Day 4 - Back in the Groove!

Route
Montague, MI to Coopersville, MI - 50 miles
For details of part 1 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 2 of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Clear, becoming overcast in the evening
Temperature:  50 to 60
Visibility:  Good
Precipitation:  None until about 8 pm - started trading
Wind:  5 - 10 knots, headwind shifting to right quartering tailwind
Comments:  Much better weather today, then RAIN!

Significant Events
One third of the ride completed - 208 miles!

Oh yeh, it was warmer and less windy!

Today's Song
None came to mind!

Wildlife Observed
Bluebirds
Rabbits
Frog

Today's Ride
We decided to ride to breakfast so we packed up the bikes an after saying goodbye, we hit the road. We rode through Montague and into Whitehall, where we found this nice little place called Peckadill's.  It was an excellent choice. Ileana got me a Reuben on rye and it was excellent. She had a chicken wrap and it was delicious as well. And their cole slaw was great! By the way, it was more of a lunch than a breakfast...

We rode all the way down into Muskegon, which we crossed, then headed down toward the campsite near Coopersville. We found a food mart where we got some chow, mainly for tomorrow's breakfast.

Got the tent set up, took a shower and made dinner. Not a moment to soon, because just as we were finishing dinner, we felt the first raindrops. We were able to get everything put away and secured before it became too heavy. We got into the tent just in time; it started coming down pretty steadily. Dodd to be clear tomorrow during the day...

Los Dos Centavos de Ileana

TBD

Last night's cabin

Peckadill's

Small frog chillin' on a fence

Day 3 Addendum

For details of part 1, click here.
For details of part 2, click here.

Los Dos Centavos

Last night, we camped (30 some degrees outside). Nolan, being the sweet man he is, said to me, 'you go take shower and I'll set everything up.' I quickly took him up on it and headed towards the shower (I meant showers and toilets all together). When I was planning (well, that's stretch, more like throwing things together) I thought, this trip will be great opportunity to use some samples of cosmetics (because I have to literally carry everything I decided to bring on the trip).
Well, that's a good idea, except in this particular shower and sample of facial cleaner didn't go together (keep in mind that I had about 20 layers of sun protection on!). This shower is set up to turn on by pushing a button, and puts out about 1 quart of water and then turns off! (I can assure you I'm not making this up, and remember the temperature outside is freaking cold and no heating inside the shower building either!).  While I am trying to open my sample of facial cleaner, I also have to keep pushing the shower button every 2 seconds so I would not freeze to death!  And then I could not open the facial cleaner thingy, I use the proper way to open it but nothing!  In a desperate moment to survive the most freezing shower of life, I used my teeth, I smacked it against the wall and I stomped on it and nothing! (Picture of battered example below). While still pushing the blessed (not the word I used while this was happening!) shower button! And then when I was ready to quit and take a plane back home. I remember that I had another sample and reached for it and it worked! This ordeal made me realize how everyday I may take little things for granted!

The battered remains of an impregnable sample

Day 3 - A Tough Ride

Route
Ludington, MI to Montague, MI - 60 miles

For details of part 1, click here.
For details of part 2, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Clear to partly cloudy
Temperature:  45 to 55
Visibility:  Unlimited
Precipitation:  None
Wind:  Constant 15 gusting to 25, headwinds to quartering headwind
Comments:  The wind was terrible!

Significant Events
Met my cousin James and his wife Joy!

Today's Song
"Against the Wind" by Bob Seger

Wildlife Observed
Yellow bird
Eagle
2 snakes
Bison (on a farm)

Today's Ride
We ate breakfast, broke camp, and got a fairly early start. After about 45 minutes of riding, we saw a McDonald's in downtown Ludington and decided to stop for a second breakfast. Man, was that delicious!

Started riding again and pretty quickly determined that the wind was going to be a pain in the rear! It was very strong and persistent, and of course, generally from the front. We would work pretty hard pedaling up a hill (lots of rolling hills), looking forward to coasting down the other side, only to be stymied by the wind. It was so strong that we actually had to pedal downhill as well.

We eventually got to Hart, where the Hart-Montague bike trail starts. It is an old railroad bed, and it runs largely through wooded areas, so we were looking forward to the trees providing a windbreak. But this was wishful thinking. It offered some reprieve, but not much. It did, however, at least get us off of the road.

20 miles later, we were in Montague. I had picked a pretty direct route from the bike trail to my cousin's place (Happy River Campground). We got to one of the roads and it turns out it is sand. Well I "had a go", but it was like trying to ride on a beach. 2 miles of that was not going to do. I did a 180 and we took paved roads. It was much easier to ride, but it added about 5 miles to the daily total.

We finally got to my cousin's place where we found out there was no electricity or water for the past 36 hours! The power company was working on it and said it should be on by 8pm. We're desperately needed a shower, and needed to do laundry. I was trying to figure out how to make this work...

