July 31, 2018 Farwell to Frankenmuth

Today’s ride started with a continuation of the Pere Marquette Trail and was a total of 82.1 miles, with only 510 feet of climb. This makes today the lowest climb day of the tour so far. 

Bob and I rolled out and onto the trail.  I had worn arm warmers as it was only 58 F this morning.  On the trail we cruised along at 18-20 mph as the trail was perfectly smooth and there was no wind.  As the trail was easily 15 feet wide we rode side by side exchanging stories of heroic deeds we had performed.  The end of the trail at Midland which was at mile 35 came up pretty fast so we stopped for a coffee in the town. 

After coffee we were on a combination to busy and back roads all of which were really rough.   The last 5 miles into picnic were absolutely bone jarring.  We thought were doing pretty well but when we checked in at picnic we were close to the last.  I guess everyone passed us while we were having coffee. 

After picnic which was at mile 44 Bob wanted to go into Bay City to see some naval ship yard..  There was also a marine museum there which had a destroyer similar to the one Bob served on.  So I rode the last 38 miles to camp by myself.

The route after picnic consisted of 19 miles east and 19 miles south.  By now the wind has picked up out of the East so I have to face into the wind.  About 10 miles later I entered Bay City.  I would have liked to take some pictures but the road was so rough and busy I didn’t dare reach for my camera. In fact I didn’t even look around I was just concentrating on the road and traffic.  Dodging holes and broken pavement between pickup trucks and semi-trucks was a full time effort.  

After I made the corner and started south the road got a little bit better and was almost as good as the roads in Bulgaria, where I broke three water bottle cages from the constant pounding. The wind also came around a little to the North East giving me a bit of a tail wind. 

Upon reaching Frankenmuth I found an ice cream parlour and had a very nice soft serve cone.  I figured I deserved it.

Tonight is the plated chicken dinner in the Grand Hotel downtown.  This is one of the best meals on the tour and I have been looking forward to this meal for the last couple of weeks.  Yes it is that good.

Terry hot biker

July 30, 2018 Ludington to Farwell MI

Today the ride was scheduled for 95 miles and 2250 feet of climb.  The route went way south into the sand dunes park, then came back north and joined highway 10 east.  It was easy to see that this was riding 3 sides of the square again and being on back roads would have a ton of steep hills and a lot of cross cracks in the road.  So Ken, Bob and I decided to ride straight down highway 10.  This shaved around 10 miles off the route and at least half of the climb. We were advised that this was a horrible idea and we riding down the highway to Heck.   As it turned out there was some big piece of equipment blocking the route and while a few of the lead riders got through most of the riders had to turn around and ride down highway 10 anyway.  It also turned out to be a very nice piece of road with extremely polite drivers.

As we had shaved 10 miles off picnic came up pretty fast. It was at a beautiful spot on Idlewild Lake, which is the site of the famous Flamingo Club of the late 1950’s where African Americans performed.

From picnic we had 15 miles down to the Pere Marquette Trailhead in Reed city.   This wonderful piece of paved rails to trails leads us the remaining 36.4 miles down to our camp in Farwell.  Ed was riding the last half of the day so he joined us at the Reed City Terminal.   The four of us sailed along at a nice easy pace chatting and telling stories.  As we rode along seeing the sights it reminded me of the other tours. The big concrete water and sand tower for the trains, the big iron bridge, and of course the place where there was the famous “don’t pass Earnie” site (even though he did eventually drop us all off the front).  The trail sure made the day go by and turned a tough day into a really nice day.  

As we rolled into town I saw this business which promises that they can deliver mold in the future.  I guess some people have a need for mold.

When we got to town Ed treated us to chocolate milk.  It was ice cold and so delicious. The entire quart disappeared in no time flat.

My bike computer had the battery fail so I changed to my back up computer which was brand new.  However the thing had some sort of brain damage and would reset itself or go blank.  So I got out the back up to the back up and installed it.  I no sooner got it installed and tested than it started to rain. I quickly grabbed my laundry and laptop and ran inside.  The rain turned into a 30 minute downpour.  I am hopping it is over and I can re-hang my laundry.

I believe that we passed the 3000 mile mark today.  WOW!

Terry hot biker

July 29 2018 Rest Day Ludington MI

Today was a nice quiet day.   Ken and I had splurged on a hotel room for our rest day and It was really worth it.  Getting to lie in bed late was the ultimate luxury. When we finally rolled out of bed it was close to 8:00 Am. 

We met up with Bob and went across the street to the local diner for bacon and eggs.  Lingered over several cups of coffee and told stories.  It was great.

