8/12 - ludington

arrived on the ferry at 5:00 am, but really 6:00 am.  hey, i'm on eastern time!

i spent the day in ludington, having arranged a warmshower.  first i spent a coule of hours riding around the town while it woke up.  ludington is a resort town. only about 3,500 residents.  it has beaches and a state park, a lighthouse, marinas, the ferry, and a walkable downtown.  not to mention a coffee house and a brewpub.  and a nice public park on the waterfront with a sculpture display.

cludia opened her house to me in the morning, so that i could stash my stuff.  i ended up just hanging out and resting.  claudia is in her 50's and just moved to ludington last year.  she bought a small house a couple of blocks from downtown and is the middle of building a porch on the front.  by herself.  when she got home from work in the early afternoon, i offered to help and she jumped on the offer.  we spent the next couple of hours tearing off part of the roof and setting the ridge beam, so that she can start setting rafters tomorrow.

after that, we went to the jamesport brewing company for dinner and a few stouts.  fish and chips accompanied by a pretty good stout, in my humble opinion.  enough fried food to last for awhile.  then back to the house for a good nights sleep.

8/13 - michigan

it's been a special day, i've been through walhalla and nirvana.  and now i'm sitting in a bakery eating oatmeal cookies and drinking hot tea.  heaven.

on the other hand, michigan is pretty shaggy.  a long hair dog that really needs to be combed and have it's hair cut and nails  trimmed.  i'm not sure why, but central michigan has no agriculture.  well, a little.  mostly second growth forests, a mix of pine and hardwood.  fifty miles inland there starts to be some farms, but they're scattered and relatively small.  i'm guessing that it has something to do with the soil.  it's pretty sandy.  i did pass an elk ranch(?) and got to see my first elk, albeit in captivity.

michigan roads are a bit strange.  they don't pave alot of them.  but i managed to ride about 8 miles of dirt road through back country and national forest.  i have learned that google maps doesn't always have the same opinion i do as what makes a good bike route.

after 50 miles, i reached the pere marquette bike trail.  it goes from reed city to midland, approx. 70 miles.  and it's flat.  and it's paved.  and it's not terribly interesting, but that's okay.  there were small town general stores, bogs, tunnels, converted train depots, and other occassional sights.  in reed city, i did stumble upon a local bakery.  that's where i was having the above cookies and tea.  the weather was windy and cloudy.  despite the forecast of no rain, the clouds were dark.  the wind was out of the north and pretty strong.  it's cooling things down, and the clouds hiding the sun were not helping.

after doing about 90 miles and getting outside the town of clare, i decided to find a place for the night.  i found the perfect camping spot.  a  small grove of pines, planted in regular rows, right next to a trail head.  the trail head has a bathroom, bench, and picnic table.  so i can cook some ramen noodles, clean up, and then, just before dark, slip into the pines.  good seclusion, wonderful soft pine needle bed, and no mosquitos.

8/11 - on the road again

today isn't so much about the riding, it's about the ferry.

delayed starting so that i could have one more meal with guido and juli while waiting out the rain in the morning.  finally said goodbyes and headed down the road around 1:30.  made it about 10 miles before the rain started again.  a light rain.  i started to wait it out, but after 15-20 minutes, i decided to just ride.  country roads and rails to trails.  rolling hills and farm land.  wisconsin dairy and corn.  this time i had the satisfaction of having eaten a bunch of that corn already.

i made it to manitowac around 6pm.  lake michigan and grey skies.  the ferry wasn't boarding till midnight.  there's not much open on a sunday at 6pm, but i did manage to find, yes, a cafe open till 8.  then it was down to the ferry and camp out in the waiting room.  got a lot of reading done.

the badger is a historic ferry.  somewhat controversial, i'm told, because it burns coal and dumps the ash in lake michigan.  not to mention the black carbon cloud that follows it around ala pig pen from peanuts.  classic conflict between historical restoration and modern standards.  the lake ferries were original built to carry railroad cars across the lake.  you can still see the rails in the concrete deck of the badger.  the lower level is a large gaping hold for vehicles, very tall.  there are two levels above for passengers.  they include snack areas, open tv seating areas, movie room, a 'quiet room', arcade area, and private cabins. the seats are like a movie theater:  roomy, padded, and tilt back.

