Destination-Door County

Paddle Pedal & Coffee Tour of Wisconsin 2024

Day 1

We’d had such a good time with the PPC Tour of Wisconsin in 2023, we thought we’d give it another go. Our tour last year had focused on Door County during the first week then SE Wisconsin, closer to Milwaukee the second week.

This year’s tour would also start in Door County, but just for a couple of days. Then it would return to the Milwaukee area for a few more days before heading all the way over to the west section of the state.

We arrived in Milwaukee late Sunday evening and visited with family for a short time before heading to bed. We had a big day ahead of us.

We were up and packing at 6 AM Monday and were soon on our way to Stone Creek Coffee in Whitefish Bay. Yes I know it was only 7 miles away but hey you’ve got to eat and get coffee.

Mary and I had the breakfast sandwiches. We both had coffee-Mary had the darker variety, I chose a medium roast.

We headed north towards Door County. About an hour or so into the trip, we needed more coffee; well not so much needed as wanted. We pulled into Manitowoc WI and found Jenn’s Java downtown.

We got a couple to-go cups and were on our way north again. This trip, instead of taking the interstate up to Green Bay, we decided to take the eastern coast drive. It seemed like a more direct route plus it was much more scenic. We arrived in Egg Harbor around noon to rain and questionable weather. So we went with plan “B”, shopping and eating.

Our first stop with friends was The Village Cafe in Egg Harbor WI. Mary had pecan pancakes with eggs, I had the sausage omelette with hash browns. Excellent food and service.

The weather was still rainy so we checked out the Door Artesian Cheese Store.

We sampled several varieties of cheese including some 10 year old aged cheddar, rattlesnake cheddar (habanero), and my favorite, aged cheddar with Carolina Reaper peppers. Hot as the devil but very tasty.

The weather cleared a little so we were able to visit a couple farmer’s markets to sample the local fare.

We stopped at Sip in Ephraim WI for some rest and refreshment.

We decided on Klaud’s Kitchen for supper. They specialize in stone-fired pizza. Mary and I finally settled on a pizza that seemed very Wisconsin- The Tailgater. The Tailgater has a beer crust; a layer of jalapeno poppers, slices of brats and cheese curds, tomato and onions. It was really tasty. And filling. I think we only managed a couple of slices and boxed the rest for carry-out.

Klaud’s also had a great variety of pies and cheese cakes. We picked up a couple slices to take home for dessert later.

This is the view we enjoyed almost every night from our friends deck that overlooks Green Bay

All in all, a full day in Door County. Tomorrow’s plans were to be an equally full day.