WISCONSIN COAST OF LAKE MICHIGAN - PART 1 - WASHINGTON ISLAND AND KEWAUNEE

Beaver Island, or St. James, Michigan, would be our last stop in Michigan.  Originally, when we left Beaver Island, we were not sure if this would be the case, but the weather was perfect for the long crossing.  We could have ditched and headed north only 35 miles to Manistique.  However, we decided to run the 76 miles all the way across the northern part of Lake Michigan and make landfall at Washington Island.

Leaving Beaver Island

We anchored for the night in Washington Harbor.  It is a very deep inlet with beautiful trees on both sides.  It is certainly getting to be fall as is evidenced by the changing colors of the trees.  I have never actually witnessed the changing colors like this before.  I have only seen it in puzzles or in pictures.  I am here to tell you, however, that it is truly spectacular. 

You can start to see just the tops of some of the islands that make up the upper part of the Door Penninsula.  Nice water.

Fall is just about here.  There is a chill in the air as temperatures are now in the 50-60's during the day and dropping into the mid 40's at night.  We actually used the fire place last night.  That was great.  It sure smelled good. 

Washington Island

Unfortunately, this anchorage is very rolly when the wind, even relatively light, has any northerly component to it.  When we went to sleep it was flat as a pancake.  By 0230, however, we were rockin' and a rollin'.  Not a very comfortable night, but nothing we haven't seen before on the California coast where rockin' and rollin' all night long is virtually a given (sometimes it is better than others, but I'm just sayin'). 

Not too clear, but you can see the colors of the trees starting to take on those fall hues.

Anyways, I thought I'd bang out a little blog work before I wake Brenda up with the generator to make coffee.  Then, I think we'll pull the hook and head out of here.  The water is calming down some and the sooner we are headed south, the sooner this northerly bump will be on our stern.  We are heading for Sturgeon Canal today.  That should be interesting.  We'll head out and around the corner of Washington Harbor to the Northwest and then gibe and head southwest through Port des Morts, and then back out onto Lake Michigan for a few miles in the lee of the Door Penninsula before we turn right and head into the canal. 

More later.

We definitely got the northerly swell on our stern and rocketed down through Port des Morts (Death's Door) and then back out onto Lake Michigan heading south.  Once we got off Green Bay, the water smoothed out nicely.  There was this strange 4-5' roller, though, that seemed to be coming from wind far to the north.  It didn't really bother us as we turned down with it.  It was just an interesting thing to notice. 

It rained almost all day.  As we were getting closer to our planned destination at Sturgeon, we happened to be checking the weather.  Our conditions, which were quite nice, as a matter of fact, would be deteriorating by midnight, and then would be crap for the next few days.  So, what we decided to do, was take advantage of the nice weather, and pushed another 4 hours down to a place called Kewaunee, Wisconsin.  The cruising guides said nice things about Kewaunee and we decided we should make up the distance while we have the good weather.  For the last few weeks, it seems like we have 2-3 good travel days, followed by 3-4 days of no-travel days.  If ths continues, we should make the south end of Lake Michigan by the end of the first week in October if not a little sooner.  The further south we get, the better and more consistent the weather gets.  I, personally, will miss northern Lake Michigan.  It is spectacular up there and someplace I would enjoy visiting again, only the next time, in more detail.  Nevertheless, we are on a mission. 

The photographs never really show just how nasty the waters of Lake Michigan had become.  Needless to say......we're fine.  As one reader pointed out, we certainly couldn't post blog updates from the bottom of the lake.

This is right at the end of the Port Des Morts (Death's Door) Passage.  Looks like a big headstone on a nasty looking sandpile, doesn't it?  Well, it's actually a lighthouse of sorts.  I think the headstone image is more appropriate for this day. 

Kewaunee is right on Lake Michigan.  It's about 30 miles south of Door County and about 25 miles east of Green Bay.  It is home to about 3000 folks.  It has often been referred to as Wisconsin's best kept secret.  Here is what the town's Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement states about Kewaunee, 
“In maintaining Kewaunee’s unique charm as the “Spirit of the Lakeshore”, we visualize a community which retains its historic, small city appeal while providing for measured economic growth where citizens can enjoy its exceptional lakefront, recreational and spiritual benefits of a dynamic, fulfilling community life and in so doing, confirming the need to provide residents with a safe and attractive community where ample opportunities exist to live, work and play”.  So far, so good.  Unfortunately, this plan to "Boom" was written before the economy went "Kaboom."

Kewaunee was incorporated as a village in 1873 and as a city in 1883.  Kewaunee first developed as a lumber town. Its proximity to northern forests and excellent transportation connections made it a prime location for sawmills and furniture factories. Kewaunee's natural harbor was a major factor in the development of the early settlement. The town is very proud of its maritime and ethnic heritage.  Here's an interesting tidbit:  the first doctor's office in Wisconsin was opened in Kewaunee in 1874, and is still there  on Milwaukee Street. Also, the U.S.S. Pueblo, along with other World War II naval vessels, were built and launched in Kewaunee. 

Waldo has his Cheesehead on.

The real reason Kewaunee was established however, was due to gold fever.  Someone in the early 1800's proclaimed that he had discovered gold in the Kewaunee River.  Well, no gold was ever found there, but a bunch of folks came and thought they'd try.  Thus, Kewaunee was established and the story says that they never looked back.  They had originally planned to design a city to rival Chicago.  Well, I guess you can say that, sometimes even the best laid plans don't quite work out.  It's like cruising.  Plans are like letters written in the sand on a rising tide. 

