Category: 2017 Northern Tier

The roads today were better than they have been. The condition of the road really does make a difference in the condition of my body at the end of the day. It also makes it easier to deal with headwinds.

Since it was a “short” ride today (estimated at 69.4 miles), I did not try to ride with a pace line but took my time and ended up most of the day with Roel and, when he showed up, Dirk. I need to explain Dirk. He is an amazingly strong rider. He can shoot ahead, stop to talk to folks along the way (and record it on his GoPro), let us ride on by and then catch up with us as if he’d been there all along. He does this a lot, every day.

As we went through Otterville, I stopped because of the waterfall. As I did a u-turn, I saw a sign for an historical marker. Glad I went back…

Here’s why I turned around.

If you need a two person buggy, I know of one for sale.

Just beyond the buggy was this marker for Harold Adams Innis marking his birthplace and providing information on his contributions to the world.

The group had been told about a store/restaurant in Mount Pleasant that had good meals and treats. So, that became our lunch destination. I had a most delicious, light, fluffy spinach/mushroom quiche. I’ve never had a quiche with a philodough pastry crust. It was good!

Entering into Brantford, we were on a bike path which was delightful until it ended. Fortunately for Roel and I, Dirk had his GPS and he found a much nicer route through town than what we started on. Initially we were on roads that were under construction, roads with crazy fast traffic, roads where the drivers just wanted to get going, roads where traffic backed up because of two lanes cut down to one…just a mess!

When we re-enter the US tomorrow, we will need to know things like when did you enter Canada? Where did you enter Canada? I had to make notes as things have become a blur and I might not have been able to answer those questions.

The day started early. Breakfast at 5:30. Load at 6:15. Bikes ready and lined up at 6:30. We were a parade as we made our way to the bridge. Getting across was easy but we had to check in with the Canadians once we got to the other side. 

After checking all our passports, they did a group photo and sent us on our way. 

This was the first family I saw after entering the country. They sure were cute.

There were some other interesting sites. This reminds me of the VW bug on eight legs in Nevada. Random things one does with old equipment.

The roads were rough and the wind relentless but I still saw some pretty things along the way. Most everyone keeps their HUGE yards immaculate. They must each have their own riding lawnmower. I don’t know how they could keep up without one.

84 miles at 12.8mph average. Tomorrow is a shorter day but we will probably be facing the same winds…sigh

Same complaint as many, if not all, of the riders…the roads in this state are in a horrible state of disrepair. Today was the first day my hands felt almost numb from the thrashing my body has taken over the past three days. Good thing my bike has an FM headset that helps soften the ride or I’d really be in trouble.

Another same complaint is the food we have to choose from most mornings. Occasionally we get to eat in a regular restaurant and order a meal but most mornings our choice is the “continental breakfast” provided by motels. Sugar, carbs, fat, more sugar, processed food, sugar and, if you’re lucky, a piece of fruit.

However, today’s ride was good in many ways. In the town of Millington, they have a fun water tower. Then in Brown City they have a nice memorial for the firefighters who gave their lives helping others during the 9/11 disaster. We were able to peek at Lake Huron as we rode by. When I got into Port Huron, I took the detour and went to see the bridge we’ll be crossing tomorrow to get into Canada. I also spent some time learning a bit about some of the history of the area.

no phone calls or text messages until I’m back in the U.S.

Made a mistake last night, used A&D ointment on my sore spots. I was miserable all night feeling more pain than usual plus my lower back was hurting… It was not a good night.  When my alarm went off this morning, I turned it off and didn’t get up. Well, I did get up eventually but I sure didn’t jump out of bed.  I could get away with this ’cause everything started later this morning. (Thank goodness)

I started riding with Marty S., Alan and Deb. It became clear to me very quickly that I couldn’t stay with them and keep my sanity. If I had tried, the pain would’ve sent me over the edge. As soon as I slowed down, it didn’t hurt nearly as much.  Not sure how that works but …

I was able to jump on with some other groups for a time but let them go as soon as the pain came back.

Our rest stop today was at the farmhouse belonging to Sandra. She and her husband befriended America by Bicycle staff several years back. They have opened their home to ABB each year since then. Her husband has passed away but she, although living in assisted living, insisted on opening up the premises to us and on being there. So we got to meet her and thank her for her generosity.

Because there were times I was on my own, I stopped for some photos. I learned this blue flower is chickory. Someone mentioned this is the plant they used to make “coffee” during the civil war.

