| Home | Join Us! | Contact Us | News | Schedule |

Cycling Trip to Door County, WI  -  the New England of the Midwest!

 

Have you ever dreamt of riding on peaceful back roads through picturesque harbors, quaint villages, dense forests, scenic parks and along sandy beaches on roads seemingly created just for bikers?  Well, if you have, then you may want to consider a trip to Wisconsin’s famed Door County for a mini-cycling vacation.  And, if you’d like to do that with fellow TCBC members, then gas up the car, grab your bike and join us on a trip there this fall! 

The cycling trip to Door County will take place Sept 7-10, 2007 (Fri-Mon) with rides on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  The rides on Saturday and Monday will be TCBC A/B rides and the ride on Sunday will be a TCBC Outreach ride---the Door County Century (DCC) (www.doorcountycentury.com).  The DCC has mileage options of 30, 65, 75, and 100 and is the largest single day bike ride in Wisconsin, attracting approximately 2,000 riders annually.  The route and rest stops are excellent as is the post-ride spaghetti feed, complete with cherry or apple pie!  Come along as we meander along the Green Bay and Lake Michigan shorelines for views of sailboat-filled marinas, rocky beaches and lighthouses and ride to many of the cape cod-like villages and parks that Door County is famous for---Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim, Sister Bay, Bailey’s Harbor, Peninsula State Park and Whitefish Dunes State Park. 

There is a plethora of things to do in Door County off the bike as well.  Stroll through the small villages, shop at the many boutique shops, visit the local wineries, pick up some Door County fudge, explore some of the 250 miles of beautiful coastline, golf at one of the championship golf courses, watch the sailboats glide across the sapphire blue waters and, when evening rolls around, sit on the beach and watch as the sun paints the sky red and gold.

LODGING:

If you’re interested in staying with the group, we will be staying in the very picturesque village of Ephraim at Meadow View Cottages.  This is also the starting location for the Saturday and Monday rides. The cottages are one block from Eagle Harbor, one of the best places in Door County to watch the sun set!  Meadow View does not have a web-site but their phone number is 920-854-2570.  Be sure to tell Daryl you’re with TCBC (or “that bike club”) when calling!  Darryl has been very accommodating and will let us check out late on Monday (normal check-out time is 10 am), allowing us to come back to the cottages to shower after Monday’s ride before heading home.  

As of August 24, there is one cabin left at Meadow View Cottages---a 2 BR unit at $140/night. Additional lodging is available nearby at Evergreen Beach Resort (http://www.evergreenbeach.com --- phone # 1-800-420-8130).  Diane, the resort owner at Evergreen, has given us reduced pricing on the rooms.  In short, the rates for Friday and Saturday would be the mid-week rates as opposed to the weekend rates, assuming you arrive on Friday night.  So, by way of example, if you stay Fri-Mon (3 nights) or Fri-Sun (2 nights), the rates for each of those nights will be the mid-week rates.  If you stay Sat-Sun (1 night) or Sat-Mon (2 nights), Saturday’s rate will be the weekend rate and Sunday’s rate will be the mid-week rate.

DIRECTIONS TO MEADOW VIEW COTTAGES:

From Green Bay, head north on 57/42 to Sturgeon Bay. At that point, take 42 north through Egg Harbor and Fish Creek to Ephraim. Ephraim is 3 miles north of Fish Creek, just past Peninsula State Park. Meadow View Cottages is on the south side of Ephraim. As you are coming into town, you will see a small sign on your right for Meadow View Cottages (if you get to Wilson’s Ice Cream, stop and have an ice cream cone, then turn the car around as you’ve gone a bit too far!) Take a right at the sign (Brookside Lane) and go to the end of the street and take a left onto (Scott) Larson Lane. The office is at the end of Larson Lane.