after standing on deck to watch the departure, i headed to the quiet room.  i managed to get an hour or so of sleep before waking to snoring.  Serious snoring.  the man had a problem.  i was sorely tempted to wake him up and tell him he was violating the 'quiet', but i moved to the movie room instead.  no one was watching a movie and it was indeed quiet.  might have caught a few more minutes there, but it's hard to tell.  around 4:30, arrival was anounced.  by the time we docked and unloaded it was 5:30. 

the only cafe in town opened at 7:00.  my warmshower host was available between 7:30 and 10, when she left for work.  i had some more time to kill.  so i rode around town, checking out the beach and marina, taking morning photos.  after i store my gear, the rest of the day will be spent walking around and just enjoying the town.  lunch or dinner will be at the one brew pub in town.

good to be back on the road again.  glad it's a little more relaxed schedule.

8/11 - a new beginning

today i start back on the journey.  i have to admit that it that it is taking some effort to get back in the mode.  it will probably only happen when i get back on the bike and head down the road.

the last week has been a lot of rest, food and drink.  guido and julie have been wonderful friends.  it's been really nice to visit with them.  they've taken me out to dinner a couple of times, gone to the farmer's market twice and cafes afterward, and generally opened their house to me.  after riding through thousands of acres of corn, i finally got to eat a half dozen ears.  plenty of beer and wine, including a nice evening sitting by the river watching  pelicans, geese, gulls, and a blue heron.  and they helped facilitate my getting back and forth to chicago.

the trip to see my mother and father was very important.  i'm very glad i did that; definitely worth the time.  it was an added plus to be able to be with suzi on her 60th birthday.  elaine and stuart were their usual gracious selves putting up with us and they even arranged for a nice party for suzi.

between chicago and appleton, i think i put back on all the weight i lost over the last month. 

so now it's time to get back in travel mode.  the plan is to ride the 50 miles to manitowac today inorder to grab the midnight ferry across lake michigan.  a warm shower night in ludington on the other side and then 2 and 1/2 days ride to my brother's house in michigan.  i will spend a few days with him and then it's off through canada to niagara falls and buffalo.  there i'll meet paul tarricone on thursday 8/22.   he'll join me for 4 or 5 days along the erie canal to albany. maurice will meet us there, with paul heading home.  maurice and i will ride the last 4 days into boston.  we should arrive around labor day weekend.  there we'll celebrate completing the trip with a nice italian dinner in the north end.

next posts  will be from the road.

8/2 - final leg of the stage

Woke up early in downtown shawano.  the trio of walking women stirred me at 5:00, so that i was on the road by 6:00.  incredible cloud patterns momentarily had me wondering about rain.  a fast moving wind answered those doubts quick enough.  40 miles into greenbay, all along the mountain bay trail, at least to the outskirts of greenbay.  Uneventful as i rode into the sunrise.

greenbay surprised me though.  don't know what i was thinking, but i was not expecting flat.  i guess i figured that since it was on the edge of the lake, it would slope down to the lake.  there wasn't much sloping going on.  flat.  hope the water don't rise.  greenbay is built around the fox river, one of the few rivers that flow north.  a fairly wide river, it splits the downtown.

i did my research and found my cafe, kavarna.  nice place, excellent chai.  they get their chai from a guy down the street who makes it.  possibly the best i've had on this trip.  i had two cups.  and a huevos rancheros.  and a local made biscotti, double wide.

a couple of hours later, i'm packed and ready to go.  but first a twenty minute conversation with an irish truck driver who is very envious of my ride.  he's the only one sitting outside, in the noonday sun, with no shade.  he's been writing something, there are papers in front of him.  he's driven alot of the country, so he knows most of the route i've been on.  the conversation loses its flavor when he starts into a monologue on social issues, so i excuse myself and head off.

