bicycling – Page 2 – Dennis' Cross-Country Bike Trip

Day 20 – -Part 2, Port Coborne, Ontario, Canada

My little praying mantis friend rode along for about 10 miles (16 km), then got off at an A&W root beer place.

I picked up a hitch-hiker today, a praying mantis. For ten miles or so we were good friends. It kept looking up at me as if to say, “Take the next left,” or something along that line. Maybe it has better GPS?

Leaving Port Dover this morning the skies were overcast but not raining. Almost the entire time I have been in Canada it has been overcast…how depressing. Here and there the roads were rough. The right side of the lanes tends to be all cracked from winter frost. The water runs down the camber of the road and collects on the right side, finds its way under the asphalt and then freezes and cracks the surface. I found myself riding in the middle of the road and then moving over when a vehicle approached; fortunately, traffic was very light.

About 11 miles (17 km) from leaving, I noticed my friends the wind generators were getting anxious. Every now and then a blade would move a little. Finally, they kicked into full rotations and I again had a headwind. At least the wind wasn’t as bad as the previous days. Instead of traveling at my normal 14-16 MPH (20+ km/h), I was traveling around 10 MPH (16 km/h).

Passing through Nanticoke, ON, I observed a very large manufacturing site. It had no identifying signs and had the feeling they were trying to keep it hush-hush. There were tall fences around the place that looked to be thousands of acres. Every now and then, there were large plumes of white gases, perhaps steam, belching out of some stacks. I have no idea what they were doing. I’m guessing they’re making those same sands as in Wisconsin, for fracking use. Any guesses? There was a long ramp (see photo) that went down to Lake Erie to load something onto barges.

Near the end of the day’s ride, I went through an area that looked very resort-like but gave me trouble breathing—I was constantly coughing, just like a cough I have in Sarasota, Florida when we have the Red Tide. I know large bodies of fresh water can have algal bloom problems and I wondered if that was the case. Whatever it was, it made me cough even more than Sarasota.

I arrived at Port Colborne in the late afternoon. I found a Knights Inn motel and pulled in for the night. This one is really old, but, as they say, any port in a storm. Tomorrow I will follow Friendship rail-trail ride to the US border at Fort Eire and then I will visit with relatives.

Day 19 – Part 2, Port Dover, Ontario, Canada

Today was a welcome reprieve from what has been terrible bicycling weather. The air was absolutely still. No wind at all! I was thrilled. The sky was cloudy and looked like rain at any second, but the rain stayed away.

The wind generators didn’t budge. I felt like they were giant creatures watching me pass, their small red lights blinking, as if to warily watch me. I kept looking at them, watching for any movement, it never came. What a relief. I vowed to get as far as I could today, given this opportunity to actually cover some ground.

Cover some ground I did, 78 miles, (125 km). Most of the ground was level and good riding. The last mile or so had some real killer hills, but they weren’t too long and I managed them. Thanks to Ray’s cycle shop, the shifting into my lowest gears was working properly. On a few hills I did make it down to the lowest possible gear and climbed at about 3.3 MPH (5 km/h). I can walk that fast. At least with hills there is the payback, the energy of climbing turns into a fast downhill descent. At times I did hit about 30 MPH (50 km/h). What a thrill.

I finally started seeing Lake Eire. As large as it is, it has been hidden behind trees for most of the ride. I stopped for lunch in Port Burwell, ON and was very near the lake, but couldn’t see it. Behind the restaurant there was a full sized submarine on display, the HMCS Ojibwa, a cold war era relic of the Canadian Navy. From what I heard it was quite a project to get it placed there.

In all, it was a good day’s ride and I was very tired when I arrived in Port Dover. I had a quick dinner of fried perch and it was off to bed. Thanks for riding along with me. Only 80 more miles (132 km) to the New York/US border. Once there, I will stop to see my cousin Bill, in East Amherst, NY. Did someone mention tequila?

Day 17/18 -Part 2, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

Mileage for the day, 51.5 miles, (83 km). Once again, the day appeared to be an easy ride, about 50+ miles or so. Once again, the invisible forces of nature were out to get me: wind.

The winds today were even worse than yesterday, gusts of up to 35 MPH (60 km/h). At times I would ride along until the headwind was so strong I just couldn’t push against it. I would just stop, put my feet on the ground and wait. What else was there to do.

