Here a Cheesehead, Everywhere a Cheesehead?

September 9, 2017- Travel Days 37 & 38

We’re in GREEN BAY!

September 9– Our travel day is only 107 miles. We leave Antigo and head south on Wisconsin 45 to Wittmer where we transition on to the combined east bound highways 45/29. Its a four lane divided highway- the truck lane is a little beat up but serviceable. Our destination for the day is Bay Shore County Park Campground located in Door County- a highly desirable destination. It doesn’t take long to get to the greater Green Bay area. Even with our onboard navigation system on full alert and Jil’s “smarty phone” we have trouble figuring out the proper route. Way too many major “Y’s” in the road in way too short a period of time for my onboard cranial computer to process, especially with both “navigators” yacking at the same time with Jil doing her best to interpret what they are yacking about- but we made it through the maze by golly! Easy peasy- take the 29 to the the south I-41 to the north I-43 to the Wisconsin 57- piece of cake!

We head over the Fox River on I-43 and transition onto Highway 57. Ahhhhh, back in the country. Not so fast there partner! Highway 57 is a 4 lane divided highway- speed limit 65 mph! Not what I was expecting at all. Jil’s “smarty phone” says 2 miles until we reach the turnoff to Bay Shores County Park but the roadside sign states 1 mile. This is not a freeway so one must enter a very short left turn lane and brave oncoming traffic whizzing by at mach 1 while towing a very heavy 5th wheel and attempting to clear 52′ of mass across the highway without getting center punched. We make it safely across the highway onto the county park road- barely!

The campground is located past a very nice play area and boat launch. It’s heavily wooded and the roadway is very narrow. We work our way over to our campsite for two days and- it’s occupied!……. so we head back towards the entrance. The campground host informs us that check out time is 1500 hours- it’s 1000 hours now. That’s a 5 hour wait if  the folks in our site leave on time. Sigh! We decide to park in the day use area and walk the campground. There are non reservable sites available but it’s cold in the woods today. And there are lots of families with unsupervised young children running, riding bikes and just carrying on all over the place. Jil says let’s look down the road for another place to stay. Another sigh……. from me. We’ve paid for two nights at Bay Shore Campground. Oh well, what’s a little cash compared to a happy wife?

Quiet woods South Camping Resort

Jil says that Quietwoods South Camping Resorts has plenty of room for us. Come on up! Sounds good so we head 14 miles up the road just to check the place out. It features a swimming pool/water slide, an arcade, two kids playgrounds……. what could go wrong? We are given the sites available- one is in the woods which is not any better than Bay Shore, and one is right next to a camp with two boys firing off poppers- a no go for our muttzo Megan. But……. there are 8 sights up against the “Pavilion”. We check out the “Pavilion” sites an they are basically not very level grassy overflow sights next to a very large warehouse looking metal clad building. One backs in one’s rig up again the building. Water and power are mounted on the the outside of said building. These sites are OK as 4 of them are away from the one bizillion families with 4 bizillion kids in tow. There are kids everywhere. Two year olds away from inattentive parents. Gads!

Bottom line- we sacrifice $64 worth of campsite reservation fees for a $70 two, make that three ($105) night stay at not-so Quietwoods Resort. I don’t mind kids having fun, playing and squealing with joy but now its after 9:00 at night, dark and the squealing continues and their parents are partying.  I can handle it- I must! A new source of noise is coming from directly behind us from inside the “pavilion”. Someone has decided that work must be done now, during quiet time inside the building. First the loud radio echoes inside the large, mostly empty structure permeating the area directly outside, then circular saw sounds, now banging like plywood is being stacked. So much for “Quietwoods”! Crap……………. Most of these folks with kids in tow will be gone tomorrow- I hope!

September 10- We attend Sunday Mass at St. Mary and St. Joseph Church. Parishioners filled the church and the Mass was beautiful. The color of the interior of the church reminds me of wheat. It’s understated beauty. The church’s cemetery is located on church grounds as is a grotto. The building is located on a corner lot literally surrounded by farms. The nearest town, Brussels, is 2 miles away. The farm across the street has young calves individually sequestered in small pens with “huts” for shelter. As I understand it the calves are separated at birth to facilitate their management. Farmers can better determine the health of the calf if separated from others.

Mass at St. Mary and St. Joseph Church- 50% of Parishiners Wearing Packer Garb

We are in the land of Cheeseheads and the Greenbay Packers are playing at home today. Bets are off as to when all those families at the campground will pack up and head home. Our guess is most will be home by game time.

Sturgeon Bay/ Potawatomi State Park

We are off exploring. The native Wisconsin lady across the road from us warns of heavy traffic on the highway- most of it heading south, we are going north to explore Little Sturgeon Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Egg Harbor and Fish Creek.

Egg Harbor

All are beautiful and well worth the visit. The least commercialized, i.e. touristy of the bunch is Sturgeon Bay. It’s a working port with a lake freighter sized dry dock facility. The bridges over the water are all draw bridges indicating large ships pass through- and low bridges.

Little Sturgeon Bay

Fish Creek

We had a good time visiting Door County. Door County got it’s name for the dangerous passage between the tip of the peninsula and Washington Island. It was said to be so dangerous that the passage was named “Death’s Door”. Hence Door County. By the way, when we returned from our tour of the west side, the Green Bay side, it was if a huge vacuum had sucked all the campers out of Quietwoods. Even the folks that have seasonal setups across the street from us are gone. Now it really is quiet woods by golly!

See the reason for all the banging, clanging and loud radio music below-