The Biker Beans

A lifetime later...

2010-11-07T18:42:00.002-05:00

It's November. It's been more than a year since our bicycle trip ended and so much has happened in that time. This blog was meant to be more substantial following that day when we pedaled into the drive from which we started. Many reasons have kept it from being that. Lack of Internet, lack of knowing what to say, and lack of time because the ride of life has taken us on an amazing journey that still hasn't stopped, and will never for that matter. Today as I found myself alone at home, washing a bit of laundry, (41 shirts to be, 5 pairs of jeans and a mountain of socks), my mind cast back to a day when I had a change of clothes, rain gear, cold weather gear and a map. I laughed to myself and decided it was time. Time to get back to writing about what happened to me and Dave on that bicycle. There's more to share.

The beans are cooked...

2010-07-19T22:16:00.004-04:00

Okay, so not much riding or writing lately... well for quite a while now. But as with so many things in our life, when we set our mind to it we will turn a dream into a habit and then into an obession. Tomorrow is another day and a ride is just a pedal away... what else have we been up to? We joined a Rennaisance Faire...

So now we get to dress in funny clothes... funnier than our bean outfits I guess...

2010-04-15T17:35:00.004-04:00

We started our legendary trip on a cold April day. The temperature hovered in the high 30’s and the rain began falling as we rode away. Protected by our rain gear we were glad to have our body heat trapped close to the skin. Despite the excitement of beginning our trip and the freshness of our muscles, we never worked up a sweat in the first ten miles. We pulled away from my sister’s house with her boyfriend waving and running along side in an attempt to catch one final shot of our epic start. We’d planned to ride the ten miles to my sister’s work to say one last goodbye before stocking up at the grocery and finally heading west.

It had been a month since we were in the saddle for anything longer than a quick gear test. Two weeks had passed since we had even gone out for a hearty walk. The afternoon in February two months prior when we had decided we would finally go on our long awaited bicycle journey saw us out for a seven mile hike. Loaded up with a couple of water bottles and snacks we walked out of the RV park and down a country lane we’d often traveled by foot or bike.

The following month we did continue to ride and walk but in the middle of March we partially disassembled our bike to adapt it for hauling gear. The first two weeks in April we never could seem to find the time to step away from our work and walk. We delayed our start one day because I sat up late sewing a few more accessories. We didn’t even leave early the next day because I spent the morning sewing a few pieces of scrap material into two auxiliary water bottle holders that proved invaluable the farther west we traveled.

There could never have been two people any less knowledgeable about what was to come and at the same time any two people better prepared to deal with the experiences that waited. Our very first night when Dave interrupted a meeting at a church to ask the pastor if we could camp on the lawn someone in the meeting asked if we’d ever done a trip like that before. “I certainly hope they have!” came the boisterous comment from a woman who we would find out was the late pastor’s wife. In fact we had never been on a trip for longer than one afternoon and we’d never been more than 20 miles from our home. We’d never participated in a group ride, never attempted to stealth camp or ask to camp in a yard and never had we woken from a rough night sleep following a day of riding only to find that we’d planned to ride the next day, and the next, and the next.

As I sit here typing these thoughts my legs are stiff. Our bicycle trip ended six months ago and I haven’t pedaled longer than a quarter mile in the last five months. Winter was long, bitter and sedentary. Too many days had I spent riding in the cold rain and wind to willingly propel myself into adverse weather for anything longer than a trip to a car. My “wimp factor” had increased exponentially every day that I didn’t ride until I reached the level of Master Wimp of the Universe.

Even as winter began to abate and the sun came through for longer than five minutes I found myself too busy to ride, until today. We were challenged to ride. Maybe we couldn’t ride on a day of 30 degrees and wind and rain but sixty and sun couldn’t be refused. Yesterday Dave pulled the bike from under cover, oiled the chain after putting it back on the gear, it had fallen off in transit and never been replaced. Our much abused but forever loyal tandem was ready to ride. There had been an attempt to sell the bike following the end of our bike trip. Not because of some terrible backlash but we were hoping to sell it and buy two separate recumbent bikes. We’d had enough touring hauling over five-hundred pounds, gear, us and bike. But there were no takers and Clickty-Clack stayed with us. Other people probably know better what they’re getting into but not us.

Our short trip out with shifting as smooth as if we’d never stopped riding carried us farther into the afternoon. Many old roads we long ago pedaled down became familiar once again and the smiles and waves from onlookers fueled our desire to keep going, probably too far if my legs are of any indication. But with damage done, it is official, the Biker Beans ride again!

Back to bike riding...

2010-03-05T15:10:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time coming but now that we have consistent Internet access we hope to be able to load some info from our trip. You know the sort of thing: success, failures and anything in between. And now that the tight grip of winter has slackened and we wimps are getting stir crazy, we'll break out the bike and break in our backsides. Hope to see you out on the road... The Biker Beans

Two new pictures...

2009-09-22T09:33:00.003-04:00

I found another picture on my dad's computer:

And this is the newest member of the family...Abigail Rose

Flash Back to Ionia, MI

2009-09-17T23:20:00.005-04:00

Since we've arrived back from our trip we've managed one ride. Why? Heather's sister is due to have a baby Saturday and we've been running around getting everything ready and it's not even our kid! Guess that's what you get when you park your RV in someone's yard for a few months, people think you owe them something (c;

In the meantime we came across some pictures that Heather's dad took with his blackberry the day they came to meet us in Ionia, MI.

We waited around "Robinson Park" on the north side of town. We felt at home, even had a black cat like ours come up and needed some attention.

Heather's parents followed us to the restaurant but when they passed us to get a picture or two, Heather's mom honked just as they were next to us. We need to pass along the wisdom of honking after you've passed a bicyclists.

At the restaurant

Are you sure you want to eat here? Turns out we shouldn't have, the food was pretty greasy.

Just a few more pictures before we go...

Dave was a little annoyed by Heather's parents so he decided to put them in line.

This rig was parked next to ours, most people recommended we try our trip on one of these.

New members of the Hell's Angels?

Dave: "Give the bandana back! You started this trip with me, you're going to finish it!"

Dave: "No more honking next to bicyclists, or I'll conk your heads together again!"

Away we go... can you find us? Click for a bigger picture.

Flash Back to Van Riper State Park, MI, Upper Peninsula

2009-09-10T22:02:00.003-04:00

A couple of pictures that were taken of us the day we camped out at the state park, this gives you a good view of our set up:

The next day when we'd moved into the sun to dry out our gear:

Atwater...

2009-09-08T22:10:00.001-04:00

Back in where it all began

Arrived at 7:58 pm after about 67 miles today we reached 4126 miles
in 21 weeks 1 day. More to come.

Almost there.

2009-09-08T17:03:00.001-04:00

Currently in Streetsboro. 20 More miles!

getting close

2009-09-08T16:04:00.001-04:00

Monday, September 7th. Green Springs to Pittsfield 47 miles.

Thanks for the food.

2009-09-07T21:42:00.002-04:00

It continued to rain when we cheerfully left Paul's garage and that was ok, we'd ridden in rain before. What wasn't ok was the amazing bolt of lighting we saw a few miles later, not appreciated while wet on a metal bicycle. We came to the next crossroads and found the covered shelter at a park that Paul had mentioned, and we took. . . cover. We'd hoped to make it 9 more miles to another park in a town that had food but we'd survive on the peanut butter and soggy tortilas we had with us. About 15 minutes later a car pulls up and Heather said, "Hey, someone else is here too." Dave said, "That car looks strangely familiar." It was Paul and he had food! Not only did he let us have refuge from a couple rounds of storms, he'd tracked us down to the most probable place we could be with lightning crashing around us. He'd brought us chicken and coffee, warming our stomachs and hearts.

Thanks Paul! Now we actually have peanut butter and tortillas for tomorrow's breakfast.

At mile 4056...

2009-09-07T18:35:00.001-04:00

The rain came down and we saw an open garage door and rode in. Heather
went to the front door to let them know we were there. We talked for
about an hour before we left. Thanks to Paul for taking us in.

sunday, september 6th

2009-09-07T11:10:00.001-04:00

56 miles from Whitehouse to Green Springs, OH.

phone blog...

2009-09-05T21:30:00.001-04:00

Osseo, MI to Whitehouse, OH. Ohio! Nearly five months ago we left
Atwater on a cold and rainy Tuesday. Tonight we're enjoying a cool
evening after 65 miles of relatively flat terrain. With no diagonal
roads in the area we zigzagged our way into Ohio and somewhere south
of Toledo. Road weary and hungry our hunt for food led up to the
American Legion's steak dinner. Heather's parents stopped in too on
thier way to Heather's sister's. The legion commander graciously let
us set up out back and now all we need to do is sleep to round out a
perfect day.

Map Day 140 to Day 145

2009-09-05T14:14:00.001-04:00

Day 145

2009-09-05T13:47:00.001-04:00

Saturday, September 5, 2009
- Start:Osseo, MI
- ATW: Fayette, OH at Noon
- End:
- Day Miles: Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:

Day 144

2009-09-05T13:32:00.002-04:00

Friday, September 4, 2009
- Start:North Eckford, MI
- ATW:
- End:Osseo, MI
- Day Miles: 39.5 Ride Time:4:16 Total Trip Miles:3890

Day 142

2009-09-05T13:28:00.014-04:00

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
- Start:Stanton, MI
- ATW:
- End:Nashville, MI
- Day Miles: 52.4 Ride Time:5:12 Total Trip Miles: 3803

Heather's parents drove out from Troy, MI to meet with us and buy us lunch.
Editor's Note: Bike for the next trip?? This is my type of bike.

Day 143

2009-09-05T13:28:00.011-04:00

Thursday, September 3, 2009
- Start:Nashville, MI
- ATW:
- End:North Eckford, MI
- Day Miles:47.6 Ride Time:5:31 Total Trip Miles: 3850

Day 141

2009-09-05T13:28:00.009-04:00

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
- Start:Barryton, MI
- ATW:
- End:Staton, MI
- Day Miles:46.5 Ride Time:5:00 Total Trip Miles: 3750

Day 140 - on the road again

2009-09-05T13:26:00.004-04:00

Monday, August 31, 2009
- Start:Cadillac, MI
- ATW:
- End:Barryton, MI
- Day Miles:51.9 Ride Time:4:33 Total Trip Miles: 3703

new post cards

2009-09-05T13:19:00.000-04:00

Instead of leaving...

2009-08-28T14:23:00.003-04:00

We decided to spend about 30 hours compiling and refining our resume'. Each day's work presented a new decision to delay getting started the next day. We have had a tremendous amount of help with the hiring process for the Forestry Service, so it was worth the wait. It also worked out that Heather's Aunt could use some help installing a dish washer that arrived on Friday, so it all worked out. A new prediction of leaving is no later than Monday and we'll be on the road again.

Day 133 - Monday, August 24th

2009-08-25T10:47:00.003-04:00

Click on image to enlarge.

Editor's Note: This is just a wild guess as to Dave & Heather's remaining route. Just using it to fill space. They are not going to visit us in Troy, MI (too close to Detroit). - They avoid large cities and highways.

Volunteering - Day 129

2009-08-20T11:47:00.004-04:00

Three days this week were spent assisting the archaeologist and archaeological technician of the Forest Service office in Manistee, MI. What does that entail? Essentially you go walking through the woods looking for "depressions." When we started we had no idea what a "depression" looked like but we now have a pretty good idea, especially if they're lined with concrete walls and you practically fall into one.

Now that we've had sufficient time to recover from the bike trip and have the next few days to recover from all the hiking through the woods we plan to set out on Monday for another chunk of this bicycling adventure. We've had to make a bit of plans for the next week or so. Basically we're doing whatever we can to avoid going near Detroit which means nowhere within the HWY 69 interior. That might seem drastic but having lived in Ypsilanti and ridden our bike there, as well as stories from other bicyclists, it's our best chance of survival to give Detroit a wide berth.

How much more do we have to do? Somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 miles and a few weeks.