Kewaunee Harbor is an easy, deep entrance between two very long breakwaters.  Then you proceed about a half mile up the Kewaunee River until you get to the Kewaunee Municipal Marina.  The Harbormaster is a guy named Charlie.  Everyone who boats in and out of Kewaunee loves this guy.  Why?  Because he gets the job done extremely well.  He is also a very friendly person and is about as laid back as you can get.  I called in from about 4 to 5 hours out to make sure they had space for us and got his voice mail.  I then called a little later and he answered.  I told him I had called earlier and wanted to know if we could get in the harbor that afternoon.  He said, "Well, I got the message and was about to call you back.  We all had got a little drunk last night and decided to take the day off and go fishing. " (Sounds like life in Hawaii, especially up the North Shore)  So, he says, "no problem, E-24.  It's an end cap with 30 amp." I told him great, and that we would see him whenever it was convenient for him; that the weather was getting nasty and that we'd be going nowhere.  Then I called back again because I realized that I hadn't a clue as to the cost.  He said, "Well, you sound like a nice guy so we'll only charge you a buck and a quarter a foot. We ususally get a buck fifty."  Then he says, "On one condition, you give me a tour of your boat.  I love trawlers."  Of course he is most welcome.

So, we got in to Kewaunee and got tied up.  We then found The Waterfront which is the-on premises bar and grill.  I'm impressed.  We threw back a cheeseburger, several beers, and several wines and the bill rolled out to around $30.  That was the least I have spent on a full evening in a bar in over 5000 miles.  And, the food was good and the beer served in frosty mugs.  We had a nice time there and vowed to go back the following day to watch the Packers play the Bears.


So, two 9 hour travel days in a row separated by a lousy night at anchor, and we were ready for some rack time.

In the morning, we got up sort of early and took a hike through town.  There is not a whole lot of downtown Kewaunee, but what is there is pretty cool.  Unfortunately, it looks like this town, and its history of ship building, is pretty broken down economically.  Most of the businesses are closed and the doors boarded up.  However, in fairness, it was Sunday, and it was raining again, all day long.  So, we'll try it again on Monday (today) and see if more is happening.  Either way, we found a great coffee shop a short walk from the harbor. 

We then walked out along the waterfront and saw just how nasty Lake Michigan had become.  The waves were 6-8 feet and were coming over the top of the breakwater.  The water looked dark and grey.  Definitely no place for man or beast.  Even the birds were down.  It was very windy and cold.  Then of course, it started raining......again.  So we hightailed it back to the boat and dried out some before going to watch the football game at TheWaterfront.

We thought it was going to be quite crowded, but it wasn't.  Perhaps there were other places where folks went to watch the Packers.  So, we ended up getting there a little early as we wanted to make sure we got a decent table.  Not a problem.  Just before the end of the first quarter, some folks come into the place with pots and trays loaded up with food.  Then the waitress said to us to feel free to join in the feast, help ourselves, etc.  So we did.  The ham prepared by the owner's wife was sublime, along with this great bread.  There were baskets of chips, and other stuff as well.  There was no shortage of food.  Folks eat and party well here.  I like it.

Once the game ended, we made our way back to the boat.  It was an early evening.  We'll see what today holds as the weather is foretold to be pure snot.  It's supposed to get nice, so we can leave here tomorrow to continue heading south.  I'd like to check out the town's historic district.

 We got a few boat chores done today since it has been raining non stop.  Finally, around 3:30 in the afternoon, it stopped and so we took off for a walk.  We went back into town to take a closer look.  It really is a cool little town.  We stopped in for a drink at a place called the Blue Door Sports Bar.  We met the owner.  She and her husband moved up here from Chicago because they decided the did not want to have their three kids going to school in at a place where they had to walk through metal detectors every morning.  It turns out, his grandmother lives up here, so they and their kids packed up and left Chicago to live near his grandmother and to raise their kids in a small town.  Really, it is only a half hour from Green Bay, but it is certainly not Chicago.

She worked at a number of local establishments until one day she decided she wanted to do something on her own.  Having always tended bar, she knew something about the business and did not find it that hard to find a local bank that would loan her the money she needed to open a local small town bar.  Eventually, she got the loan and then called her younger sister who also lived in Chicago and offered her a partnership in the business.  While her sister had no capital to invest, she did agree to help out with the kids when she was not working, and it was agreed.  So, these two girls run their own bar with no "male" help.  However, her husband, a local carpinter, did all the finish carpentry to make the empty space into a very cool place. 

We hung out at the Blue Door for a little while and had the pleasure of speaking with a few more of the locals who filled us in on much in the way of local information and lore.  One guy we talked to was born and raised here, but left to attend engineering school at the U of W and then travelled the country during his career as an engineer of manufacturing machinery.  Now, he is retired and living on his family's 85 acre farm just outside of town.

We have met a lot of local folks here in Kewaunee.  These are some of the friendliest folks we have met on this trip.  They have been more than willing to talk, and to ask and answer questions.  We have been made to feel most welcome.

Today, we will leave for Sheboygan.  Hope we make it.  The weather forecast is rather unstable.  We have some options, however, so long as we keep moving south.

That's it for now.

Bye y'all.