I ended up riding with Roel and, by default, Dirk. We stopped about 25 miles from the end of the ride for lunch in Brant. When we walked inside, it was filled with bikers! We knew them all.

I am amazed at how quickly the miles go by these days. Before this ride, a 74 mile day following a 112 mile day would have taken forever to complete. Total time today, including the lunch stop, was five and a half hours…well above my usual 10mph estimate for a daily ride.

The call of mother nature left me sitting on the commode while everyone else took off for today’s ride. So, my motivation was to catch up to my group. Now, I knew this would never happen but it still was a good motivator. I was doing well when my alarm went off…time to take my morning pills. 

Just as I pulled over, Pam, one of the leaders, pulled up on her bike to see if I was ok. So we rode together for a bit. She pulled me until we caught up with Tracy. Then I was abandoned like a hot potato.  Ok, back to trying to catch my buds.

Reached 1st rest stop where Ann, Richard and Dale were milling about. A brief stop and I was going again. Didn’t see any of the folks I’ve been riding with for the past several days at the 2nd rest stop. Ann and I rode together after the 2nd stop until she encouraged me to catch Mark who was ahead. I jumped on it and caught up with him. Ended up finishing the ride with him into Mount Pleasant.

At rest stop 3, we’d been told to stop for hand packed ice cream in village of Lake Isabella. Mark and I stopped but the ice cream store was no more. (sad face) Enjoyed my Payday and chocolate milk though!

I am amazed that I could ride 112 miles today and feel good…a little stiff after sitting down to dinner but doing good!  We’ll see how tomorrow goes. Its supposed to be a flat, 73 miles.

A strange day it was. No time set for breakfast but we had to have luggage ready at 9:00. Next deadline was 12:30 when we had to be at the ferry.

So…I wandered over to Perkins for breakfast and found the restaurant was filled with people I knew. How strange that I should know so many people in Manitowoc (wink, wink).

After loading luggage there wasn’t much else to do except get on bike and head toward the harbor. Rode on the bike path around the harbor a bit with Ted and found the ferry dock. Stopped at the local bike shop. Peeked in a book store. Went by the maritime museum but chose not to go in. I did get a photo of the ship they had parked outside. One could go for a submarine “ride.” A group of us met at the Courthouse Pub for lunch before heading to catch the ferry.

Once we loaded the bikes onto the ferry, I went upstairs and sat in front of a tv that was running a series of shows on sharks. The chair reclined and I fell asleep pretty quick. Not sure how long I was out but I woke up with stiff joints so had to do some stretches before I even tried to stand up. Not being used to the rocking of the ferry and feeling stiff made for awkward walking on my part. Fortunately there were others who were wobbly so I didn’t feel too out of place.

The ship was an ice breaker but they no longer use it for that since they don’t run it in the winter. More info on this ship can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Badger

Even though I slept a good portion of the ride, the trip did seem to take forever. We also lost an hour somewhere over the water. This is the third time we’ve lost an hour! Now I’m in the Eastern Time Zone so I need to stop typing and get some sleep.  112 miles in the morning.

Only 62 miles today. Went by quick! We stopped to see the lighthouse in Fond du Lac. The landscaping was beautiful in the park surrounding the lighthouse as well as at the lighthouse itself.

Most of today’s ride was on nice roads with a tailwind. The last 10 miles were into the wind but we were almost there so just powered through it.

Beer Alan was feeling good today and rode off the front. Marty S., Hao and I worked together to get to the first rest stop…and there was Alan. He’d missed a couple turns so got there at the same time we did. Of course we gave him a bad time about leaving the group and getting lost.

Alan and I went across the street to use the rest room and get something to eat and drink other than the usual offerings. When we got back to the sag stop, Marty and Hao had left! With Alan pulling most of the way, we did the last 25 miles. Yes, I did pull but we sure went faster when Alan was in front.

We got to Manitowoc while the sky was still blue with puffy clouds. I actually got in early enough to help with unloading of the luggage from the trailer into the motel.

Quick run to Wendy’s for a salad and two small Frostys. Two for the price of one…I think I burned enough calories.

Chris and Penny showed up this evening. Chris looks good considering his injuries. Smile on his face. He looked pleased to be back with us. Penny will continue the ride – yay!

There were a few rain squalls this afternoon/evening but tomorrow should be OK for crossing Lake Michigan.

