Lake Michigan coast to our next motel, we came upon the Kewaunee Pierhead Light, which was installed to replace two range lights.  In 1886, the range lights were installed after the demise of a barge and all of her crew and 8 additional men on two consort schooners in a typical Great Lakes storm.  The existing light and its Fresnel lens are still active, as is the forlorn foghorn, but it is now controlled by computers.  Ten more miles north, in our room at the Algoma Beach Motel, our window is open to hear the waves breaking on the Lake Michigan shore as we sip a martini and prepare to go find fresh fish.  The lake doesn’t look too friendly at the moment.  And it’s freezing here! 

Kewaunee Pierhead Light

Kewaunee Pierhead Light
built in ~1930 to replace the
range lights that were built in
the 1880s after 3 ships
foundered on the rocks in a storm

Rob at the lighthouse park

~