DIRECTIONS TO DOOR COUNTY CENTURY RIDE START:

Sunday’s DCC ride starts from Sevastopol School in the town of Institute, about a 35 minute drive from Meadow View. Directions to the ride start from Meadow View Cottages are as follows:

1. LEFT (south) onto Hwy 42 for 1-2 miles.
   
2. LEFT onto County Rd A for 11.1 miles.
   
3. LEFT onto County Rd V for 0.3 miles.
   
4. RIGHT onto Hwy 57 for about 8 miles. The school will be on your right.

 

RIDES:

8 SAT 9:30 AM A/B 40-50 mi. DOOR #1. Depart from Meadow View Cottages in Ephraim, WI. Join us for one, two or all three scenic rides in Door County, WI (aptly named Doors #1, 2, and 3) over the course of the weekend. Will today’s ride be along peaceful back roads through picturesque harbors, quaint cape cod-like villages, dense forests and scenic parks with, perhaps, a stop for ice cream or Door County fudge? Or will it be along the Green Bay or Lake Michigan shorelines for views of sailboat-filled marinas, rocky beaches and lighthouses (and maybe even goats on a roof) on roads seemingly created just for bikers? One thing is for certain---it’s all beautiful, pristine scenery so don’t fret over which door you choose as there are no goats behind any of them! Contact leader prior to ride if weather looks questionable. Mary Derks, 651-335-6505, mderks-at-comcast.net, and Scott Larson, 612-730-8371.

9 SUN DOOR #2. OUTREACH RIDE: DOOR COUNTY CENTURY. Depart from the registration area at Sevastopol School in the town of Institute. Ride briefing will begin promptly at 8:30 am. Mileage options are 30, 65, 75, and 100. All riders must be registered in order to get mileage credit. Note that the registration deadline is Sept 1; no ‘day-of-ride’ registration is available.

Showers are available after the ride so you can smell good for the post-ride spaghetti feed! For additional info, go to www.doorcountycentury.com. Contact leader prior to ride if weather looks questionable.

10 MON 9:00 AM A/B 25-30 mi. DOOR #3. Depart from Meadow View Cottages in Ephraim, WI. See Sept 8.

MEALS:

SAT NIGHT: Daryl Larson, owner of MeadowView Cottages, has volunteered to do a traditional Door County fish boil right on the property for our group Saturday evening! The meal will consist of whitefish, boiled potatoes, onions, cole slaw, bread and Door County cherry pie for desert! For those of you who don’t care for fish, chicken is available also. Cost is $16/person. Daryl has asked that we prepay and provide a count in advance, so please pay me by Sept 1 if you’re interested. My address is 748 W. Iowa Ave, St. Paul MN 55117. Daryl would really like to have at least 30 people attend in order to make it worth his while so, if you’re on the fence, please consider coming! It’s as much about the experience as it is the food!

SUN NIGHT: Included with your registration to the Door County Century ride is a post-ride spaghetti feed, complete w/cherry & apple pie. Always a fun time!

All other meals are on your own.

WHAT TO BRING:

Here is a list of a few things you may wish to bring with you:

· DCC Registration Confirmation (you should have received this in the mail)

· TCBC jersey for Sunday’s Outreach Ride (heck, bring the socks too!)

· Your sweet tooth for savoring some ice cream at Wilson’s (voted Best Ice Cream in Door County) on Saturday’s ride.

· Camp chair for sitting outside at Meadow View.

· Towels and soap for kitchen & bath if you’re staying at Meadow View.

· Refreshments! Note that Ephraim is a dry town (meaning you can consume there but not buy) so you may want to pick up refreshments prior to arriving.

· Food for other weekend meals.

· Emergency Contact Form (see below)

· Your BIKE!

EMERGENCY CONTACT FORM:

"If you bring it, you won't need it."  Hopefully that's the case with the Emergency Contact Forms (http://www.mtn.org/tcbc/docs/form%20Emergency%20contact.doc).  If you would, please fill this out so we have contact info for you in case something should happen.  Please fill out 2 copies---carry one with you on your bike and put the other in a sealed envelope and I'll collect them on Friday and return them (unopened) on Monday.  I will also have blank copies in case you forget yours. 

QUESTIONS:

Please contact Mary Derks at mderks@comcast.net or 651-335-6505.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in Door County --- an area that Money Magazine called “the secret paradise of the Midwest”, naming it as one of their top 10 vacation spots! 

Mary Derks & Scott Larson

 

 

(Updated 8-24-2007 jgp)

[ Back to Top ]