Joy gave us the grand tour of the campground. They have a heck of a facility. They have owned this place since the mid-70s, and have been improving and enlarging it ever since.  They are situated on about 300 acres, with lots of natural buffer land, They have a couple of hundred spots and can accommodate tent camping all the way up to the largest 5th wheels and motor homes. They also have a number of cabins, with plumbing. We stayed in one of those...

Adjoining the campground on the east side they have a canoe livery, on the White River. My original plan was to be there early enough to take a canoe out, but not only was it late, we were exhausted from the wind.

When the "tour" was over, the power was back on. Some very good news, indeed!

We took the opportunity to go out to dinner with James and Joy,  and do a lot of catching up.  Talking to them was the highlight of my day.  James was a pilot and had owned several of his own planes since the 50s. He also had done some time in the Army. And since he was roughly the same age as my dad, he had spent some time with him as a child.  We talked a little bit about those topics, which was very interesting to me.

I had a fried fish platter, followed by a brownie sundae for dessert, which was a welcome and delicious meal!

If you find yourself in western Michigan, a bit north of Muskegon, and want to camp, park your motor home, or go canoeing, I highly recommend their place. It is a very nice campground, run by great people!

Los Dos Centavos de Ileana
To be continued

Day 2 - Cold and Windy

Route

Frankfort, MI to Ludington, MI - 54 miles

For part 1 of today's route, click here.
For part 2 of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Clear
Temperature:  34 to 52
Visibility:  Unlimited
Precipitation:  None
Wind:  10 to 15 knots, mostly headwind again
Comments:  Cold in the morning, but the temp wasn't too bad, except the wind made it feel about 15 degrees colder!

Significant Events
We made it to our campsite after fighting the wind all day.

Today's Song
"The Long and Winding Road", by The Beatles

Wildlife Observed
Fox
2 nesting swans
2 geese (flew about 10 feet in front of us)
3 whitetail deer
2 scarlet tanager (turns out this is the mystery bird Ileana saw yesterday)
1 yellow bird, possibly a yellow warbler

Today's Ride
Started out cold and windy and ended up a little less cold but windier! Also found out some of the limits of using Google maps to plan a cycling route. Turns out it is difficult to accurately read terrain. The hills, although not too bad, were a little more significant than I thought. Well, that is exactly why I put GEARS on the Trek! And they did a great job. Set up camp, made some beef stew, and now it is time to get ready for bed! I think it is safe to say we are both tired and should sleep well!

Los Dos Centavos de Ileana
The lady that owned the place we stayed at last night was very nice. She even made breakfast for us (cherry pancakes, eggs and susages). When we were leaving, I went to take back something that we had borrowed and pay for the breakfast. She said that the breakfast was on her. Then she asked me, if I was ready for "the hill'? To that I responded 'sure, after the hills we did yesterday in Traverse City (Nolan assured me the night before that hills in Traverse City will be it and the rest were 'rolling hills'), It should not be a problem. To that she responded, 'oh no, those hills are nothing compared to the ones here.' She continued 'this hill makes grown men cry.' I thought (believing what Nolan told me, the night before), this lady does not know what she's talking about because Nolan probably planned around this hill, otherwise he would have told me. I thanked her for the wonderful free breakfast and went on my merry way. Well, she was right! Not even 10 minutes into the ride, there it was, (not a 'rolling hill'), huge, steep, long and any other descriptive word for the mother of all  hills. I must confess that half way (well, I think it was half that), I started to think, if this 'hill makes grown men' cry, I'm enough of a grown women to get off my bike and walked up the hill (still hard work by the way). I told Nolan that I was going to walk up, to which he responded (with alot of restraint, I think), 'walk???' 'Do what you think is best.' Nolan rode to the top and waited for me  (of course the difference between riding and walking). While I was walking to the top, I suddenly understood why Lance Armstrong doped!  However, when I got to the top, I got on bike and went down the other side of the mother of hills and reached 28 miles per hour! That was a lot of fun!

Lake Michigan 

from a scenic overlook

Overlooking Lake Michigan

Two nesting swans

Our humble abode

Day 1 - The Adventure Begins!

Route
Traverse City, MI to Frankfort, MI - 44 miles
For details of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  About 500' overcast in the morning, then broken, then clear
Temperature:  33 to 43
Visibility:  Good
Precipitation:  Snow flurries in the morning!
Wind:  10 to 15 knots (headwind of course)
Comments:  A cold and windy day.

Significant Events
Started the trip!

Today's Song
"Bluebird Bluebird Through My Window" - Traditional

Wildlife Observed
Wild Turkey
Squirrels
3 Orioles
Numerous unidentified blue birds
Some unidentified pink bird
Domesticated: cats, dogs, donkeys, chickens, horses

Today's Ride
We delayed our departure waiting for the snow to stop and the temperature to rise. Got a good start on the TART Trail, but I found out I have a shimmy in my front wheel. I haven't fixed it yet...I think it is unbalanced load (too much weight in the front). I will experiment with it tomorrow.

