In this edition, we start our trip down Lake Michigan. We visit a few towns on the Michigan side of the Lake, then cross to Wisconsin. We visit Sturgeon Bay, Green Bay, and Kewaunee, WI. Our days in port are determined more by the weather on the Lake rather than things to do so that I can catch up on the blog! Again, this is a long blog, but it catches us up to September 30th, almost real-time!
Today, October 9th, we are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Watch for the next edition soon!
Day 107 – Sat, 09/09 – From Mackinac Island, MI to Petoskey, MI – 59 miles, Travel Time: 3hrs 50min
As we were leaving Mackinac Island, a large cruise ship pulled in and docked right behind us. We gave them a few minutes to get settled, then pulled out and headed past the Mackinac Island Lighthouse and the Grand Hotel, then under the Mackinac Bridge. Aside from a lot of open water, lighthouses are the only thing to see on the trip. First the White Shoal Lighthouse, then Waugoshance Lighthouse, then Grays Reef, and finally, Skillagalee Island Lighthouse. The weather was great and we made good time.
We were in a bit of a hurry to get to Petoskey as we had a mail delivery at the local UPS store and were picking up our replacement refrigerator at West Marine! When we arrived at Petoskey, we stopped at the fuel dock, got a pump-out, and tied up the boat.
We got settled, grabbed a dock cart and our folding wagon, and walked the mile up a large hill to West Marine and the UPS Store. The refrigerator barely fit into the dock cart, and we filled the wagon with our mail (our first delivery since we went into Canada) and many Amazon packages.
When we got back, we unwrapped the refrigerator, cleaned out our temp fridge, and installed the replacement. Everything went well! We put the temp fridge on the back deck, took some photos then posted it on Facebook Marketplace. Within an hour, it was sold for about half what we paid for it! We figured we would have to either give it away or throw it out!
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Petoskey is a great little town. There are lots of small shops and restaurants. Petoskey is famous as a summer hangout of Ernest Hemingway, and for the Petoskey Stone. Petoskey Stone is ancient coral from when the area was covered by an inland sea that has fossilized. The stone washes up on the shore and after polishing, has beautiful patterns.
Day 108 – Sun, 9/10 – In Petoskey, MI
Three weeks ago when we were in Midland, Ontario, a bug bit me on the back of the knee. It has been red and had a hard spot inside since, but it has not really been bothering me. Yesterday, the sore popped while I was bending and squatting to install the refrigerator. I’ll spare you the gory details. I called the closest urgent care, about a mile away, and they could see me on Sunday morning. It was not bothering me, so I walked up to the doctor’s office. The nurse did the normal check-in things, and a few minutes later, the Doctor came in. He looked at it, poked it, and said, “Ewwww. We’re going to have to open that up! I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, he returned and said, “Giving you a local will take too long. You look like a hardy guy, so I’ll just spray it with freeze spray.” Two cuts and a bunch of squeezing later, he popped on a bandaid. We had chatted while he was doing his thing, and I found out that his parents had done the Loop last year, and his boat was on the next dock over from us at the marina. He asked if I was walking back to the boat and said it might start to bother me, given the walk, but that it would be good to help it drain. He left and returned with a little white pill and a glass of water and said, this will take the edge off. I walked across the street to Walgreens to fill a prescription for an antibiotic and pick up some gauze pads, then walked back to the boat. The nurse mentioned that the bakery next door to the office was the best in town, so I stopped there on the way back to the boat.
By the time I got back to the boat, my pant leg was soaked with blood, but the little pill the Doctor gave me had kicked in, and I didn’t feel much of anything.
Brenda cleaned my leg and put on a new bandage, and I went in to take a nap. At 2:30, the guy that was buying the refrigerator came to pick it up and we helped to load it into his Jeep.
Brenda tells me that that evening, we walked into town and had dinner at a pub frequented by Ernest Hemmingway. Whatever the Doc gave me for pain worked well because I have no recollection of anything after the guy picked up the refrigerator! I’ll have to see if I can get more of whatever that was!
