RIPVENTURE

Day 52 8/11 Location: Otter Lake, MI Miles traveled: 100 Total miles: 2,986 What we did. Last night was a rough one at the State Forrest campground in Sanford. We were one of about 4 total groups camping in the park last night, but we camped 2 sites down form a group of people who liked to make a lot of noise. Sometimes I'm not sure what we are really paying for at some for the campsites we stay at. Especially with the State Forrest sites, you pay $13 - $16 for a small patch of grass with a fire ring, shared pit toilets and water source that most of the time tastes like iron and smells like rotting eggs. Also, with the amount of biking we do during the day, by the time we get into town and restock on supplies, it's not uncommon that we don't actually make it into camp until around 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening and 12 hours later, we're packing up to get back on the road again. Now, all that I can live with. It's the price of traveling like we do. However, when you have a family camping next to you who doesn't know how to turn the volume down after 11:00pm and no State Forest representative to keep people accountable, it makes me wonder why I even paid for the site at all! After about an hour of laying in the tent, trying to block out the noise of our disrespectful neighbors, I finally went over there and asked them to either keep it down or call it a night. They weren't happy about it, but at least they kept quite enough to for us to fall asleep. Because of the rain last night, we woke up to a very wet tent. Usually we wait for the sun to come up and we hang the tent fly and tarp to dry while we make breakfast, but with so many trees at our site, there was no sun on our site and it was off to plan B. We strapped our wet tent to the back of my bike and pedaled 2 miles to the Park we ate our dinner at last night, and spread our tent and anything else that needed to dry out over one of the sunny parking lots. We fixed breakfast at the park while our stuff dried, and after about an hour, we were on the road again. This morning we rode what was left of the Pere Marquette Rail Trial into the city of Midland. Where the trail ends in Midland, there is a small park and one of the coolest, pedestrian bridges I've ever seen. The Tridge is formal name of a three way, wooden footbridge spanning the confluence of the Chippewa and Titabawassee rivers just outside of downtown Midland. From overhead, the Tridge is in the shape of a "y" with all 3 sections meeting at a central point. We stuck up a quick conversation with a local man who was also riding the trail to Midland and he told us that if there was anything we did while we were in town, that we had to take a ride over the Tridge. Time we'll spent! After our fun on the bridge, we made our way through Midland and rolled through the town of Frankenmuth for a late lunch. We've passed through a lot of interesting places so far in our journey, but Frankenmuth takes the cake! Frankenmuth was settled in 1845 by Lutheran Immigrants form Bavaria and has never lost its German charm. As we rolled in, it felt like we entered a German version of Disneyland, with authentic architecture and live, polka music spilling out into the street. It even boasts the world's largest Christmas store (Bronner's Christmas Wonderland). We ate a late lunch at the Frankenmuth Brewery and left town through the Holz Brucke (German for "wooden bridge") and onto our campsite in Otter Lake for the night.

Day 51 8/10 Location: Sanford, MI Miles traveled: 102 Total miles: 2,886 What we did. "Did you see the crooks?" This was how we were greeted by an older gentlemen and his dog, Brownie, this morning as we rode on yet another bike trail in small town Michigan. Not a "good morning!", not the usual, "so where you guys headed today?", but just a simple question. "Did you see the crook?" Apparently someone had broken into the local hardware store about 30 minutes before we rolled through and this concerned citizen thought that they may have taken the bike trail for a quick escape. For all he knew, we could have been the ones who robbed the store and now he was fraternizing with known criminals on our way out of town with our panniers full of hammers and paint swatches. Did we see the crooks? No sir, we did not. Unless it was us, and then yes, we did. And they're headed to Maine. We turned off the trail in the town of Leroy and followed Bicycle Route 20 into the town of Claire. In Clare, we stopped at a local bike shop to have my bike chain replaced (good thing to do every 1,000 miles) and grab some lunch. After lunch we stopped by the historic Clare City Bakery dubbed, "Cop and Doughnuts." The Clare City Bakery was first opened in 1896, and has been in constant operation since then. The bakery ran into financial trouble and was close to closing when members of the Clare Police department came to the rescue. All nine, doughnut-loving members of the local department banded together and came up with enough money to save the local business, renaming the bakery Cops and Doughnuts. To this day, the bakery is still owned and operated by the Clare Police Department and serves over 350,000 doughnuts a year! That's a lot of sprinkles! After we filled up on our daily ration of baked goods, we picked up my bike from the shop and caught the Pere Marquette RailTrail, which stretches 30 miles from the town of Clare to the city of Midland, MI. For those who don't know, a RailTrail is a trail that exists on a site of a former railroad line. As old rail lines have been decommissioned over the years, communities have given these valuable corridors new life again by taking up the tracks and putting an often paved, recreation trail it its place. There is a network of RailTrails all over the country, with the bulk being in the Midwest. The Pere Marquette is one of the longest trails we will be on from here to Maine and has actually been inducted into the RailTrail Hall of Fame! Who knew there even was such a thing!! Our battle with late afternoon thunderstorms continued today just outside of Sanford. Luckily we found a small convenience store just off the trail with a nice owner who let us hang outside the store as long as we needed to until the storm passed. After the first part of the front passed, we biked a few miles off the trail to a state park to set up camp for the night. Just as we registered for the site, the rain was back. Since the park didn't have a shelter, we kept everything in our bags and rode back out to a pubic park to make dinner and try to stay dry. By the time the rain stopped and we got back to the state park, it was time to set up the tent and go to bed after a very full day.