Starting Monday, Day 126

2009-08-13T13:34:00.002-04:00

We will be volunteering with the Forestry Service. Heather and I will be archaeological assistants. Yes, I know it's not bicycle touring, we'll get back to that sometime. We have approximately 450 route miles and 10 riding days left.

Summary: Day 100 to Day 116++

2009-08-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

Click on image to enlarge and it is a big map.
This is a composite map of Dave & Heather's Trip from Day 100 to Day 116.
This segment covers from mile 3000 to mile 3631.

Day 116++ - Cadillac, MI to Day 132?

2009-08-07T11:31:00.008-04:00

Editor's Note: Dave and Heather have reached Heather's Aunt in Cadillac, MI where they plan to stay for several days.

They have stayed at many people's houses; but this is the first time that they if they want to stay, they have to clean the bathrooms, vacuum the floors, buy the groceries, cook the meals and do the dishes. Aunt Carol is a Senior Forest Ranger and she runs a big office and you do what she says.

What day is it? - Day 114

2009-08-05T22:26:00.003-04:00

Not too sure, maybe 114. Anyway, currently set up in Kalkaska, MI.
8.8 miles yesterday around Charlevoix area and 55 to Kalkaska today.
editor's note: It is Day 114, I am keeping track

Day 113

2009-08-04T12:49:00.004-04:00

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Rest day in Charlevoix. Lunch was eaten while watching boats pass under the drawbridge in downtown and that's as far as we've gotten today.

Day 112

2009-08-04T12:38:00.005-04:00

Monday, August 3, 2009
- Start: Petoskey
- ATW: Bay Harbor, Bay Shore
- End: Charlevoix
- Day Miles: 17 Ride Time: 2hr 10min Total Trip Miles:

Our semi-early morning was overcast and eventually rainy. We left Patrick's parent's house and headed to the library in Petoskey to avoid riding in the rain. That worked as long as we weren't hungry. Pretty soon we needed nourishment and found ourselves wandering downtown at lunch time in a drizzle.

The long lines made us bolt out of town and after swinging into the bike shop to say farewell to Patrick we made our way down the Little Traverse Bike Path toward Charlevoix. We were told of a little deli just off the bike path that had recently moved down the street a little. It was only a mile down the route. A "few" miles later we found the deli but instead of having "moved" next door it was actually in the process of moving. A guy was sitting on a tailgate of a truck out front and started asking us questions. He was dressed in a shirt with the Deli's name on it and we soon found that he was the owner of the deli that wasn't currently serving customers.

"If you were going to eat somewhere else around here where would it be?" Dave asked.

"Come in and I'll make you a sandwich."

From there we ate a delicious sandwich each, a couple of donuts, and offered ourselves as short term labor if they needed it. We moved tables, did some cleaning, got covered in syrup from a soda fountain and generally had an awesome time for a few hours.

Back down the trail we rode into the wind through the rest of Bay Harbor, past the gas station in Bay Shore and to the outside of Charlevoix. Incredibly tired we stopped short of town and pitched our tarp in the township park. Dinner was whatever we could find on the bike and we made sure that the tarp didn't flap in the wind.

Day 111

2009-08-03T10:41:00.004-04:00

Sunday, August 2, 2009.
Start: Cross Village, MI
ATW: Good Hart, Harbor Springs
End: Petoskey, MI
Miles: 38.1 4hrs 50min Total miles: 3510

From Cross Village to Good Hart we rode down the "Green Tunnel," a winding twisting narrow roadway through trees growing over the road. We'd been warned about taking the route because it was too much for bicycles. All day long we saw more bicycles on that route than anything else. And except for a few encounters with an RV passing on a blind curve we did alright.

From Good Hart to Harbor Springs we stayed on the Green Tunnel. Five miles from town Dave started noticing a peculiar oscillation in the front wheel. We inspected the wheel and found nothing in the tread so we rode a bit further. The bumping persisted and we stopped for another look. This time it was rather obvious that our sidewall was about to explode.

We switched out for our spare and kept going into town. It was early afternoon and we'd subsisted on a couple amazing homemade donut holes for the last 15 miles, (the healthy eating is getting better I promise). Harbor Springs was having a regatta race so we lunched in the marina watching the sailboats speed through the water.

It was the perfect afternoon for a nap and we found our way to a secluded park just down the road. We rolled out our drop cloth and sleeping bag. When we woke it was after five and time to hunt down dinner. "The grocery store is back up on the bluff." Ah... yes, that hill we came racing down. Back up the hill, higher and higher we climbed. A few cyclists racing the other way cheered us on.

Once again prepared to feast we tried to find our way back to the lake but ended up riding 119 on the top of the bluff east out of town. Soon we were at a bike path that was reported to take us from Harbor Springs through Petoskey to Charlevoix. We made it as far as the Petoskey State Park where we ate dinner in the wind break of the concession stand at the beach.

Soon we were answering questions about our bike and trip from someone who worked in a bike shop (Patrick) but had never seen our bike anywhere but in a catalog (we get that a lot). We offered him a test ride around the parking lot and then were soon shuttling around several more family members. "Where are you sleeping tonight?" We ended up following the family five miles farther down the road into Petoskey and slept out of the rain in the living room of Patrick's parent's house.

Day 110 Part 2

2009-08-02T23:18:00.004-04:00

Day 110 Part 2:
Following our wait for the rain to clear we set out a few minutes early and were nicely saturated arriving at the grocery store. Loaded up for lunch we went back to the park to eat and finally rode away into the wind. It didn't seem too bad at first as we meandered toward the lake.

Lack of sleep and just fighting hard to make progress had us exhausted after 15 miles. The more we rode the more intense the wind became. Starting down a hill and practically coming to a halt was our indication it was time to stop. We tried one house that looked like it had cover but no one was home. Maybe over that next little hill. Over the next hill was a series of nice downhills that boosted our spirits momentarily.

Pretty soon we found ourselves surrounded by bogs and a distinct lack of houses. Just a few miles further was Cross Village, perhaps we'd have some luck there. Stopped by a gas station/grocery store and cheered up with a bit of ice cream, then found our way through town to a church yard. There was rain predicted overnight so we set up under a covered shelter with a grass base. Except for the wind flapping the tarp all night we were practically sleeping in luxury.

Day 110

2009-08-01T13:01:00.003-04:00

Saturday, August 1, 2009
- Start: Mackinaw City, MI
- ATW:
- End:
- Day Miles: Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:

So far we've managed 2 miles. A trip to the grocery then back to the school to wait for the local library to open. Last night we'd left the bike under a covered shelter near the restrooms while scouting out a place to sleep. Anthills were everywhere in that area but we eventually found a nice patch of anthill free grass on the first base line of a baseball field with grass growing throughout the infield. All around the field grass and weeds were waist high. No one would bug us here.

While walking back to retrieve the bike a car pulled into deep left field and parked. No one was there as we walked past but the decorative license plate on the front of the car said "bicycle."

"If we dawdled setting up do you think they'd invite us back to their place?"

We set up with gusto and while we were doing so he came back. The guy was a bit older and kept looking our way while we set up. Next he checked the trunk of his car, the back seat, then got in the front and sat with the lights out. What was he doing? We took the bottles of water we'd filled from the bathroom hot water tap and ducked into a disused dugout to take a birdbath.

The mosquitoes were of the vicious variety and repeatedly bit right through your spandex as we squatted to set up the tarp. A little sore we ran for the tarp and slid under the sleeping bag to eat a cold can of baked beans before sleeping.

Around 12:30am our cell phone went off. All across the UP we'd had no signal and the one time we forgot to shut it off a person called and then hung up after a couple rings.

Dave went to the bathroom and the parked car was still there with the guy sleeping in it. Ah well. At 6:30am Heather woke up and went to the bathroom. Two trucks had showed up and they were messing with something in the truck beds. Hmm... back to sleep anyway. At 8:30 we both crawled out in search of breakfast and found two dozen cars in left field. What had we stumbled into? A bicycle tour was gathering for take off. By the time we packed up 50+ cars lined the outfield, three tour buses were loading passengers and two Ryder trucks took off with bicycles and luggage.

The trip was starting in southern Michigan and these folks had all parked on the finish line to take off once the race was over. All the ones who had parked at the start line would get bussed back after the trip. Several folks thought we were part of the show until we started to load up to ride off. We chatted with a few different people but never the guy who'd slept in his car all night, he will always remain a mystery.

It was supposed to rain this afternoon so we decided to wait out the weather by hiding in the library in town. From here we'll zigzag down to Cadillac to visit an aunt of Heather's.

Day 109 How does a bicyclist cross "The Bridge?"

2009-08-01T11:38:00.009-04:00

Friday, July 31, 2009 Sunny and warm, slight tail wind.
- Start: McMillan, MI
- ATW: Curtis, Gould City, Naubinway, Epoufette, Brevort (Brevoort), Gros Cap, St. Ignace,
- End: Mackinaw City, MI
- Day Miles: 79.2 Ride Time: 7hr 2min Total Trip Miles: 3442

When the road calls you ride. Or something like that. The weather was supposed to be nice and it turned out a beautiful day to ride. We mossied around in the morning packing and eating oatmeal. Yes, oatmeal because we'd only had it twice on the trip and it was wonderful. Following a photo shoot one of the youngins went for a test ride before we left. Then it was off down the dusty road, up a hill and around the lake.

Instead of stocking up at a grocery we kept taking breaks and snacking along the way. Sandwiches, fruit, ice cream, smoked salmon, cheese, more ice cream, local made jerky. The extra ice cream was compensation for a construction detour. Rt. 2 was closed for a couple of miles just after Epoufette due to a missing bridge. We were detoured along a paved country road with no shoulder and traffic was instructed to go 45mph. We stayed mostly in the lane after being skirted way too close by an impatient driver needing to pass just as there was oncoming traffic. However, that technique didn't seem to make a difference when a class A towing a boat decided to go around us on a double curve with on coming traffic.

Passing the dunes on the north shore we enjoyed being back on 2 with a decent berm. We thought of stopping before "the bridge" because it was supposed to be 75 miles down the road from the start but it was mostly flat and comfortable riding. Plus all the stops make it easier to keep going on a nice day.

Mackinac Bridge
Photo Credit: Edward Boll View from UP, west of bridge.

Sometime after 7PM we made it to the Mackinac Bridge. All along the U.P. we were asked how we'd get over "the bridge." We knew that you couldn't walk or ride a bicycle across the bridge and once a non-motorized vehicle arrived they would send a truck to pick you up and take you across. All for a slight fee. "Yeah, it's like five bucks a piece" said a non-bicyclist who'd never crossed the bridge.

A possible answer came when we stopped along the dunes to talk with a couple of touring cyclists heading the opposite way. They'd just crossed a little while back and were charged $2.00 each to cross, for each bike or each person? They also had to wait half an hour for the truck to ferry them across. But we only had one bike. How much would it cost for two people and a tandem?

Answer: $2.00. It was only one bike. The worker who came to drive us across pulled up in the truck after only a few minutes wait and ogled the bike. Never had she driven such a beast across. We unloaded half the gear so that we could actually lift the bike into the bed of the truck. We shut the tail gate and laid the bike on its side with the front wheel hanging off the back end. Five miles later we were unloading in a parking lot and off to find a place to sleep for the night.

Passing a church with a crowd outside we doubled back to ask about sleeping on the property. Even better there was access to bathrooms at the school just down the road and we could set up there. No one would bother us. We found what we thought would be a secluded spot just down the first base line on a not recently used baseball field. How could we know what would happen in the morning.

Day 108 Got rid of the nails after many miles.

2009-08-01T11:37:00.003-04:00

Thursday, July 30, 2009 Rain, sun, rain, sun.
Rest day? Yes again!

Stiff muscled we woke a little early in the morning. The weather wasn't predicted to be too bad, but some rain and maybe a thunder shower. However, the body didn't want to do what the brain through it should. We were welcomed to rest up and relax for the day and we did that to some extent.

Our hosts headed out with children and grandchildren to a bear park near by leaving us to maybe kayak around the lake a little. Heather decided to take a nap shortly after they left and Dave spent time catching up in his journal. When the group returned from the bear park Dave kayaked around part of the lake with Gary while Heather slept some more. After kayaking it was Dave's turn to sleep while Heather helped fix dinner.

