The rest of the story

When I rolled into Duluth I just happened to run into John and Teddy (the terminally happy big yellow dog) on a walk to the hardware store. It was one of those timing/coincidence things that are just hard to fathom.  I took them up on their hospitality and spent the balance of the day mostly relaxing.  I took them out to dinner at Zeitgeist on Superior St. It is a fun place with good and interesting food if you are in Duluth. John agreed to drive me to Hinckley to meet Kelli.  We left the next day early enough that we had time to enjoy the expansive salad bar at Cassidy's restaurant just off the I-35 exit. John waited around for a while until Kelli arrived just at the time we had planned.

It was good to get home. To give Kelli a hug and enjoy her great cooking again. And of course to give the Chance dog a hug as well. The bags got unpacked and I was feeling relaxed and relieved. Being away from home on a trip like that has its own particular challenges for all involved and were all happy to be back together.

The previous day in Duluth I had spent some time scouting out options to get to Sault Ste. Marie, ON to retrieve my car. I was delighted when my old college roommate, friend for 50 years, Rick Fletcher said he could drive with me. We would leave on Friday, drive to SSM, Michigan, as Rick's passport was not current, and I would ride my bike across the International Bridge to get the car in Canada. Rick and I had a really nice time on the drive. We had certainly not had that much time together for 50 years. With stops and losing an hour to the time zone the drive took 11 hours.  By the time we checked in to our luxury suite at the Budget Inn we were ready for a walk and a brew.  Luckily we got both with a stroll to the Wicked Sister 6 blocks down the street.  Good food and good local craft beer selection. 

Next morning we followed the local recommendation to do breakfast at Frank's Place downtown on Portage Ave.  Convenient because I could ride on Portage right to the entrance to the bridge.  It was a quiet, beautiful morning.  Another great breakfast on the road.  I got the bike ready to ride and we each went on our way. Rick drove alone the whole way back and made it to our house with Kelli's car about 8:30 on Saturday. Heroic.

The ride over the bridge, which I have done once in each direction, was easy again. Actually easier without 50 pounds of gear, and the traffic again was very light, again. Did not measure but I am thinking it is a good 2 miles across and quite a view from up there.

I knew my way to the Watertower Inn.  Easy to spot.  There's a watertower there. The car was fine. Undamaged, still clean and full of petrol, as we say in Canada.  I headed north on route number 17, the Transcanada Highway to see what I had missed riding.  It was not long, only a few miles out of Soo, when I first thought, "I could not do this".  Well, obviously, but really, seeing it made my decision not to continue all the more appropriate.  The Canadian side of the the lake is much different than the US side.  Very mountainous and wild.  There are a lot of parks and attractions and several small towns but the country is absolutely gorgeous and awe-inspiring. I am so glad I drove it and saw it and so glad I did not find myself in the middle of it and unable to go on, as opposed to having that realization 50 miles from Duluth.

Jim and I had kept in touch and the plan was for me to watch for him on the road as I drove and he rode and we could connect for a few minutes.  That is what happened as I saw him as he approached White River, ON. I turned around on the highway and we stopped and chatted for several minutes.  Jim looked good and seemed unfazed by the hills and the highway.  I was just as happy to drive on but very proud of Jim who was on track to finish 3 days earlier than our original plan.  Jim did finish yesterday, 3 days early, and arrived home today.

So, I did get all the way around the lake.  In a car for the most challenging part, and more than halfway on the bike, for the easier part. I will take it.  It is what it is.  Happy to have been able to give it a try.

All good things........

Here we go again. This is not the first time this has happened. I am ending the trip early. I think I have now confirmed the limits of my mental and physical capacity.

So far on the trip I have felt pretty good most days with pace and distance of our rides. I know that Jim could definitely go faster and longer but he is very tolerant of my capacity. He knew it coming in from our previous rides. With the wind and the temperature yesterday and the days of riding I had reached my limit. I also think I have a real limit on my days away from home alone.

Jim could see it and at breakfast he brought the subject up, that if I had reached the end he was OK with my stopping and going back. Our location in Silver Bay, within easy reach of Duluth, and the ability to take up John on his offer for 'rescue' if needed, made the decision easy, given my mental and physical state. I was not feeling completely out of gas, but certainly knew that my legs did not have a lot of headwind and climbing miles in them at this point. So I did.

We had another unexpectedly great breakfast at the Northwoods Family Grill in Silver Bay. Stop there if you are in the area. It is really a great surprise. I saw Jim off to ride to Grand Marais on his own with a mix of regret and relief. I would be heading home with a tailwind. I rode back to Duluth after talking to Kelli. John and Chelly graciously offered to have me stay at their place again. Also, John offered to drive me part of the way toward St. Paul so Kelli had a shorter drive to come pick me up.

So now I just need to find a way to get to my car in Sault Ste. Marie. We will figure it out.

Tailwinds Jim.

Back home to Minnesota for a brief stay

Up and out of the Port Wing cabin with a quick microwave breakfast of yesterday's pancakes and butter and syrup from the Bear's Paw. We hit the road at 6:30, wanting to get to Duluth with some time in the afternoon for a bike shop visit and a look around Canal Park. There were also some unknowns about getting through Superior and to the bridge to cross. The day was another sunny one with some west wind which would at times be in our face but it was not that bad. Temps

We were on route 13 again until we got to a trail that would take us in to Superior. The highway was good again all the way as it stair-stepped it's way for 34 miles to our turn just short of US2. There were several steep down and up river crossings on the way. There was also a lot of flat Wisconsin countryside. Not as forested as previous days. Had a couple of rest stops before we finished with highway 13.

When we got to the trail it was as suspected, gravel. But there was no choice to use the highway as non motorized were prohibited. So we ventured forth on the trail and found it not too bad if we stayed on the edge where it was firm. Got to the start of the paved trail and we were more than ready for second breakfast. There across highway 2 was Choo Choo's Restaurant.  Hard by the tracks of course. We are in there!