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Day 109 – Mon, 9/11 – In Petoskey, MI
Some Looper friends that we met on our first Loop in 2019 have a summer home near Petoskey. Katie and Tim saw that we were in the neighborhood and offered to come and visit with us to catch up on our Loop adventure.
They picked us up around 11:00, and we drove from Petoskey to Harbor Springs on the other side of the Bay (where we stayed on our last loop visit). We visited a famous Loop stop, “Tom’s Mom’s Cookies.” Some of the best cookies on the entire loop. (Available for delivery! www.tomsmomscookies.com ).
After loading up on cookies (the Chocolate and dried cherry are the best), they drove us down a famous scenic highway called the “Tunnel of Trees,” State Route M119. This is a twisty, turney, hilly road. Many parts of it are completely covered over with trees, and there are many cute log cabin cottages along the route. It was still a little early for fall colors, but the road is amazing!
Our destination was a restaurant called the “Legs Inn,” a Polish restaurant that is a famous local landmark started in 1912. The founder, Stanley Smolak, was a folk artist making interesting objects from carved wood and other found objects. His descendants still run the restaurant. The top of the Inn is decorated with stove legs obtained from a local foundry. The back garden is beautifully landscaped and has a great view of Lake Michigan. Inside, the walls are covered with Stanley Smolak’s creations, and many of the pieces of furniture are also creations of his. Fascinating! If you can get there, it is definitely worth a visit both for the food and the decor! www.LeggsInn.com
The food was excellent and very similar to the food I grew up with! Sauerkraut, Potato Pancakes, Sausages, Red Cabbage, and Hunters Stew. Yummmm!!! The portions were huge, and we ended up with another full meal in a doggie bag!
It started raining while we were at lunch, so we took the main road back to Petoskey and said goodbye to them. Thanks for a great time, Katie and Tim!
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Day 110 – Tue, 9/12 – In Petoskey, MI
We had been watching the weather and Tuesday was forecast to be cloudy with high winds. The forecast was right! It was a good day to be in port and not out on the lake. We took out the bikes and rode down the bike path along the shore of Traverse Bay, then to Walgreens to pick up some prescriptions. After picking them up, we rode into town on a path that runs along the river that runs through Petoskey.
The shore is covered with small rocks washed up from the lake. This is where Petoskey Stones are found. We did stop and look but we didn’t find any. In places, there were people with buckets scouring the shore who looked like professional rock hunters.
We stopped at an old Indian Mission built in 1884. In Canada, most of the signs are in French and English. Here they are in Odawa, a first nation language, and English! Coming from New England, where there has been European settlement since 1620. It is interesting to see that this area was still primarily Native American until the mid-1800s.
Petoskey has a history back to the 1850s, and like many older port cities, it was a service point for the ships that traded on the lakes. There are many old signs on buildings showing the history, and also old painted signs on walls, indicating the prior uses. One of the most interesting was a building that housed the “Normal Business College.” I wonder if there was an “Abnormal Business College?”
We stopped at a couple of shops and then went back to the marina. In the marina parking lot is the Little Traverse History Museum. We went in for a visit and learned a lot about the area’s history.
The wind had really picked up, and we went down to the break wall to watch the waves come in.
That evening we went to Duffy’s Garage and Grill for dinner. Many of the local breweries also make a traditional Root Beer (pronounced “root beer”, by the locals.)
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Day 111 – Wed, 09/13 – From Petoskey, MI to Traverse City, MI – 62 miles, Travel Time: 4hrs 5min
The route from Petoskey to Traverse City, our next stop, goes out of Little Traverse Bay, around a point past Charlevoix, and then 35 miles down Traverse Bay. The wind was not quite as strong as yesterday, but there was a definite chop on the water. The prevailing wind was from the North, so we hoped that once we got around the Charlevoix point, we would have the waves on the back of the boat, and it would be an easier ride.
We left at 7:30 a.m., as the winds were predicted to pick up some later in the day, and headed out of Little Traverse Bay. The waves were on the “beam,” meaning they were hitting the side of the boat. When the waves are on the side, the boat rolls side-to-side, which can be a bit unsettling. We were seeing side-to-side pitches of 15° to 20° at times! As we had hoped, once we turned “south” down Traverse Bay, the waves were behind us and the ride smoothed out quite a bit, more up and down, which is much easier to handle.
