This morning we tried the Heirloom Cafe in Bailey’s Harbor for breakfast. This was our first time here and we definitely will go back. It has only been open a few years and is probably very appealing to younger people as it offers some healthy options. It has outdoor seating on two levels as well as indoor seating.

I went looking for avocado toast which was not on their limited menu and ended up with ‘Naner Bread which was peanut butter, bananas, peanuts, and honey on a piece of banana bread. Yum. Ross got their Egg Sammy with bacon. They also serve lunch and close around 2:30.

We had cooler weather today, in the 70s, but troublesome wind. This was our golf course loop ride, just a little over 20 miles round trip but it gives us some good, gentle uphill. We left Bailey’s Harbor via County Road F and then turned on to Maple Grove Road heading north.

We normally take F to West Meadow Road and then hook up with Maple Grove. This gets us off the busier F sooner but we couldn’t do that today because a goodly section of Maple Grove was torn up for repair.

It always seems like this ride is uphill from the minute we leave Bailey’s Harbor until we reach the Gibraltar Airport. And it’s about eight miles to the airport. Just goes slightly up and up and today we had the wind in our face. The fortunate aspect of this is that the road is slightly downhill on the way back.

We stopped at the airport for a breather and to see if anything was going on. We watched a helicopter take off and that was about it.

Then we rode on to State Route 42, turned left and rode about a half mile and then entered Peninsula State Park on Highland. This is one of Wisconsin’s largest state parks but we just slipped into a corner of the park along the road by the golf course.

A small path takes us onto the course near a soda machine where we take a break. This is our turnaround point.

Coming back we retraced our steps to Route 42, but then went directly across and rode on County Road A. County Road A needs a little work. Constant bump, bump, bump. But we can ride on the shoulder and that is nice and flat. There is about a one-mile flat and downhill stretch along A where pedaling is barely required unless the wind is not cooperating. It was today. We stayed on A until we reached Highland Road, then cut west on that until it intersected with County Road F again. This is the first time we have ridden this road although we did a reconnaissance yesterday.

We were surprised to find a parking area and sign along the road so we stopped to check it out.

This is a trailhead for a one-mile loop that goes to Kangaroo Lake. It passes through a protected wetlands area that is home to Sandhill Cranes and the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly, an endangered species. Another time and maybe we can check this out.

We continued on Highland Road and soon arrived at the dreaded hill du jour that we saw yesterday. Ross called it “the little fierce one.” He made it up but in granny gear and I had to stop about halfway to catch my breath and then continue up. But, the downhill section after this hill makes it worth the effort. We soon hooked back up with County Route F and arrived back in Bailey’s Harbor.

Dinner tonight was at Chives in Bailey’s Harbor along Route 57. This was a new experience for us; it’s been open for several years but there are always too many other options. We ate outside on a front terrace and had a nice view of the lake plus we could keep tabs on local traffic.

We were, however, a little disappointed with our food. May just have been our food choices as the place gets lots of raves. We thought too many sauces, etc. I had French-breaded whitefish and I really am not crazy about whitefish but try to eat it to feel like I am making healthy choices. I will try it blackened next time, maybe.

The whitefish in Door County is caught locally. Just north of Bailey’s Harbor is the Cana Lighthouse and North Bay and this is supposedly an area where whitefish proliferate. And, a local fishing company is just down the road from where we stayed at the Yacht Club. The little fingerling potatoes that accompanied the fish were really good though as were the green beans. Ross had grilled shrimp but did not care for the sauce. I would be willing to try again though.

Chives also has both a food truck and a pizza truck on the adjacent property which were added when Covid came along. The trucks are very popular, offer casual eating at outdoor tables, and we might have been more in the mood for that. Next time.