As I rode along, I kept a close watch in my rear view mirror. A few miles back I could see that the clouds were dropping rain. Oddly enough, we traveled at the same speed for about eight hours and it never did catch me. I guess we were both having a struggle. The rain clouds were the front of a dying tropical depression named Gordon. I didn’t even stop for lunch, for fear the storm would catch me. It was a very long, tiring day.

Speaking of my rearview mirror, I’m going to recall an event from last week, in Clair, Michigan. This is to demonstrate what goes through my head (yeah, I can hear Jane saying “not much”) when I’m riding along and need a distraction from the wind and to keep me from thinking about the current misery.

In Clair, first thing in the morning, I was on my way to Ray’s bicycle shop to try and fix my shifter. The sun was just rising and it was very cold out, especially for August. The route consisted of mostly flat terrain with one rise in the road for an overpass. I had just left the motel when, in my mirror, I spotted an Amish fellow in his carriage pulling out behind me.

Now, I am going to describe the thoughts going through the heads of the three participants in this event: First, the bicyclist (me), the Amish fellow, I’ll call Gutenberg (I’m certain his wife calls him “Gutty,” when he isn’t around, but “Mr. Gutenberg,” when he is there) and the horse that I’ll name “Pherd.”

Now Pherd has just had a belly full of oats and isn’t very motivated, needing time to digest things. The bicyclist has an empty stomach and is looking to fill it. Gutty has had six cups of coffee, two more than usual and is feeling his oats. Maybe he should have had some of Pherd’s oats? Maybe he did?

The bicyclist looks in his mirror and notices that Pherd and Gutty are gaining on him. The bicyclist is cruising along at a hefty 12 miles per hour (I’m going to ignore metric here). Gutty has eyed this bicyclist and sees an opportunity to use his 13th-century technology to beat the bicyclist’s 19th-century technology. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect the “good book,” doesn’t allow racing, but this isn’t exactly “racing,” it is a demonstration of technology, so Gutty permits himself the luxury. Pferd isn’t so keen on this, what with a full belly of oats and all.

The race ensues. The bicyclist pulls slightly ahead, up to 14 MPH. Gutty gets out the horsewhip and urges Pferd to stop daydreaming and put some oats into the effort. The coach climbs up to 15 breakneck MPH. The wheels start to creak on the coach, Gutty just knows he’s going to get after one of the twelve kids to put more grease in those axles.

The bicyclist sees the coach gaining, and there is the overpass up ahead. This could be serious. The bicycle, with all the gear, weighs around 85 pounds and hills are anathema. Regardless, honor is at stake here, so the bicyclist pours it on, wishing he too had some of Pferd’s oats in his stomach. Pferd, encouraged by the horsewhip is pouring it on too.

Flames are spouting out Pferd’s nostrils, fire is in Gutty’s eyes and the bicyclist is losing ground. Using the hill to advantage, Gutty is going to show the bicyclist what 13th-century technology is capable of. Pferd demonstrates his opinion of all this by leaving a few of the oats on the street surface. Passersby wonder what is with Gutty today, is there a BOGO (Buy one, get one free) at the farmers market today? Maybe they should check the going price on summer squash?

The bicyclist puts everything into hyperdrive. Sweat is pouring from his brow, the calves are aching; steam is pouring from the nostrils. The bicyclist’s beard is parting into two from the wind, Gutty’s can’t part, it is too tangled, something of a fashion statement. Pferd is breathing down the bicyclist’s back. Holding off the attempted pass, the two teams crest the hill and start down the other side.

The 19th-century technology now has the advantage. Pferd can only move those legs so fast and Gutty has to actually apply the wooden brake and burn off some of the kinetic energy just when he could use it the most.

Gutty is getting a good look at the synthetic, plastic panniers (saddlebags) on the bike and thinking what heresy that is, they should be made of good leather. Pferd, on the other hand, is looking at the plastic bags and thinking that is a really good idea, he isn’t a big fan of leather if you get my drift.

I digress, back to the race: With a clear advantage, the bicyclist pours it on. He can see the fury in Gutty’s eyes as the bicyclist opens a small lead. The intersection where the bike shop is located is clearly visible, this is going to be a win for the 19th century! Three blocks from the destination the bicyclist sees the 13th-century technology turn right and disappear…a win. The bicyclist rolls up the winners circle, dismounts and goes to get two well-deserved trophy doughnuts. What a way to start the day.

