Door County Trip, Day #4
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Day #4 started with a couple of hikes at Peninsula State Park. This is the view from the Eagle Panorama overlook.
From Eagle Point looking across the inlet to the town of Ephraim, where we stayed for three nights in Door County.
The Eagle Trail took us right down to the rocky shore.
We learned from the museum the day before that the peninsula of Door County is notoriously a rocky shoreline and this gave the early sailors significant trouble.
There are many logs and uprooted trees that litter the shoreline.
The trees along the shoreline get toppled by the weather and erosion. I thought it was interesting how these toppled tree roots had actually grown around this rock which is not trapped in the root system.
You can appreciate the precarious nature in which these trees have to exist and why they are so prone to erosion and end up scattered along the beach. You can also see why the rock in the previous image could easily become trapped within the root system, as these trees essentially grow directly out of rocks.
Walking along the beach you see where the waves have eroded into the rocky cliffs and created these small cave-like structures. Some of these are large enough to walk into a little way.
Standing inside one of these small caves looking back out toward the beach.
These images were taken on our two-mile hike along the Eagle Trail. A sign at the entrance to the trail read, “Difficult Trail”, it wasn’t kidding! We both had our hiking poles and we were thankful we did. It was a challenging trail over many rocks and slippery tree roots. But it was a trail not to be missed if you are able.
We then visited the Eagle Tower. This is an amazing structure which is quite an engineering feat if you ask me. We elected to climb to the top using the stairs and then go back down using the ramp. The tower has been made accessible to everyone by the construction of an impressive ramp.
A view of Horseshoe Island from atop the Eagle Tower.
Looking across the water toward Epharim, you can see Anderson’s Dock and the infamous Grafitti building - which we will visit and photograph on an upcoming day.
The ramp on the back side of Eagle Tower. What an impressive bit of engineering!
Looking back up the ramp to the top of Eagle Tower.
The ramp makes two 90-degree turns to end on the opposite side of the roadway from the tower itself. Incredible!!
Next, it was off to hike the 4.1-mile Eagle Bluff Loop. The trail starts here at Nicolet Bay Beach, one of the only areas where we saw sand on a beach; the rest was all rocks.
The sun reflecting off the water of Nicolet Bay.
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse.
The anchor on display at the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse was recovered from a ship that sank in Sturgeon Bay in 1926.
Al Johnson’s restaurant in Sister Bay is famous for its Swedish pancakes and goats on the roof.
The marina at Sister Bay was almost empty with most slips unoccupied. We later learned that “haul-out day” - when they had to have all the boats out of the marina - was October 15th and we were there on the 11th.
This guy was taking his sailboat out of the marina under the power of its gas-powered engine. We assume he was probably taking it for haul-out.
While we were walking at the marina we saw this boat come in from the lake and Lisa and I both commented on how nice it looked. Later, we came across the ower cleaning it up and he was such a nice guy to talk with. He told us all about his boat. He got it brand new in June and he was getting it ready to be taken out of the water later that day. It was a beautiful craft and we thought it would be fun on the Mississippi. He is the one who told us the final day to get boats out of the marina was October 15th and that it would re-open in mid-May. He told us the exact number of days until re-opening, and then said, “But who’s counting?!” He obviously really loves his boat and spending time on the water. The boat is an Axopar - a brand we had never heard of, but it sure looked sharp.
Day #4 ended with a visit to Pelletiers, in Fish Creek, for a traditional Door County fish boil.
We were told when we made our reservation to arrive approximately 45 minutes before our seating time of 7 p.m. to watch the show. We sat as close as we could to get some of the warmth from the fire as the night got cool.
Into the boiling water, they pour whole red potatoes, peeled onions, corn on the cob, and eventually the fish. Here he is adding the onions I believe.
This is the Lake Michigan White Fish which is cut into chunks.
After the fish has been cooking for a while it gives off oils that float to the top of the water. These oils need to be removed before the food is taken out of the water so it does not get all over the food. So, in order to remove the oil they do what is called a boil-over. Here you can see he is throwing a small bucket of fuel oil directly into the fire which causes it to flare up and this raises the temperature in the cooking pot to the point that the water boils over the edge. This boil-over causes the oils on top of the water to be jettisoned from the boiling pot before the food is lifted from the water. The boil-over is the grand finale of the fish boil.
The boil-over immediately after the addition of the fuel oil to the fire. It is an impressive display and the crowd really enjoys it. Notice everyone with their phones on the other side.
After the boil-over, the basket containing the food is removed from the pot and the crowd is instructed to go into the restaurant where they are served the fish boil meal.
So, here is what a fish boil meal consists of - two pieces of Lake Michigan white fish, two red potatoes, one onion, one piece of corn on the cob, and some coleslaw. The dessert, which is brought out after you finish, is Door County cherry pie (I went a la mode).
Now, let’s be absolutely clear, a fish boil is an experience to behold once if you get the chance. However, it is NOT a culinary experience! In the end, you are eating boiled fish! The cherry pie a la mode was by far the best part of this meal. It wasn’t bad, but boiled fish is a bit bland and the Lake Michigan white fish is loaded with bones that need to be painstakingly removed before you eat it. It is a spectacle to be experienced but a meal to be forgotten.