Just looking back to Day 7 where I rode from Baker City to Ontario, Oregon. We had 2088′ of elevation gain that day. 3365′ elevation loss. Distance was 84 miles. Took me six hours to complete the ride.

Today I rode from Mauston to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Elevation gain was 2407′. Elevation loss was 2477′. Distance was 96 miles. Time to complete ride was six hours. Today I had help from my riding partners. I’m sure my time would’ve been slower had I been out there alone. However, I am able to hold my own most of the time.

Another of our riders was injured today. Chris hit a large rock in the road and went down. Broken clavicle, ribs and punctured lung. He and wife Penny will be rejoining us in Niagara. Not sure if Penny will continue the ride or not at this point.

I started today’s ride in a large group but, after a while, it was Beer Alan, Marty S. and me. We do well together. At some point Texas Marty joined us and then later, Hao. Must be something to that beer Alan has each day, he is strong and does long pulls (on the bike). With each of us taking turns at the front of the line, we made really good time.

Our first rest stop was in town of Montello next to a beautiful park, the Dagget Memorial Park. 

When we entered Princeton, we were looking for the Brat Fry we’d been told about last night. As we went by a couple, Marty hollered out, “Where’re the brats?” They immediately responded, “Keep going, on your right.” Small town, love it!  We found them and had some.

One of the workers at the bratfest told us the town of Ripon is the birthplace of the Republican Party and to look for the museum there. Since I didn’t have time to go in, I’ll have to do some online searching for more info on this.

We were supposed to ride the Elroy-Sparta bike trail today but just as we arrived at the trailhead, it started raining. Since the trail is decomposed granite, we were rerouted to a nearby highway. The trail would have taken us through tunnels avoiding some of the hills. The highway had the hills. I really noticed a difference in how I could deal with the climbing today since I was easy on myself yesterday. Note to self: don’t beat yourself up every day…only every two days or so.

Also, because of the recent storms, we had to take detours today to avoid areas with flood damage. We were warned to take cover if the lightening was affecting us. Fortunately, that was not a problem although we did hear two BIG claps of thunder.

Arriving at the motel in Mauston, we were soaked. First things first, I rinsed the bike and cleaned the chain. I’ve never been so good to any of my bikes before.

Here’s a link to more info about Ben. http://www.bikesparta.org/qben-bikin.html 

The Elroy-Sparta trail was the first Rails to Trails conversion of an old railroad track to a cycling path back in the 1960s.

Not quite sure how we did 79 miles in the rain as quickly as we did but we got in early enough that I had a lot of empty time between a hot shower and dinner. My riding partners rider were Deb A., Alan T. and Marty S. Except for the special “rooster tail” showers along the way, we did well together. Actually, the “rooster tail” showers kind of became fun once I got used to the feeling of them and just figured it would all come out in the wash.

During all this, I still got a couple post office pics. Alan’s been keeping an eye out for post offices for me too.

Tomorrow is a high mileage day, 95, if we can follow the directions without having any detours. My right knee is hurting this evening so I’m icing it. Between that and saddle issues, I hope I make it all the way by bike.

The group waited for me at the start. They stopped for me when my alarm went off to take my meds. Then I deserted them as my legs were just too tired from the previous days.

It turned out to be a good day for going it alone. No headwind and rollers I could deal with. 

Since I was alone, I stopped for pictures today. Some are just reminders of the terrain and farmland.

The first rest stop was at Bucksnort Park in Fillmore County, Minnesota. Don’t know where the name came from but it was a pretty spot in spite of its name. The only negative to this spot is it was at the bottom of a great downhill run. I asked if they’d take me back to the top so I could do it again but not stop for food and water this time. No.

Arrived in town of Rushford and noticed a sign at the bank advertising the Root River Bike Path. I thought its too bad we didn’t have time to check it out. Well, it turns out that is exactly the path we went on. It was nice and would’ve been nicer if there hadn’t been that storm last night which knocked down leaves, limbs and branches. It also left muddy spots and puddles. Had to wash the bike again tonight and will probably have to do it again tomorrow as rain is predicted.

Just after leaving Houston (Minnesota), we had our major climb of the day. One mile, 10% grade. Name of hill is Happel Hill. Saw a cemetery at the top of the hill with a prominent gravestone showing Happel.

Eventually made it to the Welcome to Wisconsin sign. Soon after that, crossed the Big Muddy aka Missippi River. 

I felt great after today’s ride. This was a Very Good Day!

Misc photos: