Finding nostalgia in Door County, Wisconsin
We had two weeks to make our way through Wisconsin and over to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We expected a state filled with farmland, cheese, ice cream, beer, and Bavarian pretzels. True, there was a lot of all of the above, but like so many states we've traveled through, the stereotypes only get us so far.
When it was recommended to us that we visit Door County, we didn't know what to expect. It's a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan, so we assumed it would be beautiful, but our week spent there gave us so much more than we could have anticipated.
First settled by several Native Indian tribes, the name of the county stems from the treacherous passage between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. The Natives depicted the channel as the "door of death," and when French settlers inhabited the land in the 1800s, they too called the county "La Porte des Morts." The soil was rocky and therefore not suitable for the farming that's found in the rest of the state. Instead, the main crops were fruit trees, namely apple and cherry. Other businesses on the peninsula were fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism.
Later in the 19th century, settlers from Germany, Scandinavia, and Iceland set up residency on the peninsula and Washington Island, a large patch of land off the northern shore. To this day, the history is celebrated, and when we visited Door County, we saw evidence of the Native history, as well as the vast European influence.
Many settlers from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark chose to live in the Upper Midwest because the landscape reminded them of home. Door County gets close to 4 feet of snow on average each winter, and when the ice thaws, the beautiful lakes beckon boats to the waters.
Our introduction to the county was the Roofing of the Goats parade, which takes place on the streets near Al Johnson's Strabbur (beer garden) and Butik (store). While we couldn't find any direct ties between this ceremony and Sweden, the goat is symbolic to the Swedes, especially around Christmas time. Other events that would be held later in the summer were even more reminiscent of Scandinavia, like the Fyr Bal Festival, which would take place on the Summer Solstice. Held in the town of Ephraim, the festival includes art and craft stands, food, music, and dancing, but the main event is the bonfire, which signifies the start of the summer season. These types of celebrations are common in northern Europe, as it's customary to embrace the changing of the seasons. After all, each season is quite distinct from the next.
I am half-Swedish on my father's side and grew up very close to my paternal grandparents, who helped raise me and my brother. My grandmother was the matriarch of the family, and some of my favorite childhood memories are sitting in her dining room playing Dutch Blitz and dominoes with my aunt and cousins after a delicious Sunday dinner. Christmas time was always extra special. Gram would adorn her house with Swedish decorations, including an entire village of tomtes. We would spend Christmas Eve at her sister, my great Aunt Margaret's house. After they passed, the family traditions have changed over time, but we hold our memories dear. There is no doubt that Christmas Eve has bonded all of us who were blessed enough to experience it. This is why we return to Massachusetts each year for Christmas and brave winter camping for the month of December. On Christmas Eve, we have a simple and intimate celebration at my aunt and uncle's house, not unlike how we used to gather as a post-celebration after Aunt Margaret's. These years, we don't stress about what food to cook. We order pizza and bake desserts. We don't exchange presents, but instead do a Yankee Swap. We keep the celebration about family and about the true meaning of Christmas, not the commercialized version.
I didn't know it at the time, but I grew up embodying the concept of Hygge (pronounced 'HOO-guh'). It's a Danish term that refers to the coziness and comfort that is prioritized in the Scandinavian countries. The concept centers around the peacefulness and wellbeing that can be garnered by embracing little, special moments. This can be having a warm meal or lighting a fire. It can be gathering with friends and family. It can be snuggling up under a blanket with a book. Hygge can be practiced year-round, but it's especially fitting in wintertime, when the days are short and the weather is cold, because in Scandinavian culture, all seasons are to be embraced. Being warm and cozy inside while the outside is cold and rainy or snowy – that is the ultimate depiction of hygge.
I learned of the term when I began incorporating mindfulness into my career as a therapeutic harpist and meditation teacher. In New England, we certainly have many seasonal opportunities to practice hygge. Mindfulness is a big component, because we actively engage with our surroundings, thoughtfully accepting them and finding joy within them. This idea has lent itself to our RV life quite nicely as well. We have even mentioned hygge in our blog a couple of times, like on a stormy day when we are safe inside or having a comforting meal.
Teaching "hygge" during the pandemic
Our RV Life Mission has always included Hygge!
After the goat parade, we walked around to a few of the shops in downtown Sister Bay. Let's first note that it was dreary and rainy that morning, but the parade brought so many smiles to the community. Hygge. But, entering these shops, I felt a tug at my heart. One store was filled with adorable handcrafted, artisan gifts relating to mindfulness. Another sold lavender products, made from lavender harvested on Washington Island, and the lavender and chamomile scent brought me right back to my childhood. I still can't place the scent, but it was so comforting that I ended up buying lotion, body wash, and hand soap.