We’ve been amazed at how deep portions of Lake Michigan are. In Traverse Bay, we saw over 370 feet in places! Once we got around the corner, we were able to pick up speed, which helped to smooth out the ride, and by 12:30, we had arrived in Traverse City.
Traverse City is another re-born city with a vibrant downtown full of shops, restaurants, and microbreweries. Once we were settled in, we went into town to check it out. While walking around, we came across a neat little plant shop. Our daughter works for a large commercial grower that produces small plants in pots, and we thought this sort of store would be a great retirement goal for her!
There were a number of other Looper boats in Traverse City, and in the evening, we got together to go to dinner. Katie B, Lovin Life, Dawn Watch, Changing Latitudes, and Kissed Some Frogs made for a good group!
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Day 112 – Thu, 09/14 – In Traverse City, MI
Thursday, we walked around Traverse City. There are several districts in Traverse City. We explored the Warehouse District, then walked along a nature trail that follows the Boardman River that runs through downtown.
We walked to the far end of the downtown area where the Boardman River exits into Grand Traverse Bay and got a great view of the Coast Guard Buoy Tender at anchor in the harbor.
We stopped for lunch and a drink at the Middle Coast Brewery, and Brenda found another local Root Beer.
This area of Michigan is famous for its cherries. We went to a store called “Cherry Republic” that specializes in all things “Michigan Cherry” and picked up some cherry-based treats. Then we went to the Grand Traverse Pie Company for a freshly baked cherry pie!
In the evening, we got the boat ready for our trip back up Grand Traverse Bay and watched the sunset over the marina.
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Day 113 – Fri, 09/15 – From Traverse City, MI to Leland, MI – 51 miles, Travel Time: 4hrs 40min
The winds had not dropped quite as much as we had hoped, but the waves didn’t look too bad, so we left for Lealand just after 8:00. Most of the way up the bay was fine, as the winds were somewhat shielded in the bay. There were several other boats on the bay with us. As we got closer to when we rounded Lelanau Point, the waves started picking up, and we were seeing solid 2-footers with the occasional 3. The waves were from the north, so we only had them on the beam for a short time while we rounded the point, and then they were behind us, which made it tolerable.
A couple of the slower boats behind us opted to stop at North Point at the top of Traverse Bay rather than ride out the waves.
We pulled into Leland just before 1:00. This size of waves is right at our tolerance level, and we were ready to get off the boat.
Leland is an old fishing village. Aside from one old boat, all of the old fishermen are gone. However, they have converted the fishing shacks and net houses into little shops, making the town a big tourist attraction. The other big attraction in town is the river and waterfall just above the old fishing village that drains into the harbor. The river and falls are a favorite of salmon, and they can be seen jumping up the falls.
After walking around town to let our equilibrium adjust, we stopped at The Cove, a restaurant that sits right on the waterfall for lunch. We got an excellent table and were able to watch the fish jumping while we ate.
After lunch we walked to the top of the dam and watched the fish for a while, then went back to the boat and called it an early evening.
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Day 114 – Sat, 09/16 – In Leland, MI
We had initially only planned one day in Leland. We saw that the waves on Saturday would be about the same as when we arrived. We also heard that there would be an Antique Boat Show on Saturday, so it was an easy decision to stay an extra day.
In the morning, we walked up to the Leland Historical Museum and visited the museum and wooden boat show. There were some great old wooden boats on display! After visiting the boat show, we walked back toward the marina and spent an hour trying to catch a picture of a fish jumping up the falls. I took over 100 photos, and only got one with a fish in it! Next time I’ll try taking a video!
After visiting a few more shops and picking up our “Pin” for Leland, we went back to the boat. I changed into my “work clothes” and changed the oil on the generator, which was overdue by 10 hours. (Sorry, Michael! I’ll do better next time!)
At this time of year, there are only two dinner restaurants open in Leland: The Cove, where we had lunch yesterday, and “The Riverside Inn,” which is a Fine Dining establishment. We’ve been eating burgers, sandwiches, and BBQ so much lately that we decided to go for a good meal. It was wonderful! Brenda had the Crispy Salmon, and I had the Pork Chop. Again, our table was at a window overlooking the river with a spectacular view.