We were fed well then spent time entertaining and being entertained. We had yet another broken spoke on the back wheel that needed fixed. Gary had a truing stand and we wondered if it was time to true the wheel after so many broken spokes. Turned out that we had a major "hop" in the rim and Dave spent a long time on his learning curve of how to fix such a deviation in the roundness of the rim. Getting it "close enough" we went to bed a little late but even with a nap sleep came fast.

We managed to pawn off the pound of roofing nails on Gary so that we wouldn't have to carry them any longer.

Day 107 Pick up nails - lots of nails!

2009-08-01T11:36:00.006-04:00

Click to enlarge image.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 Tail wind and warm.
- Start: Gwinn, MI
- ATW: Rumuly, Eben Junction, Chatham, Forest Lake, Munising, Wetmore, Shingleton, Seney, Germfask
- End: McMillan, MI
- Day Miles: 96 Ride Time: 7hr 30min Total Trip Miles:

We left sometime after 9am from Gwinn area and headed for Munising along Rt 94. A few miles from Chatham as we were racing down a hill Dave yelled out something to the effect of "AHHHahhAHH! OH no!" According to Dave we amazingly rode unscathed through a "pile" of nails. We doubled back to pick them up so as to prevent some other cyclist from having trouble and found, not a pile, but what was the result of a box of nails falling off of a vehicle going at a high speed. Strewn 50 feet down the east bound lane and berm was a pound of nails.

We collected them all, prying some from the soft tar patches in the road then tried to figure out what to do with a pound of nails. Toss them at the base of a tree? They were still good. Leave them by someones mailbox? Most of the houses we passed were abandoned. We'd just hang on to them and see if we could give them away.

We had scheduled a warmshowers stop in McMillan for Thursday. We were just under 100 miles away and through it'd take us a couple days to get there, but like all things scheduled on this trip something gets changed. We made it half way in a few hours and decided to ride on chewing off some of tomorrow's trip. In Shingleton we were 43 miles from our destination. We'd been pulling down 18 miles per hour over actually flat lad and with a tail wind. Could we make it all the way to the next house tonight?

Dave made a call and getting the green light we set off down the "Seney Stretch," 25 miles of perfectly straight and almost completely flat terrain. As we all know by now, nowhere a loaded tandem recumbent rides is completely flat. A .01% incline is felt of course it could have been fatigue from booking it for several hours but we still think there was an incline.

In the middle of the stretch we hailed a touring cyclist passing the opposite way. He pulled around and we talked on the side of the road to Justin a young Canadian heading across the continent in search of work on the west side of Canada. He had been cussing the wind we'd been cheering. We commiserated having dealt with our fair share of head winds on our trip. 15 minutes later we wished him luck and kicked back up into high gear making it to our host's home in under three hours of riding (just over three with stops).

We crashed a cook-out down by the shore of Big Manistique Lake that our hosts lived on. They had family and friends there but we were welcomed in just the same no matter how smelly we were. Later that night we heard again about the famous Paul and Jeff team. A week back they'd stopped in for a night and we heard more about their trip. Tired and a little sore we showered then headed for sleep at a late hour. What would tomorrow bring?

Around Gwinn and Marquette

2009-07-28T22:30:00.002-04:00

Our first taste of a pasty. We split a "with rutabaga" and "without rutabaga," 750 calories later...
Dave says: "I like all food and I can't remember the difference."
Heather says: "There wasn't enough rutabagas for me to notice one from the other but the crust was a little greasy which is why I had to eat some ice cream as a anti-acid."

A few shots of our trip up to the top of Sugarloaf:

The rest of these are from Presque Isle:

This is the "cove" on Presque Isle, the rocks in the background people jump off of into the lake.

Day 106 Rest day in Gwinn, MI

2009-07-28T13:26:00.005-04:00

Rest day in Gwinn, MI. Tuesday, July 28, 2009. Windy and warm.
The wind may be blowing from the west but we gave in to sore muscles and need of rest. We slept in to 10:00am and lounged today, journaled some and caught the blog up to date all the while listening to the howling wind. After sitting the whole day (and not pedaling) we've been invited by our host to head to Marquette tonight for a hike up a hill and a view of the city. We'll also get our first taste of a "pasty." In order to satisfy the question: to rutabaga or not to rutabaga, we opted for one of each and will reserve judgement until after the taste testing.

Tomorrow we ride to somewhere and another adventure.

Day 105

2009-07-27T21:07:00.006-04:00

Monday, July 27, 2009. Slight west wind and a mix of all weather types.
- Start: Champion, Van Riper State Park
- ATW: Clarksburg, Greenwood, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Princeton
- End: Gwinn, MI
- Day Miles: 50-something Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:

We're currently sitting in a house listening to a torrential downpour raging outside. We connected with another warmshowers host and just in time! We'll update the blog more as we sit here eating dinner. The following picture is a shot of us using the couple of laptops available.

Recap of the day:
Another late morning with a start at 11:00am. We woke late, packed slow, wrote in journals and talked more. When we tired of chasing squirrels away from our food paniers we tried to ride out of the park but talked more. "Are we ever going to make it today?" That was just the beginning.

We were told that it was "all down hill" to Ishpeming. Well, not really. Some downhills, but not all. A stop at the grocery with a stocked up on fruit, veg, cheese and hummus had us lacking only a good bread to round out the meal. We were given directions to the Huron Mountain Bakery in town and we spent a good hour eating delectable treats and more talking. We ended up telling our story three times while in the shop!

Two local ladies gave us directions to a paved bike trail into Negaunee with the explination that Ishpeming meant "high land" or "heaven" while Negaunee meant "low land" or... where were they sending us? A bike path into...

The bike path was lovely but the directions once in Negaunee were muddled. We saw a couple of youths in a door way who called out an appreciation to us about our bike. We swung back around for directions and set out down to Gwinn.

Riding 40 miles out of Wakefield on a rest day resulted in a little confusion with our warmshowers host. I'd left a message saying we were a day ahead of schedule but when I called for exact directions everything was suddenly confusing and a bad phone connection didn't help. There was a birthday (would we get cake?) and they had plans for the night but we were welcome to stay all the same. With directions in hand we found we'd gone a long way around to get to her house because she didn't actually live in Gwinn but on the old airforce base north east of town. At least the trip down 35 was downhill on all the hard parts.

Leaving the house a few miles west of Gwinn that we'd stopped in for borrowing a phone Dave's left hamstring had a sudden strain. He streatched and we continued on but the pain came back intermitantly. Since it's a two engine bike Heather pedaled slowly on the straight aways, Dave assisted on any uphills and we both coasted every chance we could. We'd been watching a narrow band of dark clouds spanning from west to east. They didn't look too friednly and for spite they started raining on us just before we got to our host's house.

We sheltered the bike and talked for a while. They dashed off to the casino to celebrate her son's 21st birthday and we sat around listenting to the rain pound outside thankful to have a night inside.

Day 104 Terrain Reports

2009-07-27T21:05:00.005-04:00

Click on image to enlarge

Sunday, July 26, 2009 A lot of clouds but a nice tail wind.
- Start: Bruce Crossings, MI
- ATW: Trout Creek, Kenton, Sidnaw, Watton, Covington, Three Lakes, Michigamme
- End: Champion
- Day Miles: 65.7 Ride Time: 6:25 Total Trip Miles: 3210

The unexpected ride from the day before and the early start with the crows found us waking in Bruce Crossings around 9:00AM. Everything was damp and packing was slow. A guy by the name of Dave stopped in and while we packed he entertained us with magic tricks and tested our knowledge on sports trivia.

Around 11:00 we were packed up and everything was mostly dried before being stuffed away. The next city was Ishpeming and last night we were warned that nothing existed between here and there. We'd heard that before (many times) and people were usually wrong. Which ended up being the case today. Several small towns lined our way as well as campgrounds and a few state parks. We even found a few roadside rests with vault toilets, practically civilization! What do people expect a couple of bicyclists to need when crossing a state?

"It's completely flat after Covington and the most boring stretch of nothing ever!" the grocery clerk exclaimed slamming her hand down onto the conveyor belt scooping up the frozen bag of peas and tossing them into a bag. She was far from right on all points. It wasn't flat and it was very pretty. Dense tree growth has been the theme the last week or so but it is a wonderful change from the open air of the farmlands and plains.

I don't think we expected to make it all the way to Ishpeming as it was 80 some miles on anything but "flat" land but when we got to Michigamme we voted to stop early. It was around dinner time for the rest of the world and we were near a couple of nice state parks. Why not?

Maybe I mixed up where we were headed but what we thought was three miles further was 10 to Van Riper state park. Once in the park we talked to several people interested in our bike and trip and managed to get to sleep around 11:00PM after amazingly hot showers. Usually in parks they're luke warm at best. Another night of thwarting mosquitoes and extreme darkness allowing the stars to fill the sky.

Source: http://hunts-upguide.com/champion_van_riper_state_park.html

Day 103

2009-07-27T21:04:00.002-04:00

Saturday, July 25, 2009
- Start: Wakefield, MI
- ATW: Bergland, Topaz, Matchwood, Ewen
- End: Bruce Crossings, MI
- Day Miles: 42.9 Ride Time: 3hr 45min Total Trip Miles: 3145

We would have preferred to wake to an alarm clock but anything would have been better than the screaming that jolted us awake at sun up. Dave described it as sounding like a woman opening a can with a spring loaded snake inside. In reality it was a crow being pecked at by some tiny bird. The crow was on a branch over our heads and for some reason would not budge as it was continuously dive bombed. Fully awake we cleaned up our gear and just in time, rain was beginning.

We lounged around the covered shelter dreaming of the hot chocolate we were out of, if it would only lighten up a bit we could make a dash for the grocery. Instead it poured so hard that the town shops on the opposite side of the lake where lost in a wall of water. Perhaps today should be a rest day.

Just after 10 we got a break in the rain. Under heavy clouds we raced to the library but our luck held out and it was closed. Every tiny town we end up in is an off day for the library. At the post office we'd mailed out a completed journal for Dave and the postal clerk offered her computer later in the day if we were still in town.

Following a trip to the grocery and a pot of soup under the picnic shelter the rain had ended and the wind settled in a constant direction. The sun burned through the clouds and we had managed to catch up in our journal writing. "Do you want to go on today?" "I don't know, do you want to go on today?" "I don't know." Our wonderfully witty indecisive battle led us to packing up and heading off.

The wind was from the west and sent us 20 miles down the road into Bergland. Not worn out enough we ate a couple ice cream cones and were off again for the next town of any significance: Bruce Crossings. Behind the grocery store was a "tourist trail court" with showers and RV hookups. We sheltered our tarp behind a log cabin concession stand and then washed off the road grime.

We'd been warned that we were now in bear and moose country so the showers we'd used became the store room for every bit of smelliness we had except for ourselves. We had showered!

The wind battered our little shelter through the night and rain soaked everything around. You'd think that would keep the mosquitoes down but instead it drives them under shelter... our shelter. Luckily we'd taken the time to kill several while sitting at a picnic table and sewing the screen to the top of the sleeping bag. We hurried under cover and in a dramatic moment raised the screen over our heads. Making sure it was tucked down just right we slept a bite free night.

Day 102

2009-07-27T20:58:00.005-04:00

Friday, July 24, 2009 Dense clouds, cold morning warm afternoon
- Start: Ashland, WI
- ATW: Odanah, Birch, Cedar, Saxon, Ironwood, Ramsay
- End: Wakefield, MI
- Day Miles: Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:

Last night we finally decided to switch out the rear tire for the spare as the tread was pealing off the built in tire liner. Before leaving town we stopped in at the bike shop for a replacement but they didn't have anything close to what we needed. We'd just roll until we could find another one.

Also last night before we went to the park we met a guy whose eyes popped when we said we'd be riding 2 east toward the U.P. "You have a 1/2 a mile up hill climb!" We would later learn it was called "Birch Hill" and while it might have been a half mile climb it wasn't bad because it was the only one around.

