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Michigan |
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Michigan |
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7 Down! And no more time zones to cross!
Today was a beautiful ride that initially took me 25 miles east
from Mellen, Wisconsin to Ironwood, Michigan. Along the way I passed several
quaint little towns such as Montreal (home to the worlds deepest Iron Mine)
and Upson, which was nice but it looked like it it had seen better days.
Following my picture taking in Ironwood I took Route 2 for 10 miles to
the town of Wakefield, transitioning to Route 28 East the remaining 30 to
Bergland. I have passed Route 2 several times on this trip, and I drove it by
car when I was leaving Glacier National Park in Montana. It is a beautiful
road that spans America, and a favorite among RV'ers, Motorcycle tourers, and
overweight trucks (cause I've been told the lack of weight stations appeal to
their illegally heavy loads). Unfortunately, Route 2 was closed east of
Wakefield, which meant that all those large vehicles were now taking Route 28,
a road that clearly did not seem built to handle the traffic. It CERTAINLY
wasn't built to handle the combination of bike and truck traffic
simultaneously. Oh well, it wasn't so bad. But then, only 5 miles from
Bergland, I did something that I have been doing often while riding in these
bug infested parts. I'll often slap myself on the back to remove the
blackflies that think they can get a free ride into town. It's been working
well, but I was oblivious to the fact that this time is was a couple of bees.
Not a very pleasant outcome, as I'm sure you can imagine.
With mosquito bites covering half my body though, a painful
welt was in some ways welcome relief to the itching that had been plaguing me
for a while. If any of you have traveled the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and
into Ontario in the summer months, maybe you can tell me if I should expect
more of the same in the coming weeks? Gimme some good news folks!
So tomorrow I'll continue Northeast through the UP, heading
towards Marquette, Michigan. Marquette is 115 miles from Bergland, so I doubt
I'll get there tomorrow, unless I can be on the road by 5 or 6 tomorrow
morning, which is highly doubtful.
Since I'm in a new time zone, I'll try to have the phone on
between 9-10pm my time, which is 6-7 Pacific, and 9-10 Atlantic. Tonight I'll
have it on all night. Have a great night everyone and those closets for a
sleeping bag!
-Darren
(818) 261-2101
www.biking4books.com
Hello all! not too much to report today, cause I spent the day relaxing in
Bergland, a nice small town on the shores of scenic Lake Gogebic in the UP. I
made some tricky decisions today; emptying out the contents of my cargo
trailer and goig through everything all over again to send anything note
absolutely necessary to NY. I miraculously got rid of 11 pounds of gear; my
winter fleece, my one book, frisbee, cards, etc., etc. I figure it will make
the last few weeks of riding a lot more enjoyable to travel light. Reading and
warm clothes are overrated anyhow!
So that, plus some resting by the lakeshore, eating some tasty
fried chicken, and enjoying the sunshine was how I spent my day. Tomorrow,
back on the bike as I continue east to Canada where I should be arriving by
next weekend. Good night everyone!
-Darren
Distance - 120 miles (otherwise known as Six Score Miles and a personal
best)
I've been getting a little disappointed at myself the past week, because I
felt that I was being a little lazy on the bike. Now of course much of the
enjoyment of this trip happens off the bike, and to ride from sunrise to
sunset every day would spoil the real meaning of it.
However, I really enjoy the time on the bike as well. Getting
into a good rhythm and watching the scenery flow by at a good speedy pace is
also very satisfying. So I thought that for the next few days, I would really
push myself to see how far I've progressed since those first painful days in
Oregon.
So this morning I started off on the wrong foot by waking up at
9, not getting on the road till 11. Once I got on the road, things got going,
but it was also the scariest day on the road yet. Bad roads, terrible
shoulders, ancient mummies blindly driving their RV's. It only made me go
faster to get the fuck off the road as quickly as possible!
By 8, I had finished a century and was rewarded with my
first glimpse of Lake Superior (I wasn't gonna miss it Chris S., so no need to
be disappointed!). I was thrilled to see it; a lake so huge that it looks like
an ocean, it gave me a preview of what I'll feel when I reach the Atlantic.