After dinner, we walked back to the marina. The wind had died down and the lake looked nice and calm. We were just settling into the boat when I saw a flash of color across the windshield. We ran outside and there was a para-glider buzzing over the marina. He was cruising back and forth for almost half an hour before flying off into the distance.
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Day 115 – Sun, 09/17 – From Leland, MI to Frankfort, MI – 41 miles, Travel Time: 2hrs 25min
Sunday the wind and waves were not great, but again, tolerable. Given that some days there are 4-5 foot waves on the lake, we will take 2-3’s as long as they are not coming sideways. The waves were coming from the North, so we also had the advantage of having two larger islands and a point blocking the waves on much of the trip.
Frankfort was another of the ports that we had visited on our first Loop Trip. It is probably my favorite micro-brewery of the trip, Storm Cloud Brewing. When we tied up, we chatted with the dockmaster, and he let us know that we’d just missed the end of the swimming portion for the Iron Man competition that was going on in town that day. There were 1500 competitors. It started with a 1.2-mile swim in 65° water in Lake Betsie. Then, a 56-mile bike loop up to the top of the dunes we had been following on the way in. Finally, a 13.1 mile run, around Lake Betsie and back, twice! When we docked, the running portion was still going on and runners were going past the end of our dock.
After we tied up, we walked up to the main street, which was closed off for the event, and walked to the Storm Cloud Brewery for lunch. After lunch, we wandered toward the other marina in town, where we saw a couple of other Looper boats were docked. A couple of them were sitting on the front of their boats, watching the racers go past, and we stopped and chatted with them for a while.
In the evening, we went to the Old Town Grill & Tap on the main street for dinner, then walked to the end of the street where the beach on the lake is to watch the sunset. We get to see a lot of sunsets, but this one was extra special, with the harbor entrance and the lighthouse as a backdrop.
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Day 116 – Mon, 09/18 – In Frankfort, MI
We planned to cross to the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan from Frankfort. Frankfort, Michigan, to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is the shortest crossing point across the lake at 55 miles of open water. We had been watching the long-range forecasts for a good weather window. We learned the hard way on our first Loop that Lake Michigan is nothing to mess with, so we were willing to wait for a VERY good weather day before crossing.
The forecasts showed that Thursday would be our best option, so we entertained ourselves in Frankfort for a few days. Being stuck a 2-minute walk from my favorite brewery was a lot to ask, but I was willing to take one for the team!
On Monday, we got out our bikes and decided to go for a ride around the lake. There is a nice Rails-to-Trails path in Frankfort that we had walked part of on our last trip. We also noticed that there was an overlook on the top of one of the bluffs on the other side of the lake, so we made that our goal.
We rode around the end of Lake Betsie following the running route from the Ironman the day before. This put us at the old Life Boat Station which was right across the lake from the marina. We then climbed up a pretty steep hill to the top of the bluff. The E-Bikes did a great job of making it enjoyable! The view from the overlook was excellent! We got a great view of the town and the harbor entrance. This would also be a great place to come to watch the sunset.
There was a very steep road that went down the side of the bluff to the beach below. Google Maps showed that it went for about two miles along the beach, so we went down the hill. It drops 140 feet in less than 1/4 of a mile! Very steep! When we got to the bottom, we found that the “road” on Google Maps was just a trail in the soft sand of the beach. Maybe there was a road there at some point, but the sand has reclaimed it! We didn’t want to ride the bikes in the sand, so we turned around and went back up the hill. The hill let us learn the limits of our electric bikes. I made it up all the way but had to “pedal assist” in first gear, and the motor was really screaming! Brenda made it about halfway up and then had to get off and push to the top.
We then rode back down the other side and continued on the rails-to-trails route for a few miles. We went past a side road that led to the local airport and then back into town in a loop, so we took that route. As we approached town, there was a great “Welcome to Frankfort” sign with a model of the lighthouse and a “Laker Freighter.” The road was pretty hilly, and Brenda was reaching her “Bike Riding Limit.” Right after we passed under the Welcome arch, the road went down a long hill and into town, and right at the bottom of the hill was an old-fashioned A&W Drive-In! We stopped for lunch, and Brenda got her favorite Root Beer!
