Camping in Peninsula State Park

An in-tents weekend with friends in Door County

I'd been for-real camping once before with my family — raccoons got at our food, and that's about all I remember. Other faux-camping adventures include sleeping in tents with friends in the back yard the summer after high school — quite the outdoor resume. But what can I say? As Jack Dawson thought of Rose, I'm more of an indoor girl. 

But when my friend Fritz invited us camping with her boyfriend Tim and his brother & sister-in-law, Adam and I jumped at the chance to get out of Milwaukee for a couple of days. Luckily for us, Fritz was well stocked with camping gear and I borrowed an air mattress, so all we really had to do was pack our bags, shop for s'more stuff, and get ourselves three hours north to Peninsula State Park in Door County.

We arrived Friday night just in time to meet our friends for a cherry cocktail and see the last bit of sun sink below the water's edge. Then it was back to the campsite for pudgy pies  — a campfire delicacy that neither I nor Adam had ever heard of. Basically it's a grilled cheese sandwich. Shout out to Tim and his SIL for making such delicious ones for Adam and me (we really did get the 4-star treatment).

That night we walked to the nearby beach and looked at the stars. It might sound corny, but it's true: You can see forever and it's mind-blowing. Of course our conversation naturally progressed to aliens and our place in the universe — your typical star-gazing chatter. 

On Saturday morning, the skies threatened us with a storm. A big one. Fritz and I went to move cars around and we could see the ominous front moving in. We pretended the thunder was a T-Rex as we raced the rain back to camp. I love that I have friends who aren't too old for a quick game of Pretend. 

We waited out the rain in our tents, and eventually the sun came out and stayed out. Our group spent the rest of the day at the beach, pausing only for a quick trip to Wilson's for ice cream. We can all safely say that the most trying part of our day was how quickly we had to eat that insanely yummy, melty ice cream. #firstworldproblems

For dinner, a scrumptious fish boil at Pelletier's. There was a pillar of fire, pools of melted butter, and Door County cherry pie — but more on the fish and accompanying showmanship in another post.

Lunch on Sunday was a trip to the Cookery, which I actually thought was just okay and (snob alert!) not quaint enough. Sorry, not sorry! In all the adorableness of Door County, I just wasn't all that impressed with my salad or the ambiance (though the patio looked nice). I really wish we'd had more time to explore Fish Creek and its neighboring towns — another day would have been perfect. Friends, do you have any favorite Door County spots to visit? Do tell!