The Quiet of Door County

November is a great time to go

While most people love to head up to Door County, Wisconsin in the spring and summer months, my husband and I have spent many Thanksgiving weekends there.

We were fortunate to have a free place to stay for several years until the house we stayed in was sold. It was set back off the road and into the woods. The quietness was beautiful. Peace.

Since then, we’ve stayed in a few resorts and hotels scattered around the peninsula. The last time we went, we truly enjoyed a location in Sister Bay.

The property backs up to the bay and has a lovely walking path in the woods. We took advantage of that each day we were there. Some of it is considered private property but they allow you to walk the path anyway.

The water is visible along the whole path as well. This type of being in nature is good for the soul.

Door County peninsula is home to several lighthouses. Over the years we have explored most of them. This image is the walkway/causeway to Cana Island.

Another advantage of visiting in the off-season is no crowds. Two main two-lane roads take you from the bottom to the top and back down the other side of the peninsula. During the summer tourist season, you may be sitting in that single-lane traffic for quite some time.

Maybe it’s not ideal beach weather but we like to wander along the rocky shores when we’re the only ones there.

And yes, it can be brutally cold at the end of November. Bundle up.

It’s nice to be able to hear the waves crashing on the rocks and rolling into the shore. As Mother Nature intended, quiet.

Of course, I always (almost) have my camera on me. I love being able to find little scenes within the watery landscapes. To be able to capture the moment the wave pops up over a rock is a fun challenge.

We were fortunate to have some ice already this time. Fortunate for me, anyway, because I love to photograph ice.

As for Thanksgiving meals, our favorite place to go had an amazing buffet with the best food. We’d just hang out at the bar and spend a few hours picking our way through the buffet. Sadly, they sold and the new owners have not kept the Thanksgiving tradition going. We tried a couple of other options and settled on a bakery/cafe that makes Thanksgiving dinners to go, including pie. It’s a good alternative and we can indulge at our leisure.

We love our Thanksgiving tradition of heading up to Door County. It gives us time together to relax, reconnect and spend a few days away from the daily ‘stuff’.

I am a photographer, educator, mentor & photo tour guide.

If I have to classify my work it’s mostly fine art photography. Living about an hour outside of Chicago, I enjoy photographing architecture, traveling as much as possible and just wandering in nature with my camera are my favorite things to do.

You can find more of my work in my galleries.

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