The events depicted here did actually happen. The names have been, well, at least changed, if not totally made up. I hope Gutty doesn’t get in trouble, the race will be discussed for years and he could be brought before the elder’s council. Then again, he might be one of the elders, it was hard to tell.

Sorry if I ramble, but things go through my mind when all I have to deal with is wind, and more wind.

When I arrived at the outskirts of St. Thomas, I went into the Wayside Restaurant to get a bite to eat and use the WiFi to see how far the hotels were. One, the Cardinal Court Motel, was just down the street and the other I was interested in was about 5-6 miles. Tired as I was, it was the Cardinal.

After a plate of spaghetti, I headed to the motel and just beat the rain. Once again, exhausted, I unpacked everything and then took a long nap. This was getting to be the routine…fight the wind all day, then sleep. Looking at the upcoming weather I was certain that I wouldn’t be riding tomorrow. The remnants of Hurricane Gordon were approaching and they were expecting heavy rain locally. I was ready for a break from all the rain and the unseasonably cool temperatures.

Day two was a rest day. I went into town in the morning to find breakfast, riding in the rain. It was about three miles (5 km) to town. The hotel had the usual assortment of really lousy food for breakfast, I just couldn’t face it. I’ve discovered that the fast-food chain, Tim Horton’s in Canada has a really good steeped tea, so I went there. Everything else is “sorta” McDonalds, although they also have an assortment of doughnuts. It is almost like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts had an illegitimate child. The tea certainly is good, so I’m a customer.

I returned back to the motel and spent most of the day updating blog posts and fixing up things that needed fixing on the bike, etc.

Late in the afternoon I put up my antenna wire and operated the ham radio for a while. I talked with Mary, KA4TIE in KY, Cliff, AE5ZA in TX, John, W8VYM in GA and a station in St. Charles, MO that is a special station that is set up to honor Route 66, W6P. Most of them were on a digital mode over the radio, but W6P station was on Morse code.

That ended my day. I didn’t even do photos, all they would be is looking into a parking lot with rain coming down. I don’t need that reminder. The forecast for the next few days is warmer, sunnier, and most importantly, with little wind. I hope they’re correct. I suspect later in the week, or next week, I will be running into the remains of Hurricane Florence. We’ll see.

Day 16 – Part 2, Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada

Black squirrels are common in Michigan and Ontario.

Only 39.07 miles today, into constant headwinds. The night before I consulted on Google maps about hotels in Ridgetown. It showed just one, The Ridgetown Inn. I made that an intermediate goal for the day, should I not be able to make it to a further destination, such as Port Stanley.

The day was decent, some sun, billowy clouds here and there, and flat roads, perfect for bicycling. There is one exception, as you’ve no doubt guessed: wind. The wind was out of the east and terrible. I was going east so I struggled through a headwind. It was like riding uphill all day. At least a hill goes down once in a while, you get back you kinetic energy that you have stored.

The wind generators all over the landscape were whirling away.

They also have lots of solar panels in the region, but they have sensors on them that move them horizontally when the winds get too high, to prevent wind damage. I don’t know at what point they go horizontal, but they were all up. One report showed winds of 23, with gusts of 30 MPH (40-50 km/h). It was a serious struggle to make it to Ridgetown.

For many crops, it is harvest time. There were miles and miles of tomatoes being harvested, all by machine. Plum tomatoes are reasonably tough and can be machine harvested.

Plum tomatoes ready for processing. I saw many loads of these. Somebody is going to make spaghetti.

I can’t imagine how many tons of tomatoes were on their way to be made into sauce. Truckload after truckload passed me.

Politicians in Florida are in the pockets of the fossil fuel energy companies. They grandstand on the legislative floors and make speeches about Florida not having enough sunlight to make solar power viable. Think about that, our license plates say “Sunshine State.”

Everywhere I go up here in the north I see prime examples of using solar energy to solve problems. In the photo above, an agricultural industry by the name of Green Hill has indoor plant growing areas. They’re surrounded by solar panels and wind generators. They’re growing tomatoes, peppers etc. in an area that has severe winters. They’re slogans reflect a locally grown mentality. This is a huge operation, not some backyard industry. Gotta love Florida politicians.