35 miles to appleton and guido and julie's home.  The first 25 are on another rails to trails that runs to the east of appleton, then 10 miles back to the west to the condo.  the first 12 miles or so are paved and very quick, then it changes to gravel.  wisconsin has a funny attitude about these trails, which are state trails.  there are pay boxes at each parking area along the way telling you to pay a fee.  $4 for the day, $30 for an annual pass.  this applies to cyclists and roller bladers.  this is all wrong.  i understand user fees and generally agree with them, but we should be encouraging physical activity and alternative means of transportation.  this is positive for the whole community, not just for the users.  user fees here would just discourage it.  i've never seen a fee for a bike trail before.  i did not pay the fee either day.

i must admit to a certain excitement knowing i'm only 25 miles from lake michigan and the ferry.  in my younger days, in my need to make goals and avoid interacting with people, i might have turned east and gone straight to the ferry.  but i am so much older now....

25 miles in and i turned west toward appleton, into the wind, reminding me why i'm riding west to east.  but it's not too bad, and in less than an hour i'm into the appleton area.  neenah, oshkosh, and several other communities around lake winnebago and the fox river.  this is home to kimberly clark and the paper industry among others.  a little industrial refuge amid america's dairyland.  mills line the river.  the river is channelled in concrete, and it's power harvested.

i move pass the river, figuring i will have time to see it later, and head to my final stop for this phase.  i pull into the driveway just as guido pulls up in the van.  Pictures are taken documenting arrival and immediately food comes out.  a quick change of clothes and i sit down to beer, salsa, and chips.  i've ridden around 2000 miles total and 700 miles in the last 7 days. 

it's break time.  i will not ride again for a week.  time to get fat and happy.

8/1 - mountain bay trail

awake early as usual, despite lying in tent for awhile, up before 6:00.  shake off the morning dew and on the road.  wausau/weston and the start of the mountain bay state trail, rails to trails, are 40 miles down the road.  unexpectedly, but quite welcome, i find the colby cafe sitting all by itself in a corner of the downtown.  omelette, hashbrowns, a pancake, and a pot of tea.  i sit in the corner so no one will smell me.  i talk with the waitress and a woman across the room hears i'm headed to boston.  she was originally from boston.

i follow route N into weston.  the main county roads in wisconsin are by letters, not numbers.  a pedestrian/bicycle bridge takes me over the wisconsin river where i eventually find the trail head for the mountain bay state trail.  and, oops, unlike the paul bunyan, this trails not paved.  a little test shows that it is rideable, though.  compacted dirt with loose gravel fines and sand scattered on top.  it will be a little slower, but pleasant being off the road.  road surface affects one's speed.  the smoother the surface, not only is it more comfortable, but it's faster. 

the trail is 80+ miles all the way to green bay.  once at green bay, i'll follow a different trail south to the east of appleton, where guido and julie live.  i'll  kisit with them on either side of a trip down to chicago.

there's no history noted anywhere, but i assume it was an old logging railroad, abandoned.  anyway, there is no significant development along the ex-tracks.  it crosses a bunch of roads and driveways, but most of the development has moved to the highway, i assume.  the trail also serves as part of the snowmobile network in the winter.  consequently, every now and then there  is an arrow pointing to a tavern and even the occassional tavern on the trail.  featuring pabst blue ribbon, of course.  i've been to enough small towns, that a day removed into the surroundings would be a nice change.

50 or so miles later, i make it to shawano.  the trail is interrupted for a bit, but i finally pick it back up.  there's a bike store in an old railway depot at the head of the restart, and contrary to my normal behavior, i stop.  it's around 7pm, 110 miles for the day, and i'm looking for a place to pitch my tent.  it turns out there are three late 40's guys sitting there drinking bud light.  they invite me, offer me a beer, they offer to let me sleep there on the side of the trail, and call the local constable to make sure it's okay.  even though it's technically city property, the police say that they'll treat it like the bike shop owns it and it's alright if i sleep there.  so i do.