Crossing into Mighigan we tried to stop in Ironwood for a food restock and ice cream break but were directed to the east side of town to the grocery store. Once there we opted to ride a little more eastward in hopes of a relaxing spot to eat our meal. A few miles down the road we found a slopping grass hill embanking a Wal-Mart parking lot. We sat on the crab grass eating melted ice cream cups and toyed with the idea of stealth camping on the golf course across the street.

"We'd have to camp on the back nine if we expect to sleep in past 6:00 AM, tomorrow's Saturday and crazy people get up at dawn to play."

Just about the time we'd sat down to eat the sun gave way to a large black cloud and a cold fix was less appealing. Now that we were properly chilled the cloud decided to soak us. We tried to find an awning to wait out the rain but the fat drops ended quickly and we moved fast to warm back up.

Our ride took us into Wakefield. We rode around the small lake that the town surrounded and ate dinner at a covered picnic shelter. The park offered camping and we set up for the night. Tired of mosquitoes sneaking under the sleeping bag we bought a roll of 3'x7' fiberglass screening at a hardware store. We donned our ball caps and drapped the screen over our heads. The material gapped at places and it was a battle to keep it from sliding off the bag. We decided we'd have to sew it down to make it more effective. A few stings later we worked out a good enough set up for the night.

Day 101

2009-07-27T20:55:00.008-04:00

Click on image to enlarge.

July 23, 2009 Fog!
- Start: Bayfield, WI
- ATW: Washburn
- End: Ashland, WI
- Day Miles: Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:

After sleeping peacefully in the "boat yard" we woke to a dense fog blotting out everything after a hundred yards. Perhaps we should wait until it cleared a bit? Dave spent time talking with sailors while Heather threw a tennis ball for a highly active golden doodle.

We sat around until late morning then set out making it 10 miles down the road to Washburn, WI before we stopped for lunch and a blog update at the local library.

Another 12 miles into Ashland and a stop by another one of the artesian wells that line the lake. We were directed to a park just across the road. Instead of searching the town for a grocery we dinned on our emergency rations which turned out to be a lot of food for a 20 mile day. The greater part of the day was spent catching up in journals which always seem to be a day or two behind.

Source: http://www.sailboats-inc.com/

Total Trip to 3000 Miles

2009-07-25T11:15:00.005-04:00

Click on image to enlarge.

Editor's Note: This is a composite of Dave & Heather's Trip up to Day 100. They reached about 3000 miles on the bike.(Not counting car miles.) I include the car trip west of Rapid City, SD and marked their travels to Yellow Stone, WY (in dark blue). They returned to their bike in Louistown, MT and started East.

Day 100 - 3000 miles from home

2009-07-23T15:17:00.006-04:00

July 22, 2009 Sun, warm, a little cool wind off the lake but a storm loomed.
Start: Port Wing, WI
ATW: Herbster, Cornucopia, Red Cliff
End: Bayfield, WI.
about 40 miles.

When updating the blog the stats never seem to be handy so we'll just have to keep dealing with approximations.

We spent the day riding around part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour on Route 13. More fun signs in Wisconsin: as we turned due north to continue on 13 the sign said "South 13." We hardly know what we're doing from day to day and then they throw something like that at you. Heather looked back to see we had come east forever on Rt 13 "North." Ah... Hm... how far is it to Michigan, maybe we'll have better luck with signs there. Still, it makes one laugh and then look over your shoulder when you roll into a town and a sign states: "Engine break prohibited except in emergency."

We stopped often to look at the lake which was much more calm than the first time that we saw it. In Cornucopia following a lunch stop we walked through the small marina and saw dozens of sail boats. Dave was very excited but we rode on instead of giving up the ride and buying the boat for sale that we got a tour of.

After we turned 3000 miles in Cornucopia we pedaled up the hill out of town and a few miles later we ducked into a National Lake Shore Park to see which way the building storm was going to go. From Port Wing we'd watched cumulonimbus clouds reaching skyward and we'd heard distant thunder for the last few minutes. The sky to the south was darkening and nothing will cause someone to move faster than a couple of people riding a mobile lightening rod. After 15 minutes of thunder we set back out because the storm was heading south and we still had a lot of eastward travel to do. We might drop back into the storm when we turned south later, but we'd just have to figure that out when we got there. We ended up not having any trouble.

Everyone told us that it was downhill from Red Cliff to Bayfield. Actually it's mostly downhill once you get over the long hill "after" Red Cliff. Nothing too steep, just long a long couple miles. Terrain reports are fun.

In Bayfield we'd shopped for dinner at an IGA and were looking around for a place to stay. Dave had been talking to someone: "I'd let you sleep in my yard but I live on a boat."

"Aren't there boat yards?" Dave quipped. But it got her thinking. She invited us down to see the Port Superior Marina. Once we were there everyone was very friendly and we were directed to sleep in a grassy area toward the end of the dock.

After hot showers and a long walk around the docks looking at even bigger sail boats we crawled into our dew laden tarp and slept, waking occasionally to the drops of water falling from the underside onto the drop cloth. After 100 days you might think we've figured out how to pitch the thing so that the water runs down and not pools on top.

Day 100 - End in site?? - only 1000 more miles

2009-07-22T09:55:00.006-04:00

Editor's Note: This is just an estimate of the route that Dave and Heather will take to return to Atwater, OH. Mapquest.com uses the interstate highway; but, Dave and Heather will find their own way on secondary roads.

*A note from Heather: My dad is crazy to think that we're going to ride our bike anywhere near Detroit! He'll have to drive out to see us (c;"

Two notes about blogs...

2009-07-21T17:41:00.003-04:00

For those who like to read more about cycling here's a cycling couple's blog who have learned about us through someone we met in Wisconsin, their blog is: http://rlove2bike.blogspot.com/

Secondly, when we were in North Dakota we started hearing about a cyclist that had been killed on the road we were riding. No one knew how or when or what had really happened but they were all certain a cyclist had been killed the day before we passed through the area of Mentor, ND. It took a while but I just puzzled it all out while reading up on some blogs of people who I knew were going through the area.

While we're sad to hear that a trip is over due to an incident with a car, we're very happy to find out that there wasn't a cyclist killed. Currently I do not know all the details but they'll be put up on http://patanddavesbiketrip.blogspot.com/ at some point. Best to you Pat and get well soon!

Day 99 Postcard from Port Wing, WI

2009-07-21T15:19:00.000-04:00

Click on image to enlarge

Day 99

2009-07-21T15:01:00.003-04:00

July 21, 2009
Port Wing, WI: Rain and clouds.
Rest day. We woke up to the rain pounding on the tarp and a wet dog by our heads. Rudy had decided that after his bathroom run at 5:30am he would come inside the tarp to get out of the weather. He was ushered out back into the house but the rain had also driven the mosquitoes under the tarp. The battle of the mosquitoes was on again, though we survived the fight we're not sure who the victor really was. We were bitten a lot but more of them died. Head nets work to keep them off our faces but the little ninjas sneak their way under the sleeping bag through the gap at our shoulders, bounce around until they find some flesh and then sink in their swords. We're working on a design of a modified head net attached to the width of the bag and then tucked under our heads and upper bodies. We just need to find a town big enough for either a fabric or hardware store.

For now we're out of the rain in the gallery we'd tracked down yesterday enjoying a rest with Sharon, Ices and Cosmo (a couple of cats) and Rudy, the dog who'd joined us this morning. To celebrate our 99th day out we're going to Mexican night at the local bar and we'll be there with sombreros on.

Day 98 Man of Mystery and the beaches

2009-07-21T14:59:00.004-04:00

July 20, 2009 (Super long entry because I haven't written in my journal and the words are flowing like the rain outside).
Poplar, WI to Port Wing, WI
About 35 miles of sun and hearty winds.
We woke to the tarp flapping and drops of water plinking us in the face. The night had cooled off fast and when the tarp is pitched low to compensate for the wind the condensation builds a little. It may have even rained over night. Hard to tell when you're wearing ear plugs. Dave packed while Heather loaded up at the local grocery store. After the last few weeks of over indulgence at restaurants Heather made a secret pledge to eat healthier and cheaper. For breakfast we consumed an entire cantaloupe and a dozen powder sugar coated doughnut holes. Progress is made one step at a time.

Following the advice of Steve and Kit we headed to the secluded beach on Brackets Rd. Along the way we rolled into an intersection of a gravel road and Rt. 13. After we ate we looked up to find another touring cyclist stopping. A 55 to 60 year old man was traveling alone from Vancouver to Montreal. He'd been detoured off Rt. 2 After Duluth because it was a freeway for a short time and was in need of directions. He was traveling with a cross section cut from a North American map and no others. On the map were "X's" marking stops along with smiling and sad faces that we never found out what they meant but one can guess.

Heather pulled out the Wisconsin map and gave him directions to Rt. 2 and eventually the southward bound Rt. 13 towards Green Bay. We talked for a few minutes about cycling then he was on his bike and ready to head out again. We shook hands and introduced ourselves but he rode off before we could share our blog or even get his name. A man of mystery he'll always remain.

A few miles further on we met two more cyclists headed the opposite way. They were on a "quick" tour around the area for the week. We stood on the side of the road entertaining each other with road stories and agreeing that though they're tough to handle the worst day can make the best stories.

Just a few "more" miles down the road was the turn off for the beach. It was graveled and we bumped along until it turned to grass. Then we bumped along until it turned to ruts. Walking the last bit we were at a thin strip of beach littered with a few cigarette butts mixed in with nature's more appealing debris: pebbles turning in the surf, rocks, boulders, drift wood from sticks to logs, feathers and leaves. We ate lunch, met another couple of beach goers with a super hyper Springier Spaniel named Buster but eventually left because of the wind blowing hard and cold off the lake.

Outside of Port Wing we saw a sign for an art gallery and ice cream. What a great idea. We found out way to the gallery and chatted with the proprietor as we ate our ice cream. With directions to another beach we left to buy smoked fish for dinner and headed to the shore again. We should have know better, though it was a larger and beautiful beach the wind hadn't abated and the thought of setting up to sleep near the shore was enough to make us more exhausted than we already were. Back we went to the town picnic area to cook the rest of dinner out of the wind. The gallery owner, Sharon, had offered her yard and showers if the beach didn't work out… well, needless to say.

We came back at the end of the pottery class that was being taught and did a little entertaining of the students. Later, refreshed from hot water and ready to sleep we chatted for a while longer with Sharon then went to sleep with the tarp gently flapping in the breeze. Someone had mentioned rain…

Editor's Note

2009-07-21T13:49:00.014-04:00

My wife and I have been on the road for the past 4 weeks with family functions: Funeral, Bridal Shower, Wedding, taking care of our son's dogs for a week, helping our youngest daughter move, playing golf, going to an award ceremony for the our third oldest daughter where she was presented her 1st degree brown belt, etc. Next weekend we are going to babysit our grandson for 3 or 4 days.

I have gone back to Day 71 (June 23) adding maps and postcards to the Blog.
Postcards for:
Old Faithful Geyser, 6/10/2009 Day 58
Rugby,ND center of North America, 7/9/2009 - Day 87
a North Dakota at Night card, 7/10/2009 - Day 88
and a Mississippi Headwaters card 7/14/2009 - Day 92.

Photos and more...

2009-07-21T10:57:00.002-04:00

Hello to all! We're currently taking a break in Port Wing, WI, and have internet access again. If anyone out there following along has taken our picture but haven't had a chance to send it to us we'd love to get a copy to post on the web and keep a copy for ourselves. Also, we'd love to have pictures of the people we've met. So many shots are just of the two of us and the bike (a fun {and funny} sight, well worth a shot we know). We have names we want to keep with faces and since we're the crazy duo out there without a camera we're relying on you all to help pad out our scrap book of the trip. When you get a chance send in a picture of you, maybe something in your town or area. Thanks so much!

Stanley, ND:
Back in Stanely we met up with Kevin Citta on his westward journey to California, here's his blog for those who'd like to find out how he's doing on his adventure... www.kevincitta.blogspot.com.