Had a good meal, got good advice on getting through the city and we were ready for the rest of the day with bellies full. Something one learns when getting directions from a local who is not a bicyclist is that you must keep reminding them "we are on bicycles". Our well meaning waiter's first response was to direct us down US 2. Heavy, heavy traffic, four lanes and zero shoulder. So, no we will be on the trail. Once we got it clear his directions were perfect.

The trail is in need of maintenance but got us to our street to cross Superior and get to the path that crosses the Bong Bridge which carries US2 to Duluth. The path was adequate width for us but if we had met anyone it would have been tricky. We got across,with some photos at the top, and on to streets I am familiar with, having transited Duluth in the past. Jim needed to find a bike shop for new brake pads and that required some back tracking with assistance from a guy in a truck who asked if we needed help and ultimately he drove past the shop to make sure where it was and then found us again to confirm. Pretty special people in Duluth. We went Twin Ports Cyclery on 3rd Ave. Great shop. Got stories from the owner Denis while we waited. Including advice to ride over the bridge on the road, not the path. Not sure there will be another time for me.

Made it to Canal Park so I could show Jim the lift bridge and the fun center of the port city. Had an ice cream cone at Grandma's rail car.

We had been updating our Warm Showers hosts as we progressed through the day. They were leaving the house in east Duluth at 2:30 to go to a wedding but would leave the front door of the house open.

Warm Showeres is an international organization of people who sign up to host traveling cyclists. Marybeth in Negaunee was one. And the Schmidts of Duluth are as well.

We got on the Lakewalk trail along the shore and turned off on 40th Ave which runs past Duluth East HS and on to Schmidt's. We had fair warning about Teddy the dog and were reassured he would be no problem. Indeed. We opened the door, called his name and were greeted with a lick and a smile. You do pay for that super friendly demeanor with lots of petting and scratching.

We showered and relaxed and went to dinner at the New London Cafe down the street. Very good hot roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. John and Shelly returned about 7:30. We had a great time trading stories. They were full of questions. Their daughter and son-in-law are on a round the world bike tour and they had just returned from having met up with them in South Korea. We talked a bit about families and careers but mostly about how we travel on bikes.

In the morning we packed up our clean clothes and the Schmidts made us a grade A+ breakfast. We took pictures, including Teddy of course.   The day was partly sunny and windy. We got underway at 8:30. Took the rest of the Lakewalk trail to join up with the Scenic North Shore Drive.
Up and out of the Port Wing cabin with a quick microwave breakfast of yesterday's pancakes and butter and syrup from the Bear's Paw. We hit the road at 6:30, wanting to get to Duluth with some time in the afternoon for a bike shop visit and a look around Canal Park. There were also some unknowns about getting through Superior and to the bridge to cross. The day was another sunny one with some west wind which would at times be in our face but it was not that bad. Temps

We were on route 13 again until we got to a trail that would take us in to Superior. The highway was good again all the way as it stair-stepped it's way for 34 miles to our turn just short of US2. There were several steep down and up river crossings on the way. There was also a lot of flat Wisconsin countryside. Not as forested as previous days. Had a couple of rest stops before we finished with highway 13.

When we got to the trail it was as suspected, gravel. But there was no choice to use the highway as non motorized were prohibited. So we ventured forth on the trail and found it not too bad if we stayed on the edge where it was firm. Got to the start of the paved trail and we were more than ready for second breakfast. There across highway 2 was Choo Choo's Restaurant.  Hard by the tracks of course. We are in there!

Had a good meal, got good advice on getting through the city and we were ready for the rest of the day with bellies full. Something one learns when getting directions from a local who is not a bicyclist is that you must keep reminding them "we are on bicycles". Our well meaning waiter's first response was to direct us down US 2. Heavy, heavy traffic, four lanes and zero shoulder. So, no we will be on the trail. Once we got it clear his directions were perfect.

The trail is in need of maintenance but got us to our street to cross Superior and get to the path that crosses the Bong Bridge which carries US2 to Duluth. The path was adequate width for us but if we had met anyone it would have been tricky. We got across,with some photos at the top, and on to streets I am familiar with, having transited Duluth in the past. Jim needed to find a bike shop for new brake pads and that required some back tracking with assistance from a guy in a truck who asked if we needed help and ultimately he drove past the shop to make sure where it was and then found us again to confirm. Pretty special people in Duluth. We went Twin Ports Cyclery on 3rd Ave. Great shop. Got stories from the owner Denis while we waited. Including advice to ride over the bridge on the road, not the path. Not sure there will be another time for me.

Made it to Canal Park so I could show Jim the lift bridge and the fun center of the port city. Had an ice cream cone at Grandma's rail car.

We had been updating our Warm Showers hosts as we progressed through the day. They were leaving the house in east Duluth at 2:30 to go to a wedding but would leave the front door of the house open.

Warm Showeres is an international organization of people who sign up to host traveling cyclists. Marybeth in Negaunee was one. And the Schmidts of Duluth are as well.

We got on the Lakewalk trail along the shore and turned off on 40th Ave which runs past Duluth East HS and on to Schmidt's. We had fair warning about Teddy the dog and were reassured he would be no problem. Indeed. We opened the door, called his name and were greeted with a lick and a smile. You do pay for that super friendly demeanor with lots of petting and scratching.

We showered and relaxed and went to dinner at the New London Cafe down the street. Very good hot roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. John and Shelly returned about 7:30. We had a great time trading stories. They were full of questions. Their daughter and son-in-law are on a round the world bike tour and they had just returned from having met up with them in South Korea. We talked a bit about families and careers but mostly about how we travel on bikes.