Then it was 20 more miles into the college town of Marquette.
Tomorrow, I continue East along the UP on route to Sault St.
Marie, Canada. 162 miles away, I doubt I'll reach it tomorrow, but I'll give
it a try!. Have a great night y'all
-Darren
(906) 228-7430 ext. 111 tonight anytime!
Gotta make this quick cause daylight is fleeting and I gotta walk to town
from my makeshift campsite in this lil' park to send this email out! Munising
is the closest city to Pictured Rocks Natural Lakeshore, so it is a town of
motels, theme restaurants, trinket shops, etc. Every campsite was filled, and
nearly every motel was too. Those fancy schmancy rocks must be quite a draw!
In my neck of the woods (quite literary) here, there isn't no restaurant to
grub at, so I was forced to buy ready made sandwiches for dinner tonight
(which I chow down on as we speak) and a Hooch's Orange Brew alchy drink that
is mighty tasty. It's like Orangina (tm and also a tasty beverage) with a lil'
kick to it. Enough about the potent potables, I got everything I need to eat
breakfast at camp tomorrow, so maybe I can get an early start for once. I just
cant seem to break the 9am barrier. Tomorrow shall be different, mark my
words! I shall awake to the sweet cackling of the roosters, rise from m!
y tent as the sun shines its life giving light o'er the superior Superior, and
proceed to peddle to the promised land of Canada in the wee hours of the morn.
Or I might wake up at noon and dilly dally for a while, peddle for an hour or
two, and call it a day...
-Darren
Oh Canada, my home and native land, how I long for thee!. But I will have
to wait at least one more day, cause the weather on the UP turned sour this
Sunday afternoon. I did wake up good and early this morning, by 6 I believe.
But it rained till 9, so I left once the rain stopped. By 10:30 it was raining
again, leaving me to negotiate a foot wide cracked shoulder in less than
perfect conditions. I made it 60 miles today, and then decided to call it a
day in Newberry. That leaves about 65 to the Canadian border, which will be no
problem tomorrow if the weather is decent. So since I have so much time this
afternoon to waste in my motel room, feel free to call me up at (906) 293-5932
ext. 28. I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to hearing from
everyone soon
-Darren
p.s. If anyone has a moment, look up the riding schedule of the 2000 Tour de
France for me online (I'm sure its available at espn.com, etc) And if one of
you can, email me the miles they do each day, cause I'm curious and I don't
have net access. thanks!
Sorry for not being prompt this evening. I'm footsteps away from the Canadian
border tonight in the town of Sault Saint Marie, a town split down the middle
by a water-passageway between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. On the eastern
edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula is half of Sault Saint Marie, and the other
half is in Ontario, Canada. Arriving in the city this afternoon, I was
disappointed to hear that they do not allow cyclists to cross the
International Bridge that joins the two. There is a shuttle service that will
take me and my bike, but I don't wanna ride no stinkin' shuttle across the
border. So I decided to wait till tomorrow to officially cross, thinking maybe
I can convince someone to make an exception.
In other news, I borrowed a camcorder today from Walmart (thanks to the
wonders of the credit card and the 30-day return policy that just begs to be
taken advantage of!) so this way I can film the remaining couple weeks of the
trip for your viewing pleasure at a later date. As of now, I am thinking that
the journey will end on the 26th or 27th of August at either the Plymouth Rock
area of Massachusetts or Montauk Point, at the eastern tip of Long Island. I
would love for as many people as possible to be there so we can celebrate. It
will be on a weekend to make that more convenient for you all. So let me know
who thinks they might be able to hit the beach on one of those days.
I hope everyone is doing well this evening. I just heard word
from my parents that my Jeopardy episode aired again this evening, but I guess
I ended up winning this time. I mean isn't it obvious that the horse was the
last surviving wild animal species to be found in the Gobi Desert circa 1957?
OK enough of the bitterness! Anyhow, it's been nice chatting with you this
evening. Write back soon now, ok?
-Darren
p.s. Congrats Matt Kimberlin on reaching the coast! I'll be passing by the
Ithaca area in about two weeks, so let me know where you be at.
