Many of my fondest memories growing up included my cousins. Us cousins like to refer to ourselves as the Crazy Comers because, well, most of us are pretty crazy. We’re unique and unlike any other family. I heard they tried to calculate all of us starting at my great grandma and there was over 500 of us before they finally stopped… so, you know you’re going to have several crazies with that many in one family!
I have 5 cousins that are the same age but there’s one, Natalie that’s a few years younger and just as crazy as myself. Our moms are sisters, the beginning of crazy like no other. Her boy is actually the same age as my boy, both at 15 years old at the time of this adventure. We thought it would be a great idea to go on a travel adventure with our boys!
So what better way to bring 15 year old teen boys together than with a road trip? Natalie even had shirts made for all of us that said, “Crazy Comer Cousins Road Trip 2020.” So fun! Our road trip adventure? Beautiful Lake Michigan! Destination… Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin!
Driving through Northeastern Iowa and Southern Wisconsin proved to us they have the most picturesque farms and scenery.
Rowley’s Bay Resort
As you can imagine, it’s hard to find a cabin, lodging or even a camping site on 4th of July weekend since everyone books so far in advance. I was so excited to find an amazing resort in the perfect, relaxing location – Rowley’s Bay Resort, situated at the north end of the Door Peninsula right on Lake Michigan.
Driving up the Door Peninsula, north out of Green Bay, is absolutely gorgeous. It’s such a relaxing area with only a few small towns, along with the larger town Sturgeon Bay. Next time we go back we’d love to spend some time in Sister Bay where we saw a lot of cute restaurants and shops.
Upon arrival at Rowley’s Bay Resort you’ll get the most gorgeous view of Lake Michigan along with a public boat dock. The area is very rural and exclusive. So very relaxing! I couldn’t think of a better place to spend on Lake Michigan.
Rowley’s Bay Resort is complete with their own restaurant, pub and Grandma’s Swedish Bakery. We were so excited to attend the fish boil and get to enjoy the fish cooked at their buffet. Reservations are required!
And I’m sure you’re concerned about a buffet at this time… don’t be! We social distanced and lined up for the buffet where they served us behind a plastic screen. It was very clean.
And so… the fish boil. Amazing! A story is told out front of the resort while you wait for the fire burn and to get hot. They’ll bring out the fish and you’ll see it boil over.
A couple of guys carry off the fish to be served at the buffet. Very fun!
The fish boil buffet is a must if you stay at Rowley’s Bay Resort. They offer a huge selection, besides fish, starting with a nice side salad. The fish was so delicious! The boys went fishing on the dock until dark and played checkers down in the lobby.
The view from our room was amazing! You could see right out to gorgeous Lake Michigan.
Rowley’s Bay Resort also offers fun activities like kayak tours, zipline, offload Segways and more.
Sturgeon Bay
A trip to Lake Michigan isn’t complete without going fishing on the lake. Natalie got us set up with a charter fishing trip with Reel Impressions Sportfishing Charters.
On their website it gives you suggestions on what to bring on the fishing trip. We brought a cooler for fresh fish filets, sweatshirts, snacks and drinks which we loaded inside the Viking Sportfishing Yacht where there’s seating, a table, kitchen and a bathroom.
Natalie and I (16 and older) purchased non-resident Wisconsin fishing license which are readily available at different locations or online. We grabbed ours at a local Walmart.
After meeting Captain John and First Mate David we started our adventure out on the lake to hopefully catch some trout and salmon. Lake Michigan is stunning! We traveled out about five miles but it’s around 40 miles across to the other side of the lake!
The water was much warmer than normal so the fish weren’t biting but the boys did each get to reel in a couple of nice steel head trout. They had 8-10 fishing lines running from the boat – off the back, the sides and upper deck.
As soon as we started to head back, First Mate David set up a table on the back of the boat to clean our fish. The seagulls instantly knew what was going on and a huge flock of them started tailing the boat. First Mate David was a pro at cleaning the fish and when he had a piece to discard he threw it up for the seagulls to catch.
I highly recommend a charter fishing excursion if you’re going to Lake Michigan. We can’t wait to do it again!
Lake Michigan is one of my favorite places I have visited. I always love going to the mountains and visiting Maine but this was definitely far up on my list of favorites as well!
Be sure you check out some of our Facebook live videos from our adventure!
What’s your most memorable road trip with family?