Day 49 and 50 8/8, 8/9 Location: Cadalic, MI Miles traveled: 65 Total miles: 2,784 It rained for most of the night last night and into the early morning, but it was good to get out of the tent this morning and see that at least the rain had stopped. Our panniers are waterproof and we have a few extra drysacs to store things in case of rain, so all of our stuff was dry, but after riding yesterday night and sleeping in the tent while it was raining last night, it still feels like everything we touch is wet. While we were packing up, I got a text from my parents asking where we were in Michigan and that they were "on their way to see us." My parents live in southeastern Wisconsin and I have a sister in southwestern Indiana and as of a few days ago, the plan was to meet up with both my parents and sister when we get to Fort Wayne, Indiana by the end of this week. However, Gina and I really haven't been loving the route through Michigan so far and from what we hear, it doesn't get much better, so we've been thinking about changing things up. When we first ordered our maps for this trip from Adventure Cycling, we ordered a set for the Northern Tier + North Lakes route. So far, we've followed the Northern Tier from Washington to Minnesota and once we got to Minneapolis, we left the Northern Tier route and followed the ACA North Lakes route through northern Wisconsin and into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. From here, the North Lakes continues through the lower peninsula of Michigan and reconnects the the Northern Tier around Fort Wayne, Indiana, however, in a few days, the North Lakes route crosses the starting point for a third route called the Erie Connector (you still with me?), which as of yesterday, we have officially decided to take. The Erie Connector intersects the North Lakes route in Luther, MI, and heads northeast, following Lake Erie into Ontario, Canada, and meets back up with the Northern Tier in New York, just past Niagara Falls. I had connected with my parents a few days ago and let them know we would probably not be passing through Fort Wayne like we originally thought, but if they wanted to, they could come meet us somewhere in Michigan, however with a few crazy days and poor cell service, we hadn't talked much since then. So with my parents on their way, Gina and I spent the first 2 hours of our morning at a little breakfast spot down the street from the state park calling every hotel within 50 miles to find a place for my parents and us to stay tonight. The challenge was that most of the small towns around us only have one, maybe two small hotels, and everywhere we called was completely booked. Except for one... The Sun N Snow motel in Cadalic, MI . It got horrible reviews on Yelp and when I called I could barely understand the woman on the other end of the phone, but they had 2 rooms. The price they wanted for the rooms was ridiculous and I was pretty certain I was getting ripped off, but at this point, to get a visit from my parents and not have to sleep in a tent for a night or two, I probably would have paid any price they asked me to. As part of the booking, they were very concerned about exactly what time we would be arriving, because they have had issues with guests booking a room and then not showing up. I assured them that I would be there, but that I was traveling by bicycle and couldn't really give them an exact time. My mode of transport didn't seem to buy me any grace with this man and he told me that if I was not there by 5:00, he would give my room away. I was pretty sure we could make it there by 5:00 and told him that if I didn't show, just to charge my credit card, which he assured me he had planned to do either way. With 65 miles to Cadalic, and a deadline imposed by our new friends at the Sun N Snow Motel, we had some serious biking to do. And even though we were in a hurry, there are 2 things we always make time for along the way, food (of course) and cute animals. So when we saw a sign for an Alpaca Farm just a mile off route, our bikes almost turned themselves. In my opinion, alpacas are some of the most interesting animals on the planet. I know very little about them, but just try to be in the presence of one, or an entire farm of them for that matter, and not fall in love. I dare you! The owners of the farm were not home when we arrived, but since they had a sign advertising their farm off a busy county highway, I took that as enough permission to poke around their farm and find me some alpaca! And they did not disappoint. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a small alpaca in my future somewhere. Think of all the sweaters I could knit! After saying goodbye to our new friends, we cruised into Cadalic with just minutes to spare before our 5:00 deadline. When I entered the motel office, I was met by a nice, Indian man who checked me in for both rooms and offered some suggestion on a good place to eat when my parents arrived. As I was about to leave, he stopped me and said, "So you really did ride here on a bicycle. When you told me over the phone, I thought it was a joke!" He laughed for a few seconds and then asked, "So where are you coming from?" When I told him we started in Washington and we're on our way to Maine, he went silent for a few seconds, and as I walked out the door, I could hear him laughing even harder than before. It always feels good to bring a little joy to someone's day, doesn't it? Our room was the epitome of a cheap motel, complete with a deadbolt lock that didn't work and neighbors on both sides of us that smoked like chimneys. There was, however, a large, forested scene plastered on the wall behind the bed that made me feel like I was sleeping at a really expensive campsite with a queen sized bed in it, a feature my parents' room did not have. I think some of my charm may have rubbed off on my Indian friend at the front desk when we checked in. Can you say, upgrade?! My parents arrived about an hour later and we went to dinner at an overpriced supper club just across the parking lot form the motel. Since we moved to California, I have seen my family only a handful of times in the last 7 years and I think it's been a least 2 years since I saw my parents. We had to bike all the way to Michigan to make it happen, but it was totally worth it! My parents could only stay one night, however Gina and I booked our room for 2 nights so we could take a much needed day off. The idea of sleeping in, in a real bed, was priority number one for me the next morning, however, our neighbors 2 doors down had other plans. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say my day of sleeping in started with a 5:00AM phone call to the Cadalic Police Department as things stated to get out of hand with our neighbor and his girlfriend. It was straight out of an episode of COPS for about an hour. Who knew we would be so lucky:) We had an early breakfast with my parents before they hit the road and then the rest of the day was spent relaxing and checking out what Cadalic had to offer. It was so nice to give the legs a rest for a day and we even took in a round of mini golf before calling it a night. This morning, as we went to leave, my Indian friend who checked me in 2 days before was getting my parents room ready for new guests, so I popped my head in and handed him our key. "So you are biking today?" He asked, with a big grin. "Yes sir," I said, to which he laughed, and laughed, and didn't stop until we pulled away.