Arriving in Ridgetown I couldn’t find the hotel. I asked a young man walking down the street and he said he didn’t know where they were, but he did see one by the highway. My search earlier had shown only one in town, so that had to be it. It was 3.6 miles (6 km) away. I was already beat, but what could I do?

After riding to the motel, I was able to get a room. The place looked deserted. There had to be fifty rooms and I was the only one there. The manager, the only staff I ever did see, put me in the same room that James, the fellow on the recumbent, had stayed in the night before. He was probably in Massachusetts by now, or Europe.

I rested for a bit and then went to the hotel restaurant, noticing that the indoor pool had no water in it. The restaurant was locked up tightly, with no sign that it wasn’t in business. Tables were set, everything looked ready, but the lights were off and there was nobody home. The manager yelled up to me that the restaurant was out of business. He has a grasp of the obvious.

He pointed up the road further to a gas station and indicated they have a restaurant. I walked up there and they indeed did have a dining establishment. It wasn’t a terribly appealing place, but I was now hungry. I ordered the meatloaf plate.

I should have taken a photo. The meatloaf was fine, but the baked potato was smaller than the small container of sour cream that came with it. I’ve been riding by fields of potatoes for weeks and this is the best that they can do. Recall my adventures in Idaho where I couldn’t find a baked potato anywhere. Well, I did find one in Ontario, but it was barely visible.

Returning to the room, I went to take a shower. The manager cautioned me that the hot water takes a while to get warm. He wasn’t kidding. I turned on the water and started reading a book on my Kindle Reader. I think I read ten pages before the water was hot. They must have a pipe that comes from the Icelandic steam beds.

At last, it was time for bed. I slept like a baby. I guess exercising all day will do that.

Day 13 – Part 2, Vassar Michigan

There are all sorts of fascinating farm machines here. My grandkids would love to play with this.

41.36 Miles for the day. Tonight would be my first night to camp in my tent. I arose early enough, but before I knew it, the morning was wasting away. Such is the pleasure of having an air-conditioned room and relaxing seating and beds. At long last, I dragged myself from the creature comforts of the modern world and went out into the sunlight.

It actually was sunny. Lately, at least most mornings, it has been overcast, dreary and chilly. As usual, with poor Internet service, thanks to T-Mobile, my GPS was hopeless. At some point, as someone suggested in the comments, I need to look at changing that.

After making several wrong turns, I finally was underway. Usually, I avoid a large, “Lumberjack,” breakfast. Three eggs, bacon, ham, home fries, four slices of toast, tea, orange juice, etc. make one too full to actually go out and do work, and riding is work.

Approaching noontime I was getting anxious to find a place to stop for lunch. I was also curious about my surroundings. As I was riding the Harger Line Trail (bike/pedestrian trail), I stopped to chat with a rider going the other way. Gordie was a wealth of information. My first question was about a root plant that I saw them harvesting a few miles back. See photo below:

Next, I asked him why so much corn had not been harvested, the cobs were drying up on the stalks. I love corn, I would never let it get to that state! Gordie told me that the corn was “industrial corn.” I thought about that and concluded that it could be used for ethanol product, or perhaps for clothing fiber. Curious about my travels, he then asked me a few questions about my ride. It was a nice encounter, but I was hungry and wanted to move on. Sorry, Gordie.

I’ve learned that a bowl of raisin bran or Cheerios, some fruit and an orange juice and a cup of tea is plenty. However, this means that by noon, I’m getting hungry. At about 25 miles (42 km) I came into Frankenmuth, Michigan. I had never heard of the place but it is very European themed, especially Germany and Austria. The first establishment I encountered was The Old Christmas Station Restaurant (Currently, as of 2021, The Station 100 Restaurant). The menu was pricey, but I didn’t want to eat too much anyway, so I ordered a house salad and a curry chicken sandwich from the appetizer menu.

The salad was ample and excellent. It had all sorts of vegetables in it and a nice dressing. The sandwich was actually about as long as a sub sandwich, but open-faced and covered in chicken and curry sauce. It too was excellent and a very sufficient lunch, and not too pricey. The place was really ritzy and I thought perhaps they would throw me out on my ear, but they were very gracious and welcoming and I went away a very happy diner.

I learned later that the town was having a special event weekend, starting the next day, and it draws on the order of 80,000 people and has all sorts of parades and celebrations. It would be worth checking on if you’re in the region in early September. I don’t know where they would put all the people, the village isn’t that large.

