Tour of Eastern Wisconsin Day 5
We first visited Washington Island a few years ago and were looking forward to seeing it again. This day would turn out to be a full schedule. This post will be a long one as well.
We headed to Ellison Bay and ate breakfast at Blue Bear. This restaurant setup is kind of interesting. Blue Bear has a brunch menu serving from 8:00AM to 2:30PM. Then from 5:00PM to 9:00 PM the restaurant name/menu changes to Della Porta-Traditional Italian. We did not make it back to dine at “Della Porta”; we’ll save that for next time.
After brunch, we walked across the street to get a to-go cup of coffee at Kick Ash Coffee. The owners names are Ash, thus the catchy branding. They also make their own granola. We ordered the medium roast coffee to go.
We then headed to Northport, WI to catch the ferry to Washington Island. On our way, we drove on the famous Door County Winding Road. I’m using someone else’s photo here, otherwise all you’d see is lines of cars.
There are a couple of stories as to why the road was built this way. The first is that there were utility poles at several locations in this area, so the road was built around the poles. The better explanation was that this road was designed by artist Jens Jensen to slow drivers down to enjoy the view. But even now, some are disputing that version. There have even been a couple of attempts by officials over the years to ‘straighten’ the road, which was met with strong resistance.
Just a few miles after the winding road, we pulled up to the ferry. There was quite a line of cars waiting to get on the boat, but since we were going over with only our bicycles, we skipped the line, parked, and purchased our tickets. There is a per-person charge as well as a fee for bicycles. Such is the cost of convenience, I guess.
We loaded up and were underway. We made the trip in about 20 minutes.
The ferry ride was a little cool and a little wet at times. But there is something relaxing and satisfying about a ride on this large of a boat. Unless of course you get motion sickness. But everyone onboard seemed to handle it just fine. We finished our coffee just in time to set in to the island dock. We visited the Washington Island welcome center and started out on our cycling tour.
Our first stop was the Jacobsen Museum. The building was small but it was packed with all kinds and types of history. I particularly enjoyed the old newspapers and pictures.
The next stop was School House Beach. Instead of sand, the beach consists of smooth, time worn limestone rocks. The view was wonderful and the water clear.
Most people wouldn’t consider this point of interest on Washington Island, but I thought it was. Buried deep in the woods, barely visible from the road was this relic. A Gremlin. I have no idea what the story was but clearly it’s been there for a long, long time.
After catching back up with the others, we pedalled towards the Mountain Park Lookout Tower. The tower is located at the highest point on the island. I think calling it “mountain” is a little ambitious but never the less, it was really interesting. There is a stairway that leads to the top of the “mountain”, 186 steps to the top. Then a short walk to the tower. If you don’t mind heights, visiting the tower is highly recommended.
The next stop was the Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm & Shop. Now I’m not into lavender that much but the fields were very interesting. The shop had all things lavender for sale and it was very busy.
After cooling off and restocking our water, we headed down the road a short distance to Washington Island Stavkirke. The building was built in 1999 as a tribute to the type of churches built by Scandinavians dating back to the Vikings.
Stave refers to the construction technique, much of that technique attributed to ship building. That’s probably the reason for the dragons on top of the steeple. That or the Lutheran Church has really changed. Back on the bikes we made our way back towards the ferry. But not before stopping at Wis-Co Coffee Shop. The coffee was good, we bought a sweet treat and enjoyed the shady seating area.
We had one more stop before the ferry. Island Popcorn Barn. Even if you are not a big popcorn lover, this place could make you a convert. Jalapeno Cheddar did it for me.
It was on the ferry at 3:30 for the ride back.
Overall we’d spent six hours on the island, pedaling over 25 miles and still did not get to all the sites and points of interest. This was not our first visit and will definitely not be our last. Washington Island is a beautiful location with lots of interesting sites. We might consider Rock Island on our next visit. The island has it’s own ferry that leaves from the north east corner of Washington Island. There are no vehicles or bicycles allowed on the island and the ferry runs a shorter schedule so there are some logistics to work out.
That evening, we ate at Alexanders in Fish Creek. We have been there a few times and it never disappoints. We ordered the grilled whitefish and the wild mushroom ravioli. Reservations are recommended and check their hours. Highly recommended!
Looks like the Kicking Ash Coffee shop was a small church or chapel at one time.
When we were there, I’m not sure the person we asked knew all the history. But from what I could find out, it was some sort of art gallery before the coffee shop and yes, it was originally a Lutheran church built in 1955. The owner apparently attended the church when she was young.