Day 48 8/6 Location: Interlochen, MI Miles traveled: 58 Total miles: 2,718 We said our goodbyes to Cal and Marybeth this morning and headed for our first stop of the day in Petoskey. Marybeth works at a restaurant in Petoskey called American Spoon and she highly recommended we stop there for breakfast. She even called ahead and let them know we would be stopping by so they would have a table ready for us. American Spoon is a food company based in Petoskey that is known for its preserves and spreads. The restaurant is right in the middle of a quaint, downtown area that was already busy by the time we rolled in. We were both really hungry by the time we got to the restaurant, but it was well worth the wait!! I cannot say enough about how much we loved this restaurant. The service was excellent, the food was amazing and the atmosphere was very inviting. We've done a fair amount of eating out in the latter part of the trip and the food, especially for breakfast has been pretty hit or miss, with far more misses than hits. The most difficult thing, for us, has been to find good food, made with fresh ingredients. Even at a grocery store, most of the stores in the small towns we ride through don't do enough business to carry fresh produce, and after awhile, your body just starts to crave some good, real food. American Spoon uses their own spreads and preserves in most of their dishes and the flavors they create are excellent! On the way out, we both picked up some delicious, post breakfast Gelato which we enjoyed in a local park down the street. Pretty good start to the morning I'd say. We haven't taken a day off since we left Minneapolis 2 weeks ago, and we planned find a place to stay for the night and next day in Travers City, so we were excited to get in early and relax. About 10 miles outside of town, our route connected with the TART trial (Travers City Regional Trail) that was suppose to take us into downtown Travers City. The TART was a confusing trail to say the least. It was really more of a connected system of sidewalks and poorly maintained bike trail that wove you aimlessly through town. But, for what this trail lacked in organization it made up for with knowledge. Every few miles, a local astronomy club had posted large placards with information about one of the planets in our solar system, complete with a large, scale model of that planet hanging somewhere above the trail. We didn't stop to learn about every planet, however, the ones we did read were quirky, yet very informative. A+ for the effort, guys. When we got into Travers City, we grabbed some lunch and began calling around to local hotels/motels to find a place to stay for our day off, however, every place we called was booked solid. Even the local campground was full. We called the next town over and there were no rooms available there either. At this point, we were both pretty frustrated. I think we both had our minds set on getting into town and getting some much needed rest, however without a place to stay, we had no choice to get back on the bikes and ride on. Not long after we left Travers City a front rolled in and it stated to rain, which didn't help an already frustrating situation. We made it another 20 miles to the town of Interlochen where we found a State Park to camp in for the night. The park was full by the time we arrived, however, one of the park rangers took pity on us and let us set up our tent on one of the large, group camping sites right in the middle of the park. With the rain still coming down, we quickly set up our tent and cooked our dinner under one of the picnic shelters by the lake. The forecast calls for rain all night into the early morning, so it looks like it's going to be a wet one. Today is quite possibly one of the most mentally challenging days we've had yet. With our minds set on being able to get some rest over the next few days, not being able to find a place to stay for the night really took a toll. I feel like we've hit a little bit of a wall both mentally and physically today, so I'm hoping we can get some good rest tonight and go back to drawing board tomorrow.

Day 47 8/5 Location: Petoskey, MI Miles traveled: 54 Total miles: 2,660 We were up early this morning to catch the first ferry into Mackinac Island and for the first time since we arrived yesterday afternoon, our crazy campground was still and quiet. It was almost magical. The temperature was in the low 50s as we rode down to the docks, and for the first time in almost 2 months, I wore my long pants and winter hat I brought for the cold weather I thought we'd run into back in the Rockies. We took the 7:15am ferry to Mackinac Island with a handful of other people who looked like they worked onto the island. Our tickets cost $18 a piece and we paid and additional $8 for each bike. These tickets were round trip, which most people use to go out to Mackinac Island and back again to St. Ignace at the end of the day, but since we need to make our way to Mackinaw City, we'll use the other half of our ticket to get there at the end of the day. We had heard from other bikers about the craziness that is Mackinac Island, and told that our best chance to experience the island without fighting our way through a thousand other tourists, was to get there as early as we could. The ferry ride was beautiful. A very relaxing way to travel, and just before 8:00, we set foot on an already busy, Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island is only home to just over 400, year-round residents, however, thousands of people visit the island per day in the summer months. One unique feature about Mackinac is that, in the summer, there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island. None. (many people use snowmobiles in the winter) In fact, the only way to get around the island is either by bicycle, horse or foot. This includes the hundreds of seasonal and year-round workers who make the island run. As we were having lunch, for example, we watched a small barge approach the island with a full sized, UPS truck on the back. The barge docked, the truck drove right off and into a large building and about 10 minutes later, several horse drawn carts exited the building, loaded with packages to deliver to the island's merchants and residents. As for the UPS truck, it drove back onto the barge it came over on, and just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. Like nothing ever happened. Although there are a lot of horses used to transport goods and people, by far the most popular mode of transportation is bicycle. In fact, Mackinac Island is often referred to as "Disneyland for bikes" because of how many bikes can be seen riding around the island at any given time. There is an 8 mile, paved road that runs around the perimeter of the Island and when you come to the island, it's almost mandatory rent a bike and ride the entire loop. Thankfully, Gina and I got to the island early enough, and brought our own bikes, that we were able to make it almost all the way around before things got too nuts. At the 6 mile mark, we cut into the center of the island to explore a bit and when we got back out to the loop an hour later, there were bikes everywhere! And not only were there tons of bikes, there were tons of people riding them. Little kids with training wheels, to older folks on adult tricycles and everything in between. It was one big accident waiting to happen. Later in the day, we locked up our bikes, walked around Main Street and bought some fudge, which Mackinac Island is known for, and waited for the next ferry to Mackinaw City. We got to Mackinaw City around 2:00 in the afternoon and still had about 50 miles to put in to get to our WarmShowers host in Petoskey for the night. Who we met. Cal and Marybeth The ride to Petoskey was difficult. Most days, we would have been almost done biking by 2:00 in the afternoon, and after spending all morning on the island, it was mentally difficult to begin the ride so late. Earlier in the week, we had made plans to stay with a WarmShowers host in Petoskey and I think that's the only thing that kept us from stopping sooner. Cal and Marybeth are a young couple, in their early 30's that live in a small ski chalet just just outside of town. They both grew up in Southern Michigan, but Cal first moved to Petoskey to work summers at local bike shop and winters at a local ski resort. Cal now works full time at the ski resort and Marybeth works at the resort in the winters and at a restaurant in Petoskey. Cal and Marybeth were amazing hosts and we connected with them very quickly. They made us dinner and we talked about life and how they hope to do a cycling tour someday. It's still amazing to us how easy it is to connect with strangers when you have something in common. It felt like we were with old friends, eating burgers and chatting the night away. They even had a super sweet dog to play with and provide some "dog therapy" while we miss our own little dog, Kona (hi Kona!!). Here's to another great day of seeing new things and meeting great people!

