We had a busy day yesterday and thought we would sleep in this morning. Bob got up at 5:30 and I got up an hour later and thought it was 8:30, not 6:30. So much for sleeping in. It was 63 outside when we woke up. We turned on the fireplace to take the chill out of the air because we left the windows open while we slept last night. We love the fresh air.
There was heavy fog off the lake which didn’t dissipate until the sun came out and warmed things up.
I worked on my blog and the Breezes. Bob did some Co-op business and got the awning over our entrance door to work. Woo-hoo! Bob had to talk to Rev RV, manufacturer of our bus, to check to see if our sofa parts have arrived. We will need to take it in for installation once we get home. The temp rose quickly with the sun. We made plans to go visit Cana Island Lighthouse today. If you’ve read my blog before, you know how I love lighthouses! We left at 11:00 for the short drive into Bailey’s Harbor. Our destination was the Blue Ox., based on Paul Bunyan’s, Babe the blue ox.
We pulled up in front of the bar and the sign in the window said, “Sorry, we’re closed.” As we were deciding what to do, someone came and flipped the sign to read, “Open-Come on in”, so we did. Perfect timing!
It is one of the quirky old places that we like to visit. We have been here a few times before.
We ordered some beers and split a hot dog basket. We didn’t want to spoil our appetites for the fish boil tonight. After we finished our lunch, we drove down the main street, better known as Highway 57. It was a busy place today.
This beautiful mural was painted on the wall of this building at the marina. Notice that the mural incorporated different things on the building into the picture–the door, the windows, and the electrical meters became birdhouses.
We took the road towards the Ridges Sanctuary and County Park. It ran along the shoreline where we could see different shades of blue in the water.
At the end of the road was the Bailey’s Harbor Yacht Club Resort. We discovered this tugboat docked at the end of the pier there.
From there, we drove out Highway Q to Cana Island Lighthouse. We weren’t going over to the island today, but we wanted to check out the parking situation and the water level on the channel. The shoreline road gave us a great view of the lake today. It isn’t often that we’ve seen it so calm.
We were also told that the county was running a free tractor shuttle over to the island since the water level was up and covering the rocky channel between the mainland and the island. In past years, we have been able to walk across it when it was dry. Sometimes, we’ve had to wade through the water, an inch or two deep, in bare feet when it was wet. We’ve not been here when it was totally covered with water.
We watched the tractor and wagon cross in about a foot of water. I guess they wanted to make it easier for people to cross safely.
The towns are filled with many flowers in bloom everywhere. Everything looks so colorful!
Before we got back to our campground, we wanted to check out the campground next door. It was the Bailey’s Grove Campground and it was very nice in case we need another option when we return.
We returned to the bus around 1:30 in time for me to give Bob a haircut with a little time to relax outside with Auggie before dinner. The sun was out, but the skies were hazy again. It was 72 degrees and very comfortable. We left around 4:00 to make the short drive across the peninsula to Fish Creek. Our first stop in Fish Creek was Sunset Beach.
We were alone for quite awhile before others arrived. The lake was glassy calm.
We had dinner reservations at Pelletiers for a fish boil at 6:00. We tried to get a reservation at the White Gull Inn, famous for their fish boils, but they have very limited seatings. The White Gull Inn was the second restaurants to offer a fish boil in Door County. The Viking in Ellison Bay was the very first in 1961. Fish boils were created by the Scandinavians to feed a large group of fishermen at one time.
We were told to arrive around 5:15 to buy our tickets and to be able to watch the “procedure”. If you didn’t make a reservation, you were out of luck. There were a few disappointed people
The fish boil is very popular and is quite a show. Part of the attraction is watching the process when going to a fish boil.
For those of you newbies, everyone sits around a huge metal kettle that burns on an open wood fire outside.
Corn on the cob is cooked and removed from the pot. Salt is then added to the water. While the process is going on, they explain what they are doing and tell you a little bit about the history of the fish boil. People can also ask any questions they have.
Next, the red potatoes are added and cooked for 30 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, the sweet onions are added. Lastly, the fresh-caught Lake Michigan whitefish steaks are added.
The corn on the cob is then added to the pot to warm up once again before serving. Once the fish are just about ready, the “boil over” begins. This is what everyone comes to see! The kerosene is thrown on the fire and a fiery spectacle occurs, which causes the natural fish oils floating on the surface of the water to overflow the pot.
After the boil over, everyone goes to a table and waits to be served. You can choose to sit inside or outside. We chose to sit inside in case it began to rain.
Everything is served with melted butter, coleslaw, bread, and freshly baked Door County cherry pie. It is all delicious!
As we left town, the lights began to come on in the shops. The skies were darkening as rain was approaching the area.
We were trying to beat the rain home, so Auggie could be fed and get his walk. We got home to do just that. The rain began about 30 minutes after we got home. We relaxed with some TV and our bellies were full.
Fun!!!
WOW!!! That fire was something else! I still didn’t understand what happened! But, that’s okay, very interesting!