Walking in northern waters

 We finally made up to Door County, that little thumb of northern Wisconsin that sticks out into Lake Michigan. It's a beautiful and popular vacation destination. Driving 4 hours to it from Madison reminded me how big Wisconsin is.
  There are lots of picturesque sights, such as the Door County Ice Cream Factory and the church across the street. The ice cream was just as delicious as vacation ice cream ought to be.

One day we canoed up the Mink River Estuary, a special area that has been protected by the Nature Conservancy. It's possible to rent canoes and kayaks right on Rowley Bay near the entry to the estuary, but we borrowed a friend's canoe.

Water and hiking opportunities abound in Door County. There are five state parks and and numerous state natural areas. Even though Door County is very popular, short hikes can take you away from any crowd. We visited Toft Point to enjoy this water in solitude.

But wait, what about combining my favorite new sport of water watching with hiking? Peter knew a way to walk from Washington Island to Rock Island, the nearby island that is a state park. It seemed like it was over a kilometer (.62mile). This picture shows Rock Island in the distance from the beach on Washington Island.

The water was up to our knees most of the way and a wave got Mr. Rududu wet considerably higher than that. We felt very adventurous and we discovered that "water walking" is very good exercise for the legs, indeed.