Day 46 8/4 Location: St. Ignace, MI Miles traveled: 62 Total miles: 2,606 What we did. We followed the shore of Lake Michigan for most of our ride into St. Ignace today, which helped take our minds off a riding along busy Highway 2. Since we crossed into the UP, we've been seeing signs along the route for something called a Pasty. I had never heard of a Pasty, however, after awhile, I gathered I gathered it was A) Something to eat, and B) Something unique to the UP. So, being the bottomless pits we have become since starting this journey, getting a Pasty was high on the list of things to do on our last day in the UP. Not far from St. Ignace, we stopped at Lehto's Famous Pasties, a small, run down Pasty house just off of Highway 2. One thing I've noticed in our travels so far, is that the word "famous" tends to be attached to a lot of roadside attractions throughout this country, however, this place lived up to the name. Lehto's first started serving Pasties back in 1947 and was one of the original Pasty shops in the UP. The shop is still owned and operated by the Lehto family and from the time we arrived till the time we left, their little store was packed with hungry customers just raving about the food. So, what is a Pasty, you ask? According to our sources (which consist of a local guy hanging around the shop while we enjoyed our Pasties), a Pasty is a handheld meal, with chunks of beef, potatoes, and vegetables, such as carrots and unions, all baked inside of a thin, pastry crust. Sort of like a gourmet Hot Pocket, without the processed ingredients and sick feeling at the end. Legend has it that Pasties started out as a popular food with local miners, who would take a hot Pasty down in the mine with them for lunch and after eating my first Pasty, I can see the appeal. Those things were delicious and very filling!! I may just trade my cliff bars for a couple Pasties before we leave the UP so I can get a full meal in while riding. Tonight we're staying at VERY crowded campground at a state park in St Ignace. St Ignace is a very popular stop for tourists planning to catch a ferry to Mackinac Island, or take the bridge to Mackinaw City. The Mackinac Bridge, or "Big Mac" as it's called, spans from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City, connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge is currently the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world (5 miles long) and was opened to traffic on November 1, 1957. Because of the large expansion joints on the bridge deck, cyclists are not allowed to ride over the bridge, however, if you call ahead, the Highway Department will gladly come pick up you and your bike and give you a ride across. The other alternative way to get to Mackinaw City it to take a ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island, spend some time on the island, the then take a second ferry onward to Mackinaw City. And that is our plan for tomorrow. Our bikes are so excited to be ferried somewhere for once they can hardly sleep.

