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Halfway to the North Pole

Photo by Len Villano.

Curious to have a rest stop on Highway 57 between Jacksonport and Baileys Harbor – a stretch of road where towns featuring restaurants and public parks with picnic tables, benches, bar stools, food, grills, and impressive water views are mere miles apart. There seemed to be nothing much to the mysterious wayside I’ve passed hundreds of times during my residency in Door County. But that brown sign, “Geological Marker,” finally had me pulling in.

I wouldn’t recommend a cooler or hiking shoes for a visit to the stop’s official and appropriate name, Meridian Park, just five or ten minutes to appreciate its significance. Hey, you’re exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole! If you don’t believe me, there’s a plaque bolted to a rock that says so; the Door County Historical Society placed it there in 2000.

“Hmm,” you may ponder as you study the plaque and work out the calculation: “This is the closest to the North Pole I’ve ever been and ever intend to be,” or “This is the closest to the equator I’ve ever been and ever intend to be,” or “I’ve crisscrossed this line too many times to count.”

There is something about knowing where you stand on the globe, in the grand scheme of things – halfway between the equator and the North Pole. Hey, this part of the world gets a glimpse of the best and worst of each season – especially summer and winter.

Take a minute or two at Meridian Park (there’s even a bathroom should the stop be more of an emergency than a destination). Then brag to friends and family, “Hey, I’ve been halfway to the North Pole.” They’ll be impressed.