We didn't go to Al Johnson's Butik until the following day because it was so crowded during the festival, but walking in, I was greeted by shelves upon shelves of Swedish items: Painted Dala horses, carved cutting boards, candle holders, oven mitts, and little games. My childhood came flooding back to me. So many of the items I recognized from my grandmother's house, but back when I was little, I didn't know what they were or what their significance was. I found myself getting teary-eyed in the middle of the gift shop, missing Gram, missing the old days, and wondering how emotional I'd be if I actually traveled to Sweden, which was getting higher and higher on my bucket list by the minute.
I picked up a book called "American Cozy," in which the author discusses incorporating an Americanized version of hygge into our routines. The cashier, in her Swedish accent, held up the book and asked, "Is this for you?" I think she was wondering if I knew about hygge, so I told her about how I incorporate it into my harp-guided meditations and how I love to buy books to read excerpts during my meditations. She and the other cashiers loved the idea. I'm not sure if their reaction was more because they thought harp-guided hygge meditations sounded amazing, or if they were just impressed that I was pronouncing the word correctly. Either way, I felt proud that I showed an adequate understanding of the concept.
After that, my eyes were open to spot little bits of Scandinavia. Many of the cottages had Swedish and Norwegian names. Lawns were decorated with gnomes. A resort called Little Sweden looked like it had been plucked out of the homeland and placed in Door County. We learned that it used to be the only ski resort in the county, but now it's a very hilly golf course. We went to Peninsula State Park for a hike, and as we were walking the observation tower, overheard two visitors say something to each other that we believe was in Danish. We had no idea what they said, but evidently the group in front of us did, because they all started talking in the same language.
In our travels, we have been to towns that are renowned as having specific European influences, like Helen, Georgia for German influence and Tarpon Springs, Florida for Greek influence. Here though, I got the influence that I didn't know I so desperately needed. I had gotten back in touch with my childhood in a place I had never been before.
We had hoped to take a lighthouse sail for the Spring Lighthouse Festival, but it was canceled due to dangerous conditions in the water. We did, however, sign up for a lighthouse trolley tour at the end of the week. Our guide was originally from Connecticut, and when he found out we were from Massachusetts, told us "Welcome home." He was referring to the similarities between Door County and Puritan-settled New England. Particularly in the town of Ephraim, where we could see the conservative architecture and learned that for a long time, houses and buildings could only be painted white. Now, they allow white, off-white, and gray. The town is built on a hill overlooking the bay, and as we rode up from the south, we could see two church steeples peering over the rest of the town. Ephraim was also a dry town until recently, and even to this day they do not sell hard liquor. Beyond the historical correlations between Ephraim and Massachusetts, we felt a lot of nostalgia for our home as we ventured along the peninsula. We talked about the lakefront communities and how they reminded us of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire or lake towns up in Maine. We had a nice conversation with a woman named Nancy, who was volunteering at the Cana Island Lighthouse, and she mentioned the similarities of Door County and Cape Cod. There was a lot of truth there, but we were just happy that Door County had a lot less traffic!
We're sure that the nostalgia made our visit to Door County more meaningful, but nostalgia or not, we had the most enjoyable time. With all the events, festivals, shops, restaurants, and activities, we never had a shortage of things to do. We narrowed our excursions down to prioritize outdoor time and lake vibes.
Hiking at Newport State Park
We were staying on the bay side of the peninsula, but we wanted to take at least one hike on the shores of Lake Michigan. We chose the Rowleys Bay Trail at Newport State Park. This loop trail meandered through the woods and then along Rowleys Bay in Lake Michigan. The lake views were beautiful, but we were most taken by the gorgeous array of flowers in bloom. We happened to catch the yellow lady's slippers during their bloom, which only lasts a week or two. We couldn't have timed it better if we wanted to!
Hiking and Observation Tower at Peninsula State Park
Peninsula State Park was the county's first state park, and it is absolutely massive, at 3,776 acres and 8 miles of coastline along Green Bay. It's the third-largest state park in Wisconsin and boasts tons of hiking and biking trails, campgrounds, a lighthouse, and a golf course. We hiked the Eagle Trail, which took us from a lookout on Eagle Bluff down to the shores of the bay. Then we went to the Observation Tower, a relatively new construction after the old tower was torn down due to disrepair. After the community rallied to have the new tower built, this one didn't disappoint. It's handicapped-accessible and offers stunning views of the water.
We ended our time at the park driving over to see the lighthouse, and then walking a couple miles of the Sunset Trail, a walking and biking trail that runs around the campgrounds.