Day 45 8/3 Location: Blaney Park, MI Miles traveled: 73 Total miles: 2,544 What we did We got a later start this morning than we planned, waiting for our tent to dry out after some more showers last night. As we were leaving the RV park, we met a Canadian cyclist named Bob who was in his last week of a tour around Lake Michigan. Bob is a retired police officer from the Toronto area who made it a goal several years ago to bike around all the Great Lakes. We've met cyclist along the way who have biked one or two of the lakes, but to bike around all 5, is very impressive! And the crazy thing is that Bob said he doesn't even like biking, but thinks it's, by far, the best way to see the country. Bob said he spends the winters planning his route around each lake and even goes so far as to ride the roads virtually via Google Earth to make sure he's picked the best route. The past 3 summers, he has cycled around Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and with Lake Michigan under his belt in a few days, that leaves the granddaddy of them all, Lake Superior, for next summer. One cool twist Bob added to his trip around Lake Michigan is to make it a point to stop at every lighthouse along the route! As we were riding out of camp, he was just getting in after an early morning ride from Escanaba. He planned to drop his bags at camp and bike 14 miles to a nearby lighthouse down the coast. We wish we could have joined Bob for a quick ride, but we had some miles to make up after a wet day yesterday. After we pulled out of camp, it didn't take long to find ourselves back on Hwy 2. I have expressed my dislike of riding on Hwy 2 in previous posts, but it feel this dislike growing by the day. Hwy 2, or "Number 2" as I like to refer to it, has been a mainstay on our route, however, following suit with the rest of the roads we've been on in the UP, the conditions on 2 have been pretty bad, sometimes so bad that it forces us off the shoulder and onto the road. Regardless, tomorrow will be our last day on 2 and then onto bigger and better things. Boo to 2! We're staying at an almost vacant RV park tonight, on a huge piece of property, just off the highway. The property seems like the skeleton of a place that, at one time, was a pretty big deal. There is an abandoned mini golf course on one end, a large, outdoor pavilion with a bar and fireplace on the other and a big, log cabin lodge in the middle. The lodge is pretty much the only thing still in operation, with a bar, or course, and that's where we went in to check about getting a campsite. I've noticed, what we'll call, a "cultural shift" as we've traversed the country. Almost everywhere we stop, without fail, someone will ask us, "so, where are you guys headed?" At the grocery story, in a restaurant, campsites, rest stops, even traffic lights, strap on a helmet and put some bags on your bikes and you are all of a sudden the most interesting thing in town. And we love it. Any opportunity we get to talk about our journey is a fun one and we've met a lot of very well-meaning people this way. The interesting thing we've noticed is how people respond to the answer we give. When we started out in Washington state and told people we ere headed to Maine, common responses were, "Wow! Have a great trip" and "How interesting! Enjoy your journey". As we crept closer to the Mississippi River, the responses got a little more raw, like "You guys are nuts!" and "Maine?! Do you know how far it is to Maine." This always made for a good laugh and was usually followed by some encouraging words before we parted ways, however, once we crossed into northern Minnesota, almost all of our interaction with curious citizens have gone a little something like this. Them: "You guys sure have a lot of stuff with you on those bikes." Us: "We sure do. We're on long journey so we need to ready for anything." Them: "Long journey? How long you pedaling those things?" Us: "Well, we started just over a month ago in Washington and we're headed to Maine." Them: "No shit! Maine? Like the state?" Us: "Yes sir! All the way to Maine." Them: "No shit!! On a bike?" Us: "Yes. On these bikes right here." Them: "Noooo Shit!!" And that's pretty much a template for the majority of the conversations we've have over the past few weeks. I'm sure these little chats will get slightly more sophisticated the closer we get to the east coast, but either way, we're excited to share about our journey with anyone who will listen!

Day 44 8/2 Location: Rapid River, MI Miles traveled: 55 Total miles: 2,471 What we did We woke up in our tent this morning to the sound of thunder. A storm was moving in and within 25 minutes, we had the camp packed up, bags on the bikes and we're riding out of the campground just as the first drops were coming down. I don't think either of us has moved that fast before 6AM this entire trip. We ate our breakfast under a shelter in a local park as we waited for the front to pass. Once we started riding, we got as far as the small town of Harris before a second storm came through with a lot of lightening. After seeing several lightening strikes touch down just to the south of us, we ducked into a small convenience store just as the worst of the storm rolled through. The store had a bar attached to it, and the young woman working there offered for us to sit in the bar area and wait out the weather. And yet again, we find ourselves in a bar on a Sunday. Just about the time the old us would have been getting ready for church, the new us are sitting in a dark bar that still smelled of the festivities from the night before. Has the road hardened us? Have we lost our way? Time will only tell, but for now, a bar on a Sunday morning seems to be a safe place. Since we left Washington over a month and a half ago, so many of the small towns we've been through seem to be in rough shape. Our Adventure Cycling maps have small symbols on them that represent the services available in the areas we're riding through. Very often we'll roll into a town expecting there to be a restaurant, grocery store or motel only to find the establishment has gone out of business and an empty building stands in its place. Most of the time, the local bar is the only place that survives, making it the only place to stop in a pinch. We spent the afternoon hunkered down in a McDonalds in Escanaba (home of the Mighty Eskimos!) waiting for 2 other fronts to pass...and because they have free wifi. We'll do anything for some sweet wifi! After the radar looked clear in Escanaba, we got out of town and back on route on Hwy 2. I think I had blocked out of my memory how much I dislike riding on Hwy 2, however, today, all those old feeing came rushing back. We rode on Hwy 2 through most of Montana and the beginning of North Dakota before we dropped south. Although there is usually a decent shoulder, riding along any highway, interstate, or busy stretch of road is not ideal, but I'm sure there are only so many roads that go through the UP and 2 is our best option at the moment. Although biking along Hwy 2 is not my favorite, we got our first great views Lake Michigan, which was definitely the highlight the day. We made it another 16 miles to an RV park in Rapid River before we had to call it a day because we were losing daylight and needed a place to dry out. The RV park wasn't much, but they had a dryer that we could throw our wet clothes in and a long dock that stretched into Little Bay de Noc, which made a perfect place to watch the sunset. Here's to hoping for some dry weather tomorrow!

Day 43 8/1 Location: Hardwood, MI Miles traveled: 74 Total miles: 2,416 We pedaled less than a mile this morning from our backwoods motel to the Michigan border. We already felt so accomplished and it wasn't even 9am yet! After crossing into the Upper Peninsula, the conditions of first 25 miles on County Road 424 were pretty bad. I would venture to say the worst stretch of road we've had yet. Every few feet, there was a large crack, or a pothole, or just a chunk of the shoulder that was missing, and on a touring bike you feel all of it. After about 30 miles, we rolled into Crystal Falls for lunch. Crystal Falls is a touristy town of about 1,500 that was first developed as a center of the mining and timber industry in the area, however, the town is now known for something even more...interesting. Fungus! In 1992, Crystal Falls gained international attention from the discovery of a giant fungus growing in a nearby woods. The fungus covered more than 30 acres of forest and was estimated to weight over 100 tons! At the time, scientists believed this fungus to be the largest and quite possibly one of the oldest living organisms on earth! Yikes! If you're in town this weekend, be sure to make time for the annual Humungous Fungus Fest, complete with a parade, a cribbage tournament, pizza cook- off, street dance and fireworks! "There's a Humungous Fungus Among Us!" For all the talk about fungus, Crystal Falls seemed like a really cool, clean, mostly fungus free place (except for the big patch in a forest somewhere). Tonight we're camping at a campground a little ways off route in the town of Hardwood. The campground it on a beautiful lake. Time for a swim!

