Day 13 - October 4

I had decided that this was going to be the last day of my tour.  Home was 92 miles away, but there would be no traffic to contend with because I was going to ride the White Pine Trail all the way.  I started in the darkness at 6:15 AM.  The first 16 miles is paved and I had an excellent view of the trail with my headlight.  I thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet of the trail and rolled along at around 15 MPH.   The unpaved sections of the trail slowed me down a bit, but I enjoyed riding the entire trail.  I got home at 3:00 PM with my odometer showing 91.3 miles.

Leroy, MI on the White Pine Trail

Unpaved Section of the WPT

Day 12 - October 3

I left Charlevoix at 7:30 AM and charted a course for Kalkaska (50 miles) for the first leg.  It was overcast, cool, and windy.  The route was hilly all the way, but the winds were generally favorable.   The GPS routed me on a dirt road for awhile, but this was only to keep me off of M-72.  The second leg was 38 miles to Cadillac.  There was no other choice than to ride on old 131, which has a wide shoulder like Route 2.   I didn't like the idea, but after I started it was actually a pretty decent route.  The shoulder was in good condition and the wind was at my back.    I made it to Cadillac in good time and by the end of the day I had ridden 95 miles.  

Onward to Kalkaska

Day 11 - October 2

I got an early start and tried to get psyched up to ride 84 miles to the Mackinaw  Bridge.  It was cold, in the upper 30s, but winds were still relatively calm - but it was still early. I stopped for breakfast and powered down a stack of pancakes.   Riding this same route for the third consecutive day of headwinds did not fill me with exuberance. On the contrary, I felt fatigued and dreaded getting on the bike - a rare occurrence for me.  I was weary of the headwinds, the semi-trucks, and the speeding cars.   I was determined, however, that I would reach the Mackinaw Bridge - whatever it takes.   I turned on the lights and rode in the twilight until sunrise, then took a long break because of the glare. After a while, I resumed riding and the wind began to howl.   I rode on for 18 miles and turned into a rest area.   I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was driving a pickup and pulling a fishing boat.  He was heading  home to Grand Rapids, returning from a fishing trip in MN.  As we talked more I found out that he lives only two miles away from me!   I asked him if he could give me a lift to the bridge, and he took me all the way to Mackinaw City.  This was an enormous help in giving a needed reprieve to my overworked legs!

From Mackinaw City, I got on the Macinaw to Petoskey Trail, which connects to the Little Traverse Wheelway Trail to Charlevoix, where I stopped  at a motel for the night, because it had gotten much colder and windier.   In sharp contrast to the Star Motel in Manistique, this place was a one-star.  I should have realized this from the unkempt sign.  The walls were thin, and I couldn't get a certain Paul Simon song out of my head.

Little Traverse Wheelway in Petoskey

Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey

Couple in the next room

Bound to win a prize

They've been going at it all night long

Well I'm trying to get some sleep

But these motel walls are cheap

Day 10 - October 1

A great day for bicycle touring....if you are traveling west!  The headwinds continued on this beautiful fall day.  I had to work hard to maintain an 11-13 MPH pace.  I made it to Manistique at 3:00 pm and had ridden only 53 miles.   I found a nice mom &  pop motel that was clean and cheap and stopped for the day.  Fatigue was setting in along with soreness in my legs.  A rest was needed.

Riding on US Route 2 has been nerve wracking.  Although it is part of the US Bicycle Route System, it is hardly bicycle friendly.   It does have a wide shoulder and rumble strips, but it carries high speed traffic including many semi rigs and logging trucks.  It is noisy and stressful.   As it stands, I have another 85 miles to reach Ignace and get out of the UP.

I give this place five-stars!

A brief calm on U.S. Route 2 in the Upper Peninsula

 St. Christopher must have been with me on Route 2.

Day 9 - September 30

After a restful night in an Oconto hotel.  I started the day's ride into another headwind. I rode along Green Bay north to Marinette, then crossed the bridge into MI at Menominee.   I headed North on M35 toward Escanaba and enjoyed a wide shoulder with a rumble strip separating the road from the shoulder, but this lasted for only approximately 20 miles, and suddenly contracted to a 3' shoulder.  Traffic was still relatively light, but there were lots of semi trucks.  When they approached I would ride on the gravel shoulder to stay as far as possible.   The wider 35mm tires have served me well on this tour as they have been quite stable on dirt/gravel.   It was a long day in the saddle when I arrived in Escanaba at 6:00 PM, a distance of 83 miles.

Beautiful Lake Michigan

Back in Michigan

The shoulder went from this...

...to this.

Day 8 - September 29

It had been a rough night.   After setting up my tent next to the bike shop, I went to dinner.  A light rain had developed by the time I returned. It developed into steady pour that lasted through the night.  The wind picked up as well and the tent was rocking!  I had staked it down well enough, but I am surprised it all held together.   I was also amazed that no water came inside the tent.  The rain fly deflected it all.   However, the wind and rain created a lot of noise in the tent and I didn't get much sleep.  It was hard to get going in the morning.

After I got the bike packed up, I set about navigating my way out of town.  Green Bay was due north and I wanted to avoid traffic so I headed west for a few miles, then turned north.   I had doubts about how far I could go.  It was overcast, cold, and there was a fierce headwind.  Complicating matters was was my sleep deprivation.  It was going to be a tough day on the bike.

With the headwind , I was averaging 11-12 mph for most of the morning .  One consolation was that the country roads were free of traffic . I rode alone for miles with only an occasional car.  As the day progressed the wind shifted a bit to the NW, so it gave me a moderate push when I headed east in my zig zag route.  Feeling somewhat revived,   I was able to put in 75 miles and make it to Oconto. The big motivation was there was a motel there and I really needed to dry out some of the camping gear and clothing that had gotten damp last night. 

Tomorrow I should be back in Michigan and begin my trek across the U.P.

I spent most of the day on country roads.

I always wondered were it originated!

Day 7 - September 28

Today I rode  from Horicon to Neenah, a distance of 72 miles.  I got on the Wild Goose State Trail and rode it for 34 miles to Fond du Lac.  It was a dirt trail but hard packed and I rolled along at an average speed of 14 mph.  It was peaceful and scenic riding through the WI countryside.  Another plus was that I had the wind at my back all day and made good time.   I had considered stopping in Oshkosh , but I thought I had better take advantage of the tailwind. When I reached Neenah, I discovered that there were no campgrounds in the area, so I looked for a motel.  I was surprised to find that were no vacancies anywhere because the Packers were playing on Monday Night Football.   I started looking at my stealth camping options.  I stopped at the local bike shop to see if they had any ideas.  I explained my predicament and the owner told me I could camp behind his shop. After setting up my tent we talked bikes for awhile until close.  A very kind gentleman!

The Wild Goose State Trail

Camping behind the bike shop