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.