Chicago...we love this city!

We could not have gotten a better view!

We kept our boat in Kenosha for two weeks while we went home to take care of Dr. visits, dentist, vet, Trader Joe's, Costco, hairdos for all three of us, and of course time spent with friends and family. We also had to make sure we filled up on some of our favorite food stops. You never know if we will be able to get some of our favorites (or at least not as good) along our trip down the river. So...we pigged out on sushi, pizza, Mexican food and more sushi!  

Katie and Julia, two of our favorite people...loved catching up! 

My PEE! This is Ben's sister but MY sister/best friend!!

My brother, Frank, nephews JP and Preston and Natalie...love my family! 

Birthday boys...our nephew Luke! 

Nieces and nephews oh my!! Hannah, Ethan and Luke...can't wait to see how much they grow in a year! 

Ben's mom and Uncle Mark who was visiting from Colorado

Luck was on our side and we were able to catch at least a pre-season Bears game. This will mark the first year in the 18yrs we have been together where we will not be going to any Bears games...sniff sniff! We have been hearing the rumblings of complaints from several die-hard fellow Bears tailgaters. Ben draws in a crowd of 20-30 people every game. We left the tailgate torch in good hands though...so we will be cheering from afar!

Train ride to the Bears game!

Our house will not be lonely while we are gone, our friend moved in a few months ago. Even better he's a bit of a neat freak (thank goodness!!!), actually more than a bit. I think the house was cleaner than when we left! I'm sure our visit home with all our boat clothes, linens and all the bags loaded with the spoils from shopping, laying around in an unorganized mess, is driving him crazy. Nice to know he is taking care of our home and even the yard! WE. LUCKED. OUT!

We finally made it to the beautiful city of Chicago! We enjoyed playing tourist and of course filling our tummies with the delicious food! We dined at the Colombia Yacht Club, Weber Grill Restaurant and The Parthenon in Greek Town. We had several visitors stop by and even ran into some old friends. We are especially spoiled since Ben's mom and sister, our friend Anu and friends Max and Samara came down to spend our last night with us! Lots of fun and laughter with this crew!!

We stopped in Waukegan on our way to Chicago to meet up with Uncle Bob, who had gifts for the Jammin Jane! Love you Uncle Bob! 

Dinner at Colombia Yacht Club...glorious views!

Dinner at Weber Grill...flowers and champagne included thanks to Uncle Bob!!

The Bean...I've finally made it to the bean!!

Sears Tower (I know its called Willis...) 

Brave Max and Samara!

I might be smiling but I'm terrified of heights! It wasn't long after this shot that I ran out of there!

We have our friend Max joining us along the first part of the river (we are taking the Calumet River to Cal-Sag Channel & Sanitary & Ship Canal to the Illinois River) to St. Louis. I am so happy to have another helping hand, plus he's done this trip numerous times delivering boats and I'm all about leaning on his knowledge with going through the locks.

He probably won't like this shot of himself, but when he changes my wallpaper on my phone with his face...payback!

We had a very emotional send-off by my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (my best friend)...hard to leave for such a long time. I'm going to miss everyone...but this trip will keep us busy and I'm sure the time will fly. So, until we return in a year (or two!) we are taking reservations along the way! 

Love these adorable people! Thank you for the proper send-off!

See ya later Chi-town!

Making our way south

We saw this tuff looking Tug on our way to Sturgeon Bay. She was built right there in Sturgeon Bay at Bay Shipbuilding. She will be pushing oil products around the Gulf Coast.

After our trip across Lake Michigan for a bit of a vacation, we stayed in Sturgeon Bay at Center Point Marina for 5 nights...by choice! We love this town, no joke! It is a lovely place that has a small town feel with offerings of a big city. While here, we hung at the pool everyday...spoiled!, we caught an outdoor concert (always love live music!), a farmers market, a massage, great indian food (Kinara Urban Eatery), 2 awesome italian meals (from the same place might I include, Dal Santo), a trip to Walmart, Target and Econo Foods! I love this town, I was shopping at Walmart for groceries and such, and then made my way to Econo Foods for our meat and ran into the same girl in both locations, she was actually in line behind me in both spots! We started chatting and ended up exchanging numbers! Never hurts to meet new people, and especially ones that have the same shopping habits! I hate to generalize but people back home (suburbs of Chicago) always seem to be in a hurry and forget the simple niceties like smiling and saying hi. I wonder if this same scenario happened at home, if the outcome would have been the same? Hmmm...

It was a pool day...EVERYDAY!