On the west side of Traverse City there is a steady climb, about 600' over two miles. Not too steep, but constant. Ileana did great using her gears and we crawled right up the hills. Unfortunately, we had an ever present headwind. It just would not let up.

We stopped about the 20 mile mark for a test and a snack. Ileana had some banana with peanut butter, I had an Otis Spunkmeyer blueberry muffin. Delicious!

We hit the road again and pedaled our way west. We rode around quite a few lakes. There are lots of them up here. Eventually we hit a rail trail which led us to our campground. It followed around a lake that was very nice (Crystal Lake).

Upon arrival at the campground, with the temperature forecast to dip down to 28, we opted for a cabin. A bit warmer inside!

Now for a little bike maintenance and some rest. And hoping for a little warmer weather tomorrow!

Ileana's Two Cents(hereinafter called "Dos Centavos"

When we were leaving the hotel this morning, I stopped right before I exited it. I was putting on my helmet and so on and this lady came in, she looked at me and said 'you brave soul.' I thought what does she mean by that? Once I went outside I understood completely, it was freaking 33 degrees outside! It's a good thing that I know how to apply 'positve self-talk!'and convinced myself that 'I can do this' however, about 20 miles out (including some very long hills, one of them I swear to God was about 2 miles long!). We stopped to get a snack (picture of Nolan trying to peel a boiled egg, which took him about 10 minutes, he was about to throw it into the woods, it was comical, really!). Anyhow, once we started going again my fingers were frozen! So, positive self-talk was not working anymore! Nevertheless, we had some good laughs and overall a good ride! Here are some pictures of ride today.  Michigan has beautiful lakes!

Trying to peel a hard-boiled egg

Wildflowers - Pretty much the only  

thing green so far!

Beulah Beach

The Cabin

Old Railroad stop - Beulah

A Day in Traverse City

Route

No cycling today!

Weather

Sky condition:  Overcast
Temperature:  41
Visibility:  Poor
Precipitation:  Flurries in the morning; rain all day!
Comments: Dreary

Significant Events

1.  Visited my Aunt Ann
2.  Nolan got hired full-time at Vocon.

Today's Happenings

The day started out with snow flurries!  We had a decent breakfast then drove the rental car out to Kalkaska to visit my Aunt Ann. She was in good health (95 years old!). I showed her several pictures of my family and we talked for a while. I told her about walking down Cannon Creek with her husband (my uncle Bob) and that I found a Petoskey stone. This was about 1972 out so. Uncle Bob explained to me what a Petoskey stone was and that I should keep it. I still have that stone!  Much to my amazement she opened a drawer and pulled out a Petoskey stone!  She insisted that I take it. I will put it with the other one when I get back home.

We then drove back toward Traverse City.  Ileana had never been in a casino so we stopped in one. She gave the "one-armed-bandit" a go and quickly went through a whole $2.

Went to downtown Traverse City. There is a very nice section of the town with many historic Victorian homes. We saw a shop that sold Cornish Pasties so we stopped in for lunch. We visited the History Center of Traverse City where there just happened to be an exhibit on bicycles. Driving around town, we saw the Hagerty Insurance building which had several cars on display so we stopped in to take a gander at some of the cars.

Dinner was at Don's Diner. Established 1958.

My Aunt Ann and I

Ileana gambling away our life savings!

Bicycle exhibit at the History Center Of Traverse City

1919 Napoleon built in Traverse City at Hagerty's

(Only one known to exist)

My new Petoskey stone

Dinner at Don's Diner

The Trip to Traverse City

Route

Williamsburg to Richmond (Car)
Richmond to Detroit (Delta)
Detroit to Traverse City (Delta)

For details of today's route, see below.

Weather

Sky condition:  Broken to overcast
Temperature:  Cool!
Visibility:  Good
Precipitation:  Not yet!
Comments:  See below

Significant Events

We got to Traverse City and got the bikes re-assembled!

Today's Song

"If You Wanna be Happy" by Jimmy Soul.

Wildlife Observed

A lot of black squirrels.

Today's Ride

No ride today, assembled the bikes. May do a short test ride tomorrow depending on the weather!

Ileana's Two Cents

This is a picture of our Louis Vuitton suit cases!  Nolan did a great job getting the bikes shipped, disassembled and re-assembled in Traverse City. Also, Traverse City did not get the memo that it is Spring time! Temperature is 52 and it will be 37 tonight! There is snow forecast tomorrow!  These are pictures of the Bay in front of our hotel.

"Louis Vuitton" luggage

Beach on Traverse City Bay

My bike ready for re-assembly

"The Route"