Had a few surplus vacation days this year and not much time to plan or use them up. Took a couple off for a brief weekend expedition to continue exploring and hiking across Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula. As is customary, I left home very unprepared, stopped and grabbed essential supplies at the store, promptly drove to the wrong park (Potawatomi), and then realized my first stop was actually Peninsula State Park. A huge line of thunderstorms drenched me in rain all day so most of my adventure was from the driver seat only.
I only had time for one outdoor destination today and that was at Eagle Panorama, a viewpoint looking back across the bay. The marker sign also lists the distant sights as including Horseshoe, Strawberry, and Chambers Islands; Welcker’s Point; and (I’m assuming on a clear day) Upper Michigan’s Shoreline. Visibility was a bit low today but even with some rain and low clouds it is still impressive.
The educational sign nearby is of great importance and should not be skipped. It details how in the early 1900’s a bill was introduced by Assemblyman Tom Reynolds from the Door County town of Jacksonport, and with some help from another slightly famous fellow John Muir, they described the natural beauty of the Peninsula to the Wisconsin Legislature. In 1909, Governor Davidson signed Reynold’s bill officially creating a system of state parks. Peninsula State Park would end up becoming the first ever to be established.
Only a couple other brave souls out here in the rain with me today. There was just enough of a break for both of us to take a couple photos and then it started dumping again. A #ScenicWisconsin selfie-photo kiosk placed by TravelWisconsin is always a great indicator that you’re about to see something amazing.
Here’s a view looking back down the coastline and across the colorful trees. It’s a bit past peak now but still worth some leaf peeping before they all fully drop sometime in the next week. Not shown here are the other islands off the coast – I couldn’t turn the camera in that direction without the wind blowing water all over the lens and it just didn’t work out. But this is a spectacular viewpoint allowing for more than 180 degrees of panorama across the watery horizon. Don’t miss this spot even if it’s the only thing you do in the park!
Bonus: Local Cuisine
No point in cooking all by my lonesome at camp when multiple fine dining experiences are available in close proximity. Tonight I stopped at Alexanders of Door County to sample one of the most prominent local dishes – freshly caught broiled Door County Whitefish, and of course paired a Wisconsin Old Fashioned with it. This spot has a bit of an older crowd and carries such a pricetag but was quite good. This was my first time having Whitefish but wouldn’t be my last – stay tuned for another take on this dish later. Filled up on gas and headed back to camp as the rain started pouring down again. Trails are going to be interesting tomorrow…
Lat = 45.1614838 , Long = -87.2046661 -- Show at Google MapsAuthor’s Note: Due to many reasons – none of them very good – I’m posting this from the future. I’ve got an overwhelming backlog of photos to process which is probably why I procrastinate. Actual visit date/time October 15, 2019 3:44pm. I’ll backdate it later so as to maintain chronological order. Hope you enjoy them all the same.