As daylight was burning Ken packed up the laundry and headed off to do that while I under took the bike cleaning.  We had been on a gravel trail last week and the bikes were covered in grime.  My bike wasn’t too bad as I had wiped the chain a couple of times during the week but Ken’s was very encrusted. Ken’s pedals have been squeaking and so I cleaned and oiled them as well.  I hope that I have fixed it. 

We have not had pizza since we left home and both Ken and I have been craving it and as it happens there was a Pizza Hut just two doors down from the motel so we headed over for lunch.  The two of us cleaned up a large (18”) meat lovers pizza.  It was just what we needed to fill the pizza depravation we have had. 

In the afternoon I decided to jump in the pool.  It was so nice just floating around and I had the place to myself.  Then I sat for a while in the hot tub.  Finally I crawled out and lay on the lawn chairs around the pool.  I had every intention of finishing my book with less than 50 pages on what is an easy read.  When I looked at my watch it was time to get ready to go to rider meeting. Somehow I had read less than 5 pages in something like 2 hours.

Rider meeting and supper was down at the Old Hamil Restaurant in downtown so the van showed up to shuttle us down. The Old Hamil is an old time family run place with a wonderful buffet. Their homemade bread is the absolute best.

Such a lazy day I only took a couple of pictures.

Tomorrow is an 95 mile ride.  However Ken Bob and I are going to ride straight down the main road saving about 10 miles and cut off a bunch of the hills and cross checked side roads. 

Terry hot biker

July 28, 2018 Plymouth to Manitowoc and Ferry to Ludington

Greg our tour leader calls today the longest shortest day in Cycle America.  It certainly is the longest day even though it is the shortest ride of the tour.   You are up at 5:00 am and luck to be in bed by 10:00 Pm. I thought it would be a great day to ride Fran’s cycling kit as this day kind of marks a turning point in our journey. We are only a few miles short of 3000 miles, and have only 3 weeks left.  It is also a psychological point as now the end is clearly in sight.

After breakfast I rolled out of camp with Auzzie Bob.  It was a really nice morning with bright blue skies and a great riding temperature of 65F.  The first nine miles were down a paved bike trail which was very nice.   From the bike trail we took a bunch of side roads which had almost no traffic. 

I have been having trouble with my bike computer turning off or resetting itself.  When I saw a Piggly Wiggly I ducked in to get new batteries.  Get the batteries then find out I need a tiny screwdriver to open the computer.  So ride on without a computer.  I was quite surprised when first water appeared.

It was only half a mile up to Whistling Straits golf course which is supposed to be one of the top 10 courses in America so we went in for a coffee in the club house. It was a fabulous spot. They brought in mountains of sand to build all of the dunes which course is built on.  This was our first view of Lake Michigan. 

After coffee we only had 19 miles up to picnic and the end of our ride which was at Kathy Wojta’s house where she was hosting our picnic.  What a magnificent spread of food had been prepared by Kathy.  There was everything from homemade pickles to homemade cinnamon rolls. I made sure that I filled up on all of the treats which were laid out.

Then it was hurray up and wait for the sailing of the SS Badger which is a coal fired car ferry which runs from Manitiwoc across Lake Michigan to Ludington. The ferry was launched in 1954 and is a national historic monument.  This is a 4.5 hour journey.  Ken had purchased a couple decks of cards and Bob and I sat down to play a few games of cribbage.  It was quite enjoyable way to pass the time and I enjoyed giving Bob a few lessons.  The voyage could not have had a nicer day with brilliant blue sky, warm temperatures and perfectly calm lake. 

Once in Ludington, I jumped on my bike and made a bee line for the motel.  I wanted to get down to the motel and get in front of the check in line.  Ken was right behind me and we were the first to check in.  The Viking Arms is an older family run motel on the edge of Ludington but a very comfortable place with a friendly staff.  It is just a perfect place for a rest day.

After checking in Bob, Ken and I walked across the street to a local dinner for dinner.  I don’t think the waiter got very much of the order right but the food was just what we needed. 

Set the clocks forward one hour as we are now in a new time zone and it was bed time by 10:00 PM.

Terry hot biker 

July 27, 2018 Beaver Dam to Plymouth WI

After a great breakfast at Wayland Academy featuring French toast Ed, Auzzie Bob and I rolled off.  Wayland Academy was such a nice place. I had always wanted to be born rich so that I could have attended such a place but somehow it just never worked out.  The French toast was such a welcome change from the “egg casserole” which is the normal fair.  Every one of the caters say we are featuring our special egg casserole as though it were a new idea but in reality we have only had it 36 times in the last 36 days.