Day 43 7/31 Location: Nelma, WI Miles traveled: 72 Total miles: 2,342 Today may have been our best day of riding yet! The weather was in the mid 70s with a light breeze and our route took us on some spectacular county roads with very little traffic. On our way to Boulder Junction, we found a brand new bike trail (so new it wasn't on our maps) that paralleled County Road K for over 13 miles from Clear Lake to Boulder Junction. The trail was busy with local bikers, which was fun to see and was a nice change of pace from riding on the road. We stopped to make lunch in Boulder Junction, the last sizable town we would ride through before the state line. Boulder Junction, which claims to be the "Walleye Capital of the World," is a town of just under 1,000 people on the shore of Boulder Lake and is a hub for cyclists, boaters and ATV riders. For lunch, we supplemented our regular meal with as many of the basic Wisconsin food groups as we could. Along with our usual PBnJ, we bought a small package sausage and cheese curds, fresh green beans, and bottle of Spotted Cow Ale to wash it all down with. Lunch of champions I would say! We caught another, short bike trail out of town and biked another 50 miles towards Nelma. About 10 miles outside of Nelma on County Road A, we came across a long driveway off to our right that disappeared into the woods. As we rode passed, I could hear something running towards us and I tuned to see a big, black lab running full sprint towards the road. Now we have been chased by several dogs so far on this trip, big and small, however, most of the time they either can't keep up with us, or just loose interest, but this guy was focused. And fast! About 100 yards down the road, I threw one of my water bottles at him to try to scare him off, which only seemed to make him more determined. Finally, after another 15 seconds in an all out sprint, I yelled at him to get back and he slowly gave up and turned back for home. Never a dull moment out on the road. With an abnormally high amount of adrenaline pulsing through our bodies, the rest of the miles went by quickly. Friday night fish fry's are a big tradition in Wisconsin. If you're going out to eat on a Friday night, and not having fish, something's wrong with you. So being Friday, the one thing we had to do before we crossed into the Upper Peninsula was find a place to get our fish fry on. Alvin, Wisconsin is a very small town right before the border and was our last chance for food. And with only one restaurant still in business, the "Y Not Here" bar was calling our name. After a delicious fish fry filled with all the back-woods Wisconsin charm one could ask for, we headed 2 miles down the road to a National Forrest Service campground for the night, however, the campground, like almost everything else in town, was closed indefinitly, and the closest other camping option was another 20 miles across the Michigan border. On our way to the campground, we passed Santa's Backwoods Motel, which at this point, was our only option for the night. The motel was for sale, and the sign outside said there was no vacancy, but when we knocked on the office door, Santa himself answered and said he would get a room ready for us for the night (seriously, this guy looked like Santa. White beard and everything!) Instead of reindeer, Santa had 2 labs with him named Jeremiah and Cinnamon, and was very generous to open his motel up to us for the night. Looks like we'll cross into Michigan tomorrow morning after all.

Day 42 7/30 Location: Mercer, WI Miles traveled: 63 Total miles: 2,270 We got 17 miles in this morning and stopped in Glidden, Wisconsin for 2nd breakfast. There is only one restaurant in Glidden and they serve one amazing, homemade breakfast. Probably one of the best breakfasts we've had yet. All the little towns we pass through have something to be proud of, "home of the biggest this or the oldest that." Glidden, however, is the first town we've seen to hold a world record! (Apparently having the biggest, cement pelican in your town doesn't really count. Sorry Pelican Rapids). Glidden has bragging rights as the town where in 1963, a man from Milwaukee shot the biggest black bear ever killed. "Mr. Bear" as he's called, was 7' 10", weighed in at 655 lbs and is proudly displayed (stuffed of course) in a big glass case, right off Main Street! About 50 miles down the road from Glidden, we rolled into the unincorporated town of Mercer. Mercer boasts of being the "Loon Capital of the World" and even has 16 foot, 2000 lb loon statue to commemorate this accomplishment (and hopefully a whole lot of smaller loons to back up the whole "Capital of the World" claim). A woman at the grocery store even told me to "have a loony day" as I was leaving. These people are serious about their loons. Mercer is a large vacation community, steeped with lakefront cottages and miles and miles of ATV trails that double as snowmobiles tracks in the winter. I even found a place that had blue moon ice cream, which is my absolute favorite, and a flavor I have been unable to find outside of the state of Wisconsin. Hopefully that blue moon will fuel me for another fun day of biking tomorrow as we hope to cross into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Day 41 7/29 Location: Clam Lake, WI Miles traveled: 72 Total miles: 2,207 We slept in this morning and didn't leave the motel until around 11:00am (we got a motel last night because there was forecast heavy thunderstorms in the area) Some days your body tells you to stay in bed just a little bit longer and when the bed is an actual bed (not a sleeping pad in a tent) we take full advantage. Stepping outside this morning, it was cooler and not as humid as yesterday, however there was a lot of wind. We ended up having a headwind for the first half of the day and either a tailwind or side wind in the later afternoon. Growing up in Wisconsin, there was just a certain feeling to areas we biked through today that was so classic Wisconsin. Maybe it's because my mind knows where we are or maybe there are just certain sensory triggers in the sights, smells and landscape that tip my body off to knowing it's home, but I feel like I could pick this place out of a line up with my eyes closed. I don't know what it is, but it sure feels good to be back in a familiar place. The route today took a lot of twists and turns which was a good change from some of the straighter paths we tend to take. The glaciers that came through this area many, many years ago (around the time when glaciers roamed the earth) scooped out the lakes that are all over this region and formed the rolling terrain we rode through. Now, these lakes are lined with old, family cabins and everyone we met was so friendly. It was a really great day of riding. We made it to the small town of Clam Lake by quitting time and set up camp in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forrest. After dinner we hiked down to the lake for a little swim and to watch the sunset.