In the morning we packed up our clean clothes and the Schmidts made us a grade A+ breakfast. We took pictures, including Teddy of course.   The day was partly sunny and windy. We got underway at 8:30. Took the rest of the Lakewalk trail to join up with the Scenic North Shore Drive.

We headed out into a steady and strong headwind. Coming right off the lake at an angle that was not conducive to easy riding. Stopped at Tom's Lumber Camp for a break. Made decent time given the wind and counted down the miles in reverse with the markings for Grandma's Marathon. We had our lunch at Subway in Two Harbors. When we came out the temperature had drop and we put on more clothes. Now we were on Highway 61 and the traffic level was much worse than before. The wind continued relentless. The climb up around Silver Creek Cliff on the bike trail was longer than I remembered. Finally, by the time we reached Gooseberry Falls my energy was all used up. When we reached Split Rock SP it began to rain and the wind picked up some more. We had tried riding on the road instead of the trail to a more direct route but it was not comfortable. So in Split Rock the trail curves and climbs and descends all over the place not that much fun when you are exhausted. We finally got to the park entrance building and took a break from the rain.

We went on past Beaver Bay. We had talked about how tired I was and agreed instead of camping at Tettegouche SP we would find a motel room. Silver Bay is only a couple miles from our intended destination so despite the troubles we are not behind.

The Mariner Motel was the first we saw and we went to check out a room. It is impressively clean and a classic with knotty pine walls. It is run by a delightful old Polish couple. Chatting and kidding with them helped turn my attitude around from feeling defeated.

We ordered spaghetti and lasagna delivered from the local pizza place and had a relaxing dinner in our comfy room. Thunderstorms rolled in and we were happy to not be in the campground. Watched the Penquins win the Stanley Cup. Tomorrow is another day.
We headed out into a steady and strong headwind. Coming right off the lake at an angle that was not conducive to easy riding. Stopped at Tom's Lumber Camp for a break. Made decent time given the wind and counted down the miles in reverse with the markings for Grandma's Marathon. We had our lunch at Subway in Two Harbors. When we came out the temperature had drop and we put on more clothes. Now we were on Highway 61 and the traffic level was much worse than before. The wind continued relentless. The climb up around Silver Creek Cliff on the bike trail was longer than I remembered. Finally, by the time we reached Gooseberry Falls my energy was all used up. When we reached Split Rock SP it began to rain and the wind picked up some more. We had tried riding on the road instead of the trail to a more direct route but it was not comfortable. So in Split Rock the trail curves and climbs and descends all over the place not that much fun when you are exhausted. We finally got to the park entrance building and took a break from the rain.

We went on past Beaver Bay. We had talked about how tired I was and agreed instead of camping at Tettegouche SP we would find a motel room. Silver Bay is only a couple miles from our intended destination so despite the troubles we are not behind.

The Mariner Motel was the first we saw and we went to check out a room. It is impressively clean and a classic with knotty pine walls. It is run by a delightful old Polish couple. Chatting and kidding with them helped turn my attitude around from feeling defeated.

We ordered spaghetti and lasagna delivered from the local pizza place and had a relaxing dinner in our comfy room. Thunderstorms rolled in and we were happy to not be in the campground. Watched the Penquins win the Stanley Cup. Tomorrow is another day.

What's the opposite of Murphy's Law?

This was a day when what could go right did. Perhaps the exception proving Murphy’s law.
When we woke up there was a dark sky in the west and we assumed it was headed toward us and quickly packed up and rode into town for breakfast, foregoing breakfast in camp. The dark clouds drifted north of us. We stopped in the first restaurant we passed. It had ‘help wanted’ signs everywhere and not many customers so we took a chance. Turned out that the Time Out Cafe had a top ten breakfast. The ‘Sportsman’ included two eggs, bacon and hash browns and a side plate of dollar cakes. Which turned out to be huge pancakes. What could go right did.
We left Washburn bound for Bayfield. The ride had some big hills, one I think a 10% grade. We stopped to rest and have a snack.
We started out from the town with several little stair step climbs, and then a great miles long decent into the tribal village of Red Cliff. From there the road turns inland to cross the peninsula. The road was unimaginably great. Smooth as silk. No cracks or bumps of any kind. Traffic was very light and no big trucks. Beautiful countryside. Some big long climbs and reward at the top with fantastic views and flying descents. This could not have been a more perfect ride. We rolled the final descent into Cornucopia, Wisconsin’s northern-most village, and the temperature must have dropped 20 degrees as we approached the town on the lake. Made the turn on to their little main street and found 2 places to eat and a sunny picnic table to have lunch. There was a little toddler and her mom sitting on another table having a snack. We had a little conversation about how much she liked to bike with her mom and her dad. It was about noon. Perfect. We usually do not get lunch right at noon, if at all. Defying Murphy, every thing was going right.
Rolled out of Cornucopia toward our destination for the day, Port Wing, 14 miles away. Road turned a little less perfect, but still very good. About 6 miles down the road we could see that the predicted afternoon thunderstorm was indeed developing. We stopped and put on full rain hear. Rode into Herbster, little village at the halfway point, and the storm hit. And right in front of us was an abandoned gas station with the pump canopy. We got under and barely got wet. The storm was very intense with thunder and an intense downpour. It would have been very un-fun to be in it. We waited for 30 minutes or so and the rain stopped. We had a few drops fall on us but not a big deal. Murphy’s what?
Port Wing has 2 bars, a restaurant, a store and a campground with cabins. With the wet ground we opted for the cabin. Rustic it was. But serviceable. Showers were in the building for the campground and, campground showers, were quite nice. We strolled over to the Bear Paw restaurant next door and had a great dinner. It looks to be family owned and run. Mom cooks, son helps in the kitchen, daughter waits tables and dad does it all. The food was good and the place was very friendly. After dinner we asked if they could spare some syrup and butter so we could eat our pancake from the breakfast in Washburn. ‘Of course’. No Murphey there. People are so nice. Overall we could not have expected a more perfect day. Go right it did.