Satisfied with lunch, I headed east. As the afternoon dragged on I had to decide on where to stay for the evening. The GPS (while I was in the restaurant and had WiFi) showed there was one motel in Vassar, MI. After Vassar, there wasn’t much for at least 30-40 miles. It would be a gamble to try and make it to 70 miles (110 km) for the day and beat sunset, so I opted for Vassar. I found the Vassar Inn Motel, which was about a mile from the bicycle route.

I was tempted to call ahead for a room, but I didn’t have any T-Mobile phone service, so I just had to chance it. When I arrived the woman that manages the place told me they were full. She offered that I could camp behind the motel and I jumped at the offer, there wasn’t much else I could do.

When I rode around back she came out the door with a nice big glass of ice water…I must have looked the part. Sue was a wonderful host and warned me that I couldn’t pay for camping there, it was her gift.

I set up the tent and threw in the sleeping bag and rode off to find something to eat. It was a choice between a Subway shop and a McDonalds. I’m not a big fan of McDonalds, but they have fantastic WiFi and, if it is only once in a while, it won’t kill me. The manager of this McDonalds talked to me after I had my meal and I was complimenting him on having installed electrical outlets at a bunch of the customer seats so one could charge a phone. He proudly said it was his idea and it worked great for me. I do carry backup charging gear, but McDonalds made it so convenient that I was beholding to them. It really did make my life easier. Not only that, I had an excellent connection to call home.

A number of years ago NPR did a series on McDonalds and how they were trying to improve their image with the public in respect to animal care. They hired Temple Grandin, a Ph.D. in animal behavior and worked with her to improve the lot of the animals involved in their products, such as chickens, pigs, and cattle. The series changed my view of McDonalds to where I will stop in once in a while. It had been at least 25 years since I had been in one of their stores. There was a movie about Temple Grandin and it is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

My campsite at Vassar, MI. I put a wire into the tree at the far right for my antenna.

I returned to the motel and finished unpacking the bike. I took a short nap and shortly after sunset I threw a wire into a tree and set up my ham radio station on two folding chairs. Just as I was ready to settle down for some radio fun, the skies opened up and it started to pour. The stars were out only a few minutes earlier.

I hurriedly dragged everything into the tent and set everything up again. I managed to operate for a while and then my legs were getting cramps, so I shut down for the night.

It poured all night long, intensely at times. I awoke about 7 am and it was still pouring, so I turned on the radio and, using Morse code, connected with Henry, K1PUG, in Harwinton, Connecticut. He lives near the high school that I graduated from back in 1965, Lewis S. Mills. People are often surprised to hear that I actually talk with Morse code these days. In the world of amateur radio, it is still a very popular way to communicate. It is my favorite, even with all the newer digital modes that have come along over the years. It is always a good skill to have.

Anyway, we’re into the next day here and I’ll close this out for now. The rain has finally stopped and I will be on the road again by 10 am or so.

Day 11 – Part 2, Luther, Michigan

As a solo bicycle rider, I take the day as it comes. Pedaling out of Ludington, MI, after spending the night there was like any other day; surprises awaited discovering.

The ride to the hotel the night before was uneventful, but in the dark after disembarking from the S. S. Badger ferry ride across Lake Michigan. I have plenty of rear lights for the bike, but the headlamp is a smaller, less powerful version that I use when traveling. I don’t plan on doing much riding at night when away from home. In Sarasota, I have a light that would blind.

The names of places can be puzzling at times. I rode into Free Soil, Michigan. I can’t begin to imagine how that came to be. I suppose I could research it, but, like in college, I’ll leave that to the reader. The skies kept threatening to drown me, but so far, so good. I gambled that a quick lunch would allow me time to get to somewhere safe for the night. The forecast was for severe thunderstorms, but I was hungry.

I stopped at the Heidi Hof House and had a nice meal. As usual, a customer noticed the bicycle and was appalled that someone could actually ride that far, especially a senior citizen. We had a nice chat about it. He offered to buy me a beer, but I don’t like to drink alcohol while riding. Lunch went well and still no storm.