i spend the next hour and two beers talking with the guys.  they just bought the shop in march from the old codger who was retiring.  they knew nothing about bikes, had no idea how to repair them.  learning on the job.  a couple of great guys, i wish them the best.  they certainly have the right attitude.  tim, the owner, has three girls who are grown and moved on.  he ran a canoe and kayak rental place, when this came available.  he had been searching for something, and thought "why not?"   it's hard to run on the seasons here.  summer is two months, july 4th to labor day.  hard to sustain a business plan based on this.  the winter does have smowmobiles, crosscountry sking, and snowshoeing.

then, as dusk falls, i sent up the tent right there.  the trail runs right next to the shop, and it's right in the heart of the downtown.  the trails lighted and there are still some late night, 9:00pm, folks out walking and kids playing.  there's a little skate board area a couple of hundred yards away and far in the distance i can hear the little league baseball game still going.  as i lie in the tent, an occassional person goes by.  i'm ten feet away, but no one pays attention.  and i fall asleep, apparently tired.

sometime in the middle of the night i wake up, a runner is going past.  i wake several times, the last being at 5:00am when thee women head out for their morning walk.  another woman is out with her dog, who picks up the scent and starts sniffing towards the tent.  i speak gently to it, but it's startled to realize there is someone there.  the dog backs up and barks once or twice.  as she passes, the woman says "are you awake".  "Yes."  "Sorry."  "No problem", i say with a laugh.  guess it's time to get up.

7/31 - dairyland

first stop:  acoustic cafe in menomonie.  chai latte and a pumpkin muffin.  nice corner cafe, pretty pottery, death cab for cutie playing.  menomonie is on soomeone's list of top 10 small towns. i'm not sure why.  pleasant town, small downtown.  a branch of the university of wisconsin is here in the downtown.  and on the edge of the downtown is the lake.  beautiful blue lake.  but it's pretty quite for 10am, not much happening in this town.  the shops are unexceptional.

next stop:  cippewa falls, lucy's deli.  this is a happening place at lunch time.  great find in the downtown.  place your order at the counter, lucy's famous tuna melt, get your number and go sit down and wait.  i sit outside on the sidewalk with my bike.  there's only one couple out there. air temp is a little cool, but that's okay.  a storm has chased me from menomonie, but hasn't caught me, yet.  i was hoping to weather it while eating lunch.  i was inspired to do a little sidewalk cafe sketch.  first sketch since week one.

a lot of the towns on the rivers are located where falls were.  i guess because the need to portage made a good place to stop, eat, etc., as well as transfer of goods.  but all of the towns:  little falls, chippewa falls, minneapolis, they no longer have their falls.  only dams are left and the  thing that gave them their name and identity have been replaced.

next stop:  ten miles out of town, the yellowstone cheese and ice cream shop.  it's the middle of america's dairyland, what would it say if i didn't have some homemade ice cream.  made from milk produced 200 yards down the road.  double scoop of black raspberry and cookie dough in a waffle cone.  Hmm, rich, creamy, and totally guilt free.

last stop:  it's 6 o'clock, over a 100 miles into the day, and i'm looking for a place to stop.  this night will be camping by permission or gorilla, whichever works, though in wisconsin there are not too places that aren't part of a farm.  so i'm looking for a nice house to stop at and ask for some lawn space.  i hesitate at a couple, pass a couple that look very inviting, and then i see it:  that pabst blue ribbon sign on top of robin's nest, 'where all the good eggs come'.  and there's a nice lawn area to the side.  in wisconsin, all the house's have well kept yards, mowed, and fairly large.  perfect for accommodating a tent off out of the way.

did i mention that this bar is in the middle of nowhere?  and the first one i've really seen like that, unlike montana where it was fairly common.  robin said i could camp anywhere.  after i set up and changed, i came back, had a couple of leinenkugel's, 'the pride of chippewa falls',  and a cheeseburger with fries.  i sit, half dozen people come and go, and no one seems to notice.  don't even get much conversation out of robin.  oh well, i stumble out to the tent at dusk and enjoyed a good night sleep.