Egg Harbor is the first village of Door County that makes you stop, and it has a name with a story to match. The legend says that in the 1860s a group of boaters returning from a trip to Green Bay got into a fight over a basket of eggs, throwing them at one another until the boat was thoroughly and unmistakably scrambled. Whether or not that is true, the name stuck, and it suits a place that tends to be more playful than solemn.
The peninsula is a narrow finger of limestone separating the waters of Green Bay from Lake Michigan, and Egg Harbor sits on the bay side, where the shore is gentle and the sunsets face west across the water. Cherry and apple orchards line the roads nearby, and in May the blossom is thick enough to turn a hillside white. The cherries are harvested in July, and roadside stands sell them fresh, dried, and baked into pies. Vineyards and small wineries have joined the orchards, and the smell of ripe fruit and cut grass drifts through the open visor.
Highway 42 is the road, and it is a pleasant ride rather than a technical one. It runs along the bay shore, through small villages, with bends that are gentle and visibility that is generous. The speed limit drops in town, and traffic can be heavy in July and August, especially on weekends, so mid-week mornings or autumn days are better. The shoulders are narrow, and cyclists are plentiful, so keep your distance. Fog off the lake can roll in, and the temperature can change quickly across the peninsula.
For fuel, the safe plan is to fill in Sturgeon Bay, about twenty-five kilometres south, before heading up the peninsula, though small stations are scattered along the way. Egg Harbor itself has plenty of places to eat, from bakeries to casual restaurants, and a fish boil, a Door County tradition in which whitefish and potatoes are boiled in a huge kettle over an open fire, is the thing to try if your timing allows. Autumn colour comes in October and is excellent. Winter is quiet, with many places closed, and ice can make the roads tricky.