Appreciating R&R in the Door
EPHRAIM, Wis. - My favorites places are on opposite sides of the map, and yet I can't always break away to go there - to Florida's Lower Keys and to Massachusetts and its magnificent North Shore.
So, I recently chose a less strenuous route.
Not too many things in life remain the same, save for my wife's ingenious skills as a master chef. And for the moment I'd like to include Wisconsin's Door County in that same pot.
We needed a getaway without breaking the bank, so I booked a small suite at the Bay Breeze Resort in Ephraim, right in the middle of the peninsula's splendor.
Its pricing was easy to handle, and the suite itself was a comfy hideaway amid a gaggle of other resorts beckoning weary travelers at the very end of a long season.
I have been going to Door County since the mid-1950s, and in my book there's always something to do to keep the interest factor at a high level. Of course I brought a spinning rod and some lures with me, but in the end I never took the gear out of the truck.
Our trip took place last weekend. There was still a smidgen of vivid colors in the trees, and when the warm sun hit the likes of the oaks and maples, our digital cameras whirred their way through endless exposures.
Our rooms were a scant 100 feet from the cool waters of Green Bay (the inside passage of Lake Michigan), and I couldn't stop myself from walking to the private beach area so I could gaze into the blue stuff.
And there they were, huge brown trout slowly cruising the shallow waters 15 feet from where I stood. The actual water level of Green Bay is once again down as the result of drought and inadequate snowfall runoff.
There were over a dozen browns within 50 feet of each other going through their annual ritual of continuing their bloodlines. And I had no intention of interrupting their spawning process.
What would a visit to the Door be without partaking in a real tourista's delight and tradition?
It was just a two-minute drive down Highway 42 to Fish Creek and the old wooden tables of the famous Pelletier's Restaurant. The place was relatively empty, and we were able to choose our table with ease.
For the uninitiated, a Door County fish boil is simply a big pot loaded with chunks of fresh Lake Michigan whitefish, onions and red potatoes. The cooking is done outside with the caldron sitting above a roaring fire.
Just before bringing the concoction inside, the Boil Master pours a bit of No. 1 fuel oil on the flames and, voila, a volcano-like eruption evokes oohs and aahs from onlookers who are already frothing at the mouth with anticipation of a great, tasty meal.
And the wait was worth it.
Because this was the last weekend of October, many of the galleries and shops were closed in the immediate area. But one could still partake in the fishing, especially if you chose to make the short drive to Green Bay (the city) and find a guide to take you muskie fishing.
My wife and I signed up for a "Ghost Tour," a two-hour ride and history lesson that wound its way through Fish Creek and a nearby state park and cemetery.
Our tour guide packed a quasi-trolley bus to its capacity. We heard the spooky tales and fables, and learned some history about the area's early settlers, the ones who braved the elements in a time when logging and superstition were the order of the time.
Come June, we'll be back at Bay Breeze and the Door for another R&R session - and maybe I'll even throw a lure or two.
angler88@comcast.net