Road to Northport

Just up the road from Gus Klenke’s Garage is the “windy road” or Highway 42 just before Northport. Northport is at the end of the Door County peninsula and where you catch the ferry to Washington Island.

One story has it that the road was constructed to weave around utility poles that originally went straight down the center of the road. Utility poles are now located to the west of the road, buffeted by a row of trees. The more commonly cited reason for the 15 curves that wind Highway 42 through the woods says that the design of the road was influenced by famed landscape architect Jens Jensen. 

This is a very popular place to photograph and it is not unusual to drive through here and past photographers with cameras on tripods in the middle of the road (I was one of those people)!

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Gus Klenke’s Garage

Glen Kenke's garage

During my first visit to Door County, I was driving through Ellison Bay on Highway 42 and had to pull off the road to photograph this place. An old, abandoned garage with a pickup truck in front suffering the same fate. Interestingly someone was keeping up a flower garden in the back of the truck making it kind of a surreal situation.
Apparently, the local historical society has claimed the property from its now deceased owner, Gustan Klenke, added someone’s defunct pick-up truck and turned it into a historical site.
The historical society must have a good sense of purpose for the site and community since it caused me to immediately pull off the road to take some photos. Other artists think the same thing since you can purchase artwork in local galleries and online based on Gus’s garage.

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Exploring North Pierhead Light in Door County

Door County

When visiting the North Pierhead Light, you can walk out to get a closer look or turnaround and see the Sturgeon Bay canal with the Coast Guard station next to it. Also, when out there you can experience Lake Michigan (should they call it lake Wisconsin?) and see the long sandy beach stretching out into the mist. This is one of my favorite stops in Door County becuse of the red lighhouse and all of the great ways to photograph it.

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Jackson Harbor on Washington Island

Door County

This is the northern tip of Washington Island, just about as far north as you can go in Door County. This is Jackson Harbor, a scenic area located on the eastern side of Washington Island, Wisconsin. It is known for its picturesque views, proximity to natural areas, and maritime history. The area was once a busy commercial fishing port, and remnants of this past, such as old docks and net sheds, shown in this photo. 

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Scenic Eagle Bluff Light

Door County

The Eagle Bluff Light, also known as Eagle Bluff lighthouse, or simply Eagle Bluff, is a lighthouse located near Ephraim in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. Construction was authorized in 1866, but the lighthouse was not actually built until 1868 at a cost of $12,000!

This was one of the most scenic sites in Door County with the lighthouse situated on a beautiful green lawn overlooking Green Bay. They have since put several building on the lwan blocking and disrupting the view. In addition, you have to pay to get into the park.

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Light keeper’s Kitchen

Door County

The Cana Island Lighthouse keeper’s house contains a kitchen that was converted from a woodshed and includes a wood-fired stove and a hand-operated water pump. The original kitchen was converted into a dining room, while the room to the right remained the living room. Upstairs, the assistant keepers had their own kitchen, living room, and other rooms.  

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Cave Point

Door County

Cave Point offers a spectacular view of Lake Michigan and the eastern shore of the Door Peninsula, including sunrise and evening moon rises.  A half-mile hiking trail stretches through the forest of birch, maple and beech trees and links up with several miles of trails in the adjacent Whitefish Dunes State Park, which borders the park on three sides. 

A rocky beach extends eastward at lake level. The area is popular for kayak tours, allowing paddlers to explore sea caves up close as well as the scenic lake front shoreline.  Due to the rocky shoreline, kayaks must be launched at an adjacent site to the park and caution should be heeded as weather conditions can change rapidly and the rocky conditions of the area can be dangerous even with a small amount of wave action. 

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Cana Island Lighthouse: A Historic Landmark in Wisconsin

Door County

The Cana Island lighthouse is located just north of Baileys Harbor in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. Along with the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, the lighthouse was built to replace the Baileys Harbor Lighthouse in 1869 and was first lit in 1870.

The lighthouse is built on an island that reaches out to Lake Michigan marking the way between Bailey’s Harbor and Death’s Door.

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Baileys Harbor Range Light

Door County

This is one my favorite lighthouses in Door County. It’s not your typical light, it is known as a Range Light. Range lights come in pairs and are used to guide ships into harbors or narrow channels. When a ship lines up the back light with the front light, they are in the channel. Below is a photo of the front light. These lights are on Baileys Harbor in Door County, on the Lake Michigan side. The back light is on a highway and can easily be mistaken for an old school house. 

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Pierhead Light

Door County

The Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Light is a lighthouse located on Sturgeon Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. Painted red, the light is situated on the north pier of the southern entrance to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. There are two lighthouses at this location, the other being the Sturgeon Bay Canal Lighthouse. 

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