This area of Michigan, at least according to my Adventure Cycle Association maps, is devoid of anything looking like a hotel. I was certain that I would be camping tonight. As I came into the outskirts of Luther, MI, I rode down a side road to check on the Carrieville State Forest Campground. It was late afternoon, and other than a bunch of noisy dirt bikes riding the trails, the place was pretty empty. I attempted to sign up for site #4, but, since didn’t have the correct change for the drop box, I planned to ride into town, have an early evening meal, and get some change.

Luther was about three miles from the camp. I rode into town and looked to see what was open (This was Sunday of Labor Day weekend, most places would be closed). On the left side of the main drag there appeared to be two places, I think one was Loggers Landing, and the other was North Bar. The North Bar had a crowd gathered at the front door so I wasn’t hopeful about being able to get in if there was a long line.

I walked the bike up to the bar on the sidewalk and as I approached the crowd, I was greeted with by some very happy sounding people, and loud music coming from the bar. My mind raced, did I want to try and wait out the crowd or try to get something to eat?

I tied the bike to a pole and at once several folks gathered around with a bunch of questions. I answered what I could and then asked about how long the wait was to get in. They said there was no wait (they were mostly outside to have a smoke) and told me to head on in. Just then, a woman came out and peppered me with questions and explained that the North Bar was having their annual Customer Appreciation Day. The woman, Jen, was managing the festivities. The fact that I wasn’t a regular customer and it was my first time there didn’t matter in the least. I was treated as a long-lost friend and dragged in before I could protest.

Welcome to Customer Appreciation Day at the North Bar, Luther, Michigan.

In just a few sentences Jen managed to squeeze out my life’s history. She went up to the microphone and said something about having a minor celebrity in their midst, a fellow riding a bicycle coast-to-coast and then pointed at me. There was a big round of applause…I really had to like this crowd.

They were bringing just about everyone in the place to the stage area to sing – most of them solo. Surprisingly, many of them were really good singers. Most of the songs were country western and a few, quite humorous. There was free food and I sat there and ate to my fill. What a crowd.

I was terrified that they would ask me to sing, I don’t know a single word of any songs, it would have been a disaster. I wrote down the name of my book, Three Hundred Zeroes, on the back of my business card and caught Jen’s attention and went outside to explain to her that I’d like to give a copy to anyone that helps me out, and I had just had a free meal. I told her about the book and how it was dedicated to my brother Tom that was killed in action in Vietnam. The next thing I know, she drags me inside and hands me the microphone! I had warned her that I didn’t want to be a “downer” on such a lively party by telling my abbreviated story. She assured me I wouldn’t be a “downer” and that everyone there would be interested. She asked if I was doing the ride as a fundraiser for a cause and I replied, “no, just for my bucket list.”

It didn’t matter, she seemed to think that it was a fundraiser. Someone had just handed me $20, and I didn’t know what to say. I took the microphone and explained how my brother, Tom and I were going to hike the Appalachian Trail together when we finished our military duty, but it didn’t happen because he was killed in 1968. Further, I explained that I hiked the trail with his Purple Heart Medal and in spite of having to get off for three hundred days for a six-artery heart bypass surgery, I did go on to finish the whole 2200 (3540 km). Now I was doing this bike ride. I told them I’m not doing a fundraiser, but somebody had given me a twenty, and I would put it to good use for a veteran in my town.

Then to liven things up I told them that I had been riding across Wisconsin for over a week (lots of state rivalry in the midwest) and that in that entire time I had never seen anything like this. That brought a good laugh and applause. I didn’t want to drag it on, so thanked them and handed the microphone back. What a great crowd. Following that, a few more rushed up to me and handed me more cash, in all, $102.00. I promised to put it to good use when I get back to Florida, we have plenty of veterans there that can use the help.

It made me so proud to be an American, they didn’t care about where I was from, my politics, my religion, etc., all that mattered was a common bond with caring about others, in this case, veterans. Thank you, Luther, Michigan. I’ll report back after I get home.

Following all that, a woman named Cheryl approached me and offered a cabin room to stay in for the night. It was getting late and I was exhausted from a 60+ mile day. I said certainly. She had me follow her to the cabin and set me up there for the night, then she went back to the festivities.

Her two chihuahuas, Roco and Maxie (sp?) were left with this stranger. I showered and hit the hay. Maxie never did warm up to me and sulked away, but Roco was scared of the approaching thunderstorm and quickly became my buddy, he wanted protection.