Minot, ND:
These pictures were taken by Lauren in Minot, ND, while we were getting ready to leave after hiding from the weather for 2 days. We had a lovely morning ride into the sunrise and that lovely tail wind blew us almost all the way to Devil's Lake.

Day 97 Short Short Day

2009-07-19T22:37:00.008-04:00

July 19, 2009. Partly Sunny and 70's
South Range, WI to Poplar, WI
11.7 miles
New Award: Least amount of miles ridden on a ridding day.

Our late night chat with Steve turned into an all morning bull session. Around 1pm when we were packed up to leave Steve's girlfriend, Kit, pulled into the drive for their planned day of kayaking. "So, tell me about your trip…" turned into an impromptu alfresco lunch we cobbled together from things on the bike and around the house: Venison stir fry with rice and tossed "everything but iceberg lettuce" salad.

Around 3pm we said goodbye to the kayakers and left for Amnicon Falls State Park where we lounged, wrote in our journals, jumped in the falls (Heather did, Dave knew better… it was cold), and talked extensively with Mike the Park Ranger.

Source: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/amnicon/

Next came hunger pains and the nearest thing open on Sunday was the Riverside Bar at the corner of Rt. 2 and the turn for the state park. We sat outside ordering a bacon cheese burger pizza with pickles on the side. At the outdoor bar were four aged ladies we dubbed the "Magpies." They entertained us more than they'll ever know as they drank beer after beer. Early on one had invited us to sleep in her yard outside Poplar but we settled for the town ball park we'd heard about seeing as how many beers she consumed we weren't too sure she'd remember why a big gray tarp was set up in her front yard.

The park was quiet and the sun set as we were making up the bed for the night. We fell asleep to the stars warming up in the darkening sky.

Day 96 A new state… WISCONSIN.

2009-07-19T00:27:00.006-04:00

July 18, 2009. Cool and cloudy clearing late.
Floodwood, MN to South Range, WI. 70 miles exactly.
A new state… WISCONSIN.

Yet another new state line crossed. We left the campground in Floodwood around 11:30am. The terrain was easy and we crossed through the miles easily. At one point we picked up the Munger Trail toward Duluth. It was a lovely paved bike route but we did need to get off before we actually got to Duluth. Six miles from the end we found ourselves looking at the underside of the road we wanted to be on. Heather climbed the embankment and while she couldn't find a sign for the highway she did notice an intersection on the path further along. That saved us having to push up that incline and lifting the bike over the guardrail.

Once on the road we still didn't know exactly where we were. There was a dense cloud layer so we pulled out the compass. "Can we go wrong if we head east?" asked Heather. Cruising down a long decline Dave replied, "No, but we're not coming back up this hill to fix it." Never fear, we ended up where we needed to be and soon were crossing the Oliver Bridge and into Wisconsin.

Source: http://www.johnweeks.com/river_stlouis/pages/stlL09.html

From the beginning we knew Wisconsin was going to be fun. We were haled from the roof of an apartment complex that looked like it had two apartments and was reported to be a duplex sharing a wall with the town hall. One guy on the roof claimed to be the mayor of Oliver and barked orders from his perch. "Are we in Wisconsin?" They jovially welcomed us to the state though we'd had no inclination we'd entered it. The state sign was a few miles further down the road past the first town. Then the sign for the city of Superior boasting a population of over 27,000 was in the middle of no where, and we kept being welcomed to the "Town of Superior" though there was never a town near the sign. We kept passing bars but being Saturday late, nothing else much was open.

Riding through the "village" of Superior we wound our way through country roads until we found ourselves in South Range at a play ground area. Nothing much seemed to be in town but the blinking arrow of lights down the road suggested a bar. Perhaps food? Before we went off to inspect a guy came bounding across the lane and asked about our trip. We were soon setting up our tarp in Steve's front yard and talking away. We parted for a little while to eat a couple of pizzas at the bar. There was hardly anyone in the bar when we showed up and none were smoking. By the time the second pizza was ready we were surrounded by beer and smoke. Wolfing down the last of the pizza we ran from the bar and walked hand in hand down the road with the last of the sunlight burning through the last of the clouds.

Back at Steve's there were two jewels sitting on the picnic table. Along with crisp apples for desert, Steve came back outside and saved the night. He offered us showers and we washed away the sweat and smoke. We talked until we were all yawning and sleep made us go to bed.

Day 95 Back on the map

2009-07-17T22:42:00.003-04:00

Beyond Grand Rapids, MN to Floodwood, MN

Day 94 Beyond the Rainbow??

2009-07-17T22:38:00.003-04:00

Bena to beyond Grand Rapids, MN
Not sure where we ended the day.
After thirty miles with the wind at our back we were in Grand Rapids
at a grocery store talking to Kevin who was currently kayaking the
Mississippi alone. We shared a quick meal then left for the library.
The next few hours was spent resting out of the cold wind and rain.
Another trip to the grocery then out of the city to find some place to
stay. Too soon it started to rain. We asked at the next house we came
to and were given a spot of yard but I didn't pay attention to the map
and wasn't sure of the town we were nearest.

Day 93 Chippewa National Forest

2009-07-16T17:26:00.004-04:00

Bagley, MN to Bena, MN along RT 2, around 60 miles.
We left Bagley and our new friends in the late afternoon. The wind was blowing 10 to 15mph from the west and we half heatedly considered riding to Grand Rapids, only it was 95 miles away. No amount of tail wind was going to push us that far again. So we settled for a leisurely drive through the Chippewa National Forest. We had hoped for a nice side place to camp except there wasn't anything else around but swampy land and resorts. The mosquitoes were bad enough and we didn't feel like sleeping in a puddle to make it worse. The first campground was $30.00 to camp in a tent and told us the next campground was a ways away. We set out again and found a campground for half the price 100 yards further on. Just for spite I think we decided to camp there for $15.00. Unfortunately the hot shower we were promised lasted about 30 seconds before it ran to lukewarm and another minute before it was cold. The mosquitoes were the worst yet and we started to think that a tent would be better than the tarp and head nets.

Shortly after leaving our friend's place outside of Bagley we were followed by a dog with a collar. He looked friendly but just ran along us for half a mile then got ahead and starting swerving in front of us. Eventually we came to RT. 2 and decided we didn't like the idea of the dog running along with us because it kept dashing into the 2 lanes of traffic beside us. I jumped off the bike and pulled out the leftover half of the old flag pole which had become the new magic wand. The pup came over looking for love and with a lot of regret but for his own sake he got a switch on the rump. He tucked in his tail and blasted back down 2 and never stopped running till he was long down the side road. Source: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/chippewa/recreation/camping/

Day 92 Itasca State Park

2009-07-14T23:19:00.004-04:00

Rest day in Bagley. We connected with an amazing couple through warmshowers and have been enjoying our rest day getting a lift to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and touring through Itasca State Park. Heading out tomorrow into tail winds pushing us eastward. Yeah!

Day 91 Traveling Story Tellers

2009-07-13T23:53:00.004-04:00

Erskine, MN to Bagley, MN, around 40 miles. More headwinds, a little cooler.

An earlier than normal day lately. We were saying goodbye by a quarter to 9 and left the grocery store in town just after 9am. Eating a sticky bun (will have to give those up when the trip is done) we were given a terrain report by a local. The old boy relayed that it was only 23 miles to Bagley. A younger guy contested that and said it was much farther. The map said 30 so we took anything else the older man said with a bag of salt. "Well, it's all down hill after Langby!" Riiiiight.

We stopped for lunch in Fosston, MN at the city park. Heather tried to nap but just as she laid down a couple kids began their recess on the squeaky park equipment. When she'd given up hope of sleep it was time for their nap and they left. We got back on the bike and rode to Bagley. Outside of Kubiak's Family Foods while we were enjoying a chocolate malt each, Keith came out. He was a fellow cyclist that owned the store and knew the person we'd met through warmshowers. He loved to talk to cyclists passing through and one he rode lead for a couple of guys who were heading into the wind as the rode out of town.

We pushed off the curb and headed out the last few miles before our break for the day. We zig-zaged a few miles off of Rt 2 and found ourselves at a lovely setting. When I called to let our host know of our ETA we were promoted from camping to sleeping in the spare room but we would have happily camped out in their yard. As soon as we stopped in the drive a pack of dogs barked our arrival. While being inspected our hosts came out to greet us. From there we stood for a half hour or so talking in the drive and just enjoying the feeling of not moving down the road.

Whether we meet cycling enthusiasts through warmshowers.org or random people who never cycle but take us in anyway, we're always taken care of beyond our wildest dreams. The whole evening consisted of talking, then an amazing dinner and more talking, then talking until we just had to go to sleep. We often feel like the old stories tellers that roamed the land, in exchange for a song or story of an amazing adventure we're given food a place to lay our heads. Sometimes we can't wait until our trip is over so that we can repay the favor. For now we try to earn our keep and are making new friends in the process.

Oh, and by the way, we climbed for a mile after Langby and never seemed to come back down!

Day 90 Staying with Mother Goose's Mother - GrandMa Goose

2009-07-13T00:00:00.007-04:00

Crookston, MN to Erskine, MN about 30 miles. Head winds, sunny.

In Minnesota not every town that is on the map is actually there. After leaving Crookston in the late morning we cycled for 14 miles hoping to stop at some sort of park bench in Marcoux. Sure the map said there was less than 500 people in the town but there should be a bit of shade and a wind break. At the appointed intersection there were two abandoned houses on either side of the road. The one with the shade had a yard full of bee boxes. We settled for sitting in the broken asphalt drive of the other and waved to traffic as we devoured the cold chicken we'd bought last night but didn't eat because Bruce dazzled us with pork chops in homemade sauce and amazing potato salad. Needless to say but I will, we polished off all the baked beans.

When we stopped in Mentor for a break at a DQ I called a contact from warmshowers. We were trying something new: call them a day ahead of when we'd show up. Schedules on this trip usually result in us pushing ourselves much harder than we wanted to but it was worth a try. Meeting other cyclists has been fun and we thought we'd try more of it since we were getting into a more densely populated area on the warmshowers map. We got a green light to stop in the next day and camp. Today we just had to find a place for the night, which needed to be soon because we were tired from the last three days of riding.

We picked Erskine for the night and quickly found the town park. I had decided that we'd camp behind the giant pike sculpture but it wasn't to be. A mother of a few kids that had been playing in the park's beached water hole decided we needed to be snapped up for the night but they lived 8 miles south of town and it was getting on to 9pm. She came up with an alternative, we were to stay with her mother a few blocks north of town. Grandma Goose was how she was introduced and we never found out her real name. She fed us, we got a warm shower and a nights rest in the yard.

Day 89 "Leisure Day" with a Tail Wind!! 83.5 miles

2009-07-11T23:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday, July 11th, 2009
- Start: Michigan, ND
- ATW: Niagara ND, Larimore ND, Emarado ND, Grand Forks ND, East Grand Forks MN, Fisher MN
- End: Crookstown, MN
- Day Miles: 83.5 Ride Time: 6hr 30min

We started our day with sleeping in, then finally packed up and pushed off at 10am. This would be another leisure day. Well, if it wasn't for the tail wind! No matter what we tried we kept being blown further and further along. We made record time to Larimore where we inadvertently entered a bike race. The Dakota Games were racing on part of RT 2 and we slid in behind the cones to stay out of traffic. Needless to say we were passed by everyone.

We had intended to stop early again but in Emarado we had a bit of ice cream around 2pm and were revived. We hoped to connect with someone from warmshowers.org who was from Crookstown, trying to give them a days notice but that silly tail wind sent us flying into Crookstown before we heard back from them. We swung into a grocery store to buy dinner and while Heather was inside Dave talked with Bruce outside. When Heather came out there was a bit more talking and then we headed out to the park in the city to find out about camping.

Just as we got to the park none other than Bruce rolled up behind us and invited us to stay in his yard. We jumped at the chance as the park was in the middle of town and bound to be noisy. We're now relaxing in comfort and enjoying good company and will be ready to sleep tonight after 245 miles in the last three days.