The wind had been forecast to be out of the WNW but was more out of the north and our route was a series of north and east steps.  This should have given us a quartering tail wind or a quartering head wind but was more of head wind or a side wind.  In the early morning it has been typically quite calm but today it was already 10-15 mph when we set off at 7:00 am.   This stiff breeze was coupled by lower temperatures of only 62 F.  I did not put on arm warmers and only had a jacket with me and I was kind of wishing I had dug the arm warmers out. 

The route took us down a lot of back roads which had very little traffic on it.  However you have to pay for the lack of traffic with much steeper hills and much rougher roads.  If fact I would estimate that of todays 68.4 miles 50 of those miles were heavily cross cracked.  I would also estimate that there was a cross crack every 30 feet. This gives you 8800 chunk a chunk as you bike hits the cracks.  The much trumpeted new pavement was all of 1.3 miles long.  

The hills were really steep and one of the riders was saying that his Garmin showed an incline of 24% on this one climb.    About 3 miles into the ride I realized that yesterday’s fun climbing the hills had taken their toll as I just had no strength so the only way up the hills was going to be just through grinding up them.  Nevertheless picnic did show up and ED was back at work so Bob and I continued on. 

We had the ride done and we were sitting in a diner having burgers and beer by just after 1:00 am.  Although my face feels badly wind burned and my joints ache.  Nevertheless not bad for a 68.4 mile day with a 2240 feet climb.

I found a scale in the locker room today and it looks like I have lost 14 pounds (after burgers and beers). 

Tomorrow we take the Badger across Lake Michigan.

Terry hot biker

July 26, 2018 Baraboo to Beaver Dam WI

All day a couple of lines from an early Beach Boys tune “Summer Means Fun” kept going through my head as that was the day. However before I get on to that and today’s adventure let me rewind the clock.

Last night I thought I would phone this friend of mine who lives in this northern Alberta mining town to see how he was doing.  His advice was time is ticking we can’t waste it we need to get out there and do stuff.   So here I am phoning from my tent in the middle of a corn field in Wisconsin and I realize he is right I am going to have to get out there and do some fun and exciting stuff.

This morning we depart Baraboo University campus where we are staying and head down to The Barn which is about 4 miles down the road for breakfast.  It is an old dairy barn which has been converted to a restaurant.  I could not believe how many turns it took to get through town and how many steep hills there were.  I think the routers were just playing with us.  After breakfast Auzzie Bob and I rolled out together. 

There was one really steep climb right off the bat up to Devils Lake State Park.  About half way up the hill the van went by and there was a second where I thought I should flag it down and save myself the agony of the climb. 

After that second passed it wasn’t long and we were at Devils Lake.  It was really pretty.  The sun was up and the sky totally blue with very nice riding temperatures of high 60’s – low 70’s.   A couple of pictures and we were off.  There was a ton of hills today and they were all too long and steep to power down the decent and then sail over, you had to gear down and grind up them.

After Devils lake we rolled on to Merrimac Lake where we took a short ferry ride across one arm of the lake. No bike ride is complete without a ferry ride so that checks that box.  There had been a May fly hatch and the ferry was just covered in thousands of May flies. As it was only a 5 minute ride we didn’t have to worry about riding into a lot of May flies. 

I caught up to Irish Mike and gave him the big dog bark which scared him.  I had a good laugh.

By picnic it was starting to cloud over and it looked like a thunder storm was brewing so Bob and I hurried on. The temperatures had remained in the low 70’s but by now we have a 15-20 mph tail wind. It never did rain and as we only had 24 miles to go we were in pretty early.   

We stopped at Chippies, a local ice cream parlour and I had a big double chocolate cone. It was perfect.

I stop and get some cash n a bank and they have this huge walk in vault right in the lobby.  I was right out of the movies.

Tonight we are in the Wayland Academy which is a local college.  The corner stone of the dorm says built in July 1855. It is a gorgeous campus. Huge columns guard the front entrance.  Inside totally modern.  Greg has organized the swimming pool so off to have a swim.  

Today the ride of 66 miles with 2800 feet of climb was through some stunning scenery and the tail wind just made it a blast.  A huge ice cream, great accommodations, an afternoon swim.  I just doesn’t get any better.  Getting out there and doing is what it is all about.    We also had a couple of beers at Stooges Bar. 

Terry hot biker    

July 25, 2018 Sparta to Baraboo WI

This morning was the best breakfast of the entire tour.  We were having breakfast at Ginny’s Cupboard.  It started with fresh orange juice, still warm quiche, a French toast bar with the French toast coming straight off the grill and on to your plate, a huge assortment of fresh fruit, and all of the trimmings.  After waddling out of Ginny’s last night where we had this chicken baked in cream and fresh sweet corn as well as ice cream which was a premium ice cream made just for her with 40% fat, I didn’t think I would be able to eat for a few days.  However when I smelled the French toast I knew I could eat at least four huge slices.  I don’t think these back to back meals will be topped.

