From my favorite Guest Blogger…Mom
Well, as the ‘preferred’ guest blogger… I am excited to share our final day in Door County.
Let me just say that after one day of a 10 mile bike ride and two hour hike and another day of a 24 mile hilly bike ride, I didn’t know if I was up for a ‘challenging’ trail…the Eagle Trail in Peninsula State Park. Darling Daughter (DD) was quite the enthusiastic hike leader promoting the next days adventure… while I was quietly sipping my Spotted Cow and feeling mellow.
I have just realized that this is the year that I am double my daughter’s age… hrrrrmph, she is 31 and so I am………………. twice that. again, hrrrrrrmmmph!
But back to the hike… we were up early and drove into the park as the trail begins at the far side.
The weather was perfect, the sky an amazing blue and the trail deserted. We saw only one other hiker and his adorable dog. We climbed down and along the rock face and then clambered back up for a total of about 2 miles.
The majesty of the towering cliffs was awesome. I was intrigued throughout the weekend by the tenacity of the trees and plants as they cling to life on a rock face. The roots wind and weave intricate patterns as they search for a toe hold.
It is easy to understand how the storms and winds can overturn and uproot an entire tree and root system. The root designs are works of art.
And then there are the cliffs… created in strata over millions of years, heaved into the air by glaciers and now slowly crumbling as the wind and water do their work. We saw trickle waterfalls, mini caves and amazing flowers growing in the rocks.
The trail was well marked, the park is the first Wisconsin State Park, created in 1909. Much of the land was already farm fields and in some cases the land was acquired with the landowners retaining lifetime rites. The last of these expired in 1964. As a nation, we owe a debt to the visionaries who created such beautiful public spaces for all to share.
We ended at the tower… while I felt strong, another tower was just not in my happy place, so I stayed ground level while Jen climbed.. We watched the eagles soar, twist and dive.. an amazing sight and then made our way back to our room.. to check out and begin the journey home..
The 4 hour drive took 8 fun-filled hours as we stopped at all of our favorite shops and markets, and a few new ones, on the way out of Door County. I think there is a tale of a squash coming soon to this blog to end the adventure…
Are you a Door County Regular or is Door County on your bucket list?
Thanks Mom for going on one last hike!
It was a fantastic way to end our trip!