Day 40 7/28 Location: Birchwood, WI Miles traveled: 63 Total miles: 2,135 It was raining when we left Amery this morning but the clouds rolled through after about a hour and left us with blue skies and a lot of humidity! Needless to say, we never really dried out. Who we met Patty On our way to Birchwood, we passed through Cumberland, Wisconsin, a small town that at one time was the center of the logging industry in this area. After lunch, and a quick stop at the grocery store, we were headed out of town when woman started yelling at us from the sidewalk. "Hey! Where are you guys biking?! Where did you start from?! Do you want some raspberries?!!" At this point, Patty was in a full stride to catch up with us, so we stopped to talk with her about our journey and take her up on her offer for raspberries. "I live in the green house on the corner" Patty said, "and if you want some raspberries, you are welcome to pick as many as you like!" With all the small towns we pass through, it's hard to find many fresh fruits and vegetables that doesn't cost a small fortune, so we followed Patty back to her home where she handed us each a bowl and walked us down to her raspberry patch. Patty and her husband moved to Cumberland from Palo Alto, CA several years ago and built a beautiful home on Beaver Dam Lake. Patty has studied to be a master gardener and her backyard is proof! After we were done picking red raspberries she took us to another patch that had golden raspberries and then another with black raspberries. As we walked deeper into the garden, she offered us fresh green beans, snap peas and tomatoes, as much as we wanted. It all tasted so fresh and so good!! As we walked around the garden, Patty picked small beetles off of the plants until her hands were full. She explained that the bugs were Japanese Beetles, a now invasive insect in Wisconsin that are destroying many native plants in the area. "You wanna see something kind of cool?!" She said to us as we walked the lake. From the end of her dock, she threw a beetle into the water and big sunfish came and snapped it up. One by one she threw the beetles into the lake and as quickly as they hit the water, they were eaten by a fish. Patty said she feeds the fish every day, and now they just hang out under her dock and wait for the afternoon snack. Before we left, Patty invited us into her home so she we could try her homemade granola, and she gave us a large bag of it for the road. She said she often sees bikers pass through town, but has never had the time to talk with them, so meeting us was a real treat. Well Patty, the feeling was very mutual! Up until this point in the day, with the heat and humidity, the miles were slow coming, but after meeting Patty, who was very high energy and full of enthusiasm about just about everything, it felt like the rest of the day just flew by! Oh and it didn't hurt that any extra space in our panniers was now full with fresh raspberries and homemade granola! Can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!

Day 39 7/27 Location: Amery, WI Miles traveled: 61 Total miles: 2,082 What we did Today, after 4 wonderful, restful days with Gina's family in Minneapolis (Apple Valley) we turned our bike tires east and continued out trip. In not gonna lie, those first few miles were tough, but once we got a few hours in, I think our legs got the point and started to cooperate again. We got a ride from Gina's mom back to the route on the Gateway trail, just outside of St. Paul. While we were in Apple Valley, I tuned up the bike and cleaned the components. I had a slow leak in the tube of my rear tire for a few days before we got to Gina's parents. Gina's dad, Craig helped me find the leak and patch the tire, but it looks like we didn't do a good enough job on the patch, because about 2 miles down the trail this morning, my rear tire was flat again. So we pulled off the trail to change the tube. The weather was hot and very humid this morning, which made the already fun-filled task of changing a flat even more...fun. As I was filling the new tube with air, our small hand pump broke (yay!) and we had a flag down a fellow cyclist with a pump to finish the job. Thankfully there was a bike shop just off the trail about 5 miles back, and we were able to grab a new pump for the road ahead. As we left the bike shop, we saw a Dairy Queen just across the street, and since our return to the trail was already off to such a good start, we decided the only thing that could make the day even better was some ice cream! Works every time! From Minneapolis, we are actually leaving the Northern Tier for a few weeks and will be taking the North Lakes through northern Wisconsin and in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This spur off the Norther Tier is supposed to be very beautiful and we will reconnect with the Northern Tier in Northern Indiana. After only a few hours of riding, we crossed over the St. Croix river and into my home state Wisconsin. It's always such a feeling of accomplishment to cross state lines and rolling into Wisconsin was extra special for me. Tonight we're staying in Amery, WI with the parents of a college classmate of ours from Architecture studio at the University of Minnesota. Roger and Lois Van Sommeren and their cat Geometry (yes, that is his real name) have been great hosts to us.

Day 34 7/16/15 Location: Fargo, ND Miles traveled: 28 Total miles: 1,699 We took the day off in Fargo today to rest and get some small repairs done on the bikes. The guys at Paramount Cycle on University Avenue we're rockstars, getting us in and out of the shop quickly and even gave us advice for what to do on our day in Fargo. After the bike shop, we checked into our hotel, courtesy of Gina's grandpa (thanks Grandpa James!) and headed for downtown Fargo. It was just our luck that we were in town for the Fargo Street Fair, with lots of food and vendors taking over N. Broadway Drive. Perhaps the best part of the day was lunch at a restaurant called Blackbird. The guys at Paramount recommended Blackbird for their wood fire pizzas and their selection of craft beer and boy were they right! The food was amazing!! I would highly recommend Blackbird if you ever find yourself hungry in Fargo. To cap off a great day, we biked to a local movie theater to watch Jurassic World. Great end to a great day.

