Relaxing and catching up in the U.P.

It has been three days since I had wifi which could get my blog site open to write and today is our first rest day so I have the luxury of time to think and write. Jim and I are in Silver City,MI at the AmericInn. It is hard by the Porcupine Mts. and Lake Superior.  I am sitting in the lobby looking out at the gray sky and branches swaying to the NW wind. If the rain started it would be a reprise our last three days. But let's go back and review.

Our day in the Munising campground began early so we could get out of camp before the rain began. We skipped breakfast because we were sure there would be a place for breakfast down the road a piece. We beat the rain, which began a few miles down the road, at the lovely pond of a creek dam.

Still no breakfast place. Gotta be there soon. Well, not. As we approached Marquette, 4 miles out in Harvey was Macdonald's. Not our first choice. But we were 32 miles into the day with no real food. It was real enough here. It had been raining steady since the pond and when we stopped it began to downpour. We took our time at Mickey D's. It let up a bit and we got on the bike trail called the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. It leads to, through and out of Marquette. Very nice along the lake shore and then a turn in downtown Marquette which starts the trip away from the lake and up 1000 feet over about 8 or 9 miles on the way to our destination at the home of Marybeth Kurtz above her Midtown Cafe and Bakery in Negaunee. As we rode through Marquette there was a large area of tents for a festival and signs 'Race in Progress'. Little did we know the race was coming at us down the trail as we rode up the same. Meanwhile, the rain continued to fall. All the way up. Trail was paved for a couple miles and then well compacted crushed rock. As long as the trail went up (it was about a 3% grade) the trail was very firm despite the rain. Later when it flattened out and went up and down a bit that changed and it got very soggy and soft and started messing with our drive chains a bit. And then the racers came. We had to keep our heads up. There lots of biker banter as we rode the 'wrong' way. Jim told them we already finished the race and we're headed home.

Su