Life update: I accepted a job offer!! I start tomorrow at National Decision Support Company here in Madison as a Customer Support Specialist. I'm pretty excited about it! So to celebrate our last few days before we're both working we decided to have a long relaxing weekend in Door County.
For those that don't know, Door County is the peninsula here in Wisconsin that juts out into Lake Michigan. It's a popular tourist spot in the summer as it's full of quaint little harbor towns with lots of water and hiking activities. We've visited several times, and although it's definitely more exciting in the summer, this was our second winter visit. A lot of shops and restaurants are closed for the season, but it's kind of nice to visit when it's not crowded. We rented a cabin in Egg Harbor and it was just what we were looking for: quiet and relaxing (and dog friendly!).
We arrived around noon on Friday and we first stretched our legs by walking the mile-long track around their 200-acres. It was a great walk and perfect for walking Luna. There was quite a bit of snow though and when we first started walking the snow was so deep it was up to our knees. We almost gave up and turned in, but we tried going in another direction and found that most of the path was packed down and easy to walk on. It was a beautiful walk through the woods, especially with the snow on the ground.
Then we left Luna for a bit to explore what was open in Egg Harbor. Less than a mile from our cabin was a maple place, which was convenient since I had just realized we had brought pancake mix but forgot our syrup! So we stopped by and got some real maple syrup, delicious! Then maybe two miles up the road we found a cheese place and a wine place right next to each other, both with free tastings. What a great idea to have those together! We started with the cheese at Wisconsin Cheese Masters and we loved each one they gave us, so we walked out with a few of those. Then we were also very impressed with the wine at Harbor Ridge Winery and walked out with some of those as well. Successful outing!
For dinner that evening we decided to try a traditional Door County fish boil, so we went to the most well-known place- White Gull Inn. I was a bit skeptical since I've only recently started liking fish, but it was really good! Plus it was a fun experience. We got to watch how they prepared it while they told the story of how this became a traditional local meal. They boil a huge pot full of white fish and potatoes and a pinch (more like a bucket full!) of salt over a roaring fire. Then when it's about done they throw some kerosene on the fire to cause the "boil over", which is when the water literally boils over and gets rid of the fish oils that had collected on top of the water (video in album linked on the right). They served it with lemon, melted butter, coleslaw, and bread. It was delicious! Dessert was famous Door County cherry pie with vanilla ice cream.
Just adding a "pinch" of salt!
After breakfast Saturday we went to Peninsula State Park for some hiking. Unfortunately a lot of the trails were unwalkable because of the snow and ice, but we were pointed to one that was just shy of 3 miles through the woods and it was really nice. It was a beautiful day- clear, sunny, no wind, and upper 30s. We got there early so there weren't many other people around but by the time we were leaving it was starting to get busy!
Right outside the park is our favorite wood fired pizza place, Wild Tomato, so we grabbed one on the way back to the cabin. Then the afternoon was spent curled up on the couch with a fire crackling in our wood stove. We also tried out the huge hot tub in our room which was super relaxing. It was exactly what I wanted before starting a new job!
So tomorrow my year of unemployment adventures ends!! I can't believe it's been a year; what a whirlwind it's been! Thanks to everyone who has followed along on our journey!
