Today was my first 75 mile (120 km) day. I had hoped to make it to Manitowoc, WI to catch the ferry to Michigan. The SS Badger sailed at 01:30 in the morning, but I was falling short of the miles needed to get there before sunset. By late in the day it was obvious I would have to find a place to stay for the night. I don’t have my powerful riding lights for night riding that I use in Sarasota, FL.
At one point, the roadway was covered with small, dead turtles. They were crossing the road to get to a pond and many did not make it. I spied this one little critter headed to the pond. As turtles are wont to do, I put it on the side of the road it came from, facing the other way, it would immediately turn around and head towards the road and pond. I knew it would. I dismounted, carried it across and headed out. At least one made it.
Along the way I ran into the same fellow that I had met many miles back that had tried to get me sorted out when I was lost near Tilleda. He saved me from a bad decision. I, once again, didn’t have a working GPS (thanks T-Mobile) so I was sitting at an intersection trying to decide what to do. There was a shorter route I could take, but I had no way of knowing how well I could ride it on a bicycle. He informed me that there was major road construction ahead and if I took it, there was an additional ten miles of detour. So much for that pipe dream. Instead, I followed the Adventure Cycle Association map towards Wrightstown. I crossed the bridge for the Fox River and then had to make a decision. The day was getting late. I found I had a GPS connection so I hunted for hotels. It showed I could go back six miles (10 km) or go to one that was 13 miles ahead. It looked like there might be two hours of sunlight left. I called ahead and found that there was a room available, so it was forward motion.
The hotel was in Brillian, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of where I was. I went about a mile and was following the GPS on my phone. It was difficult to understand what the GPS was saying, for some reason, it was speaking Spanish. I have no idea why, and I don’t speak Spanish. I stopped in front of a high school and tried fiddling with the settings to find English, but had no success. I gave up, the sun was progressively trying to disappear and I figured I could just watch the map progress. I assumed, correctly, that I would eventually lose the GPS signal, so I tried to memorize as much of the route as I could. I headed south as quickly as possible and sure enough, about two miles down the road, the Spanish voice excitedly tried to tell me something. I figured she was excited about the connection being lost.
At about the half-way point, the GPS came back and the voice calmed down. I notice that the phone’s battery was just about totally discharged. Fortunately, I carry an external battery pack for just such occasions, so I pulled over and plugged it in. The GPS then told me (in Spanish, I’m assuming here!) to get on a rail trail. The trail is the Fox River Trail and even though it is gravel, it is fairly nice to ride on and I was making good time. After six miles (10 km) or so, I came to the Friendship State Trail and only had five more miles to go to the Inn. The sun was getting quite low now and I put on my headlamp. Once again the trail was in fine condition and made really good time. I arrived at the Cobblestone Creek Inn just as it was fully dark. It was a 75 mile day (120 km). For an old guy, I was pretty pleased with myself, especially since the bike is fully loaded.
You might consider buying a Consumer Cellular SIM card; they use the AT&T network, and are usually less expensive than T Mobile. I used them along the Katy Trail earlier this year, and had almost uninterrupted LTE coverage. My companion, who was using Verizon, found many dead spots along the way.
Enjoy the ferry ride!
I’ll check on the SIM card suggestion Steve. Thanks.
Dennis
Dennis I am the guy that helped you out with directions, you were turned around in Tilleda.
I was wondering how far you got that day and how your trip going.
After talking to you near the town of Freedom early afternoon I was surprised to see that you made it to Brillian.
I shared your travels with my family and Friends
Everyone said How old is He?
Safe travel Henry
Hi Henry: That WAS very nice of you to stop and help out with the directions. I did head up to Wrightstown, as you suggested and then made the mad dash for Brillian. Nice country there.
I find I’m doing about sixty miles per day, which was my original intention. It all depends on the weather, especially if there is a headwind.
As for my age, it is no secret: 71. You’d think I would know better, wouldn’t you? :>)
Dennis