Back to business

Wednesday. Day after the day off.
One of the fun things of the day off was finding the 'Curbside Cafe' a few hundred yards down the road from the hotel. It was just a little trailer parked in a small patch just off the road with a rug of artificial grass in front and a few tables. We had lunch at a table in the sun there. I had pulled pork and it was delicious. Jim had a cheese burger which he rated as very good. So we went back for dinner and had boaster chicken and potatoes. I got Jim's coleslaw too. Nothing green for him.

In the morning we were up at 5:30 and at breakfast soon after 6. The motel had a great free breakfast with eggs and sausage and waffles and all the other usual stuff.  We took just a few extras for snacks later. Snacks are critical. Can't do it without 'em.

Rolled out at 7:30. Had decided on a different route than original to cut off a few miles. This took us down M-64 south to Berglund on beautiful Lake Gogebic. We made good time with a decent road, a light tailwind and little traffic. A right turn took us on M-28 to Wakefield. Little town, home to Indianhead ski resort, set on another beautiful lake, Sunshine. Nice name. We were definitely looking for lunch at that point and what do you know, we just happened to stop right in front of Ma's Cafe. Ma was not in but her helpers were so we had a nice lunch. I had a cod sandwich which I am sure was Lake Superior whitefish, but it's good too.

One last leg out to Little Girl's Point CG. It was a fantastic day. Really could hardly have been better for riding. Cool, not too much wind and the best part was a long downhill at the end of the day. At Ma's we had received confirmation from locals on the route to take out there and it was a bit more than 20 miles still with a few hills to climb. But not at the end. We rolled down in and saw our first wildlife other than squirrels, rabbits and mosquitos. A whitetail deer. Exotic. It looked like it was remote enough to be bear country but apparently not.

Little Girl's Point is a lovely spot. The camp caretaker registered us and told us the site we took is good be cause the sun rises over the Porcupine Mountains in the east and gets you up early.  He was right. The light woke me at 4:45. I went back to sleep briefly. 

Looking out over the lake one has the Porkies to the east and the Apostle Islands off Bayfield, WI to the west. Pretty cool. 

Porkies

When we had rolled in to camp we were just getting set up when a guy on a bike rolled in and said hi. He and his wife had rode around the lake on a tandem would years ago. He asked if we would like a hot shower (the campground had none) and we thought long and hard and finally, a nanosecond later, said sure. 

So we were clean and we got back and had our dinner in camp and had a nice rest. Next morning the sunrise over the Porkies was stunning. There had been some showers overnight so we were not sure what we would be facing in the morning but it was cloudy but clearing and we got off again to climb away from the lake toward US2, which Jim and I know well from our cross country ride in 2005. We looked for the first place we could for second breakfast after oatmeal in camp. That turned out to be the Bad River tribal casino outside Odanah, WI. We each stuffed ourselves and headed back out on to the road on another perfect day. Got through Ashland and made the turn north toward Washburn and the slight tail wind turned into a head wind off the lake. The last 9 miles did me in. We stopped for a late lunch at Coco's and then found the very nice Memorial campground. We are situated on Chequamegon Bay and again it is very beautiful. 

Catching up continued.....

Sometimes the technology defeats me.

The Su under Jim's duplicate pic means nothing.

We arrived at Marybeth's to be warmly greeted  by a true Trail Angel. We cleaned up our bikes and hung our wet tents in her garage took a shower in her steam shower and boy did that feel good. Then we got personal service in the cafe and were fed like you would not believe.  Marybeth's home above the bakery is lovely and very comfortable. We slept well. Jim made the breakfast in the morning with the makings Marybeth supplied. We had a beautiful, restful, if short, stay with her. Such a generous person.

Next day, guess what? It was raining. Only difference being the wind was stronger. Headwind of course. And then I got a flat. At that point I was over the top exasperated. Good to have a calming partner. By 3 hours into the day we had gone a whole 15 miles. So we kept on going. And amazingly later the sky cleared, after Tioga creek.

Tioga creek

At that point we made good time and got only a couple of miles short of our original goal, in L'Anse, MI. We stayed in a motel because of continued rain in our future. 

Ate at the home of the monster sweet roll the Hilltop Cafe. They ship them. You can look it up. 

Yesterday we got on the road again before the rain and made it to the top of the first long climb before it started. Then it was rain off and on all morning but the wind was not bad. It was manageable but by the time we got to the Pit Stop on route M-26 we were really ready for a big lunch. The weather seemed like maybe it would improve again like yesterday as we went in to eat. When we came out 45" later it was colder, windier and raining. We got on down the road. 12 miles to Ontonagon and 13 miles to Silver City. At times the wind almost felt like it was pushing us but it was hard to know we were so cold and wet. Hot chocolate at Lucy's in Ontonagon helped. Then blessedly it was flat as a pancake all the way to Silver City. It felt so good to arrive and it feels good to rest today. Tomorrow the weather turns and it will be our last day in the U.P. 

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

The way it should be

This was a picture book day for bike travel. We rode from Grand Marais to Munising, MI on one road variously known as Sable Falls Rd, Adams Trail and H-58,it's county road number. It is a beautiful road. Invariably smooth and lightly travelled, at least until near Munising. It winds over gently rolling forest lands and is the access road for the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The day began a little chilly and cloudy but warmed and cleared as it went along. We were both pretty tired with legs that felt a bit rubbery from yesterday's adventure in the sand and gravel. But we really enjoyed the ride. Into Munising was a long downhill, which was welcome after 50 miles. We stopped for a Subway sandwich as we had not had much food all day. We ate half and saved the rest for our dinner in camp. The road had no services or restaurant until Munising. We stopped midday at a beautiful lake and had a banana and some pastry or bars. After the sub we road to the Munising Tourist Park Campground which is much like last night's stay in the municipal Woodlands CG in Grand Marais. Tomorrow we ride through Marquette to Negaunee, MI. It is predicted to rain. We will deal with it. I want to attach some pictures of the trip so far but my internet connection is not cooperating today so maybe tomorrow. Until then, happy trails!

Easy rainy followed by brutal sunny

First two days are in the record books. June first we headed out of Sault Ste Marie at 8:15. The start was down hill for a mile or so and then some twists and turns and we were on the International Bridge to the US. We thought that would be a tough ride, not knowing traffic levels. And we were in the regular roadway, not a separate bike/pedestrian lane. Traffic was light and the ride was easy. We got over the bridge and down the road with no wrong turns and got to the lakeshore road we would spend the rest of the day on. There was a threat of rain right from the start but only a few drops until late in the morning. We stopped to look at the Iriquois Point lighthouse and chatted with some folks there. They said 'you guys are in for an interesting day' meaning we were going to get wet. As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot a steady rain started and we were soon in our full rain riding duds. It rained for at least a couple hours. The saving grace for the day, beside some nice scenery, was a tailwind, a cyclist's best friend. Because of the rain we decided to bag the planned state park camping stop and roll on to Paradise....Michigan that is. Got a room, dinner and slept well. Day two dawned sunny and we headed out for a long day Riding to Grand Marais, MI. Our original plan was to ride some back country county roads which would make the distance between 50-60 miles. A typical day for this trip. On my drive out I had scouted this route out because we could not be sure it was rideable. I consulted with the owner of Deer Park Lodge where those routes would end and he told me in no uncertain terms that was not possible on bicycles. The roads are sandy and soft. With a big fat tire bike it could be done. Not on our rigs. So that meant we had choices which included a route that would take 2 days or one which included 12 miles of a gravel road, which he believed would be rideable for us. I had driven that road on my way to his location and agreed that it looked challenging but doable. And, by the way, that route will be 74 miles to Grand Marais. That would make it the longest distance of the trip, on day two. Were we ready for this? So we started the day early, on the road at 7:10, and made good progress. But as the morning went on we had the opposite of the cyclist's best friend, headwinds. These persisted and wore me down. Jim does much better than I do in the wind. We kept on, not sure if we would find a place to eat. First good luck was the North Shore Baking Co. which had some wonderful cinnamon rolls. We got four (saved two for later) for $5, and we were refueled for the time being. When we had arrived there the sign said closed but we sat on their nice cushioned benches and very soon the owner appeared and we were in luck. Our next lucky experience was several miles later when we were ready for lunch. We rolled in to the Wolf Inn and again the sign said closed. But soon a nice woman opened the door and said 'come on in we are just opening'. So we had a fun time with locals and had a nice big lunch with mac and cheese for desert. They were amazed/puzzled by our plan to ride to Grand Marais, about 40 miles away, especially since we had to ride that gravel road. It turns out there puzzlement was not misplaced. The 12 miles of gravel took us between 2-3 hours. Most of it was soft and not accommodating of our relatively narrow tires. Jim rides tires much narrower than mine and I was able to negotiate it better. It was probably the most challenging section of road I have ever ridden, except for a detour on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we had to push and carry our loaded bikes on a rugged hiking trail. We got through it and now have set up camp and went to dinner in Grand Marais. Tomorrow is a new day and we ride exclusively on pavement!

The final planning day.

I have arrived in Sault Ste Marie, ON ahead of Jim and now in a fine hotel room where we will do our final decision making. I was able to drive many of the roads we will be on, or thought we would be on. Some of them in the stretch from Paradise to Grand Marais, MI are in the deep woods and are soft sand in many places. That will be our second day's ride. If we were on a wide open epic in the desert they might look good but not in this case. We will need to decide which of a few alternatives we will use. I also checked out campgrounds we plan to stay at. There are some really nice spots along the lake. The number of campgrounds along the route is huge. The ship in the picture is the ore boat aground on a reef in Whitefish Bay. You may have heard about it. My weather app had

been indicating thunderstorms in this area for tomorrow. I have been a bit concerned about crossing a huge high bridge back to US in a thunderstorm. It appears however that there is only a low chance of showers and that is not a problem for us. I visited the fantastic bike shop across the road from the hotel, Velorution. Jan, the owner, has helped with arrangements to leave our vehicles. Canadians are so nice. Jan rode around the big lake once. He averaged 180 miles a day and did it in a week. He says he wishes he had taken a bit more time. Well yaaaa! Most people in a car or on a motorcycle probably don't do it that fast. Needless to say, he is young (compared) and very strong. When Jim arrives we will have dinner and then dive into organizing and final decision making. As with all big events one plans for weeks and months it is hard to realize the time is nigh. Will be in touch.

The Big Lake--Prologue

Last December I was quietly minding my own business when I got an unexpected email from my bike touring buddy Jim. Attached to it were spreadsheets and Garmin GPS waypoints for our bike ride around Lake Superior. I knew we had talked about this in the past but he had the whole thing planned already. The spreadsheet had daily destinations, daily and cumulative mileage, camping and motel options for every day and notes about if there were any big hills and stuff. I was more than a little taken aback. I guess we are going on this trip. He had the whole thing planned already. I guess it's what you do during the winter in Maine. Or Minnesota for that matter. So we got busy refining the plan and creating our routes and commiserating by email, phone and FaceTime. Jim has used a Garmin device for navigating our trips for some time. I am a recent convert and we have different devices so there has been back and forth on how to get them in synch. Garmin has a couple of ways to create routes using their website or software they provide. It has taken a bit to decide how best to use the

tools and be sure we were on the same page. We have had experience with the device apparently not leading us down the right yellow brick road. Although sometimes it is just us not using logic and trusting the device too much. Spring came and it was time to get serious about training for this little excursion. We had both kept active over the winter but we knew there would be a way to go to really be ready physically. Especially at our advanced age. We have both been riding as much as time and weather allows. For the last month we have been adding more and more weight to our bikes in the form of our panniers, camping equipment, etc. Jim has documented over 1000 miles this spring with his bike loaded with gear. I am not sure I have that much but probably close. I do not keep track. I did do a shake down cruise last week riding 60 miles to Wild River SP, camping and riding back the next day. It was a good test and the second day with a head wind was a bit much. Since then I have felt great and I think it may have been the icing on the top of my training cake. The other key element is packing light. I keep trying and failing. If you are camping at all there is certain stuff you need. Some do with much less than me but I try to minimize within reason. For clothes one needs more than a pair of riding shorts and a jersey. So again, minimize within reason. You need tools and supplies for bike repair. So it adds up. Just weighed it: 48#. Four panniers, handlebar bag and tent with poles. It will get a little lighter as I eat food and wear what is packed, but that is where I am at right now. So I am just two days from leaving. Drive to Munising MI on Sunday. Will stop and say hi to Rob and Carrie near Hayward on the way. I will be driving some of our riding route backwards. The second day Of riding out of Paradise MI will of special interest since a large part of the ride will be on gravel roads. Anxious to see the conditions. We will start in Sault Saint Marie, ON. It is easier to start and end there since Jim is coming from Maine and needs to go through Canada to get there anyway. A bike shop there, Velorution, accommodates touring cyclists with a place to camp and showers so we will have friends right at the start. More from the road..... Gary

Well we're in Wells

Wells, Maine. Leaving St. Paul I had a hard time calculating how long it would take to get here where my friend Jim Smith and Joan have a house, having moved from CT in the last year. We first arrived in Elmhurst IL to visit Kelli's brother Jeff. We spent the next day there and intended to go to the art institute but there was a long line to get in and it was raining. We got wet and then got in the car and did driving tour of the north side. That evening we intended to get on the road to get past the big city and avoid rush hour traffic. The storms that moved in eliminated that plan. It rained so hard we could not leave the house for dinner and the water level in the street was nearly up to the floor boards of the car. So we moved it to higher ground and bedded down for the night. Next morning we were on the road at 4:30 and put in a 12 hour day landing in Buffalo,NY for the night. Next day was another 12 hours on the road with bad traffic only around Lowell, MA as we arrived there just in time for the Boston commuter escapees. Telling ourselves we were early on our schedule helped us endure that and before we knew it we were in Maine. We spent the night in Kittery, just over the line from Portsmouth,NH. Next morning we bumped around downtown Portsmouth which is a very charming town with a lot of quite interesting history. Like they hosted the peace negotiations of the first major war of the 20th century between Russia and Japan. Apparenly it has also become quite an east coast Mecca for fine dining. We had a great lunch at a nice little Italian place after passing up the long lines at all the lobster roll shops on the street. Arrived at Jim and Joan's later that day. Dinner at Billy's chowder cafe. Ever had a haddock Reuben? I have. Wells' beach is long and wide and that evening very bracing with a strong cold wind. Today Jim and I got a very nice 50 mile ride in, including a climb up Mt. Agimenticus. Short and steep. Reminded me of a 1/20th version of Mont Ventoux which was last year's challenge. We did a mini tour of the roads between Wells and Portsmouth. Sunday we start a more extensive 4 day trip, fully self-contained up through Portland and ending,near Bar Harbor where Kelli and Joan will meet us for a night at a B&B. Updates are planned

Retirement, anniversary and a road trip

June 12 We are approaching a turning point or at least a big deal. That is, retirement occurring on the same day as our 45th anniversary. The next day Kelli and I leave on a 3 week road/bike trip out east to visit friends and brothers. The bike trip is also a mini celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the cross country tour for both myself and Jim Smith who we'll visit in Maine. So I am thinking I would like to resurrect the bike trip blog, even though only 4 or 5 days of the trip will be biking. Jim Smith and I will doing a bike tour of the coast of Maine for 4 days while Joan and Kelli do some exploring in southern Maine. Then we will roll down to Delaware to visit Steve and Kit. After that it's over the rivers and hills and through the woods to Jack and Linda's in the Appalachian foothills of Kentucky. This is a test to see if I can actually make a post to the blog using my iPad. If I can maybe we'll do some more of this.

Empty sail in Hood River

Day 12 Hood River, OR

We started the day in northeast Portland.  It always takes time to ride through and or out of a city and today was no exception.  Once we did we were on the very scenic Old Columbia Highway.  It was Saturday and this is a popular cycling route so we saw many riders flying by us as we lugged our loaded bikes up and down the rolling hills.  The peak of the experience was a spot called Vista House where there is a beautiful building and a spectacular view of the Columbia Gorge.  An amazing site.  Then there was a very long descent to the gorge floor.  The next incredible sites were two wonderful high waterfalls, the largest be Multnomah Falls which is hundreds of  feet high.

We finished the day riding on I-84 for about 15 miles.  In MN it is never legal to ride on an interstate but in Oregon, at least on this one, it is.  It is the only road which connects Cascade Locks with Hood River.  There are accommodations for cyclists so it is not as bad as it could be.  There is a tunnel on the interstate and bikes are directed to a bike path off the interstate to bypass it.  The only draw back is a set of very steep stairs, probably 50.  It is not at all easy to get these loaded bikes down stairs.  At least we did not need to go up the steps.

As we rode along today I felt a real lack of motivation and my legs felt tired and heavy.  I struggled up slight grades that should have been easy.  I knew that the huge mountains ahead were going to be at least as challenging as the previous ones and I thought more than I could handle.  To my very great regret I made a decision that I can not continue the trip.  It was very difficult telling my great riding partner because I know he really wants to continue on.  I can not.  I think this is the best decision for me and I will just need to deal with it and hope that it will work out OK for Jim.  

Having made that decision we stopped in Hood River, OR.  We had planned to go on about another 20 miles or so.  At this point Jim wanted to continue to ride to finish in Reno, our original destination.  He knew he could not, or at least should not, continue alone on the route on less travelled roads going over the high passes that are on the Adventure Cycling route maps we use.  He spent the evening on his laptop with topographical maps looking for a more direct route.  Eventually he had it and proved again his resourcefulness on the fly.  

It is supposed to be fun and it is very much fun.  When, for some combination of reasons, it does not feel like fun one needs to reflect and make a decision that is best for yourself.  That is how I feel about this.  As much as I do not want to abandon or disappoint my riding partner I need to make the best decision for myself, and Kelli, of course.  So, for me this is a big deal.  It means not finishing a project I spent months planning and invested a lot of energy and resources.  It is not what I want but it is what it is, something which has to be. 

Getting back on course, I hope

Day 11 Portland, OR

Nice town.  I am not going to see much of it and I should not even be here.  But we spent the day getting back toward our intended route.  The ride today was flat and unspectacular except for the distant views of Rainier, St. Helen's and Hood.  They are awesome even from a distance.  

We had the most amazing second breakfast in Longview, WA shortly before crossing the Lewis and Clark Bridge from WA to OR.  It was cinnamon bread French toast and an egg and bacon. There was enough French toast for three people, literally. This was Stuffie's which I guess is famous for very large portions.  It was just a lucky choice on our part.

We left Stuffie's and asked directions to the Lewis and Clark Bridge from Washington to Oregon.  That was quite a climb up over that one and a great view of the Columbia River with ocean going vessels in the River.

We then road a mostly boring route on US 30 to Portland, found a motel, a place to eat and started to look at the maps and plan for the next days of riding.  The climbs are as long or longer.  The history we have with the weather and getting over the high mountain passes led me to have some trepidation on the balance of the planned trip.

Tomorrow is another day.

Elk Pass. Oh no you won't

Day 10  Cascade Rocks, WA

So.  This is an interesting story.  One of those that can only happen when you put yourself out there and hope for the best.

We finished our bad day yesterday at an RV campground between Packwood and Randle, WA.  We both slept well although I was awoken by the loud hoarse bleating of some kind of deer that hangs around the campground.  We did our usual camp breakfast of oatmeal, green tea or coffee and Jim has some rice pudding cup he favors.  We were off by 7:30.  We had at least one and perhaps two major climbs ahead of us so we stopped at the One Stop in Randle.  We talked to someone in the parking lot and the very friendly attendant in the store where we should get 'second breakfast'.  This is the idea that if you ride for a while and you have a big day ahead, more breakfast is good.  

Both fellows recommended the Mount Adams Cafe.  Walt, the attendant said to tell Will the cook that he sent us.  So we did.

We had a very nice breakfast and very good service, I must say.  We each took our turns in the restroom after we finished and as Jim was doing his thing, one of the locals sitting at the counter next to us asked where we were headed.  Over Elk Pass I said.  Oh no your not said the three in unison.  Why not I said.  Because the road is closed on account of 3 feet of snow they said.  Oh really I said.  So how can we get where we are going?  By then Jim had joined us for the news flash.  We spent a half hour or so studying maps with the guys and determined our only option was to continue west on US 12 to the I-5 corridor and take the side roads down to the Columbia River and then west to where we want to be.  It would add a 70 mile detour to our route but it is do-able.  The route is flatter, though not flat, than the one we had planned.  We should be able to make better time and find a place to stay for the night.  

Off we go, in the direction we did not anticipate.  There was one quite big climb, perhaps 3 or 4 miles, but not too bad compared to White Pass. 

We had planned to get to a town, Toledo, about 50 miles down the road.  We looked to see what accommodations there were there and found none listed on Jim's Garmin GPS device.  We got to another town and noticed their library with WiFi and stopped in to inquire about lodging or camping up the road.  We finally, after a lot of searching and questioning, found an RV campground about 20 miles further than we had intended to go.  It is an upscale one, in contrast to where we were last night and it has WiFi available at every campsite.  Whew!

One of the troublesome questions we have had is how we negotiate the I-5 corridor, without going on I-5.  So, fortuitous event number two for the day, we ran into a cyclist at the library who had just completed the route we were thinking we needed to follow, in the opposite direction.  She had her cue sheet of directions and was done with it and would be happy to give it to us.  So we had a plan.

We rode like crazy to get here.  Stopped along the way to take a picture of Mount Rainier in the distance.  We had not been able to see it yesterday, although we were much closer then.  The ride was great.  Almost all flat and even a tailwind for part of the way.  

We sat down to figure out tomorrow and discovered a much simpler way to get where we are going using a different Adventure Cycling route, they make the maps we are using, which will take us back to our route, which is the Sierra Cascades route.  It should work slick and I will get to ride some of the Lewis and Clark route which will be fun.  The L & C route follows the route they took in 1803-1805 to find a water route to the Pacific.  It is an amazing story and the bike route commemorates it.

So, started at breakfast, before we really knew what our day would be, saying this is going to be a good day.  Turns out it has been, though not the day we expected.

Jim and Gary's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Day 9  Outside Packwood, WA

Dear Friends,

Today was a hard day.  I am tired.  We rode over White Pass which is over 4500 ft and more than 30 miles up the road.  The winds were not favorable, it was cold.  We did not reach our desired destination. Things will look up tomorrow and I will say more then.  

Over.

