August 23rd thru August 26th

Josh and Carol work really hard from May through September.  June, July and August are the busiest. They have no employees so the two of them are responsible for everything, from being accessible in the office to cleaning restrooms and everything in between.  They have 67 acres to take care of, a big job.

Josh took us on a tour of the grounds and we were amazed.  There are lots of trees, cedars, elms, maples and others and most of the campsites are snuggled in amongst the trees.  There is a nice pool surrounded by playground equipment for the kids.  Josh pumps water from a 350 foot well to the top of the property and he has made a small creek that feeds into 3 trout ponds.  He frequently restocks it with trout.  The kids love the trout ponds.  Every morning you can see kids of all ages fishing in one of these ponds.

They have many families that return year after year.  Josh and Carol know everybody by name.  Their hard work is paying off as their clientele is growing.

Josh, Lily and Isa took us to the beach on the Lake Michigan side.  We kayaked a little, swam a little, the water temp was about 70, and basically had a great afternoon at the beach.

Friday Diane and I ventured down to the Door County Brewery in Bailey’s Harbor.  Bailey’s harbor is on the Lake Michigan side of the Door Peninsula. There was a little rain that day so at first we sat inside but it seemed to us that the AC made it a little cool so when the rain stopped we went out to the warmth of their patio.  We have seen this before, where the brewery has two different brands of beers with the same brew master.  They have the Door County brand and the Hacienda brand.  The Door County beers were a milder choice while the Hacienda beers were more to our liking. We had a couple rounds of beer, a soft pretzel and bought some t-shirts.  We had a very nice afternoon.

Saturday some friends of Josh and Carol’s, Eric and Maryann, were coming to stay at Aqualand for a treat for their kids to swim in the pool.  They also invited some of their friends for a BBQ party and along with Josh and Carol, Diane and I were invited. So about 4:30 Diane and I grabbed a bunch of beer and with Josh walked over to Eric and Maryann’s campsite, Carol would join us when the office closed at 6:00 pm.  Their campsite sits under a very large and beautiful elm tree.  A perfect setting for a party.

We met a bunch of great people, restaurant owners, lodge owners, artists, other business owners and some of them are even Dead Heads.  We each told stories from the venues where we saw this year’s Dead & Company concert.  When we were talking about our trip we received some great tips about which way to go on our way to Niagara Falls.  We will definitely take their advice.

It was beautiful to see the comradery, respect and friendship these families have for each other.  It was a very fun afternoon/night and Diane and I were glad we got to meet Josh and Carol’s friends.

Sunday it rained in the morning but cleared in early afternoon so we spent the afternoon in Sister Bay.  Sister Bay is on the Green Bay side of the Door Peninsula.  We parked at the south end of town and walked around.  Sister Bay had upgraded the marina since we were here last in 2002 for Josh and Carol’s wedding.  It seemed like the marina was full with boats of all sizes and types.  All the boats may be leaving soon as Green Bay freezes most winters.

As we were walking on the boardwalk we noticed a garter snake about 3 feet long, it was black with green stripes that ran the length of its body, slithering through the grasses at the back of the beach.  Nobody on the beach noticed so we didn’t say anything.

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant is a landmark in Sister Bay because it is built like a cabin and has a sod roof.  Sometimes there are goats on the roof trimming the grass. No goats today but we did stop at their beer garden for a couple of beers while we watched Hawaii win the Little League World Series.

We also checked out menus from most of the restaurants in town as we’re pretty sure we will be back.  Soon after we got back to Aqualand a thunderstorm blew through and it rained off and on through the night.