After we got back to the boat, we relaxed until 6:00, when we went to dinner with some of the Loopers from Ottessey and Squier About.
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Day 117 – Tue, 09/19 – In Frankfort, MI
Tuesday was cold and blustery, with occasional rain. We spent most of the day hanging around on the boat. We walked into town to stretch our legs but didn’t do anything noteworthy.
Next to the marina was a marine engineering company that was closing. They are selling their building and auctioning off all the equipment, including a lighthouse and an old tugboat. The marina staff said that the owner was retiring and there was not enough of that type of work anymore for the company to continue. Sad.
On another sad note, we noticed a “Free Newspaper” type box on a side street near the marina. We had not paid much attention, thinking it was just the local free advertising paper. As we walked past, I took a closer look; it was a Narcan dispenser! Just open the door and help yourself to a 3-dose spray. (Narcan is the nasal spray that is used to treat opioid overdoses.) It is a sad testament to the state of our nation when they have to put dispensers on street corners.
For the rest of the day, Brenda worked on her cross stitch, and I worked on the Blog and took a nap.
In the evening we walked into town to a local dive bar for dinner. We’d pretty much exhausted all of the other choices, and many of the restaurants were not open on Monday & Tuesday.
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Day 118 – Wed, 09/20 – In Frankfort, MI
Wednesday morning, we checked the weather, and it was still too rough out on the lake for us to cross. We walked into town for breakfast, then down to the lighthouse. The forecast was visually confirmed by the waves crashing over the sea wall!
There is an Art Center in Frankfort, so we went there to see what it was all about. It was very interesting, lots of art by local artists. Sculpture, paintings, photography, and crafts. There are some talented people in the area!
On the way back to the boat, we did a couple of Geocaches and pulled out our wagon to go to the grocery store for a re-supply. The store is about half a mile away at the end of the main street. It’s not far enough for a taxi or Uber (neither of which is available in Frankfort anyway) but too far to carry heavy items, like cases of water and soda, so we used the wagon.
That evening, we paid one more visit to the Storm Cloud Brewery for dinner.
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Day 119 – Thu, 09/21 – From Frankfort, MI to Sturgeon Bay, WI – 58 miles, Travel Time: 3hrs 55min
As predicted, Thursday morning was beautiful! The wind had died down, and the waves were 1-foot gentle rollers. A great day for a crossing to Wisconsin! We left Frankfort, MI, just before 9:00. The crossing was fantastic and we were able to make good time running at 16 knots (18 mph). The total crossing took just under three hours, with at least two of those completely out of sight of land. Navigation was not hard, just head due west. Lake Michigan is deep, and we went over places that were over 860 feet deep!
When we reached the Wisconsin shore, we saw the bright red lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. When it was opened in the early 1900’s it saved ships heading to Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay 90 miles of travel and a transit through a channel called “Deaths Door”.
We entered the Canal, cruising past the Coast Guard facility. The speed limit in the canal is six mph. So, about a fast walk. The last 2.5 miles to the marina took us a half hour. As we approached Sturgeon Bay, someone called the lift bridge on the radio, asking for the 11:30 opening. We looked at our watches, and it was 12:30. It was then we realized that halfway across the lake, we had crossed into Central Time!
We pulled into the marina around 1:00 EST (12:00 CST), and stopped at the fuel dock to fill up, then went to our slip.
Sturgeon Bay is split by the bay and the canal into a North & South section of town. Two lift bridges connect the downtown areas of each side. We were staying on the South Side, which is less built up. On the North Side of town, a huge shipyard where they build and repair the 1,000-foot Lakers dominates the West end of town, and the main business district is on the East end.
After settling in, we walked about a mile to the north-side business district, visited The “Bridge Up” microbrewery, and then walked around the park and the small business district. It was close to 4:00 by then, and we had not had breakfast or lunch, so we stopped at Kitty O’Reillys Pub for an early dinner before walking back to the boat.
