Category: bike ride

It’s time to turn south. Only 2 days left of our 6-day bike adventure from Milwaukee to and around Door County.

So we head to the Lake Michigan side of Door County to make our way back to Sturgeon Bay. It’s quieter (no gorgeous sunsets over the water, remember?) and we pass more old log cabins that have been preserved, sometimes as part of something larger.

But for the first time, the weather forecast warns of rain during the day.

After our mid-morning coffee break in Baileys Harbor, we check the radar. Rain in about 30 minutes, and it looks bad. But short. How far can we bike and, more importantly, will there be a place to take shelter? Or do we just stay put?

Thankfully the coffee shop is willing to host our bikes on its big porch, so we stay. And right on cue the storm hits. No way would we want to be biking in this heavy rain!

But as soon as it stops, we go. More rain isn’t that far off, and we don’t want to outstay our welcome.

Good call on not risking it earlier. The one possibility on the map didn’t look as good in person. Five miles later, as we reach Jacksonport, population sub-1,000, the rain starts again. I keep my eyes peeled for shelter.

The bike gods are with us. A kayak and e-bike rental business has its garage bay open … and they welcome us just minutes before another deluge.

It turns out that this area is a great spot for kayaking; Cave Point County Park and Whitefish Dunes State Park are just to the south.

But that’s something for another trip. We stop in the state park for a look but otherwise we hug the shoreline road as much as possible until we are forced to turn right on a paved road along the Sturgeon Bay Canal. Under one bridge, over another and soon we are at our night’s retro motel.

The food report

I confess, the Day 3 supper club‘s prime rib special on Thursday nights had me angling for a return visit. I arm-twisted everyone into agreement. So back we went.

A one-pound, slow-cooked, oh-so-tender prime rib resting in its juice and a touch of horseradish to slather on top for $35? And that includes soup (crab and asparagus for me this time), the side dish and the bread? Sign me up. I can skip lunch in exchange for this.

Another confession: I, unlike the others, ate the whole thing.

Even if it meant I waddled out of the restaurant.

Did you miss the earlier trip reports? Here’s day 1, day 2, day 3 and day 4.