Day 87 Postcard of North Dakoda Sky at Night

2009-07-11T22:00:00.003-04:00

This is how Heather would like the postcard to be. Many Many Stars!!

This is what the night sky should really look like.
Source: NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Day 88

2009-07-11T21:49:00.002-04:00

Friday, July 10th, 2009
- Start: Devil's Lake
- ATW: Doyon, Bartlett, Lakota, Mapes
- End: Michigan
- Day Miles: 35.5 Ride Time: 2hr 45min

Started late in Devil's Lake and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with new friends. Said goodbye and pedaled out into another tail wind. We were pretty beat from the day before so we took it easy, stopping in Lakota for a long lunch. We had made good time to Lakota but the condition of the berm after the town slowed us way down. That coupled with the fact that Dave had taken a few Benadryl to try and clear up a runny nose made us end the day early.

We'd stopped for a rest break outside an artist store just off Rt 2 in Michigan and Dave stepped inside to find out if there was a park we could rest in for a while. We were told that, yes, there was a park and the camping was free. Okay, time to call it a day. We ended up taking a long nap and then talked late to the park's caretaker, a wonderful lady who loves to golf and can race a golf cart like no one I've seen. We slept next to a golf course where the green fees were $10 for the day. A place Heather's parents would love to visit.

Day 87 - Postcard from Rugby, North Dakota

2009-07-11T14:03:00.001-04:00

July 9, 2009

Day 87.. New type of blog entry... Tail Winds!! -> 131.5 miles!!!!

2009-07-11T14:01:00.008-04:00

br>
Thursday, July 9, 2009
- Start: Minot
- ATW:
- End: Devil's Lake
- Day Miles: 131.5 Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:

This is an attempt to blog from our phone. The entries will be short but we''ll see if they can be padded out with transcribed voice mails to Heather's dad. Thursday, July 9th, 2009 we rode 131.5 miles from Minot to just past Devil's Lake. There was a tail wind that wouldn't quit and we wanted to see how far we could go. We tried to stop in town but there was no camping in the city park. We left town and started knocking on doors but no one was home. Finally found a wonderful couple who not only let us sleep in their yard but fed us breakfast, gave us great conversation and a couple handmade gifts to take with us. Exhausting but a great day.

Day 86 Another day in Minot

2009-07-08T13:07:00.004-04:00

July 12, 2009
Still in Minot. Decided on another day off before we headed out of town. Enjoying our stay with a new friend.

Here's a shot of some old friend (we've known them a while, they're not old, not that old anyway). We left them behind in Lewistown at great reluctance to all but they just wouldn't fit on the bike. We couldn't find the timer on their camera so Heather crudely spliced two pictures together with paint.

A note about Days 72-85

2009-07-07T15:16:00.000-04:00

A note about the last two weeks:
Heather's parents have been traveling for family business and haven't been able to keep the blog updated every day or two. We made time in Minot and were given the chance at the local library to work on our blog and now have filled in the last couple of weeks since we started back up. All distances are approximate because yesterday in Berthold Heather mailed out a full journal that we'd been keeping the stats in. No big deal though, our odometer has been playing up lately and we just ride as long as we want no matter what the thing says. Enjoy and thanks for keeping up with us!

Day 85 Rest Day in Minot - staying out of the rain

2009-07-07T15:15:00.001-04:00

Day 85 - Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
- Start: Minot, ND

Rest day. Around 6:00am Heather got up to go to the bathroom and realized she still had earplugs in. Removing them she heard the rushing of water. Outside a thunderstorm raged pouring Rain into the streets turning them into streams. Maybe a good day for a break. Our host offered us the option to stay as long as we needed. Though the storm has finally broken the wind is rocking in from the east around 20 miles per hour. We'll wait for tomorrow before we ride again. Thats all from the library.

Day 84 Another "Warm Shower" Stop

2009-07-07T15:14:00.002-04:00

Day 84 - Monday, July 6th, 2009
- Start: Stanley, ND
- ATW: Palmero, Tegas, Berthold, Burlington
- End: Minot, ND
- Day Miles: 55

At 7:30am Heather woke up for a bathroom break. She met up with Dave as he was washing up breakfast dishes. While they packed to leave Heather went back to sleep. Another hour of rest and we were up and getting packed. We still had a slight headwind but decided we would ride anyway. Upon the recommendation of Dave we took Old Hwy 2 for a short scenic route. Just after getting on the road a large vicious dog came barreling out of a yard and straight for us. We were pedaling us a slight hill and out came our new “magic wand.” Friends had given us an orange flag for the back of our bike. It was on an extended rod with a connector in the middle. Somewhere back in South Dakota on a severely windy day the connector broke and the flag clattered to the pavement unbeknownst to us. All the we now had was the leftover section of flag pole which was a handy dog attack thwarter. Heather waved it like mad while we pedaled hard to get away from the dog and the two more who were coming down the lane to join in the fun.

12 miles later Heather noticed that the bungee cord holding some drying clothes had let loose, maybe in the dog attack? With no way to know we rode on, who needs spare pairs of underwear anyway?

Through out the day we passed between glowing fields of yellow. Large swaths cut between the darker browns and greens of wheat, hay and pastures of grass. We connected back up with Hwy 2 and waved to a lone cycler on the opposite side of the highway. Four lanes of traffic separated us all so we settled for a wave and shouts of “hello.” In the next town of Berthold Heather mailed off a full journal and we rested in another gas station oasis eating ice cream.

When we reached Burlington we didn’t feel like stopping our ride but the next city was Minot and we don’t usually go near cities. Wasn’t someone from warmshowers.org located there? Heather called up her dad again, who was traveling and with the use of his blackberry he tracked down the info needed. Heather called and left a message as we rode on to Minot. Maybe we’d get a call back. If not, we’d figure it out there.

While eating a late lunch at a truck stop on the west side of town we connected with our host who welcomed us to her home. Half an hour later we were greeted and shown around. Then our host went to catch up on sleep as we showered, walked out to dinner at EbeneZer’s Pub and then wrote in our journals until 10pm. Then sleep.

Day 83 Rest day in Stanley

2009-07-07T15:13:00.002-04:00

Day 83 - Sunday, July 5th, 2009
- Start: Stanley, ND

Rest day. We packed our gear up and rode to the grocery store to stock up. Then we wrote in journals and worked a few puzzles in the paper. We’d noticed a movie playing at 7:30pm that night and decided to take in the show as a change of pace. The fare was $5.00, popcorn was $1.00 and the place was staffed by volunteers and was immaculately clean. Before we left for the show another three cyclists showed up.

First it was Kevin, a lone rider on his was to California. While Heather shared with him some information about the area we’d covered in Montana Dave met up with another Paul and yet another Dave. They were a duo from Canada crossing from west to east. Dave a retired teacher and Paul a retired orthopedic surgeon had gone to high school together and took a bike trip in college. Now they were out again.

The cycling community can sometimes be very tiny. Paul and Dave had met another cyclist in Glacier National Park who they’d spent three days with. The cyclist was none other than Derek who we’d met in Sioux City, IA at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive center!

After our movie we talked more with Dave and Paul and then with Dave as Paul tried to catch up on sleep. Then we all gave in to sleep and got ready for the next day.

Day 82 Picnic on July 4th

2009-07-07T15:12:00.001-04:00

Day 82 - Saturday, July 4th, 2009
- Start: Ray, ND
- ATW:
- End: Stanley, ND
- Day Miles: 40

From 4:30 to 8:00 we slept the best we could. We tossed the sleeping bag over the swing set and it was dry before we left. We put on all the clothes that we had remaining and huddled together under the soggy tarp. Being July 4th, the grocery store was closed so we ate lunch at the gas station from the previous night. Burgers and fries fueled us to Stanley and an ice cream shop. We’d planned to stick around Stanley for another day figuring we get little sleep on the night of the 4th as fireworks sounded until the wee hours of the morning. We weren’t wrong.

After the ice cream shop we left for the park wondering about dinner. We had some dehydrated food on the bike and a ton of tuna. It’d make us through till tomorrow when the store opened. Riding past a group of people socializing on the sidewalk we heard shouts of “nice bike” and “cool.” Heather shouted back “want to push us up the hill to the park?” Everyone laughed, why didn’t they think she was serious?

Just a few block further we found the park and as Heather looked over her shoulder to see if the road was clear to go around a parked car a cyclist appeared out of no where. We stopped to find that one of the cheering bystanders had jumped on his bike to chase us down. Tim’s mother-in-law had sent him after us. We were invited to eat dinner with them and the crowd of guests at their house. Gladly! We said we catch up with Tim as another cyclist was waving us down. Pat of www.patanddavesbiketrip.blogspot.com, shared with us the info about the park. Hot showers and room to set up tents. Lovely, we’d be back.

We ate and entertained the crowd with our stories. Then made our way back to the park. While we were standing around talking with Pat another two cyclists rode up. Paul and Jeff (www.tinyurl.com/spotme) a couple of young guys riding west to east gave us a few laughs as the pulled out “extraneous” gear. One such item was a sag line for tightrope walking. About ten pounds of webbing and clips that was set up and actually used for the first time on their trip just to say it was used.

We showered and wandered around looking for a good place to sleep. The tracks were right next to the park area but further down in an area just for tents a bar blared music on outside speakers. We opted for the playground/picnic area across the street for the campground. We set up and loaded in earplugs, we could sort of see the fireworks over the tree tops but were too tired to go all the way back through town to watch them up close. Slept well despite the trains and fireworks.

Day 81 Rainy Day and Fireworks

2009-07-07T15:11:00.002-04:00

Day 81 - Friday, July 3rd, 2009
- Start: Williston, ND
- ATW:
- End: Ray, ND
- Day Miles: 35

Heather slept good, Dave didn’t. Always seems to be the way it goes. One is rested the other isn’t. We woke to rain on our foreheads and quickly dragged everything under a covered picnic shelter. We ate breakfast packing up our gear. The sunrise was the most amazing we seen on the trip. Brilliant pinks and purples over the water weren’t dulled much by the head nets we were wearing to keep back the hordes of mosquitoes. Last night they had swarmed just beyond our skin’s reach due to the head nets. Not sleeping in a tent may have it downsides after all but the head nets work alright.

Once we got riding we warmed up, then it began to rain. Out came the rain gear, warmed back up as we pedaled in our water proof suits. We tried to make a side trip to Spring Brook and Epping but our map showed the wrong road as paved and instead of back tracking to the paved one we bumped along gravel until we connected back up to Rt. 2 bypassing the two towns. Rt. 2 was long low rolling hills that went on and on. Into the wind we pedaled and became more and more frustrated. Even though he wasn’t feeling sick anymore, Dave’s lack of sleep didn’t help. Being the lead on the bike he gets the brunt of the wind every time it blows in our faces. With no windbreaks to be found we stopped on the side of the road often to rebuild our strength. Completely exhausted we finally made it to civilization and a gas station in the town of Ray. Outside was parked three touring bikes and inside were three more exhausted cyclists. They had started after we left Williston but had made the cut off and better time since they didn’t ride gravel. They planned to keep riding and make it to Stanley, another 30 miles. We wished them luck and had a few photos taken of our rig. Over our second cup of hot chocolate and a couple sandwiches we relaxed. Next we set out for the grocery store and then the town park. A nice place that we barely got to sleep in.

We spent the day resting out wind. They sun had broken through just as we made it to Ray but we didn’t want to ride anymore in the wind. Sheltered by trees and bushes we made camp, napped, ate, and then got ready to sleep for the night. But the weather thought otherwise. A storm blew in at around 9pm. A large sign in the park said that if there was bad weather to head for the Senior Citizen Center or the Catholic Church. We left all our gear behind expecting it to blow over quickly. Stopping at another gas station we were told we needed to get to the church because the store closed in 10 minutes.

