Good Friends Make for Good Times

What a week this has been.

Last Thursday we headed out on our annual camping trip with our great friends, Ed and Judy. Although we have tried several different venues for this outing, Door County has become our favorite destination over the past few years.

One of the best things about this venue is that we pass through Green Bay on the way which gives us an opportunity to visit with the family up there. They all came out to Quietwoods South Campground at Dickeyville for hobo dinners and a quick swim in the pool. They were so excited to see us and they had so much fun it was good for the soul. Even Elise greeted us with the same warm fervor we have become accustomed to from Jack and Ella.

On Friday we headed North to Wagon Trail Campground. While we were waiting for the Fulls to arrive, I put together a beautiful dinner to start our celebration. Before dinner we took a short drive to a county park where there is a beautiful bluff overlooking the Bay and hiked a little to stretch our legs after our long treks in the car.
We also put together a pitcher or two of Sangria to ferment for the next day.

On Saturday we went over to Peninsula State Park for a great bike ride from Fish Creek, past the Eagle Cliff Lighthouse, to Nicolette Bay and back. It worked up our appetites. We unwound with a few games of Pinochle and our pitcher of Sangria. After that we headed for Mass followed by our traditional dinner at the English Inn. The Inn is quite pricey, but every month when we play pinochle, we put a few dollars into a kitty which pays for an occasional dinner out. We saved a little longer for this one, so we went overboard and still had some cash left for Sunday breakfast.

Sunday we got started early to catch the ferry to Washington Island. After buying our tickets for the ferry we had a lovely breakfast at Northport Pier Restaurant across the street from the ferry with a great view of Lake Michigan. On the ferry we continued our Pinochle marathon until we reached the Island and looked for a place with picnic tables where we could play a few rounds of Pinochle.

We took off on our bikes (which we took with us on the ferry) in search of a lookout tower which had a picnic table beneath it. So before we sat to play we climbed the tower to a magnificent view. 177 steps plus a hill in the middle. Yes, I counted them all.

Then it was lunch time so we went in search of an Irish Pub only to find out it was closed, so we biked a few miles further and found a bar which sold food. There are not a lot of choices on the island but what there is is usually good.

We got back to the ferry and discovered we were really glad we had our bikes instead of a car. The car line was blocks long and ultimately the end of the line had to wait for the next ferry.

Once home and tired we were so glad that we had a pot roast ready in the crock pot for dinner. Did I mention that we had another pitcher of Sangria waiting also? We discovered that you can make quite a nice Sangria out of Riesling wine. That night we had a campfire and shared more stories.

Monday morning, before out company left we had a reservation to golf at Peninsula State Park. What a beautiful course. Several holes were overlooking the Lake with craggy shores. One hole had such a steep decline that Don lost control of the cart on the downhill. I'm not sure what happened because I closed my eyes when I thought we were going to crash and when I opened them Don was nowhere to be seen and the cart was still moving, albeit slowly. We had a light lunch at Julie's Cafe in Fish Creek before returning to camp. The friends headed for home and we stayed over until Tuesday to avoid putting Bertha back in storage before heading out the next day to meet some other great friends at Marseilles, IL.

Don dropped me off at home so I could golf on Wed. He headed out to our campsite on the Illinois River at Marseilles where I  would drive out with friends the next day to meet up with him.

 The campground is on the Illinois River a short way down from the locks. We always manage to get a sight overlooking the river where we can watch the barges pass by. Don loves to ride our bikes down to the locks and watch the boats go through. I guess he also likes to watch the grass grow and paint to dry.

The neat thing there was a tribute to the service people who have died in Mideast conflict. There is an oak tree planted for each person from Illinois who died. There is a heart wrenching quote which I wish I had copied verbatim. It goes to the effect that these trees stand to protect the ground beneath them just as those who died stood to protect our country.

This campground is on part of the I & M Canal bike trail. We biked from Marseilles to Ottawa. The town of Ottawa is the sight of the first Lincoln Douglas debate and there is a beautiful park in the center of town commemorating the event. Everyone in the town is so welcoming. There was a lady doing the gardening in the park. She gave us the whole story of the park creation and a lot more facts about Ottawa than one needs to know.  We walked down a block to the Beehive restaurant and what do you know?  She was standing there to explain to us the people included in the wall mural on the side of the building. That was spooky. No one saw where she came from.

I was up early in the morning and noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise so I threw on a pair of shoes and walked down to a clearing to try to capture it in a picture.

I also had an opportunity to indulge my newest passion, kayaking on the river. Thank goodness for friends who buy these toys and love to share.

There is no greater joy than to mellow out around a campfire with good friends, good conservation and a few laughs.