July 30, 2015. Colorful Door County.

 

 
 

July 30, 2015.  Colorful Door County.  These pictures were taken two days ago.  They have been sitting on my computer waiting for an Internet signal.  They have been barking at me to let them out but this is the first chance I have had to do that.  Good.  The barking was beginning to annoy me. 

It is another beautiful day on the peninsula.  The temperature is in the low 80s, the humidity is low and the breeze washes across the land from the Green Bay. The sky is marked by a few white, puffy clouds.  It is another good day in Door County.

There are four different campgrounds here in the park.  We have been trying to move our campsite to one in which there is a better Internet signal  The best location is in Weborg campground.  Transfers from one site to another is allowed daily at 10:00 AM, depending upon availability.  We have been the first name on the list of transfer wannabees the past three days.  We have developed deep and lasting friendships with other campers waiting in line.  There is James, from Green Bay who has a long-standing interest in WWII history.  There is blonde-lady-with-goofy-husband from Madison.  One of her husband's earlier wives was married to Michael Feldman, host of a Saturday morning program on NPR.  Then there are a host of others whose identity changes from day to day.  Today, I said a sad goodbye to our new friends.  We will move to Michigan tomorrow where new, deep and lasting friendships await.

I will double up on blog entries today to try catch up.  Because I have another to write, this one will end here.  Bye, now.  

 

July 28, 2015. Door County Wisconsin, Still.

July 28, 2015.  Door County Wisconsin, Still.  The weather is warm and so is the water in Lake Michigan.  We see bikers in swimsuits looking for the nearest dip in the lake.  In fact, we see bikers everywhere.

I went to the restroom this morning for a rest.  Both stalls were occupied, so I did the gentlemanly thing and retreated to a bench outside.  While I was waiting, two boys on bikes rode up and went inside.  Two men came out.  I assumed they were the ones occupying the stalls, so I entered again.  The two stalls were again occupied, this time by the boys on bikes.  I gave up and left.  I'll rest later.

We have no plans for the day.  The absence of an Internet signal at the campsite continues to interfere with regular publication of the blog.  I am again in a parking lot near the school I published from yesterday.  It is a little frustrating for me and it affects my inspiration for these tomes.  Well, "tome" over-glorifies what I do.  I should refer to them as "strips".  Although, there has been a noticeable lack of comedy in them so far.  I'll try to do better.  And, I would do better if I just had a reliable Internet signal.  I wouldn't feel so rushed to publish. Fiddle.

July 27, 2015. Door County, WI.

July 27, 2015.  Door County, WI.  We snapped a picture of Grace and Brown Dog, creatures belonging to the Thurmond children at Jellystone before departing for Peninsula State Park.  Look closely or you will miss them.  We don't have Cobb or Tourtillott animals for this trip.  We didn't think to ask for them until it was too late. 

We are in one of our favorite places, Peninsula State Park.  But, we have resolved to avoid Door County in July.  The place is extremely crowded and the choice of campsites is limited.  The temperature was in the high 80s yesterday and 90 is predicted for today.  The peninsula is far more appealing in the early spring or early fall. 

The blog will be sporadic this week.  I don't have a satellite signal at the campsite.  I am typing this entry from a school parking lot atop one of the local hills.  I may not have that opportunity every day; we are so busy, you know. 

We have been to the bike shop - two new tires - and we will have to return tomorrow for another the shop didn't have in stock.  We biked last night, but Annie was uncomfortable riding on tires that were cracked and weather worn.  After tomorrow, both bikes will have new shoes. 

We also made a return to the Door County Bakery this morning.  We discovered that Mondays are their discount days.  The baker gets the day off and they sell bakery goods left over from the weekend.  So, ever the frugal shopper, I bought $20 worth of stale goodies.  Most were okay, except the Corsica bread.  It is an Italian loaf with olive oil baked into it. It was still tasty, but awfully chewy.  Maybe next time, I will take a pass on it. 

I don't know when I will get back to you.  I will when I can.  See you then.

July 25, 2015. Jellystone Campground, Sturgeon Bay, WI.

July 25, 2015.  Jellystone Campground, Sturgeon Bay, WI.  It has been one of those days where we did very little.  I called campgrounds near Fish Creek this morning and was told there were no vacancies.  So, I renewed for another night at Jellystone.  That was the high point of the day. 

Thereafter, we unloaded the puffy chairs and the foot rests.   We set them up under a shade tree where we read and napped until dinner.  After dinner, we took a walk around the campground to see what other campers were doing.  They were doing more than us.  Bikers, walkers, swimmers, basketball players, all were actively winding down their day.  We, on the other hand, had loafed the day away.
 
But, that's what a vacation is.  It is a chance to step away from the daily routine.  We accomplished that today. 

Tomorrow, we will move to Peninsula State Park.  We have reservations there for the next five days.  From there, we will move 300 miles to Straits State Park in St. Ignace, MI.  St. Ignace is a short ferry ride from Mackinac Island.  After three nights in St. Ignace, we will begin a long, slow drive back home. 

July 24, 2015. Amana Colonies to Sturgeon Bay, WI.

July 24, 2015.  Amana Colonies to Sturgeon Bay, WI.  We made it to Door County, WI, today.  We encountered rain early, but we drove out of it. Tonight, we are in Jellystone Campground, just outside of Sturgeon Bay and about fifty miles from Green Bay.  

This commercial campground is lively.  Wood smoke permeates the campground, kids are squealing in the pool, there's a basketball game in front of the general store and the Farkleys are taking it all in.  

We will move up the peninsula in the morning, assuming we can find a campsite.  Peninsula State Park will be filled.  However, there's another commercial campground just a mile from the park.  If they have space, we'll enjoy the park and the eateries in Fish Creek.  If not, we'll come back here.

July is a poor month to visit state parks.  We called four Wisconsin parks this morning and all were filled.  Of course, it is a weekend.  They will be less crowded beginning Sunday.  

Still, it is nice to be on the road again.   

July 23, 2015. Home to Amana Colonies, IA

July 23, 2015. Home to Amana Colonies, IA.  We drove and we drove.  We ate and we ate.  

On to Wisconsin tomorrow.  We will drive some more and we have to eat less.  

The end.