Tuesday 9 July

We had another early start this morning but as the jet lag was still hanging around, it wasn't too difficult to get up in good time. Clive made breakfast for us all, along with plenty of coffee, and it wasn't too long before we were ready to hit the road.

Clive and Doreen had loaned us beach towels and a cool bag which was really handy and saved us from having to bring them with us on the plane. They packed us up plenty of snacks and drinks and waved us goodbye and we set off to drive north.

Our first stop was Gurnee Mills Mall, just on the outskirts of Chicago which we had researched before the trip. It wasn't too long a drive and we did manage a fairly successful shopping trip, even though we hadn't planned to do much shopping on this holiday!

We all got a pair of Levi's from the Outlet Store, and Evan and Paul had success in Vans and Tommy Hilfiger as well. One of the best buys was a bumbag for Evan who was wishing he had got one before the holiday. We all had a good laugh at the American term for it, Fanny Pack, and also mocked him mercilessly for wearing it the way that the teenagers do these days - across his chest. Despite the mockery, he was really pleased with it and it did prove very handy on days out.

We also tried the Starbucks Nitro cold brew which made sure that we all felt EXTREMELY wide awake!

There was a Panera Bread nearby which we like, so everyone was happy to stop for lunch there. Then it was time to get on the road again as we had a long drive to Door County in Wisconsin.

It was a four hour drive but we were happy to have our holiday playlist and just take in the views on the road. The playlist had been very well thought out this year and certain dubious choices had been ruled out well in advance - we try to theme it with the destination, although some of the links can be a little tenuous, i.e. George Ezra's Paradise, as we were staying near somewhere called Paradise later on, and The Supremes You can't hurry love as Motown is from Detroit and Detroit is in Michigan. You can see how the thought process goes there.

We stopped off at Wendy's in Manitowoc for a potty break and a Frosty before continuing to Door County. Considering that Wisconsin is America's Dairyland, there didn't seem to be many cows around but we did eventually spot 6 of them as we drove into Door County. I hope those six aren't responsible for all that cheese - they must be exhausted if they are!

Door County is a peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan and is very unspoiled and pretty, with a number of small lakeside villages. We were heading for Egg Harbor and eventually pulled up at the Newport Resort. We had got quite a bargain with some Expedia points here and ended up with a 2 bedroom and bathroom suite with a kitchenette and large balcony which was great. It also felt pretty good to be out of the car and sitting in the early evening sun.





It was 6.30 when we arrived so by the time we were ready to walk down into the town, we were quite hungry and ready to eat. It was a bit chilly down by the harbour as the sun was starting to descend but we had a nice stroll around the marina before we ate. It is all very pretty.



There are a differing accounts of why Egg Harbor is so named - one says that an early settler found a nest of eggs on the shore and so named the town for it. A better story though is that there as a food fight between some ships in the harbour and an large number of eggs were involved, resulting in some significant debris!





We stopped at the Shipwreck Brewpub for tea which had some nice craft beers but the food was a bit mediocre. It was okay though, just nothing special. Then it was back up the hill to the hotel and attempting to stay awake while watching baseball, before heading to bed. Unsurprisingly, the Starbucks had worn off by now and we didn't manage to watch much and even though Paul was insisting that he was wide awake, he was, in fact, snoring in front of the TV. He finally acknowledged this after we reminded him several times and an early night was had by all.

Lovely road trip day. We don’t drive in another country but I do love a holiday music playlist when we go caravanning in the UK or for driving to and from the airport. We drove from Heathrow this year at 1am singing along to Moana 😂

I do like the new way teens carry bumbags (or fanny packs 😂 ) I hated having one around my (too large) waist but feel comfortable with it over the shoulder. I’m pleased you managed to squeeze a shopping trip in en route.

Egg Harbour looks beautiful with the sun going down, perfect way to end the day

It looks lovely! Shame that dinner was a let down! We have never made a playlist for a road trip - we should try next time!

O became very attached to his neck wallet on both his safari and his journey to HK! I did suggest a bumbag but this was met with much derision! Obviously that fashion has not yet hit France 😜

It is always fun when the road trip proper starts and we love a holiday playlist too. Egg Harbour looks lovely and your Suite looks great too. Hurrah for bargain jeans too

Great day!
Sam also wears his Fanny Pack across his chest, looks ever so odd but can’t mess with the fashion these teenagers have 😳
Glad you arrived safely, Egg Harbour looks lovely and bonus too with the nice big suite

a great day . Those long driving stints can be a bit dull but this sounded really well organised and I did laugh about the lack of cows in dairyland ! Note to self need to do holiday playlist !

Go Evan and his man pack!
Egg Harbour looks a nice place and great deal on your place there.

We take our holiday playlist very seriously - there's a shared spreadsheet and we have discussions about which songs make the cut and which don't. Never going through Bob Dylan related hell again!

Although we teased Evan about his bag, it was very handy!

Paul has a neck wallet that he uses for the passports when we fly and although the kids mock him for it, it keeps them all safe and together!

It was a pretty good holiday playlist! And the bargain jeans were excellent!

It is definitely the fashion - and we did keep the camera in there!

We were starting to worry about the cows until we saw some. And the man pack turned out to be very handy, even if we did bully him about it!