Ebike Ride to Door County Creamery and Ellison Bluff State Natural Area
The lady at the campground office told us how to reach downtown by way of back roads, so we could avoid heavier trafficked routes. The back roads led right to Door County Creamery, so we thought it would be the perfect inaugural ebike ride of our season, to head over and have a little ice cream picnic. We got a couple of waffle cones (mine included Death's Door Chocolate, paying homage to the dangerous channel that is the reason for the county's name today). The bike ride was so pleasant that we decided to keep going after ice cream. We headed back toward the campground, but instead of turning we continued, over to Ellison Bluff. Topographically, the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula is a more gradual slope to the waters. The Green Bay side has lots of rocky bluffs and cliffs. We had heard that Ellison Bluff is an amazing place to watch the sunset because it has an observation deck right on the cliff. We'd be too early for sunset, but we figured we would check it out. We ended up walking the 1-mile loop trail and taking some pictures from the observation deck. We made plans to head back for sunset before the end of the week.
Lighthouse Tour by Door County Trolley Co.
We made up for our canceled lighthouse sail by booking a trolley tour, which runs a few times a week. It's a 4.5-hour tour that visits 3 lighthouses. Included is a tour of each lighthouse and a picnic lunch. We first went to Eagle Bluff Lighthouse at Peninsula State Park. We had already seen the outside on our trip to the park, but we refrained from taking a tour because we knew it was included with our trolley ride. The lighthouse is currently being restored, but we still got to see where the keeper lived with his family - 7 boys! - and learned about the history of the light. I was most interested to learn that the sons all played instruments and had a band. They would play gigs all around town, and that included transporting their only piano. They would need to remove the piano legs and lift the rest of it out the window. I don't think I'll ever complain about transporting my harps again.
The next stop was the Bailey's Harbor Range Light. This lighthouse is situated in the woods because it does not need to shine onto the harbor. The range light shines just enough to indicate to boaters which direction they are coming ashore. It works in conjunction with another lighthouse that's closer to the water. We took a tour of the upper range light and also got to walk the boardwalk down to the lower range light.
The finale of our tour was Cana Island. The island is connected to shore by a causeway, and we had the choice to either walk over or take a tractor-drawn wagon. There, we had our lunch at the picnic tables and then got to explore the grounds and the lighthouse. This was the only lighthouse that allowed us access to a catwalk. 97 steps on a spiral staircase led us to the beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the field below. The Cana Island Light is electrified now, but it's been running continuously for over 150 years. It serves to alert boaters of the rocky ledges surrounding the island. We visited on a clear day and could see the ledges through the water.
The grounds of the island have a couple of exhibits explaining the history of the lighthouse and the various materials it was lit with over the decades.
Farm Markets
There is no shortage of a good farm market in Door County, selling all kinds of fruit-inspired goodies. Cherry harvesting season was fast approaching, but we were a little early. Still, we found some wonderful cherry treats like cherry pecan bread, no-sugar jams, and cherry black tea. Wisconsin, like its cherry-producing neighbor Michigan, is known for tart cherries, as opposed to the sweet cherries grown in Washington.
Sunset at Ellison Bluff
Keeping the promise to ourselves, on our last night in Door County, we made our way back to Ellison Bluff for sunset. We took Tanner for the loop walk and then went over to the observation deck. Lots of people were there to see the sunset. We had just enough clouds on the horizon to scatter the light into vivid colors, but the rest of the sky was clear. Seeing the reflections in the water and the gulls flying into the light was nothing short of spectacular. It was the perfect way to cap off our stay.
When we tell stories of our RV travels, we usually recap our adventures or finding hidden gems in local areas. These are clearly big parts of the travel life, but something we seldom explain is when we find a place that falls into the list of, "we could live here." It comes up occasionally in the RV community, because some full-timers travel specifically to find where they want to settle down. Others, who are content with the nomadic life, often say "if we settled down, we could imagine doing it here." We already knew where we'd want to settle in our next chapter of life before we started RVing. In fact, one of our fellow trolley tourists asked us, "So at this point you've been pretty much everywhere, but you still want to settle in NH?" Yes, and that's not likely to change. But once in a while, we come across an area where we say, "Wow, if circumstances were different, we could see us living here." "Circumstances," usually referring to if our friends and family weren't in New England. We did not expect to feel this way about Wisconsin, but Door County especially had the perfect blend of New England familiarity and Midwest hospitality. That to us is an unbeatable combination.
But no, we are not planning to make Door County our forever home. We're just happy that we found another place that feels homey to us. Now when we travel through the Midwest, we know where we can stop to feel comfort and security, or "hygge," if you will.
