Friday, October 13, 2023

Our Trip to Door County

 We traveled back to Wisconsin beginning on Sunday, July 30th and we returned back home on Sunday, August 6th. We started our trip by staying at a campground close to plymouth, Wisconsin called Fond Du Lac East/Kettle Moraine KOA Holiday. We got to the campground Sunday night around 6:30 and after a quick trip to Walmart we settled in and went to bed. We basically just stayed at the campground for 2 days and did all the things that it offered. We rented a golf cart each day and explored the huge campground. We played at all 3 playgrounds, played endless games of pickleball, swam in all 3 pools, played shuffleboard, and putt putt golf. We also enjoyed using the grate on our fire pit and made our own homemade pizzas one night. It was a lot of family time just hanging out at the campground. On Wednesday we checked out and headed for our next destination just outside Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. It was called the HTR campground and we got there around 3:00. We headed down to downtown Egg Harbor to explore the marina area. It reminded a lot of Benton Harbor, Michigan so we had to get a picture overlooking the coast. While we were down close tot he docks, we even saw an otter in the water and then watched it walk amongst the cars and then dive back into the water. That was so cool especially since that is Blaine's favorite animal. We explored a little bit along the water and then hit a local market for a few items we needed for the rest of the week. While we were in the store, it cut loose and just poured. We headed back to our campground and waited for the Binkley family to arrive. They came around 5:30 and joined us in our camper for the evening while it rained outside. We ordered pizza, hung out, and played charades. We headed to bed around 9:30 to get ready for our first full day in Door Country. Keith, Jean Ann, and Val rolled in around 10:30 that night while we were all sleeping. 

Thursday, August 3rd: We woke up, got dressed, had some breakfast, and packed our bags for a day at the beach at Peninsula State Park. We swam, played in the sand, and took turns on the paddleboards. Another storm rolled in so we packed up everything and headed back to the campground. We got cleaned up and headed out to Lautenbach's Orchard where we bought cherry doughnuts, cherry salsa, and gummies for the kids. We hung around for a while playing some yard games before heading into Ephraim for the fish boil. We got there around 5:30 to enjoy some adult beverages and get a good spot around the fire. Ali and Viv had a good time messing with Snapchat on my phone or as they like to call it, "Silly Faces." We watched the amazing "Torch" perform the fish boil and then we took our seats outside on the patio. All the adults got fish except for Ryan and I. All the kids got chicken strips although Ali loved eating Shane's fish. We had boiled potatoes, boiled onions, cole slaw, a variety of bread, your choice of meat, and ice cream and cherry pie. It was so delicious! After our meal we walked down by the water and stopped at Wilson's for some more ice cream even though we were stuffed! We enjoyed our ice cream by the water and then headed back to the campground to end another amazing day. 

Friday, August 4th: We woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready to head to a nearby golf course called Stone Hedge to play foot golf. It is a course set up among the golf course with larger holes and you use a soccer ball to kick it to all 18 holes. It was a lot of fun. We rented a golf cart basically for Ali and Viv although all the kids had fun riding in it and Hattie and Bryce even drove them around. The teams included Bryce and I, Shane and Blaine, Val and Hattie, Barbara and Viv, and Ryan and Ali. Viv and Ali only kicked a few times though. Bryce started out strong but soon learned that he likes regular golf better and got quite frustrated. He also got stung about halfway through so I finished the game without him. Blaine was the only kid who lasted the whole time. He absolutely loved it and was such a trooper. After foot golf we met up with Keith and Jean Ann in Sister Bay. They had spent some time going to breakfast to celebrate their anniversary. We hung out at Al Johnson's beer garden and gift shop while we waiting for our table. We had 3 tables of 4 so Bryce sat with Keith, Jean Ann, and Val. Their menu was Swedish so most of us enjoyed either Swedish pancakes or Swedish meatballs. After a late lunch, we stopped at Seaquist Orchard where the kids had a blast making their way through a rope maze and playing on the playground and sand box. We then stopped at a cute little Putt Putt golf place called Red Putter. After that we made a super quick stop at the campground to freshen up before we met at the marina in Sister Bay to get ready for our Sunset Cruise at 6:30. Keith and Jean Ann picked up pizza on the way from Wild Tomatoes and we enjoyed it on a picnic table right next to the water. The sunset cruise was so beautiful and so much fun. They had 2 singers perform live music and they even took requests. Blaine and I requested "The Gambler" which is one of his favorite songs. All the kids that wanted to took turns driving the boat and the captain really spent a lot of time talking with them and showing what all the controls do. It was about a 2 hour boat ride and we were able to bring our own drinks and snacks which was really nice. After the cruise we hit up another ice cream shop. This one was called Door County Ice Cream Factory and it was our favorite. We headed back to the campground to rest up from another busy day. 

Saturday, August 5th: This was our last full day of vacation before we headed out on Sunday. We hung around the campground a little bit and made eggs and bacon for breakfast. The rest of the crew went out for breakfast and we all met up back at Peninsula State Park. We got to the park and while we were waiting for the Binkley crew to join us, we witnessed Viv falling off a log right by the parking lot. She seemed very hurt and kept complaining about her arm. They ended up taking her to the hospital and they put it in a temporary cast. Later, when they got home, she ended up with a broken elbow. Poor Viv! It slowed her down a little, but not too much and thank goodness it was at the end of the trip and not before. The rest of us walked the ramp up to the lookout and enjoyed the beautiful view. We then decided to do the Eagle Bluffs Hiking Trail. It was considered a difficult trail and we definitely got our workout. We stopped for some amazing pictures and Blaine was the one who absolutely loved it. He was sad when the trail ended. The rest of us were worn out and ready for some lunch. Bryce really wanted to eat at a restaurant that overlooked the water, so we headed to downtown Egg Harbor and ate at a restaurant called Shipwrecked. We then headed back to the campground where we relaxed and got a chance to walk around and explore. Shane and Bryce took off to do a little souvenir shopping where he picked out a really cool sweatshirt. We then enjoyed a weiner roast with everyone at the campground and had the best time telling stories around the fire while the kids played with glow sticks and toys. 

Sunday, August 6th: We had planned to wake up bright and early and head out but we decided to take our time. For one thing, Blaine had gotten sick in the shower right as he was going to sleep. I was paranoid that it was the flu but it turned out it was the 12 marshmellows and 4 hamburger sliders he ate for supper. Thank goodness! We ate breakfast, packed up everything, and said our goodbyes. The rest of the crew was not leaving until Monday. We headed home, stopped a few times and made it home by 6:30. It was pouring down rain when we got home so that was fun to unload! We were sad that it was over, but so glad we made the trip and all the amazing memories. 






























































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