Peninsula State Park - 2014
Please Visit: Peninsula State Park - 2014
We had a particularly long drive to Peninsula State Park. Our camping gear that was stacked on our roof rack caused the Jeep to rock side to side if we even approached 50mph. This meant we took only smaller county roads, making a three hour drive into a seven hour drive. Rolling into the park at sunset along Shore Road we were greeted by a colorful display. We just had to stop at a historical marker and hop out. We felt so relieved and excited to finally arriving, and the simply gorgeous view here made our timing seem perfect. Naturally, Freja was the first one to the water's edge. There she discovered a horde of tiny frogs that had just finished changing from tadpoles. It seemed this was all going to be a great trip right from the start.
Freja discovered a horde of tiny frogs along the shore at Peninsula State Park. She was fascinated by how small they were. They must have just finished their transformation from tadpoles.
There's nothing like a fresh ground/brewed cup of coffee, made just like at home, while you're camping. We'd set up in Tennison Bay campground, located on the western side of Peninsula State Park. Thankfully we had our screened in dinning fly to ward off the swarms of insects that inhabit the park.
Freja was thrilled to find out we'd packed her bike. We allowed her to ride around the circle of the road near our camp site. Only once did she stray off into the other circles, and then became "lost." When she found her way back 25 minutes later she had a small tear on her cheek, and never strayed far again.
Of all the pieces of camping gear we love the dinning fly the most. It does a great job of keeping out the mosquitoes, and other biting critters. It also becomes our central gathering point for most our time in camp.
We traveled to Door County with no preplanned activities, choosing to simply "go with the flow." Teri spent a little time looking at the map, and learning what was around us. Not having any sort of real schedule allowed us to simply relax. I can't think of a better was to vacation.
Animal Rummy has been Freja's card game of choice for the past year or so. Whenever she can, she ropes mommy into a game or two. I usually don't play, and when I do they both beat me constantly. Talk about sharks...
Animal Rummy has been Freja's card game of choice for the past year or so. Whenever she can, she ropes mommy into a game or two. I usually don't play, and when I do they both beat me constantly. Talk about sharks...
Freja just loves playing games with Animal Rummy being her favorite.
A tiny grasshopper perches on Freja's finger.
The folks in the site adjacent to ours had a really nice, well behaved dog. Freja and he became pals, especially when it came time to through his ball in the water. Near our site was the kayak/canoe launch. It also made a perfect spot for a girl and a pooch to play for a while.
On our way back from dinner in town we stopped to enjoy the sunset. Again the kid found lots of tiny frogs. She's catch a few and then release them unhurt.
We loved the sunset colored textures of the shoreline along the bay. If it wasn't for the swarms of biting bugs, and thick coating of bug repellent needed to be outdoors, it'd be an ideal place to live. Of course, come winter, I can't imaging how cold it would become.
For a second night in row we enjoyed a scenic sunset at Peninsula State Park.
A flock of seagulls swarm a fishing boat heading out into the lake. At first they were flying in circles around and around the boat. One of the men then dumped what I assume to have been fish guts off the stern. The ensuing feeding frenzy lasted for some time!
Arctic Tern
This little stump with flowers caught my eye as I strolled along.
The shoreline of Tennison Bay in Peninsula State Park. What appears to be a graveled path is actually the high wave/storm line of the lake.
One day we went for a drive just to see what was around the rest of the peninsula. After making a random turn or two we found ourselves at Door Bluff County Park. It's a nice, natural area with few marked trails. It was perfect for the kid of exploring we enjoy.
After convincing Teri that we weren't going to die fall down the bluffs, we made our way to the shore line. There we found folks had piled driftwood into a pyramid, and stacked stones all along the rocky beach. Naturally, it was impossible to keep the kid out of the water.
Teri adds stones to the stacks along the shore. It seemed this is a place where people have been doing this for a while.
Freja made a few attempts to stack stones but was more interested in just playing in the water.
Teri carefully, patiently stacks stones along the shore at Door Bluff County Park.
Freja and Teri watch a sailboat slip by on it's way out to Lake Michigan as they sit by the shore of Door Bluff County Park.
Telling the kid to stay out of the water is about the most pointless thing you can say. I swear it's like we have a Labrador dog! Even the remote chance of getting wet ends with her getting soaked. At the end of the day we thought we'd go down by the lake to relax, but the kid had other ideas...