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Day 120 – Fri, 09/22 – In Sturgeon Bay, WI
Yesterday, we walked past the Door County Maritime Museum and the tug boat John Purves. Today, we would visit it. When we were coming through the canal toward Sturgeon Bay, we saw a large tower with a viewing platform and windowed enclosure at the top and assumed that it was the control tower for the bridges and harbor. We have since found out that it is the Door County Maritime Museum! The museum is a 10-story tower that overlooks the Sturgeon Bay waterfront.
We walked to the museum and bought our tickets. There is an option for a docent-led tour of their restored tug boat, which we took as well. You are escorted to an elevator that brings you to the top of the 10-story tower and the viewing platform. We walked around taking photos of the area. Then you start down, floor-by-floor. Each floor covers a topic of Door County Maritime History, from the First Nation peoples to the original settlement in the 1800s, the fishing industry, the shipbuilding industry, and finally, the current recreational focus of the area.
After descending the 10 floors, we were just in time for the tour of the John Purves tug boat. The tug boat has had quite a history. Built in Baltimore for the US Navy, it saw duty during World War II during D-Day. It then served on the West Coast and in Alaska, finally coming to the Great Lakes to serve as a tug for a local towing company. When it was retired, it was to be scrapped. However, a local group was able to convince the owner to donate it to the Maritime Museum and after hundreds of hours of restoration work, it is now open for tours. Our tour guide was a member of the restoration team, so we had some great stories about all of the crap, dirt, oil, rust, rust, rust, peeled paint, and funk that they had to deal with while restoring the boat.
After our tour, we finished looking around the museum and then walked across the Michigan Street Bridge to the other side of town for some lunch at the Door County Fire Company Grill.
After lunch, we walked across the Oregon Street Bridge back to the south side of town and to our marina.
Our plan was to go down the rest of Green Bay to the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, for a few days, then come back to Sturgeon Bay before continuing south toward Chicago.
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Day 121 – Sat, 09/23 – From Sturgeon Bay, WI to Green Bay, WI – 45 miles, Travel Time: 4hrs 35min
The next stop on our tour of the Cheese State was Green Bay, home of the Green Bay Packers football team!
As we left the marina in Sturgeon Bay, we had to wait for the two lift bridges to go up. The two bridges are only about 2,000 feet apart and the first one opens 15 and 45 minutes past the hour, and the second one opens on the hour and half hour.
We got through the first bridge and were waiting for the second bridge when we heard one of the big barges call that it was leaving the shipyard and headed our way. When the bridge opened, we dashed through and then pulled over to the town dock to get out of their way. On the town dock was Dawn Watch, a Looper that we had first met in Mackinac Island. We hovered near them and chatted while the barge when past.
We left Sturgeon Bay and entered Green Bay. The weather was good for most of the trip until we were about 5 miles out from the marina when the wind suddenly picked up and it got really snotty. Fortunately, we were close and got into our slip with no problem.
The South End Marina in Green Bay is on the edge of the bay, away from downtown. The marina is quite large, but the only restaurant on site was closed for the season. There is a distillery there, but their food offerings are minimal. The area outside of the marina is very industrial, with large facilities from a few paper industries like Proctor & Gamble (This is where they make Brawny paper towels) and Green Bay Packaging, to name but a few. It’s about 2 miles before you get to the “downtown,” which, aside from a lot of bars and restaurants, does not have much to offer. The town is definitely not bike-friendly, especially from the marina.
The marina itself is a big U shape, and we were on the outside of the “U”, so the walk from our slip to the dock house and Uber pick-up location was a little over half a mile along goose poop-covered sidewalks. We got our exercise walking back and forth, dodging the goose landmines!
After we settled in, we called an Uber to bring us to America’s Best Glasses. Back in Canada, Brendas’ glasses broke, and we had them repaired. They have come apart once more since, and it’s because of the poor quality of the frames. Green Bay was the first city we’ve visited with an America’s Best location so that we could bring them in for proper repair. The Uber dropped us off, and while the glasses were being fixed, I walked across the street to an auto parts store to get a few bolts I needed.
