Vacation During a Pandemic

 

    We weren’t sure what things would be like here in Door County. Would anything be open? Would everyone be scurrying around with mask covered faces? Would it be deserted? 

   It’s been interesting finding out. We decided that we were going to stay away from crowds as much as possible which may mean getting a lot of take out. We also decided to be outside as much as possible.

   Several places closed for the season early. Among them is a candy store and coffee shop where they have really good hot chocolate, a mini golf course where we like to play and Wilson’s, a hamburger place that has the best root beer. It’s so good even I will drink it and I don’t like root beer. We noticed that a custard place closed early as have a few restaurants. 

   Some restaurants and businesses are closed during the week. Some of this is because the bulk of the business occurs during the weekend. Some of it is because young people that would  normally come from overseas to work could not come this year. We've needed to pay attention to when things are open especially restaurants that we usually go to. Some of the restaurants have pared down their menus. There's one owner who has three restaurants serving various types of cuisines operating out of one central location. 

   Sadly, there are a few places that have closed for good, One of them is a store with cat things. We always stop by there for a chat with the owner and to pick up a birthday present for a fellow cat person who is a friend of mine. I had also planned to pick up a small present for Scamp there. The sign for the store is out, but the purrking lot signs are gone and the windows have paper in them. Another store that sell fair trade items is also gone.

   There are many places that are open. The place that we buy syrup from is still open. The place where I like to buy Naot shoes is still open. The hat shop is open as is the kitchen store. 

   We have done some exploring and have seen some things we have not seen before, While hiking through Peninsula State Park, we noticed that the Eagle Tower is rebuilt. In addition to the original tower  a long ramp is being built so that all people can enjoy the view from the tower. Today we hiked in Newport State Park. We hiked there about 14 years ago and didn't really like it. Two people at the bed and breakfast had mentioned what a nice place it was so we decided to give it a try. 

   Newport is  2400 acres of land that was once a thriving logging village, Once the trees had been cleared the land was left to go back to nature and a large forest has resulted. The park is very primitive. No vehicles are allowed except in the parking lots. The park is also designated as a Dark Sky Park which means that there is no light pollution from developed areas so the stars can be clearly seen.

   We walked along the shore watching the water wash against the flat rocks and takin pictures. It was quiet except for the sound of the water against the rocks. We walked through the forest looking up at the tall trees and marveling at the wonder of nature.

   It is turning out to be a nice trip.....