American World Traveler Fall 2018 Issue

70
Wintry Escapades in
Door County, Wisconsin
Article and photography by Steve Gillick
Just after we arrived at Kurtz Corral in
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, about one
hour west of Green Bay, we watched a
short video on human-horse relationship
building. I would later discover that Pokey
had some very different ideas. The video
instructed us to use our hands to grip the
reins and direct the horse to the right and the
left. We were told to call the horse by its
name, and to articulate commands so the
horse would not confuse Whoa (Stop!) with
Go (Go!). But Pokey, my mare, knew that
each rider had been given some horse
treats, and after a few crunchy nibbles,
Pokey and I got along famously.
The one-hour trail ride took us through
snowy fields, into the silence of beautiful
forests and under thick snow-covered evergreen
branches. I’m sure Pokey was
amused as the branches whipped back in
my face, however she plodded along at a
gentle, relaxing gait, so much so that I
almost fell asleep. At the end of the ride
Pokey seemed to smile when I gave her the
rest of the treats but, alas, I didn’t even get a
whiney when I said goodbye.
All in all though, it was a good time, celebrating
the wintry Wisconsin cold in a special
way. Afterward, we stood around a fire
stove, drinking hot apple cider and chatting
with the Corral staff about the energy and
excitement of this unique area of Wisconsin.
The name ‘Door’ County sounds very inviting
but actually has an ominous overtone.
Five Hundred years ago, in an attempt to
wrest Washington Island from the
Pottowatomie tribe, the Winnebago people
departed from the tip of the peninsula and
headed across the strait of water toward the
Island. A storm arose and intensified with
the result that as many as one third of the
Winnebago lost their lives. The news was
relayed to French settlers in the area who
started referring to the watery passageway
as “Porte des Morts” or “Death’s Door”, and
the name stuck.
Jon Jarosh, the County’s Director of
Communications and Public Relations noted
that “visitors are always amazed at how
much Big Water is around us. They think of
Wisconsin as the land-locked Mid-West, and
then when they can’t see the other side of
Lake Michigan, they refer to it as the ocean”!