Door County to Racine

Paddle Pedal & Coffee Tour of Wisconsin 2024

Day 3

Today we were to leave Door County and head back south. But not before one of my favorite bike rides.

I love the ride from Egg Harbor to Sturgeon Bay on Bay Shore Drive. It’s mostly flat, protected from wind, and has a wide bike lane with light traffic. Plus you have beautiful Green Bay on your right side the whole trip. I can remember driving this road a couple years back and thinking this would be a fun ride. It will likely be one of my go-to rides like the stretch from Neptune Beach to St Augustine FL that I always manage to ride when visiting that area.

We packed up the van and were ready to leave. Since we were traveling south to Sturgeon Bay, we would continue on south towards Milwaukee after stopping for breakfast. The wives were to give us a 30 minute head start then drive to Sturgeon Bay as our sag wagon support.

*You have to squint but you can see us from our friend’s deck a half mile away heading south.*

An hour and a half later, we rolled into Sturgeon Bay to Morning Glory by the Bay. This is a favorite restaurant of ours. It’s small so seating is limited. You might have a wait if the weather isn’t conducive to sitting outside. Mary had the blueberry pancakes and I had a Western omelet. Very delicious!

As you can see, it’s not very big but it is worth the wait. Be sure to check their hours. The hours might change due to seasonal schedules.

We headed south towards Mt Pleasant WI and chose to take the scenic route along Lake Michigan. We lasted about 45 minutes before stopped at Bakery Bar in Kewaunee for some excellent coffee; we also shared a large, fresh cinnamon roll.

After enjoying our mid-morning snack we walked across the street to Wakker Cheese. When in Wisconsin, if we see a cheese shop, we must stop. The Wakker Dairy specializes in producing gouda cheese. We bought a chunk of smoked gouda. Mary really liked it. I thought it was OK. I’m not a smoked cheese fan. If we return to the store in the future, we’ll choose one of their aged varieties.

That evening we planned on an outdoor concert with our friends – at the Racine Zoo. The concert series is “Animal Crackers” and the group was a Billy Joel tribute band. We loaded the cooler with drinks and snacks, stopped at Firehouse Subs for sandwiches then headed to the zoo. We found a great spot, put up the lawn chairs and enjoyed the music and our dinner.