A Bird's Eye View

Potawatomi State Park is across the water from Sturgeon Bay on the Green Bay side of the state's broken peninsula.

Between southern and northern Door County the Bay was stretched from west to east.

It cuts the county in two, taped together by three bridges in the city named for its body of water. Or, is it the other way around?

The park occupies a prominent point overlooking Sturgeon and Green Bays.

It is home to the east terminus of the Ice Age trail in Wisconsin.  The trail outlines (in white, photo below left) the last glacier to cover our land.

The line marks a nearly continuous trail across the state.  Many people have, or are in the process of walking it, a few miles at a time.

Making it a few steps away from the dramatic view on the other side of the railing (above) where a country church, several small lakes, and the blue water rest below.

Just a short hike north on the Ice Age trail is the Potawatomi Tower.

Built in 1932, it's 75 feet tall. Impressive, but it stands on a bluff - so the top of the tower is 225 feet above the water.  A little more than a 20 story building.


At the top, I met a couple on vacation from their jobs at Concordia University - Wisconsin.  A couple jobs back, part of my responsibility was helping raise funds for the Lutheran University.

In my last job, the school where I worked sent several graduates to Concordia.  And I went along once on a cross country team trip to a meet on the Mequon campus.

Here we were on top of one of the prettiest spots in creation.

From our perch we looked at the small harbor before us and the two islands, which appeared to be privately owned.

We agreed none of our jobs would qualify us for such property!

Across Sturgeon Bay is the physical evidence of why European settlers landed here.  A large limestone quarry once employed hundreds of people and lured many more to the area.

Now ship building is one of the major industries, and hundreds of others work in tourism and related service jobs supporting the families and travelers who journey to this part of the United States to observe the natural beauty like the land of Potawatomi State Park.

For folks looking to enjoy the quiet of the north - this is a great spot.  There are places close by for entertainment, but the park lets guests experience nature without the bells and whistles.

For me, that's a big part of why Door County is a special place.

While there are some dashes of commercial comfort; it is still primarily a ma and pa world of small businesses who recognize it's the awe-inspiring creation who attract those visitors.