We trudged through with vague directions to the church. Once inside the storm began and lasted long into the night. Eventually we lay down in the foyer on the carpeted floor and slept fitfully as the lightening flashed and thunder sounded. Somehow though it couldn’t have been all that bad because between thunder claps we’d hear fireworks exploding near by. At 4:30am we woke up to faint water dips. The storm was over. We walked back to the park and our gear which was completely soaked. Dave had lowered the open end of the tarp in hopes the wind wouldn’t blow in rain but the rain came down so hard that the tarp sagged and soaked the bag through contact with it.

Day 80 Crossing the Border 7 times

2009-07-07T15:10:00.001-04:00

Day 80 - Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
- Start: Fairview, MT
- ATW: Buford ND, Trenton ND
- End: Williston, ND
- Day Miles: 40

Another early start. We found ourselves crossing into North Dakota after ½ a mile. Didn’t realize we were sleeping that close to the border. Yet, that would only be the first of 7 times we crossed the border today. We headed to historic Fort Union outside of Buford, N.D. The fort’s entrance is in Montana but the fort is in North Dakota. Though going to the fort, riding around the park and leaving we managed to cross the border another 6 times! While in the fort we entertained the workers as much as the entertained us. We asked about the fort’s history while they asked our trip. Our guide at one point was another Dave. He was soft spoken and capable of drawing you back to 1851 with the stories of the fort.

Next it was on to Trenton and an impromptu lunch at the town’s diner. We stopped in for ice cream and as we tried to pay the cashier asked in rapid succession: “Would you like a bowl of soup? Just fixed it, bean soup. Would you like a bowl? Maybe a sandwhich too? Or perhaps just the soup, it comes with bread. How’s that sound?” Great! Let’s eat! And we did. After a snack at the fort of canned baked beans cold (lukewarm) from the can we ate two helpings of bean soup. Later we would regret that choice.

Leaving the café we were warned of the “hill” out of Trenton. It turned out to be another long steady incline. We took our time (like we have any choice) and in 1-1 we pedaled over. Then over another, then over more until we could see all around. Heather told Dave, “We have to be at the top of North Dakota by now.” Into Williston was all down hill then a little more to get back out the north side. Exhausted from many nights of rough sleep and sickness we found ourselves as Twin Lake Park. A couple of small lakes fed by a mountain stream with a park setting all around. Maybe a dip in the water later to clean up. No chance. After dinner we passed out. The night was supposed to be clear but at 5:00am drops of rain started sprinkling on our faces.

Day 79 Passing Storm Damage

2009-07-07T15:09:00.002-04:00

Day 79 - Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
- Start: Richey, MT
- ATW: Sidney, MT
- End: Fairview, MT
- Day Miles: 58

We started the day with a wonderful breakfast and then a guided tour of the historical museum. We said “until next time” to a new friend and rode out. The day’s ride was through ever changing countryside and a relatively easy trip. We crested a few long pulls but out the back side was always easier. Then we finally came across our first stretch of flat land since who knows when. Out of a little valley that had surrounded us by miniature peaks we saw the road disappear into the heat haze, yet all around the terrain remained flat. Could it be? Flat land? Yes! We pedaled joyously all the way to Sidney then on to Fairview. Everyone said North Dakota was flat, this must be a preview.

All through Sidney and into Fairview we found wind damage. Trees down, branches ripped off and scattered along the highway, shingles missing and the ever constant whine of chainsaws coupled with burning brush piles. The storm had ripped through there at its worst. 15 miles east of Richey we’d met a lone cyclist coming the other way. He had got to Sidney just before the storm hit. He was also traveling with 1 cubic foot of gear. We marveled at his daring as we cycled away with our 60+ pounds of needs.

In Fairview we spent the night in the town park after a few more of those nice hot free showers at the local pool. We opted to sleep in the huge gazebo instead of on the grass because we were warned that early morning sprinklers might just water us if we weren’t careful. Until 10:00pm young boys lit off firecrackers. At 12:00am a few more boys played basketball under street lights. All night trucks roared by pulling their engine brakes. Wasn’t North Dakota flat? What was the engine brake for?

Day 78 Rest day in Richey

2009-07-07T15:08:00.012-04:00

Day 78 - Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
- Start: Richey, MT

Rest day. In need of shelter early in the morning we tried a church in town. The door was unlocked! We left our bike in view out front and sat in the back pew writing in journals. Soon the postmaster came in to say hello. Postmaster? The minister of the church was out of town and the postmaster had been called to find out if the cyclist who left the bike needed anything. All we needed was a break from the wind and we were given an open arm invitation to stay inside for the time we needed.

As we left for lunch we were invited in to the Senior Citizen’s Center to eat where we regaled the crowd with our adventures (misadventures). Then back to the church to relax.

When it was almost time for dinner we set out to go to the hardware/grocery and was once again intercepted. The town’s historical museum curator came in to leave a notice of new hours for the museum. After talking for a few minutes she invited us to her place to use the computer which led to dinner at her place, which led to spending the evening at a “come as you are” party, which led to a place to sleep for the night! Dave was getting better and we planned to ride on to Montana’s border or as close as we could get the next day.

We were glad to be inside all day as thunderstorms skirted the town all afternoon. But we were to find that Richey got off easy.

Day 77 Tough Night

2009-07-07T15:07:00.005-04:00

Day 77 - Monday, June 29th, 2009
- Start: Circle, MT
- ATW:
- End: Richey, MT
- Day Miles: 30
We’d planned to have another rest day and wanted to get out of the heat by reading in the library. We loaded everything up and headed out around 10:00am figuring the library would be open by then. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we would have been right. Not Mondays. The library was closed but Dave was a little better , maybe we could ride on to Richey after the heat of the day. It was just 30 miles away.

We ate in the park and waited until 1:30pm. The heat wasn’t due to let up until evening so we soaked ourselves again and struck out. The trip to Richey was hilly and hot but the water helped and the hills were smaller and father apart. From Jordan to Brockway we crest on hill only to find a ten mile view with many hills between us and the next horizon line. This day turned out much easier.

In town we located the hardware/grocery store and the park. While in the park we met the school superintendent who let us sleep on the school grounds as there was little place to sleep around the park’s gym equipment. The wind roared all night and kept us awake as we tried to shelter between buildings. By 5:00am we were done but couldn’t ride out into the 20+ headwinds. What to do?

Day 76 Rest day - sort of

2009-07-07T15:06:00.006-04:00

Day 76 - Sunday, June 28th, 2009
- Start: Circle, MT
Rest day, of sorts.

We were woken at 6:30am by a truck dropping off a flat bed trailer ten feet from where we were sleeping. Heather woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. Dave had started on some cold medicine and crashed out. Heather walked around the park a few times then sat on the swings waiting for Dave to get up. Around 8 or 9 Dave was up and feeling bad when a guy walked up and asked if we knew about the day’s events. We’d been told that there was to be a community picnic that evening. But it wasn’t all. There was to be a live band playing within the hour on the flatbed 10 feet from our heads.

We loaded up all our gear and found another shelter a fair distance away. We set up again and slept through the concert. Heather was starting to get sick so Benedryll and earplugs aided our sleep. The picnic finally ended and several guys returned picnic benches to the shelter we were in. “This is the one day a year that our town comes to life and you were here,” we were told. Too bad we were sick and missed it all!

Day 75 Short day

2009-07-07T15:05:00.010-04:00

Day 75 - Saturday, June 27th, 2009
- Start: Brockway, MT
- ATW:
- End: Circle, MT
- Day Miles: 13

We got going late and even later after looking all over for sunglasses that ended up being on the bike the whole time. Everyone said that last section to Circle was an easy ride in, but we found it to be a gradual up hill the whole way. Actually it is downhill but we were riding right into the wind and had to pedal downhill the whole way just to stay upright.

We located the grocery, the city park and then crashed. Heather cooked up lunch while Dave relaxed. He had woke up worse yet and we decided to ride out the sickness in Circle. The wind was howling around the park so we stretched our tarp around a couple of the open brickwork walls of the picnic shelter. It worked mostly. Then we ate and slept. Woke up in time for dinner then slept again. Sleep was tough on the picnic shelter floor but cactus scattered grass wouldn’t have been much better.

Day 74 Fifth Wheel

2009-07-07T15:04:00.006-04:00

Day 74 - Friday, June 26th, 2009
- Start: Jordan, MT
- ATW:
- End: Brockway
- Day Miles: 56

We woke up late after a rough sleep. Across the street there must have been some sort of machine shop washing parts because all night it sounded like a giant’s shoes in a dryer was just next door. Dave’s sore throat was a little worse but he thought he could ride on. Eating cough drops helped and we pushed off into more hills and wind. Our intent was to make it to Circle, the next town that showed up on our map. Ed from the grocery store had mentioned that they supplied the meat for a bar 11 miles west of Circle. He recommended we stop there for dinner.

The bar was 13 miles west of Circle just outside of a town called Brockway. We were so late in getting there that if we stopped for dinner we’d not make it to Circle that night. We stopped to eat, maybe we’d camp behind the bar. Turned out better than we dreamed. Gus, the bar’s owner, grilled up amazing steaks for us then offered to rent out a fifth wheel he had hooked up out back. The place was immaculate and we had hot showers, a bed and we kept out of the rain that came in late in the evening. Dave was getting worse. Maybe sleep would help.

Day 73 The Old Store

2009-06-25T12:33:00.006-04:00

Day 73 - Thursday, June 25th, 2009
- Start: Winnett, MT
- ATW: Mosby, Sand Springs
- End: Jordan, MT
- Day Miles: 75
Got riding just after sun up. Spent the day riding the hills. No place to get out of the sun and our snail’s pace really was a challenge. Made it to Sand Springs, or what is left of it. The town was booming in the later 1800’s to early 1900’s but the depression drove some people out. Not all. A church, school and store remain. For now. We talked with the owner of the store, an 85 year old lady who still runs to get the phone. She moved to the area at 8 years old. She and her husband bought the store in the 1950’s after a stint at ranching. Her husband passed away in the 90’s and she is ready to let the store go because there isn’t the traffic to keep it open. Our oasis for the day wouldn’t be there for much longer.

When we walked in we asked about buying ice cream. One of their fridge’s had thawed the day before and we were offered free previously melted ice cream bars. We weren’t picky. Heather had three, Dave had seven. Then we ate two refrozen pizzas that weren’t bad at all. Heather laid her head down on the table and managed to catch a 20 minute nap in the semi-cool air of the shop, right up till the phone rang and the clump clump clump of orthopedic shoes woke her.

Before leaving and finishing our attempt to get to Jordan we soaked ourselves completely. It started with a bandana on the head, then why not the shirt, heck why not put on another shirt and soak that one too? Pretty soon we were water logged and pedaling away up the next hill. It didn’t last long though. They heat and lack of humidity evaporated the water off of us before we were ready for it. A few more stops along the way saw us using up some of the water on the bike to cool off again.

20 miles or so out of Jordan the headwind shifted to a cross wind then died off. Heather looked in the side view mirror and noticed a growing darkness. The day had started to cool as a storm came up behind us. Heather looked off to the north into a field of grass standing completely still. The grass quickly bent flat as a blast of air rushed past knocking us off the road a little. Over head the clouds began to stretch out like fingers about to grab us. We’d always dreamed about a tail wind that could push us up hills little did we ever expect to get one, but we sailed the remaining miles into Jordan with the least amount of effort ever put forth to climb a hill. Luckily we made it to town before the rain and found the city park a welcoming sight.

Also in Jordan we found an awesome grocery store. We stocked up for a few days of goods and a couple of souvenir ball caps from Ed. The caps came in handy because we were now in bug season. It’d been too cold for mosquitoes until that night. We donned the new ball caps under our head nets and slept in comfort. Dave had a tickle in his throat but didn’t think too much of it. Must have been the dust we inhaled on the trip.

June 24 - Lewis & Clark trip.

2009-06-24T12:55:00.000-04:00

Click on image to enlarge.

Day 72 Sunny & Hot

2009-06-24T12:30:00.003-04:00

Day 72 - Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
- Start: Lewistown, MT
- ATW: Grassrange
- End: Winnet, MT
- Day Miles: 55
Left later morning from our friends house. Reluctant to leave but did it anyway. We slowly pedaled up “the divide” for about nine miles. Once we crested we coasted for five miles down the back side. It was practically downhill the whole way to Grassrange. Refilled our water in Grassrange at the post office and started out again. Reached Winnett and stayed in the town park next to the pool. Snatched up some free showers from the pool house. Plan to start super early tomorrow because it’s supposed to be 100 degrees.