After getting the glasses fixed, we went to Copper State Brewing, a brew pub in the downtown area, for an early dinner. Then, we went back to the marina, where we stopped at the Paradise North Distillery for a tasting.
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Day 122 – Sun, 09/24 – In Green Bay, WI
The Green Bay Packers were playing Sunday, so we decided to visit the Green Bay Botanical Garden and the National Railroad Museum and then find a local pub to watch the game. I looked online for tickets, but nosebleed seats were $120 each, and anything decent was in the $500-$800 range! (We heard that the game was sold out as it was the season home opener).
We took an Uber to the Botanical Gardens, which was excellent! We thought that there would not be a lot of color in early fall, but there were many plants flowering. We wandered the 47-acre gardens for a couple of hours. We will let the photos speak for themselves!
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From the Botanical Garden to the National Railway Museum was just over a mile. The only problem was that Lambeau Field, where the Packers were playing, was right in between. Our Uber driver did a great job skirting the traffic jams around the stadium and got us to the Railroad Museum in just a few minutes.
We’ve visited a number of railroad museums on our trip, and the one in Green Bay ranks in the middle. They have several very well-preserved Steam Locomotives and some other interesting rolling stock. There is a one-mile loop around the museum grounds and they give a two-loop ride on a restored 1930s passenger coach pulled by a Diesel Electric Locomotive.
The two highlights of the collection are Dwight D. Esienhower’s steam locomotive and two rail cars used in England during World War II. Also, they have the original scale model of the cutting edge (for it’s day) General Motors Aero-Train, as well as an actual engine and cars used in service.
We arrived just in time for the train ride, and then spent an hour walking around the museum and through the train sheds. While not as extensive a collection as the Baltimore Railroad Museum, it was still worth the trip.
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We finished up at the railroad museum at about 1:30 and stuck with our railroad theme by taking an Uber to The Depot, a bar and grill in the old main train station downtown. It was close to the end of the first quarter and the Packers were losing to the New Orleans Saints 17-0. When we walked in, the place was pretty crowded but very subdued due to the home team being so far behind.
We ordered some burgers and watched the game. At the start of the 4th quarter the score was still 17-0. Green Bay had a good drive but ended up only getting 3 points for a field goal. With 11 minutes to go in the game, Green Bay scored a touchdown and, amid lots of criticism from the bar stool quarterbacks, scored a two-point conversion. Then, with just 3 minutes to go, they scored another touchdown and extra point, winning the game 18-17. As soon as the game was over, we called an Uber to get back to the marina before everyone got out of the game and we got stuck.
Day 123 – Mon, 09/25 – In Green Bay, WI
We had booked three days in Green Bay because we were not sure if we would be able to get Brenda’s glasses fixed on Saturday. We hung around the boat for a while, working on the blog, then went into town to the Green Bay Mall. We have not been in an enclosed mall in ages. Surprisingly the mall was pretty full, both with shops and shoppers. We only saw a few empty storefronts.
From the mall, we walked a mile past Lambeau Field and stopped for lunch at one of the many sports bars across the street.
After lunch, with not much else to do in Green Bay, we went back to the boat, and I took a nap and got ready for our trip back to Sturgeon Bay in the morning.
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Day 124 – Tue, 09/26 – From Green Bay, WI to Sturgeon Bay, WI – 46 miles, Travel Time: 3hrs 35min
Tuesday morning we checked the weather and wished we had returned to Sturgeon Bay on Monday. The winds were stronger than had been predicted, and the waves on Green Bay were running 1-2 feet from the north, so we would be heading directly into them. Leaving Green Bay Harbor, the channel is quite narrow, and there are not a lot of options. Once we had passed the entrance lighthouse, we headed toward the east shore of the bay hoping to get some relief from the waves. The strategy worked, and the ride was not horrible and we made good time back to Sturgeon Bay.
When we arrived in Sturgeon Bay, we had to wait about 15 minutes for the Michigan Street bridge to open. We had requested the Oregon Street Bridge as well, but while we were waiting, we noticed that the reader board on the bridge showed 25 feet of clearance. We need 24 feet, so we crept up to the bridge and squeezed under. This time, we stayed on the North side of Sturgeon Bay at Center Point Marina, which is closer to the main downtown area.
