Day Five – Wednesday
Sloth’s cutting across Lake Michigan at Ludington versus Muskegon allowed for an additional day to cruise around the gorgeous Door County Peninsula on his own time. Normally, as event support for the Wisconsin Challenge Walk MS, Sloth is “working” while in Door County and often unable to get away to explore his surroundings independently. Now was his chance to not only visit his favorite locations in the county, but also take his sweet time doing so. Check out sloth’s montage video for more! (WARNING: movie clip is 16 minutes in length, 54k in size and requires Windows Media Player. You may either save to disc or stream from our website to view.)
Sloth left Sturgeon Bay – a little unhappily, as this was without question his favorite city thus far on the tour – and cut east toward Lake Michigan
Looking west along the human-made channel connecting Sturgeon Bay with Lake Michigan
The channel to the east with Lake Michigan in the distance
Lily Bay was new to Sloth, who generally worked to the north during the Challenge Walk MS event
The Lily Bay Community was small, to be sure… with an equally small but cozy boat launch area on Lake Michigan
A view from the Lily Bay boat launch
Lily Bay and Lake Michigan on a gorgeous September morning
Our flag flies proudly over the waters of Lake Michigan
Sloth was fascinated by the ripples in both the sand and water
You know when you’re in Wisconsin when you can feel the Badgers and Packers pride everywhere you look!
Sloth’s slow cruise along Lake Forest Park Road and County Road T resulted in a lunch break at Cave Point State Park
The rocky shore made for a good, naturalspot to lounge and eat
Props to Sonny’s Pizzeria for the tasty salad!
Rocks and pebbles everywhere…
Sloth loved these purple flowers growing straight out of the shoreline rock formations
A panoramic view of Lake Michigan from Cave Point State Park (NOTE: will open in a new window)
Within the State Park lay Cave Point County Park, which featured even larger rock formations carved out of the coast
Beautiful!
The water of Lake Michigan was crystal clear
A view down the coast to the south
To the north along the rock slabs at the water’s edge
The rocky terrain and constant erosion resulted in the baring of the local tree root systems
Sloth spotted this adorable mailbox on his way out of the park
The rest of the day was spent skirting the “Door County Coastal Byway”… ie, Route 57
Sloth was excited to revisit Kangaroo Lake, which had been featured on previous Challenge Walk MS events
Kangaroo Lake is possibly the largest of all the inland lakes in Door County, split into two parts by County Road E
A view to the south from County Road E
Meanwhile, the north end of Kangaroo Lake is fairly shallow and mostly marshland
A winged friend watches for possible prey
A panoramic view of Kangaroo Lake to the south from County Road E (NOTE: will open in a new window)
County Road E descended swiftly into Bailey’s Harbor to the east
Bailey’s Harbor is small but with some great views of Lake Michigan
An ice cream shop? How could Sloth resist?
No sorbet… but look at all of that chocolate!
We wholeheartedly agree with Yum Yum Tree’s “Diet Tip”
Case in point: this massive, handmade peanut butter cup with dark chocolate. YUUUUMMMMM!
To the northeast from Bailey’s Harbor lay Moonlight Bay, stomping grounds from previous Challenge Walk MS events
A view of the bay from the small public boat launch
Off to Cana Island, jutting off of Spike Horn Bay into the depths of Lake Michigan
Cana Island is no longer strictly an “island”, as it is now connected to the mainland by a landbridge peppered with rocks and human-made natural sculptures
How these continue to stand over the course of several years is anyone’s guess
The afternoon crept dangerously toward the evening as Sloth made his way into the Cana Island Lighthouse
The rocky path from the lighthouse to the southern coast of the tiny island
We’ll admit: the view here is pretty awesome!
The lighthouse with its lamp beacon… sadly, the tower itself was closed due to renovation work
More gravity-defying rock sculptures on the lakeshore
A bush just outside the lighthouse entrance was covered in butterflies, allowing for some great photos
Our winged friends were busy!
Pose for the camera!
The sun was getting low on the horizon by the time Sloth made it to Sister Bay to the northeast
Here on Green Bay we can finally catch a glimpse of the 20% chance of precipitation that Sloth never saw
Door County certainly seemed inviting to cyclists with its love for New Belgium beers!
A pint of Fat Tire, my good man!