Day 71+ Start of Return Trip

2009-06-23T11:00:00.002-04:00

Click to enlarge map

Day 71

2009-06-23T10:59:00.002-04:00

Three weeks ago we stopped riding in Rapid City, South Dakota. Tomorrow we ride out of Lewistown, Montana. Now that we've visited with friends and let our bodies recuperate we'll start fresh with only the aches and pains that are associated with throwing frisbee, huluhooping and general overexertion from attempting to keep up with children. Bicycling is great and a lot of fun but the absence of an upper body workout is quite obvious after a marathon game of catch. I'm sure if we were truly worried while on a trip we could do push ups or curls with cans of beans. But am I that dedicated? Somehow I don't think so.

From Lewistown we head east having decided a long time ago that we weren't going to make it to Oregon, Idaho or Washington on this trip. With not enough time to complete the loop we'd imagined and not enough strength or desire to haul our 500+ pounds of bike and bikers over the Rockies we made the choice to cut off a few thousand miles and start our return trip now. We'll work our way back to Ohio some which way that we don't know yet. The road will lead and we'll just ramble; from here on we think it will be more of the trip we'd hoped for.

This next segment of our ride we view as a separate bike trip. Our first tour consisted of mashing out the miles, days of fighting our way as far as we could and only stopping when something broke. We spent time learning along the way what worked, what didn't and what was just plain crazy to attempt. Now we're seasoned veterans... right. At least from here on we know more of what we're getting into... right. Perhaps what I'm trying to say is that we're ready for our next adventure and we get to ride back to where we came from unless something better stops us along the way. We'll see...

Fish Hatchery...

2009-06-22T14:45:00.002-04:00

A couple pics from our trip to Big Springs Fish Hatchery... The spring that this hatchery is set at also provides Lewistown with their water supply without filtration or treatment.

Big Sky...

2009-06-22T13:58:00.004-04:00

A series from the return trip of our day at the mine...
Click to see a larger image

Yogo Sapphires

2009-06-22T12:40:00.007-04:00

Our friends in Montana own a claim at the sapphire mine in Yogo Gulch. We spent Thursday of last week touring the mine area and sorting through some ore that was harvested the previous year. Ore is harvested and allowed to freeze over the winter so that it will split apart when it is tossed into the tumbler. Once tumbled and screened the sapphires are heavier than most of the surrounding rocks and will sink to the bottom and rest on the screen. The screen is then flipped and the sapphires sparkle in the sunlight as they lay on top of the rock pile... Well, if you shake the screen just right and then flip just right and have ore that actually has sapphires in it they will sparkle in the sun. We learned the techniques and found a few sparkles; but mostly we had fun.

Dave tumbles the ore and pours it onto the screen for sifting

Then we look...

and look...

and look some more...

The fruits of our labor... we ended up with one tiny stone large enough to cut but the rest were chips. The only value the chips have is as a novelty or, being a 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness (diamonds are a 10), the sapphire chips once had value in the industrial market as an abrasive.
A few websites that have some information about the Yogo Gulch and the sapphires: http://www.geo.utexas.edu/courses/347K/redesign/gem_notes/Corundum/corundum_triple_frame.htm
http://www.minerals-n-more.com/Sapph_Yogo_Info.html
http://russell.visitmt.com/listings/6795.htm
http://www.gemgallery.com/Yogo.asp

Photos from Montana...

2009-06-22T03:01:00.009-04:00

Here's a few shots of us bummin' around the Lewistown area...

Heather and Joan back together again...

Dave entertaining himself while the girls talk...

Scenes from the local mountain top, don't ask me where it is exactly, all I know is that we went up a road our bike couldn't pedal nor our commen sense would normally allow us to venture. But a great view...

Hunting for "Montana Diamonds" on the roadside ledge...

Our first Saturday back from our trip to Yellowstone we enjoyed a day of ease at a local warm spring. Gigantic Warm Springs bubbles up from the ground into a large pond full of lovely growing things that tickle your feet. From there it pours over a border of rocks and into the surrounding terrain. The spring's located on a private ranch and was a couple of bucks to get in for the day. Once there we swam, sat in the shade, ate, and played a few games of volley ball.

Flashback: Day 30

2009-06-19T22:08:00.005-04:00

This was a nice lookout with the Mississippi River below. The trees were very thick and we wouldn't have had such a nice view. Incidentally this couple experienced their ninth anniversary on Friday.

Flashback: Dave's Journal Entry June 3rd

2009-06-19T10:33:00.002-04:00

This photo was taken in Wasta. It is after we had a rear tire blow out going 25mph. It's the only picture we have for June 3rd. Dave is seen adjusting the recycled umbrella material, helmet cover/seat cover, because rain is collecting underneath the bill and empties on his face when he looks up.

Day 58 - Postcard from Old Faithful Geyser

2009-06-18T12:35:00.002-04:00

Postcard from Day 51 - Wall, South Dakota

2009-06-18T11:28:00.002-04:00

Postcard for Wall, South Dakota
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Click on image to enlarge.

Journal Entry: June 9th, 2009

2009-06-16T01:10:00.004-04:00

I got up at 8:00 without a lot of motivation. Mostly because it was a travel day of 4 hours to get somewhere that we were going to spend a few days anyway. So I wanted to be ready to go more by osmosis than working at it. With a final prodding from Heather to finally go, we left at 10:30. A stop by the bank and Albertson’s grocery would allow us to proceed to Yellowstone’s north entrance.

We made good time, 3 hours and 30 minutes and showed them our Nat’l Park Pass. We stayed pretty close to the way we came in at Mammoth Hot Springs, we would have a few days to explore and didn’t want to drive much more on our half day. Besides, gas is 2.60 a gallon and 2.89 in the park. What very cool scenery, the mountains, geysers, rivers and hot springs are, you should really visit yourself sometime, describing the scenery here would be futile.

We didn’t know the game for picking a camp site and luckily got the last space at Tower Falls for $12.00 a night. Other campgrounds were $14, $18.50 and even $35.00, probably for RV’s. A better way to insure you have a place is to pick it early in the morning then you have something to go home to in the evening. With as many people as there are in the park, spaces can run out fast. We didn’t let that happen again.

We met John first. He was originally from the U.K. then moved to Australia 30 years ago. It wasn’t terribly hard to understand him, though he did pronounce geyser “Geezer”. I told him what geezer meant, without describing it as just an old man so he wouldn’t think it was him, but an old and crotchety man. He smiled, with yet another cultural pronunciation correction by an American.

It was John’s first time here and we told him it was our first time too. We talked a lot about the weather forecast and previous weather. He said he wrote in his journal that today had been the best weather in the last 3 days. We knew that the weather forecast was scattered thundershowers for the entire time we’d visit and we left for Yellowstone anyway, I’m glad we did, it really worked out; but we took our wet weather gear in case.

Next we met Zack. He was there half on business, half Yellowstone. He let Heather look through his guide book and a better map of the park so we could better navigate the 50 mile by 60 mile National Park for the few days we visited.

Sleeping in the back of an '09 Nissan Rogue wasn’t without its problems but sleeping under our tarp in bear country in a campground where bears would frequent feeding on sloppy camper’s food wasn’t my idea of a full nights rest either. It was warmer than outside too, just cramped. The windows were soaked the next morning with condensation but we were dry.

Without the windows cracked we were breathing deeper by morning to get oxygen at 8,000 feet. I didn’t want to crack the windows in case a bear could smell our food better. That wasn’t the case the next night, we took our chances with each window down a quarter of an inch. We slept a little better the rest of the time, but I’m 6 feet tall sleeping in a 5 foot 6 space and that got old before the last night. Still, we were in Yellowstone and had great time.

Day 58 Postcard from Yellowstone National Park

2009-06-15T13:12:00.001-04:00

Wednesday June 10, 2009
Click on image to enlarge.

Postcard from Day 22

2009-06-15T12:57:00.004-04:00

Postcard received from Dave and Heather

Click on image to enlarge

Technically it's Day 60

2009-06-13T01:32:00.008-04:00

Friday, June 12, 2009
Today we had a treat on our way back from Yellowstone. About 10 miles outside of Lewistown we saw a bicyclist up ahead. When we had come closer it began to look like a tandem... no wait... it was a recumbent tandem! First glance they looked like they were just out for the day but then we noticed that they had duffle bags strapped to a back rack.

After passing them Heather gave a merry honk of the horn, *that’s the key, honk after you pass,* Dave said, "We've gotta stop." Finally Heather pulled the car off onto a side road (not very many of those in Montana) big enough for them to safely pull their bike off the road. They soon caught up to Dave who stood in the road making an "X" with his body by spreading legs and stretching arms skyward, all to let them know we were waiting especially for them.

We pounced on them as they pulled in and kept them on the side of the road for 15 minutes talking all about their bike and experiences to date while throwing in a few stories of ours. Eventually we asked their day’s destination. They had plans to stay in Lewistown at a motel where replacement tires had been shipped to them. The least we could do was offer to take them to dinner and happily they accepted.

We had such a good time it was hard to find a way to end it all. If it hadn't been for the fact that Heather parked the rental car in a space reserved for another room at the motel we'd have probably still been talking. Later Dave said that the way we talked over our similar journeys was just like four ants with antennae buzzing about a picnic lunch nearby.

The funniest part of the experience for us was that we knew these folks before we met them... sort of. Our savior from around day 42, Mark from Sioux City, had mentioned that in communication through warmshowers.org he was expecting a couple riding a recumbent tandem to stay with him over the summer as they rode their cross country route. "Hey, maybe you'll see them out there," he joked.

Turns out that Brian and Pam were that couple and we'd never had met them if things had gone "according to plan." They detoured to Lewistown to replace a couple of blown tires and we had imagined that we were going to pass through Lewistown sometime in July/August on our way back to Ohio from Oregon. Yet with the Big Sky all around and a dusty road under tire we found another couple of cyclist's enjoying their own adventure.

www.thepangburns.net.

Heather, Dave and Brian, photo taken by Pam.

Flashback: Day 44

2009-06-13T01:11:00.003-04:00

When we left Yankton, we couldn't go without a couple of pictures before we started our journey. This is a popular bus for RAGBRAI. Since the ride goes from western Iowa to eastern Iowa you gotta get back home somehow.

Update from the Dave and Heather Show...

2009-06-12T17:17:00.009-04:00

Friday, June 12, 2009
We decided to hijack our blog back from Heather's Dad. Here's an update about us and our trip...

We exhausted ourselves booking it across the state of South Dakota so when we got to Rapid City we decided that it was time to regroup. We'd been having more and more trouble with climbing hills and realized it would probably be next to impossible using our bike as is to get over the mountains. We explored getting a smaller gear on the front but they didn't make one to fit. Another option was replacing our whole crank setup to get smaller gears, but that would eliminate the independent pedaling system.

We'd heard about flatter terrain but after almost two months out from our start date we realized the entire trip out to the coast and back probably wouldn't be done before we were stuck in a snow drift on the upper peninsula of Michigan. Plus to top it all off... we felt like we were back grinding out a 40 hour week instead of enjoying a vacation.

Time for a break. We have friends in Lewistown, Montana, who we wanted to see but weren't sure that we'd be able to ride to see them. Instead we rented a car from Rapid City to haul the bike to our friends and then since it wasn't that much more to keep the car for a week we decided to head to Yellowstone. Neither of us had been there before and we weren't ready to leave the area without getting a visit.

And that's what we've done. We spent a few days tooling around Yellowstone and are currently back in Montana trying to relax and decide what to do next. We thought about riding out to Oregon and catching a train back. But we're also wanting to ride back to where we started. We're not sure but for now we're just going to take it easy and have a great visit with our friends.

More to come...

Day 58 - For the non serious Bikers

2009-06-10T17:07:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

editor's note: temp blog - filling space