After breakfast Auzzie Bob and I rolled down to the start of the Elroy-Sparta Bicycle trail and headed east.  The trail is a compacted limestone base with the odd soft spot so one had to pay attention.  It is up hill out of Sparta to the first tunnel which is 1.1 miles in length.  You cannot ride the tunnel as it is too dark and the center of the tunnel is quite arched and with drainage ditches on either side.  In 2010 and in 2014 it was quite dry in the tunnel but today it was very drippy, almost to the point of rain.  We had flash lights so we walked around the big puddles, but you still got lots of big drips of ice cold water down your back. It was lots of fun barking in the tunnel as you could hear the bark going down the tunnel and echoing off the walls. 

After the first tunnel there was more uphill pathway to the second tunnel which is not as long as the first tunnel and it was quite dry inside. The third tunnel is the shortest but is still long enough that you cannot ride it.  It was also the driest.  It looked to me like the third tunnel had been constructed by boring two parallel holes in a lower and softer layer of rock and then expanding the tunnel by blowing the roof out of the parallel holes.   Bob and I were amazed had how much temperature difference there was between the tunnel and the rest of the trail.

After the third tunnel I notice that the cassette retainer nut on had come loose on my bike and when I used the smallest gear on rear cassette the chain would rub on the frame. I stopped and threaded to nut back on and hand tightened it.

It was 42.1 miles to picnic on the trail.  We arrived at about 11:00 am.  I got the mechanics to put a wrench on the rear cassette nut.  It fixed the chain rub.  Shuli had made tomato aspect soup which was so good. It was filled with great crunchy vegetables.  She also had a huge spread of fresh fruit.

After picnic Ed joined Auzzie Bob and myself.   We had another 16 miles down the trail to the ¾ water stop.  I was kind of glad to get off the trail because at this point we had ridden 58.4 miles down the unpaved trail. 

From last water stop Ed jumped on his pedals and dropped Auzzie Bob and myself.   I think he did that as he didn’t want to hear any guff about riding three sides of a square.  Although I have no proof of this it seemed like a lot of lefts and rights, riding east, south, and north.  Then at the very end a really steep climb.  We would have given him grief on that one for sure.

Although it was only a 75.4 mile day with 1740 feet of climb the unpaved path tired me out and I was glad to be in.  

Looks like a thunder storm is in the offing for this evening.

Terry hot biker

July 24, 2018 Pepin to Sparta

Today was the longest and had the most climb of any day this week.  It was a total of 91.5 miles and had a climb of 2410 feet.  The hard part of the day was all at the back end when you are tired and the temperature is highest. 

I got out of breakfast in good time and was rolling by 6:50 am.  The route took us in a SE direction along the Mississippi River, for the first 46.8 miles down to picnic.  It was along a kind of busy road with a variable shoulder. Some good sections, some bad sections.  We had been promises a wind out of the NW giving us a tail wind but it had not shown up.  The scenery was few pretty with great views of the river. 

At the 15 mile mark I entered the town of Alma, and as I did a BNSF train of oil cars entered the town from the other direction.  The train was just flying at 40-50 mph (my guess).  So the river is on the south, then the tracks, then the road and finally main street Alma.  I am within 10 feet of the rail cars going the opposite direction.  The wind from the train cars was horrendous.  I would have loved to taken a picture but I didn’t dare stop or take a hand off the handle bars.  I could just see one of them jumping off the tracks. To say it was scary would be a total understatement.    

The wind showed up at about the 35 mile mark and I sailed into Picnic.  Spicy Thai noodle salad for lunch, with a lot of fresh fruit made it a great picnic. 

After lunch I hooked up with Auzzie Bob and we rode along enjoying the tail wind.  There were a bunch of lefts and rights down some busy and not so busy roads.   I think we were averaging around 17 mph. 

After the last water stop which was 15 miles out we had three large hills to climb.  In fact 75% of the daily climb was in the last 10 miles.  The first was really only about 0.3 miles but it was pretty steep.  The second even steeper and about 0.5 miles and the last one was the steepest of the lot.  I got about a third of the way up before I had to walk.  My legs were just rubber. 

In town we found camp and then went downtown and had a milk shake at Ginny’s Cupboard.  It is an old fashioned place where food is made by hand using real ingredients.  Three big scoops of ice cream into a stainless steel cup and then on to the green multi head Hamilton Beach milkshake machine. Wow was it very great.

Great day with a great tail wind and with a great ending.

Terry hot biker