Kohler-Andrae State Park

We made it to Kohler-Andrae State Park a few miles south of Sheboygan just before dark, and after checking in with Dianna at the visitor center we took a pull-through site for 2 nights. We were a little surprised when we got to it because it wasn't like any pull-through we'd seen before.

Our "site" looked just like a parallel parking spot to me, but it turned out to not be as bad as it seemed. In the wooded area next to the site was a path leading to a fire ring and picnic table, and the wooded part of the site was quite large.  We thought about changing sites in the morning since we didn't need to unhook from the truck for the night, but decided it didn't matter because we'd be on the go the rest of the day anyway.  We scoped out the rest of the sites and for a larger camper like ours we liked sites 8, 10, 17, 23, 26, 28 or 33.

 In the morning we rode our bikes through all the camping loops and had three deer sightings while riding around.  We also stumbled upon a teepee site for rent.  The teepee is $34-37 a night, and was equipped with cots, a fire ring and a picnic table but no pets allowed. I bet little kids would love it!

 

Another feature we've never seen before is access to a beach wheelchair. 

 The notice was posted at the Sanderling Nature Center that we biked to only to find out they didn't open until 12:30. We read up on the details of the keel section of the Great Lakes Schooner "Challenge" built in 1852 that  had washed ashore and was on display. Wayne wondered why they never make any effort to apply any kind of coating to preserve these items so that they last and I'm betting it has something to do with having been in the water. He said it didn't matter if it didn't last anyway because in 200 years people would probably be using time travel for their vacations and they could just go back in time and sail on a schooner themselves!

 

 We parked our bikes at the Nature Center and accessed the 1/2 mile Creeping Juniper Nature Trail from the parking lot. It started out along Lake Michigan as part of the Dunes Cordwalk with a view of the lake and benches for enjoying it. The cordwalk then turned and looped around through the dunes back toward the Nature Center. We had it all to ourselves, and read the interpretive signs about the plant community which included poison ivy, so stay on the trail! Also prevalent was wormwood, goat's beard, orange hawksweed and tons of milkweed. The park is one of the stops for the migratory monarchs, so maybe we'll come back in August and try to catch sight of them.

After two hours of biking around the park we decided to drive into Sheboygan for lunch at the Brisco County Wood Grill where the river empties into Lake Michigan. It had a sports bar type of interior, which I'm not a fan of, but the food was EXCELLENT! I don't eat out very often because vegetarian options that are fit to eat are hard to come by, but they make a killer mediterranean salad. I got it with the grilled chicken, and the chicken was so tasty that I ate that too! I had wanted the southwest chicken wraps because they had black beans, but they were pre-wrapped so I couldn't omit the chicken and they were deep fried as well. I just don't like deep fried food except for the occasional order of french fries. Wayne had the seafood linguini and pronounced it delicious also.  When we were done eating we walked out their back door right onto the boardwalk and spent the next two hours exploring the lakefront area. There was lots to see from shops and restaurants to kayakers, fishing boats, ducks, the Coast Guard building, the Yacht Club, Marina and of course the lighthouse, not to mention the crowds of folks out enjoying the beautiful June weather we're having.

 

On Friday morning we went for a short bike ride and then hiked the Woodland Dunes Trail which had signs describing some of the trees in the woods. I'm terrible at tree identification, and these guys were so tall that the plaques weren't too helpful since the leaves were too far away to see! The park also offers boating, fishing, and swimming and has playgrounds and a bathhouse available also. It's easy to see why it fills early and weekends are booked in advance, so we'll have to plan our next visit ahead of time if we want to stay longer. I had wanted to come back Sunday night by myself since Wayne was working doubles this weekend and Monday is my birthday, but I'm going to go to Kettle Moraine Southern Unit instead. I've hiked most of this park but never stayed overnight, so I'll get a chance to hike the trails on the other end of the park as a gift to myself.