We have to leave Sturgeon Bay sometime, boo! After having a great stay at Center Pointe Marina, (This is a luxurious harbor with fabulous bathrooms, laundry facility, great boat house, outdoor fireplace, indoor and outdoor pool and hot tub, work-out facility and a great staff who really takes care of the grounds and their customers!) We love this place!

We made our way to Manitowoc from Sturgeon Bay in under 6 hours...got there just in time for the rain, thank you for waiting on us to secure ourselves! We only stayed one night as there is only one thing you need to do while in Manitowoc...take the tour of the Cobia Submarine. We did however meet a fellow couple and their dog doing the Loop, Bill and Amy and Moose the dog onboard M/V Rock Me Baby a 26ft Mainship. They are on the last leg of their journey while we are just beginning.

Our view from the boat

We hit the maritime museum...The Great Loop was represented well!

Getting ready to board the Cobia, this sub is the sister sub to Ben's grandpa served in WW11.

Watching the weather religiously, we knew a storm was coming and we were going to be stuck for a couple of days, we didn't want to be stuck without much to do. Sheboygan has a cute town with lots of restaurants and Kohler Museum. Very eclectic artsy town, we caught their large farmers market, walked the town, and ate our way (you HAVE to get your hands on Miesfeld's brats...the best ever!!!) while staying for a couple days.

Our view while dining at the Sheboygan Yacht Club

Awesome farmers market...we loaded up!

Neat old building with a boat hanging out of it

Kohler museum bathroom

Would LOVE to see more of these gardens

Next stop, Milwaukee! We stayed at the Milwaukee Yacht Club. We had a bit of a ruff go as we arrived here, they do not have cleats (no one mentioned that to us) on their docks small rings on the sides of the docks, and of course no one was able to help us dock. In true Ben fashion, he landed the boat no problem, it was me who didn't know what to do with the lines so it was a bit hairy for a minute until Ben helped get the lines secure. Lesson learned, now I will know what to do if I don't see cleats!
We loved Milwaukee! We spent our day at the pool catching some sun. We ran into a couple people at the outdoor Tiki bar that we know and enjoyed a great dinner at the yacht club. But we enjoyed our after dinner drinks with new friends Chris and Brian aboard Stallis Palace even more. Always wonderful to meet new people, thanks to our friend Max!

darn hiddnen rings, I wasn't expecting you!

Enjoying our view!

Dinner with Steve (we met in Sturgeon Bay)

After-party with Chris and Brian complete with club lights and a disco ball

Our final stop before we head south for good is Kenosha. We live fairly close and have to get all our dr visits complete before we leave for a year or more, since we have friends in this harbor we decided to stay here for a couple weeks. This is a very large, secure harbor that we felt comfortable leaving Jammin Jane while we spend time on land...boo!

It was a reunion of sorts as we were able to meet up with old friends and our old boat. Our friends, now own our boat and have been enjoying her. It is comforting knowing our old boat is being loved as much as we loved her! 

We got to the harbor in time to hit their amazing farmers market, got our fill of pizza and had to stop at Frank's Diner (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives:Food Network) for breakfast. It was a experience for sure. They have you wait in a line and you better pay attention to the orders or they will yell at you! Breakfast was delicious!

Our slip for a couple weeks... 

Our old boat...Ben painted her

Our old friends, John and Stacey

Frank's Diner

We will be moving the boat to Chicago before we hit the river! woo woo! Love the city!!!

Ahhh...Door County

We left our slip in Door County (DC) early August, what I didn't expect was that it was pretty emotional for me. We have special friends and family in our harbor which made it difficult to say goodbye "see you next year". We also have been spoiled with, in my opinion, the best sunset views around. DC has landed in my heart which is why I thought I would share a little bit about the wonderful place we spend our summers. Door County, the largest county in Wisconsin, really is a peninsula with Green Bay to the West shore, Lake Michigan on its east side and "Death's Door" (where the waters of Green Bay meet Lake Michigan, this cut is called death's door. Traditionally this was a dangerous passage with many shipwrecks to confirm this) to the North. DC has close to 300 miles of gorgeous shoreline views making this a very popular vacation spot as well as a tourist mecca. The year round population is around 28,000 people but explodes close to 250,000 people from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We can't seem to get enough of this beautiful place and hope you come check it out for yourself. There is a bit of something for everyone. If you are a history buff, outdoorsman, professional shopper, boater, jet skier, kayaker, art and theatre lover, biker/hiker/camper, self described foodie or one who is looking to experience a stunning setting while relaxing, DC holds the key. With so much beauty to see, DC has become one of my favorite places. I love to wake up feeling the wind off the bay and the sound of the waves and ending the day soaking up the breathtaking sunset views. Door County has been referred to as "The Cape Cod of the Midwest" having charming old villages, peaceful harbors and fantastic beaches all without one chain store in sight!