In the evening, we met up with Mick on Phantom, who is on something like his 12th Loop. A true wealth of information! We went back to Kitty O’Reilly’s Pub and had dinner with him.
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Day 125 – Wed, 09/27 – In Sturgeon Bay, WI
Our next leg was from Sturgeon Bay, back out into Lake Michigan and south to Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The weather out on Lake Michigan for the next two days was not good with rain, high winds, and waves. The next good weather day was predicted for Friday, so we had two days to kill.
On Tuesday it was raining off and on for most of the day. Brenda did a couple of loads of laundry and I did some boat maintenance, changing out the odor filters on our black water tanks (a stinky job), and replacing the air filters on our HVAC system. When I had finished that, I cleaned up and worked on the blog for a couple of hours, then took a nap.
The rain had cleared a bit so we walked into town for dinner.
Day 126 – Thu, 09/28 – In Sturgeon Bay, WI
Tuesday was a nicer day, sunny and warmer. In the morning, we walked into town for breakfast, then took a taxi to the local Walmart and did some shopping. When we got back, we relaxed on the boat. I did a few small maintenance jobs, and Brenda worked on her cross-stitch kit.
In the afternoon, we walked around town visiting a few of the shops, then went for an early dinner at the Inn at Cedar Crossing.
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Day 127 – Fri, 09/29 – From Sturgeon Bay, WI to Kewaunee, WI – 30 miles, Travel Time: 2hrs 25min
On Friday, the day dawned clear and calm. There was a little bit of fog on the water, but there was no wind. We took off at 8:00 and had a nice leisurely ride the 30 miles to Kewaunee, WI.
Kewaunee is a sleepy little fishing village. It used to be the main port for the ferries that carried railroad cars across the lake between Wisconsin and Michigan. However, that traffic stopped in the late 1950s.
When we arrived, the dockmaster helped us tie up and told us that both the old tugboat and the lighthouse were open for tours. We did our docking routine, then walked across the bridge into town.
Kewaunee is also famous for having the world’s largest grandfather clock! There used to be a number of furniture manufacturers in town, one of which made grandfather clocks. The company built a huge clock in front of the factory, and when it closed, they moved it to a park in town. We stopped there to take the requisite selfie.
Our next stop in town was at the Tugboat Luddington. A retired Army Corp of Engineers tugboat that has been partially restored and is open for self-guided tours. It was fun to be able to climb around in the tug on our own.
From the tug, we walked along the edge of the harbor and out onto the break wall to the Lighthouse. We had passed the lighthouse on our way in. We see lots of lighthouses but rarely have the opportunity to go inside.
We chatted with the members of the Lighthouse Preservation Society, which cares for the lighthouse and has been restoring it, while we waited our turn to climb to the top of the tower. We got some spectacular views!
The volunteers at the lighthouse suggested that we visit the Door County Historical Society in downtown, where they have the original Fresnel Lens from the lighthouse on display. The volunteer, a very nice lady in her 80s, was MORE than helpful in explaining many of the 100s of articles on display. It seems that rather than sell or throw out old items when someone passes or an old business closes, they donate them to the Historical Society. The result is a hodge-podge of artifacts. It’s good to see that they are kept and some attempt at displaying and cataloging them is made. We browsed through personal collections of arrowheads and portraits of townspeople dating back to the early 1800s when the area was settled. Land records, every newspaper from the 1800s to the present day from the local newspaper, wedding dresses, hats, signs, the list goes on! After an hour there, we got lucky and someone else wandered in to take over being entertained by the volunteer.
We stopped at “The Bakery Bar” for lunch. (It is just what the name says: a bakery specializing in fresh bread that they use to make their excellent sandwiches, combined with a bar serving local craft brews and a Wisconsin favorite, over-stuffed Bloody Marys.
We went back to the boat and relaxed for the rest of the day. In the early evening, Two Harbors, another Looper we had met in Green Bay, arrived, and we went to dinner with them at the local burger joint.
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Thanks For Visiting! – Tom & Brenda