I went quickly to sleep about 20:00. I was exhausted and it had been one of the finest days ever on my bike ride. Thank you, Luther, MI.

PS: The next morning, Cheryl gave me two tomatoes from her garden. These are not the run-of-the-mill tomatoes one gets in the market, these are juicy, flavorful, wholesome creations. I treasured them all day. Later, I stopped at a Subway shop and picked up a few scoops of tuna fish and feasted on two delightful tomatoes.

Day 10 – Part 2, Manitowoc, WI / Ludington, MI

The SS Badger, 1 September 2018. Coal-fired steam engines.

Today, I finally made it to the ferry boat, the SS Badger. It was only a 28-mile ride, counting a side trip to a very nice bakery. Most of the ride was hot and humid, but down near Lake Michigan I stopped to put on a long sleeved riding jacket; it was foggy and cool.

Bakery at State St., Ludington, Michigan.

The doughnuts in the State St bakery were top notch. They didn’t have tea, so I settled for coffee, only the 4th cup of coffee I have ever had. It was okay, I survived it. If you’re in town, check out their doughnuts.We sailed at 17:00 and after a four-hour voyage, we landed in Ludington, MI. Currently, I have to leave my hotel room in Ludington, MI in less than an hour, so I’ll enter some more later, or in tomorrow’s update.

As promised, here some additional notes about the day:

The voyage was full of vehicles. There were two buses full of an Amish contingent. It was quite a sight to see them running all over the place. They seemed to be quite fascinated with the ship, it may have been a first voyage for many of them. Who knows?

I met another lad as we were boarding, Jesse. I think he said he was from New York. He just finished his civil engineering degree and decided that he would like to do a coast-to-coast bicycle ride before plunging into a carrier. I thought that a wise decision, it may be some time before he gets another chance.

We parted ways on the ship for a while. I then ran into him in the cafeteria and joined him at a table. The ship has lots of activities going on and had Badger Bingo playing when I arrived. The ship’s captain had just finished answering questions about the ship. I caught a few facts:

The ship goes through fifty tons of coal a day.
The ship is considered a national landmark.
The engines are two, 3,500 horsepower steam engines that spin at about 125 RPM.
The ship is 410 feet long.
To see more: https://www.ssbadger.com/about/

I’m not a bingo player, but Jesse had a card and played on, to no avail.

Later they switched to a trivia game. I’m not much for trivia, but I offered to help Jesse since teams were allowed.

He was very smart and was doing well. I assisted with a few tough ones and he ended up with a score of 34, the highest in the room. When they called him up for his prize, he insisted I go too. The game master interviewed us for a short bit, asking about our rides, etc. and then had us choose prizes. Jesse went for the Badger playing cards and I took a Badger bumper sticker that he had showed interest in. When we returned to the table, I gave him the sticker, he seemed thrilled.

In all it was a fine voyage and a fun thing to do if you are in that area of the world. The Badger is truly one of the last steamers in active duty.

Enjoy.

Day 9 – Part 2 Brillian, Wisconsin

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.

I thought maybe I was riding through a Victoria’s Secret.

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.

Day 8 – Part 2: Shawano, Wisconsin

The apple trees here in Michigan are looking really good

I set out from Antigo, Wisconsin under questionable skies. It was cool, at least for this Floridian, temperatures were in the mid-forties Fahrenheit. Heading east on WI 64 the road was mildly hilly but not much of a challenge after a good night’s rest.

So far, the hotels have been really welcoming and accommodating. I always feel a little apprehensive showing up with a bicycle that has been collecting road grime all day, but I’ve never been made to feel unwelcome. I do try to wipe it down before I arrive, only to be fair.

About seven miles out from Antigo, I joined up with the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) coast-to-coast route that comes from further north. This was fortunate because I’m carrying their printed maps. They’re nice maps, printed on waterproof paper and they point out things a bicyclist will find useful, such as water sources, restaurants and places to camp. As I rejoined the ACA route, T-mobile became totally nonexistent. Without the T-mobile data stream, my GPS is hopeless.

