Blog # 6: June 28-July 10 — Minocqua, WI to Naubinway, MI

Stats

• Riding days since my last blog: 3

• Miles traveled since last blog: 268

• Cumulative miles covered: 2377

Intermission

We had a wonderful and rejuvenating 10+ days with Beth, Julian and other relatives in Minocqua, Wisconsin. It was longer than expected because we were ahead of schedule. We did very little bike riding during this much-needed hiatus. Instead we “cross trained” on the beautiful small lake where we stayed – swimming, row boating, etc.

We also did most of the usual things we do during our annual summer vacation on Marion Lake. This included watching the Min-Aqua Bats water ski show, which one crop of young water skiers after another have been performing for about 70 years. They retain a 1950s All-American vibe. (For many years, two of Beth’s second cousins performed and over the years other relatives have also been a part of the show.)

We also took in a snowshoe softball game in the town of Lake Tomahawk. Yes, you read that right. Since 1961, on Monday evenings over the summer, the Tomahawk Snowhawks have taken on challengers in games of 16-inch softball (a Chicago version of the game which uses a bigger ball and the fielders play barehanded). The sign at the Lake Tomahawk town line reads “Home of Snowshoe baseball”, so this is a big deal. In each of the 5 or 6 games we’ve attended in the past, the Snowhawks have won easily. It turns out that it’s a big advantage to have experience and reps at playing softball while wearing huge floppy footwear. So, it was quite shocking that the challengers – a group of players from Chicago - beat the locals at their own game. To me it was like the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globetrotters!

On the Road Again

Rejuvenated by our time with family, Josh and I set out on Friday for the final part of our journey. Just as the Cascades, the Rockies and the winds in the northern plains were leading characters in the first part of the trip, the Great Lakes will play a leading role for these next few weeks and several hundred miles. Getting around them – particularly Lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie - require planning and decision making. These lakes are Great indeed, but they’re also kind of inconvenient for our purposes. The route around them that we have chosen starts by riding across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) – about 150 miles along the northern shore of Lake Michigan. (I’m writing this in Naubinway, MI, the northernmost point on the shore of Lake Michigan.) We’ll then cross by ferry to Mackinaw City at the top of the main part of Michigan. We’ll ride southeast across Michigan. From there we’ll cross into Ontario and will ride along the northern shore of Lake Erie, into and across NY State and, finally, across Massachusetts.

So far so good. We’ve had 3 very nice summer days, with pretty low temps and humidity, no rain and only modest winds, so our good fortunes continue! And we’ve appreciated that even more since learning 10 days ago from our new friend and cycling comrade Ed Rodriguez (you remember from Blog #1 - the 73 year old, good natured retired Santa Barbara firefighter with whom we rode early on our trip) that he’d been hit by a truck in Pueblo, Colorado. He’s very banged up but otherwise fine, miraculously. His bike was destroyed. He’s heading back to California, both disappointed and relieved. That’s an important reminder that me, Josh and our bikes are no match for the hundreds of cars that zip by us every day. Note to self: Be careful!

We’ve mostly been riding along Route 2 (not the same Route 2 that runs across Massachusetts). It has an adequate shoulder and a good “tarmac” (that’s Josh’s terminology), but it’s busy and mostly not very scenic. For every glimpse we’ve had of Lake Michigan, there were 6-8 shuttered motels and restaurants, and Trump signs. It’s like a lot of the places we’ve been through - lots of natural beauty co-existing with apparent economic hardship.

First Gear

I’ve done a very me thing on this trip. Actually, I’ve done many but I’ll explain one now. Early on the trip I decided I wanted to “save” first gear until we got to the Rockies. Dumb, right? What can I say: I gotta be me. Anyway, it worked out okay. I have a pretty wide gear range and I managed the Cascades without the easiest gear. First gear and I were ready for the Rockies! Bring them on, we said. Well, as it turns out, the pass we climbed in the Rockies in Montana was no harder than the 4 we crossed in Washington State, and 2nd and 3rd gear did the trick again.

With the plains ahead of us, first gear wondered if it would ever get the call – kind of like my idle spare tubes, patch kit, tools and replacement parts. Maybe it was just a wasted trip for all of them.

But then, as we left Norway, Michigan yesterday and turned onto a back road, Josh and I saw in front of us the steepest hill we’ve seen on the whole trip. What?! In Michigan!? I did not see that coming! Thank goddess I had first gear and thank goodness first gear – being the professional that it is – was ready. Together we scaled Mount Norway, Michigan. No high fives necessary, said first gear. Just doin’ my job. Wake me when we get to the Berkshires.

Marion Lake, Minocqua, WI

Carl & Josh “cross-training” on Marion Lake

Josh, Beth, Carl and Julian

Josh and Carl setting off from Minocqua on Friday, July 8th

Our motel in Rapid River, MI

On the northern shore of Lake Michigan