Berry Oaks Doodle Ranch: Two Rivers, Wisconsin (August 21-23, 2012)

Our original destination was to be Bailey's Grove Travel Park in Bailey's Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin. That park must be a popular place for we could not get a reservation for the entire time we wanted to stay so we found another RV park a short distance away where we could stay two nights until Bailey's Grove opened up. We'll do some exploring in this area while we're here.

Glad we did stop here. The next morning we decided to take a hike and explore the Point Beach State Forest located next to the campground. There was a trail-head leading from the parking area on the road to the beach. It was in very dense forest and even though the temperatures were only in the low 70sF, the humidity was very high so by the time we cleared the forest onto the open area of the shore we were drenched.

While we were walking through the dense forest we, all of a sudden, started to feel a breeze and around the next corner found ourselves in the dunes of the lake. Man, did that feel good. It felt as if the temperature had dropped 15°F. Immediately, Guinness knew we were close to a beach and he started pulling on his lead. He wanted in. We had not been to a beach since we left Oregon and he was eager and ready.

The dunes were wide, almost a 1/4 of a mile from the forest to the water, and it took a while to get there, but once there we all kicked off our shoes/harnesses and sat in the warm sand. I was very surprised at this location for, had I not know we were in a fresh water lake, I would have sworn we were on an ocean beach. Only thing lacking was the salt water smell. Guinness found a stick, more like a small log, and went to work on his retrieving skills. How he loves the water. Even Rosco joined in. Good for you Rosco.

As we collected our things preparing for the return trip to the truck, I noticed a flock of birds coming across the shoreline so I took a picture only to notice there was someone walking this way with several dogs. We decided to wait a bit and, to our surprise, it was a woman with her two Doodles. When she saw ours we all immediately began talking. Her home was on the beach just on the other side of the park and every morning they walked the length of the park and back. Quite a hike. She was delighted to meet someone with Doodles, too. We talked for a while and parted ways. Good to meet other Doodle parents.

The hike back seemed much longer than the hike in and, as before, the forest was very humid. Guinness and Rosco were OK this time for they were still wet. By the time we got back to the trailer we all needed some water and dry clothes.

Once cleaned up we fed the kids and hopped into the truck for a ride back into Two Rivers to explore the town. It seems to be, mainly, a fishing village. We found a small pub close to the marina and decided to have lunch there. During our conversation with the bartender we found the town claims to be the founder of the ice cream sundae. Will have to look into that claim. We decided to have an appetizer for lunch and he recommended the smoked whitefish dip. Sure. Why not, although Joyce was very hesitant. The order came with a large bowl of dip and a mixture of chips and toast pieces. I watched Joyce as she slowly tried it. Her eyes lit up and said it was the best dip she had ever had. Good. We'll find some more.

After lunch we headed back to the trailer and I played with one of the kids while Joyce groomed the other. Had to get all that sand out.

After a quite dinner we made a fire and sat around it for a while and watched the sun go down. It turned out to be a great day. Looking forward to several more while we are in this area. Tomorrow we get to check into Bailey's Grove Travel Park.

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