Sturgeon Bay is the southern boundary of DC. It is an old boating town, with many things to do that include a stop at the Maritime Museum where you can board a tug boat to petting the animals at The Farm. If this doesn't interest you, how about some shopping in the cute downtown area or a sample of some local wine at the Simon Creek Vineyard. Our favorite places to eat include: Kinara Urban Eatery for a bit of Indian flair or a scrumptious Boar's Head sandwich. Looking for a great prime rib or a tasty perch fish fry? Try The Nightingale Supper Club, this is old school supper club...great food! Looking for some wonderful Northern Italian food, try Dal Santo which is located downtown. We loved their lamb shank and the walleye.

Heading north towards Egg Harbor and Baileys Harbor you will see what DC is all about with apple orchards, farms and the gorgeous views of the water. Check out Alpine Beach in Egg Harbor,  I hear it is a quaint beach with lodging, great place for kids. If you are into theatre, Bailey's harbor has this. Door Shakespeare offers plays outside during the summer months. Or visit Cana Island Lighthouse, it is a working lighthouse and you can climb the 97 steps to the top! Pack the SUV with some snacks, pillows, blankets and catch a movie at the outdoor Skyway Drive-in Theatre in Fish Creek.

Next stop... Ephraim! You should take a drive through Peninsula State Park, check out the light houses and the gorgeous views of the bay. You have to stop at Wilson's Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor for some delicious ice cream (huge scoops too!) and a hidden jelly bean! This is a Do Not miss spot! If you have not experienced a "Fish Boil" try the Old Post Office Restaurant, I hear it's a good one. They also serve a great breakfast. Show off your putting skills at The Red Putter. Stop at Jo Jo's Pizzeria for some amazing gelato (I luuuuuve ice cream but have become a bit obsessed with gelato recently...because of this place). Visit Anderson Dock and put your John Hancock on the building, great water views of Peninsula Park/Eagle Tower and Horseshoe Island. The sunsets here are breathtaking, you can almost here the sun sizzle as it dips into the water! 

Head into Sister Bay going north on Route 42 where you will see a bit of everything! Food, bars, shopping, goats on roof tops (Al Johnson's), go-carts, put-put golf and ICE CREAM, yay!! We like Chop for a great steak that someone else prepares and cleans up! Enjoy Fred & Fuzzy's for an outdoor lunch overlooking the bay and rum punch to knock you out! Sister Bay Bowl is pretty much our go-to spot. We love Wednesday night corn beef and cabbage. Any other night, broasted chicken, fish fry and prime rib are all yummy.

Ellison Bay has a great market called Seaquist Orchards. Spend some time in here shopping for all the DC goods: Uncle Tom's pancake mix, Door County mustard, fresh apples, the baked goods are irresistible, fresh cherry juice and loads of mixes from soups to dips to desserts...stock your shelves (I have to make sure we are stocked with this pancake mix and mustard)! The drive north is always an annual drive for us, we make our final stop at Gills Rock and pick up a sweatshirt/t-shirt at the little shop near the ferry. There is a great restaurant called Shoreline that has a neat bar and overlooks the bay. If you ever find yourself here, make sure you take a picture with one of the huge anchors you will find on the lawn. Our friend found those at the bottom of the bay back in the late 1950's and used 5 gallon drums to float them to the top. Pretty neat!!

These stops are only a fraction of what DC has to offer, I'm probably not doing it much justice as we are on our boat most of the time. When we have guests we usually spend one day on land and these are some of the wonderful places we like to take them. Otherwise you will find us on our boat, or at the end of the dock with drinks in hand, grill going, appetizers being devoured, smiles plastered to our faces and gorgeous views for all to enjoy!!

                                     

Ben enjoying Wilson's (we were the first to eat on opening day!)

Gorgeous views from Peninsula State Park (this was a girls camp back in the day)

Eagle Tower (as of this post, it is closed for safety reasons) stands 75ft and is 225ft above water. The views from the top are spectacular!!

Overlooking the bay from Peninsula State Park

If you look really close you can see a little goat on the rooftop (Al Johnson's)

Enjoying "Charlie's" rum punch at Fred & Fuzzy's

Fred & Fuzzy's