Heading south on the ACA route, I managed to avoid any serious rain and had a comfortable day’s ride, managing almost 50 miles (76 km). At one point. the map had me somewhat confused and I wandered around near Tilleda until a fellow (Henry) at a small park signaled for me to come over. I explained what I was trying to do. The road ahead was WI 29, a divided highway. It didn’t have any signs prohibiting bicycle travel, but it isn’t any fun traveling on a road such as that. He looked at my map and explained that I should head back towards town and take a right. When I returned to town I still didn’t see the route I was looking for. When all else fails, read the instructions. The maps have a column on the side that gives a verbal description of the route, such as: “A, 18.5 (30) Turn left onto Ball Park Rd. B, 20 (32)Turn right onto Rock Rd…” I had already passed Ball Park Rd twice but wasn’t aware I was supposed to turn there. Dummy. I stopped in the Post Office and the kind lady there straightened me out. In the process, I lost about half an hour and rode about four extra miles for nothing. Incidentally, the previous “18.5 (30)” is the miles and kilometer distances.

I rode through one town yesterday that had an eerie feeling about it. I felt like I was riding into a Stephen King novel. The people were looking at me very strangely, they would just stare and didn’t look friendly.

My stomach needed sustenance, it had been some time since breakfast. I went into a market that had a small deli in the back. Everything was deep-fried, I mean everything. No sandwiches, sliced meats, salad…nothing. I had some fried jalapeno and corn thing.

Some fellow, maybe the owner, came along and asked about my travels. I told him I was headed east, towards Massachusetts. He started telling me he was going to pray for me and Jesus would take care of me and he made a point to have everyone else in there pray for me as well. It was really weird. He couldn’t say a complete sentence with the word, “Lord,” “Jesus,” or “prayer” in it, I mean not a single sentence. Everybody else in there was the same way. A few just stared, with really empty eyes and didn’t say anything. As I went out the door somebody yelled they were going to pray for me, and our President. I never dreamed I would end up in a sentence with him, but there it is. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!

As I was riding out of town I notice that there were an inordinate number of signs with all sorts of bible quotes and psalm lines. I pedaled even faster…what a weird place. In all my years of travel, that was the strangest experience. I’m surprised Cujo didn’t come out of a yard to chase me out of town.

Day 7 – Part 2; Antigo, Wisconsin

I managed 65 miles (105 km) today. I love distance in kilometers, it sounds like you’ve accomplished more. It feels better to see the odometer actually clicking up more often too.

So far, for the week, the hotels have been really nice about me bringing the bicycle into the room. They even go out of their way to arrange things so I can either be on the first floor or very near an elevator. I’ve been a real wimp this week, no camping at all.

The route from Antigo, WI to Manitowoc, WI. Source: Google Maps

I’m currently in Antigo, Wisconsin. That puts me about 125 miles (201 km) from Manitowoc, WI where the S. S. Badger sails to Michigan. The Badger is a ferry that costs $6.00 for the bicycle and $52 for me. I will get across to Michigan without pedaling 90 miles (145 km). I must be getting old, I’m looking forward to it.

I won’t be on my ham radio for the next few nights, I’ll be too tired and working too hard to make the ferry. Look for me from MI.

Today I was riding through some deep woods. Since it was the perfect country to site bears, I kept an eye out for them as I rode along. At one point, a young bear, maybe a two-year-old, ran across the road in front of me, about a quarter-mile ahead. It was slightly downhill so I didn’t linger to investigate. I was carrying a fresh banana, that may have been too much of a temptation.

Wild turkeys. All females, the males don’t seem to form large bunches at this time of year.

Throughout the ride, I have been seeing hordes of wild turkeys everywhere. After the first bear sighting, I saw another bear trying to chase after a turkey, but the bird was sly and quick and easily got away. I didn’t think a bear would chase a turkey but they are opportunists and I suppose just about anything is fair game. At least the bear was distracted by the bird and ignored me.

My front derailleur (the front shifter on a multi-speed bicycle) is giving me trouble. On the really steep hill climbs it is resisting shifting into the lowest gear (known as the “small ring”). At home, it would be a simple replacement, but out here on the road, I’ll just find a bike shop to do the work. I’ve temporarily fixed it with a small elastic Bunji cord.

In all, the bike has been performing very well. It should, it is built for this sort of riding. I purchased it used from a fellow hiker and he had already used it to ride coast-to-coast before me.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. In the morning it will be in the mid-40’s °F (4.5 °C) and is supposed to warm up to 70°F. It was supposed to be that warm today but never made it. I rode most of the day with a jacket and long-fingered gloves.

Well, it is off to bed, I need to let the motor rest.