Weekend Driving Tour to Door County

“Excursion à la porte des morts”

By Ken Bounds

On July 10, 15 V-8ers met at the Town & Country Mall in Arlington Heights for our weekend driving tour to Door County, WI.  There was a threat of rain all along our route, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm nor scare away the classic cars.  The group consisted of Ken & Carolyn Bounds – ’50 Convertible, Tom & Judy Buscaglia – ’51 Tudor, Lloyd & Gladys Duzell – ’35 Tudor, Earl & Gene Heintz – modern (thanks to an uncooperative carburetor), Joe & Nell Kozmic – ’37 Coupe, our tour organizer Joey Novak – ’40 Pickup, Dan & Diane Pudelek – ’53 Victoria, and Joe & Delice Serritella – ’50 Oldsmobile.

We headed north out of the Chicago area on secondary roads and hit some light rain around the Wisconsin state line.  In just a few miles the rain was left behind us and was no longer a part of our weekend, except for an overnight shower later that night.  As we approached Milwaukee we joined Interstates until our “traditional” lunch stop at the Lighthouse Inn on Lake Michigan in Two Rivers, WI.  The food, the service, and the view were outstanding.

After lunch we followed scenic Wisconsin Highway 42 up the peninsula to our weekend destination, the Church Hill Inn bed & breakfast in Sister Bay.  What a great place Joey selected for us to stay!  Everyone agreed that the rooms were spacious, comfortable, and nicely furnished.  The staff at the Inn was friendly and helpful.  After we unpacked our cars, we had plenty of time to unwind and enjoy great conversation in one of the many seating areas of the Inn.  This type of camaraderie is one of the things that makes the V-8 club and tours like this so worthwhile.

For dinner, we elected to try the fish fry at a classic American supper club, the Sister Bay Bowl.  A few of us decided to walk the few blocks down the hill to the restaurant to check out parking and whether our group could walk there.  The walk down was not bad, but by the time we made it back up the hill to the Inn we nearly needed defibrillators.  This town really has some hills!  It was an easy decision to drive.  The popular restaurant was packed, so we enjoyed ourselves at the bar until we could be seated.  The food was very good and served in a nice atmosphere.  After dinner a few of us enjoyed more conversation on the porch back at the Inn before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning our group gathered for a very nice buffet breakfast prepared by the Inn’s chef.  There was a nice variety which everyone seemed to enjoy, as well as attentive service by the staff.  While two couples made plans for shopping and touring on their own, the rest of our group loaded up in the V-8’s and made our way to the tip of the peninsula for our ferry crossing of “Death’s Door” to Washington Island.  History and folklore have dubbed the strait between Door Peninsula and Washington Island, littered with shipwrecks, as Death’s Door, hence the nickname of our tour, “Excursion à la porte des morts” – French for “Excursion to the door of the dead.”

Our group of 6 V-8’s arrived early for our crossing.  Coincidentally, the ferry was just pulling out as we arrived.  When he learned that our entire group was present, the ferry captain came back for us.  Now that is service!  It is always a neat sight seeing our classic cars driving on to the ferry.  In about 30 minutes we had defied death and made it safely to Washington Island.  Once on the island, our plan was simple: to just take a leisurely, meandering drive on the many miles of paved roads to see where they led us.  We stopped along the shore for a photo opportunity, then took a drive to a tower described as a scenic lookout over the island.  Because of the climb of 200 or so steps to the observation platform, only a few of us took the challenge.  As we collected our breath we all agreed that the view may not have been adequate reward for the effort.  Our drive also took us to the Jackson Harbor Maritime museum where we saw many local artifacts along with a Ford Model A equipped with snow tracks and skis.  Neat item!

While two couples went on a quest for ice cream, the remaining 7 of us stopped for lunch at Nelson’s Hall, a restaurant/pub that was built in 1899.  Carolyn and I went for a tourist tradition, joining the Bitters Club by downing a shot of Angostura Bitters.  After lunch we did a little shopping, then lined up for our ferry ride back to the peninsula.  During our wait Captain Richard Purinton, who also happens to be company president of the Washington Island Ferry Line, stopped by to take pictures of our cars.  Captain Purinton writes a blog for the Ferry Line and featured our crossing in his July 14 edition.

Our return trip through choppy waters was a bit exciting, but harmless.  Back in Door County we continued with a few shopping stops on our way back to the Inn.  We took advantage of the bright sun and cool breeze and sat out by the cars for some more conversation before breaking up to get ready for dinner.  It was about a 20-minute cruise in our V-8s to another delightful restaurant chosen by Joey, the English Inn near Fish Creek, WI.  The food and service were fantastic.  Everyone seemed to have a great time.

Every place we went over the weekend our cars were a big hit.  In the parking lot of the Inn, on the road, on the ferry to Washington Island, on our tour around the island, and in our travels through Door County.  We received countless smiles, waves, and “thumbs up” and fielded many questions about the cars.  People just love classic cars.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Sunday morning marked the beginning of our last day of the tour.  We had another delicious breakfast at the Inn, then began preparing for the trip home.  We said goodbye to Joe & Delice who decided to extend their stay another day and to Earl and Gene who traveled on their own.  The remaining V-8s hit the road for an uneventful cruise toward Green Bay, then down the Interstates through Milwaukee and into the Chicago area.  We encountered minor construction delays and were all home by early afternoon.  The V-8s performed flawlessly over the weekend.  We thank our host Joey Novak for making the arrangements for a terrific weekend of camaraderie and the enjoyment of our great cars.