Last Ferry of the Day, Oil

My wife Jane helped create a book with over 20 paintings that I did while camping on Rock Island.

Rock Island State Park is on an island north of Washington Island, Door County, Wisconsin.  To get there you take two ferries.  You board the first ferry at Northport on the northern tip of Wisconsin’s thumb on the map.  The ferry takes you across “Death’s Door ” to Detroit Harbor, Washington Island.  Next you drive across Washington Island to Jackson Harbor.  There you board the Karfi Ferry with all your gear for camping for a short ride to Rock Island.

The stone boathouse, built by Icelandic inventor Chester Thordarson, is the first building you see when you arrive. The campground on Rock Island is very primitive.  One flush toilet near the boat landing.  Outhouses.  One faucet near the woodlot.  No showers.  No cars or bicycles allowed.  No electricity available for campers.

My wife loves Rock Island so much that she stays there for two weeks at a time each year.  We unload a large pile of gear at the boat landing:  cart, tent, cots, folding chairs, bins of supplies, and of course my art supplies.

Now we need to transport it all to the campsite a half mile away.  We assemble the folding cart,  load it with as much as possible and push it slowly to our campsite along a gravel path.  We repeat this for at least three more trips.

Once we have all the gear.  We set up the tent and the dining fly over the picnic table.  Home sweet home.   We usually arrive late afternoon, so it is dinner time.   Campfire in the evenings.  Stars and moonlight.   Sounds of waves along the shore to put us to sleep.

Every morning after a hot breakfast, I load up the cart a bin of art supplies and a bag lunch.  Off I go to find a place to paint.