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!
Over the years we haven’t remained as close and it makes me very sad. 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. Natalie’s brother and I were actually much closer but I’ll have to settle for her these days. LOL Her boy is actually the same age as my boy, both at 15 years old. I think there was 3 or 4 of us cousins pregnant the same year… So, Natalie and I’s goal was to bring the cousins back together and start with our boys.
So what better way to bring 15yo teen boys together than with a road trip? I know, great idea! HAHA! I told Natalie I’d find the perfect spot and I think I made her wait until 4 days before we were leaving before I told her where we’d go. I honestly had fun with the suspense of her waiting! I know, I’m so crazy!
One of my favorite parts is that she had shirts made for us! How awesome is that for a road trip? Our shirts said, “Crazy Comer Cousins Road Trip 2020.” So awesome! And so when her boy, Jaxson and her arrived at Cole and I’s house we all made sure we had our awesome shirts on to start our big adventure…
Our road trip adventure? Lake Michigan in beautiful Wisconsin! We loaded down the truck and crossed our fingers there would be no rain. Ten minutes into our drive it poured on us! Driving faster definitely didn’t let the rain touch our luggage… right? I let Natalie know my luggage was pretty rain tight while she gave me a squeamish grin.
We had ten hours to drive leaving Northern Missouri at 7pm. Of course, us Crazy Comers thought we could drive all night, get in early and sleep a few hours for a full day of adventures. Four hours in we decided we absolutely could not do that and grabbed a stinky but clean hotel room in Anamosa, Iowa.
And on to the next day. Destination… Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin!
I’m extremely punctual and definitely an early bird when need be. Me and the boys waiting in the truck 30 minutes the next morning declared that Natalie is definitely not. But on we went an hour later than planned… to Casey’s next door. Of course we loaded up on all the delicious breakfast goodies our favorite gas station had to offer. And I complained about being late for at least a good day…
Driving through Northeastern Iowa and Southern Wisconsin proved to us they have the most picturesque farms and scenery. Natalie and I decided that I definitely needed to step up my farm game but that’s a conversation for another day! Every time one of us would see a farm we would say “it’s so cute” while the other would say “sooo cute.” The scenery and Natalie’s snacks made the drive much faster.
And so this brings me to Natalie’s snacks. I became a road trip snacker for one time only. One time only… this trip. Oh my gosh! I’ve never seen so many snacks! Our snacks of choice? Well, since I was unable to load up on my favorite beef jerky and everyone complained about my hard boiled eggs, we settled on Cry Babies, giant gum balls and Sprees… but that’s not enough half of them!
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!
Of course, all COVID precautions were in place, including social distancing. Masks were required inside and for the buffet. Once seated you could remove your mask.
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.
Hand sanitizer was readily available.
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!
Natalie and I old and didn’t stay up too late but the boys explored the resort. They went fishing on the dock until dark.
And played checkers down in the lobby.
Of course I had to check in on them from time to time…
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.
Oh and Natalie just had to buy a fan on our way because she just can’t sleep without one. That’s it on the bed and I was probably complaining about it…
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) had to buy 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 steelhead trout.
They had 8-10 fishing lines running from the boat – off the back, the sides and upper deck.
Cole’s fish was caught on one of the farthest lines and it seemed like it took an eternity for him to reel it in!
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.
You can see the seagull catching it in his mouth in the image above.
I highly recommend a charter fishing excursion if you’re going to Lake Michigan. We can’t wait to do it again!
We ended our Sturgeon Bay visit with a stop at the The Spoon. My sandwich and coleslaw was beyond delicious!
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!
The road trip didn’t really conclude until Natalie sent me a snap a few days later of all the snacks she had found hidden in her pocket… she’s so crazy! Be sure you check out some of our Facebook live videos from our adventure!
What’s your most memorable road trip with family?