Day 32 7/14/15 Location: Gackle, ND (Honey Hub) Miles traveled: 90 Total miles: 1,576 For dinner: Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes and gravy What we did Whenever we come across other cyclists, either heading east or west, it’s an unwritten rule to stop and talk. It’s probably more about the stopping and not biking for awhile that we all like, but we always pick up some useful advice for the road ahead. One of the places we’ve heard about from several cyclists is the Honey Hub in Gackle, North Dakota. The Honey Hub is a small, bike hostel run by Jason and Ginny Miller (and their 3 kids, Oliver, Max and Hadley) who are 5th generation beekeepers and have a large honey farm in Gackle. The Millers live in North Dakota 3 months out of the year and Northern California (Auburn) the other 9, moving their bees and business with them along the way. In the summer of 2012, when the ACA Norther Tier switched to a more southern route through North Dakota, Jason started to notice a lot of cyclists coming through Gackle, and most of them were looking for the same 4 things, a shower, lodging, laundry and wifi. One day during a storm, Jason invited a cyclist that was passing through to stay in their basement instead of camp out in the rain and the rest was history. The Honey Hub is an extra room off of the Miller's house that includes 2 single beds, washer and dryer, and bathroom with a shower. Pretty much heaven for a touring cyclist! The hostel is run completely on donations and is open 365 days a year to any cyclists who passing through Gackle. We were the only 2 cyclists who showed up last night, but Jason said they host around 200 cyclists a summer with the peak of the season being around the 4th of July each year. Jason said that it's not uncommon to have groups as big as 20 stop by in late June/early July when the season is at it's busiest and have their yard full of tents! I can't say enough about how incredible Jason and Ginny are, not only to open their home, year-round to complete strangers, but to welcome each cyclist like they were family for the day really takes some special people. Reading through their guest book, it's obvious that we are not the only ones who have felt so welcome in their home and we definitely won't be the last. It's people like Jason and Ginny and places like the Honey Hub that make a cross country ride such a one of a kind experience. If you want to see human kindness at it's absolute best, get on a bike and ride across the country. We have been on the receiving end of so much generosity and encouragement over the past month, from people we've never met, that you start to feel bad you can't do anything in return. Especially in a small town like Gackle, that sees probably a few hundred cyclists roll through their streets each summer, people seem to go out of their way to take care of you when you're in the city limits. What we learned About a week ago, a 75 year-old cyclist from Oregon was stuck and killed by a semi on Hwy 46, about 10 miles west of Gackle. We had heard about the accident from several people over the past week, but knowing that this man was riding the same route we are (going west instead of east) and was planning to stay at the Honey Hub the night he was killed, it really hit home for us. As we were riding out of Gackle early this morning, we passed the site of the accident. There was a state trooper parked on the side of the road with his lights on and a young woman standing outside of the car, in the rain, staring at the skid marks left by the semi. I can only guess who the young woman was. Maybe a daughter or granddaughter of the cyclist. And when we passed by, I can imagine the pain she may have felt, seeing us continue our joinery past a place where another's journey ended so abruptly. I regret not stopping to give her a hug or just talk to her for awhile, but we passed by so quickly that it took a few miles for me to put everything together. As we pedal today, it's hard not to think about the cyclist who was killed, knowing that we all face the same dangers on the road. I've learned that without my faith, I would be a mess in times like this. There are so many elements that are out of our control when we're on the road, that there's great comfort in knowing that we belong to a God who is in control of every situation. And even when we don't understand why things happen the way they do, He does, and that's enough for me. Although this doesn't mean that something bad couldn't happen to us, I trust in God's plan for my life, whatever it may be, and I know He is protecting us.

Day 31 7/13/15 Location: Bismarck, ND Miles traveled: 63 Total miles: 1,486 For dinner: Applebees What we did As we left Glen Ullin this morning, old Hwy 10 turned from pavement to gravel for about 10 miles. This has happened a few times before, where the route will just all of a sudden turn into a gravel road, which always makes me laugh. I guess it’s just so unexpected. The transition from pavement to gravel is almost like entering another world. The variety of landscape in North Dakota continues to amaze me and since the gravel makes us slow down, we just got to soak it all in this morning. It was beautiful! We rolled into the small town a New Salem (population 946) around 10:00 this morning looking for our second breakfast (one is never enough). A woman walking her dog told us about a little coffee shop just off main street called Muddy River Coffee House and recommended we stop there. As we turned onto Main, we were overtaken by country western music playing form loud speakers affixed to lampposts on both sides of the street. It was like being in Disneyland except we were the only ones out there and for about 1/4 mile, the music followed us down Main until we the last lamppost, about 100 feet from Muddy Waters. The coffee shop was full of about 10 local customers, sitting at the bar, enjoying their coffee. After Gina and I introduced ourselves (that’s what you do when you’re not from around here) we ordered some drinks and I asked about the music playing on Main Street. Was there always music? Who decides what to play? Is it always country, or do they play a variety? The barista, a Peruvian woman who has lived in New Salem for close to 15 years, just rolled her eyes when I mentioned the music and said that she was just grateful you couldn’t hear it from her shop. The consensus in the café was mixed. Some people liked the music, some, like the barista, were not big fans. Apparently there is one woman in town who is in charge of the music, however, anyone can donate a CD to be played. Sometimes it’s country, sometimes it’s Elvis or some top 40. At Christmas it’s carols, before Halloween, they play something spooky, but the music is always playing. And like it or not, at least it gives people something to talk about, or maybe just complain about. If you ask me though, I think it’s a pretty great idea! The day is always better with a little music.