St. Ignace, MI - July 21

I have completed the post I started entering in Hayward. I notice Karen and Allie have uploaded my second batch of photos to the web, and completed a link to them.

Glidden, WI - Saturday, July 15

We got up 1/2 hour before sunrise today, wanting to get an early start. We were on the road 1/2 hour after sunrise. The temperature has been in the 90's, with some people saying the 100's. We had a light tail wind, which is a double edge sword. If you pedal at the same speed as the tailwind, you got no cooling breeze.

We stayed at Marion Park. This is a town park with no showers. There is a really neat and large pavilion where a wedding reception is taking place. I took some interesting photos of the pavilion. We had music entertainment until 1:00 am.

Karen and my niece Peg have been trying to arrange a way for me to visit Peg and Mark as we ride through northern Wisconsin. The have a cabin close to our route. I got Peg's phone numbers from Karen, and will call her.

Bolder Junction, WI - Sunday, July 16

There is some uncertainty on whether I will stay at Bolder Junction tonight, or Star Lake. If we all stay at Bolder Junction, it will be at one of Cal's future relatives, Donna: (Cal's son is marrying Donna's daughter this fall). If we stay at Star Lake, it will be per our itinerary.

I called both of Peg's phone numbers, leaving messages to that effect, but by the time Peg got my messages, she was back home. I later learned that Peg and Mark's place is just a couple of miles northwest of Bolder Junction.

We made ourselves at home at Donna's, had great showers, and all the comforts of home. Four of us slept inside, while Andy and I slept outside. The temperature was in the high 90's again.

Crystal Falls, MI - Monday, July 17

This was a long day: 89 miles. There was a sprinkle of rain in the morning, but not enough to settle the dust. It seems though, that it ushered in a cool front, and the temperature dropped down into the low 90's.

Linda and I met at the IGA west of town to buy groceries: we only had to get breakfast and lunch for the next day, since we planned to order in pizza for supper.

The campground was fine, but our pizza plans didn't pan out. Turns out the pizza place did not deliver, so we got on our bikes and rode back into town for dine-in service; worked fine, since we could have cold drinks with our dinner.

Escanaba, MI - Tuesday, July 18

Lake Michigan kicked in: the temperature is in the 70's! I stopped at a Walgreen and did some shopping. We camped at a county park and had take-out pasties for supper - only Andy and I had ever had them before. For those who haven't been to the Michigan U.P., they can be described as pocket sandwiches, with a meat and vegetable filling, baked in a pie crust. They are a traditional meal that men-folk used to take to the mines for their lunches.

Ann had an adventurous day. She has been having trouble with her rear wheel for a few days, and has been having to true it almost daily. She had the bike shop in Hayward look at it, and they found nothing wrong. Today it got really bad, but she was able to limp into a bike shop in Escanaba. She was having to true it every few miles. The bike shop pulled off the tire and found cracks inside the rim. Fortunately, they had a replacement in stock, and were able to do the needed replacement.

Manistique, MI - Wednesday, July 19

We entered the Eastern Time Zone today. It was a nice short day of only 47 miles, and I enjoyed a Pastie for lunch. We stayed at a great campground and pitched our tents on a bluff overlooking Indian Lake. It had perfect lake swimming with clear water and a sandy bottom.

Andy and Cal made too much Italian Spaghetti for supper, and gave the left overs to four RV'ers. Later they came over to visit and learn about our bikes. Turns out two of them had just bought $500 mountain bikes and wanted to compare our bikes with theirs.

Naubinway, MI - Thursday, July 20

A pleasant ride today. Stayed at a Michigan Forest Service campground, which was primitive. We didn't really need a shower since the campground is on Lake Michigan and there was a nice beach about 200 yards from our campsite.

While I was waiting for Linda at the general store, I was able to spend some time in the hardware section. I cobbled together some hooks so that I can now attach my 'fanny pack' to my handlebar bag. I have been trying to think of some clever way of doing that for a few days, and today it all came together for me.

Hans bought some smoked fish - it is widely available in the area. Linda poached whitefish for supper. Something different for us. After supper, Andy, Cal and I rode about a mile to a bar and had a few drinks while we watched a baseball game. Cal is a baseball nut, rooting for the Yankees. It was dark when we returned to camp, so I'm glad I had a headlamp.

St. Ignace, MI - Friday & Saturday, July 21 & 22

I'm writing this at the library on Friday. It was a nice short ride of some 45 miles, and we are at a nice campground. I'm showered, shaved, and feel great. The temperature is in the 70's.