Moving on up the road

Day 8 Windy Point Campground, Wenatchee National Forest, WA

It was a two person parade down Main Street in Ellensburg this morning as we headed out on our route.  Not often the route goes on Main St. but today it did.  This lead directly to Canyon Road, which continued on for almost 30 miles down the Yakima River canyon.  The road followed the river very closely so it wound around quite a bit and looking at the map we thought there would be a lot of wasted time and effort making the distance twice what a straight road might be.  But no, it was well worth the extra miles as this was as scenic a morning as we have had.  Just spectacular.  Talking with touring cyclists who have ridden cross country, or in a lot of states, they often will say Washington is the most scenic.  It is tough to say but Washington is definitely right in the running.  Especially at this time of year when the rivers and creeks are running full and the water is cascading down the mounatains it is hard to say what would be better.  

Tonight we are at a Forest Service campground hard by the Tieton River rushing full drowning the near-by US 12 traffic noise with a cascading stream down the mountain-side just across from our campsite.  Today riding through the canyon and then up 12 to White Pass we have been treated to miles and miles of mountain goat terrain (saw no goats, except little ones in a pasture).  Huge rocky outcrops and geometric granite walls.  Across the highway from us is  quarter mile or so of natural rock columns that look like some Greeks or Romans must have been here before us.  The rock as formed in columns without a gap between them with random heights.  See the picture above.

We rode for 45 miles before we had a place to stop for lunch.  We always look for a cafe for lunch.  This was in the very western looking and very adorable little town of Naches, WA.  We climbed several hundred feet and descended that same height at a much steeper grade to get down in to town.  On the road out to Naches we had passed a woman on her bike headed the other direction.  As we arrived in Naches, not sure where to look for lunch, she caught us and said she had hoped she would catch us so she could find out where we are headed, etc.  She had been on an out and back ride and lives in Naches.  She got us to the Sticky Fingers Cafe on the main drag in Naches and we had a great lunch there.  

The roads passed by, other than mountains, ranches and miles and miles of cherry orchards.  The apples have definitely given way to cherries and grapes.  It helps me to understand where all that fruit comes from and how there can be so much.  It is hard to convey the immensity of the growing activity past which we have peddled.

From lunch we headed out on Old Naches Highway for 5-6 miles until it connected to US 12 and then for about 8 miles we climbed the very manageable grade toward White Pass to our campground.  Tomorrow we will go over White Pass and continue on toward Mount Rainier.  We are not going to Rainier but will be passing by and if the weather is favorable should have some fairly up close views.

So far we are on schedule and the riding, other than Rainy Pass has been quite good.  We can hope for more to come and hope the winds stay favorable as they were today.

Resting in Ellensburg

Day 7 Ellensburg

Rest.  It is a good thing.  This is the 7th day.  You know what that means.  

I have heard of my brother Rick's troubles with heart rhthym so it has not been a totally restful time but for bike riding a day of rest.  Rick and I are sharing a problem of atrial fibrillation, which is usually not debilitating but is a problem which needs to be controlled.  Mine has been controlled so far and I keep my fingers crossed and pray that the very same will be true for Rick.

This day we enjoyed lazing about Ellensburg, a seemingly very nice little town with a fairly large university.  We recommend the oatmeal at the Palace Cafe, the service at Recycle Bicycle Store and the beer at the Iron Horse Micropub (well, I recommend the latter).  We wandered around town to the campus and then through downtown to the outdoor store for a headlamp for Jim and did some bike maintanence to make sure all is well to continue.  We did find some issues with the bikes so it is good we spent the time.  That is what days off on a bike tour are for.  

Tomorrow we head south and into some more mountains, hoping for favorable winds and moderate temps.  

Hopefully the legs will react well after a day off of riding.

We are headed toward Mount Rainier so the scenery should be more and more spectacular for a flatlander.

Down hill fast (it's a good thing)

Day 6 Ellensburg, WA

Days like this are the ones that keep me coming back to this crazy passion.  It was not an easy day but it was filled with remarkable riding experiences.

We started with breakfast at the Big Y Cafe next door to the Wedge Mountain Inn.  Jim has convinced me that his favorite breakfast on the road is a really good one.  That is, french toast, one egg and bacon.  Good balance of carbs, fat and protein.  Self supported touring is great if you love to eat because you can just about eat whatever and as much as you want.  You need it to be high quality food though, not junk.  So we ordered the same breakfast but had to get an extra order of french toast because the menu item had just two small slices.  

So we were off to a good start to get us part way up the long, long climb to Blewett Pass.  This was 22 miles long and was all climbing.  On most of these long mountain climbs there are some areas of downhill, which is a mixed blessing because you do have to climb that much again to get over the top, but it does give the legs a break.  On this climb there was no break.  It was all up.  Most of it was very manageable but there were a couple of stretches where it was 8-9%, the most difficult being, of course, right at the top after we had been climbing for 3 hours.  

Along the climb we were treated to some of the most beautiful mountains, rushing creeks (big and full of glacial water with its characteristic clear green color), huge pines, massive rocks, and a meditating hawk up on a branch.  Hawks are good luck I hear.

At the top we got a picture together with the 'Blewett Pass, elevation 4102 ft' sign.  We had climbed 22 miles and 3000 ft in 3 hours.  The downhill was a good experience, the top being fairly steep and then levelling out a bit as we descended.  All that went by a little too fast to describe but the scenery did not seem as spectacular as the climb.  The whole descent was about 14 miles.  We stopped in the midst of it to have a meatloaf sandwich lunch.  Then we continued the descent to the bottom of 3 mile climb which was leading us to our destination in Ellensburg.  On the climb we could see the huge snow covered dome of a distant mountain, probably Mount Rainier.

As we crested the climb we turned slightly and started down another long descent, this time with a wicked wind AT OUR BACKS!  Can you believe it?  We couldn't.  This descent was also 14 miles in to Ellensburg. It was great fun riding that far and hardly needing to pedal. 

Ellensburg is the home of Central Washington University and is the county seat of Kittitas County.  We have found a wonderful little Italian restaurant already.  This is our planned day off so we will be here Sunday and Monday and rest the legs.  

Hope the tailwinds decide to stick around a couple of days.