The odometer reads 2771
The upper peninsula reminds me very much of Maine, trees, fields, lakes, woods and sea-shore. Looking out over Lake Michigan is like looking out over the ocean. The horizon stretches out to the outer reaches of the water. The waves crash against the sandy and rocky shores. Seagulls are everywhere. The only thing missing is the smell of salt air.
Looking out over Lake Michigan.
The economy here is very much tourist based. There's not much farming and the mining business (iron, mostly) seem to be on there way out. Again, this reminds me of Maine which has seen a decline in its extraction based businesses and its farming leaving tourism to take up the slack
What do tourists like to eat?
Pasties, of course.
A meat and potato concoction wrapped in a soft pie like shell
If every town in the mid-west has a grain tower than every town in the Upper Peninsula has a water tower. Usually a bulbous affair atop a skinny tower.
Here's Trenary's "standard" water tower.
Here's the "historic" water tower in Thompson.
I had a wonderful two day stay with Joe and Rhonda's son Collin and his girlfriend Hedi in Chatam. Collin is working with the Michigan State University Agbioresearch program. His focus is on developing crops and methods to extend the growing season in colder climates. He graciously gave me the tour of the farm he manages which includes a recently constructed "tunnel" greenhouse about the size of the Lincoln Tunnel. After my visit I said my goodbyes to Joe and Rhonda who are returning to their home state of Iowa to attend a wedding. They'll return to Collin's afterwards to continue their trip. We'll meet again somewhere between there and Maine.
Collin and Hedi. That's the "tunnel" in the background.
I made a visit to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Similar to Devil's Island in the Apostle Islands, the waves and Ice of Lake Superior have carved the sandstone shore into interesting formations. (Hey, wait a minute: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, maybe we should call it "Lake Horseshoe".)
Here's "Miners Castle", one of the most notable formations in Pictured Rocks.
At Pictured Rocks they even teach you the correct way to fall off!
The straights between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan holds Mackinac Island which is reached by ferry from St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula or Mackinaw City (yes different spelling) on the Lower. I took the ferry from Upper to Lower, stopping at the Island. What is Mackinac Island? Imagine taking every coastal tourist town the length of Maine and shoving it on one little island. That's Mackinac Island! Everything, yes everything except the sidewalks is for sale or rent. Gift shops, hotels, restaurants, fudge, candy and ice cream shops, horse carriage rides, bicycle rentals, historic building tours, and yes, even kite rentals. That's Mackinac Island. Want a map of the town to find your way to the next place to spend your money? That will be $2.00 please. Oh please!
Hold on to your wallets folks.
Today I rode in the rain, sixty miles in the rain, sixty miles in the pouring rain. What's that like? Well, not a lot of fun. I have a rain jacket and rain pants. Does that keep me dry? No that does not keep me dry. It's kind of like this: "Do want to get wet wet from the outside in or the inside out?" I drink between one half and one gallon of water a day, most of which ends up coming out my pores. Despite the fact that my rain gear is designed to "breath", there's no way it can keep up with that amount of moisture. So why bother? Being soaked with rain results in significant vapor cooling, usually too much. Before too long, my rain gear simply functions as a wind barrier. Fenders help, they keep most of the water from the tires off me and the bike. I have a really neat wind direction indicator. On days like today there is a constant spray of water forward from the front wheel. As the wind blows, it deflects the spray to either side, back toward me, or, if I'm lucky, straight ahead (tail wind!). Water is the death knell for a leather saddle. I have a saddle cover to protect mine from the rain. Those bright yellow things you see in some of my pictures are pannier covers. They help, but don't keep out all the rain. Combined with large Ziploc bags inside, my stuff stays dry. The covers do help to keep all the mud off my bags. Finally, I have a helmet cover. This works well to keep me both dry and warm and has a really cool built in flashing light.
Why is this man smiling?
We miss you, John! Things just aren't the same without you. I actually have leftovers from some of our meals. Rhonda
ReplyDeleteHave you considered riding inside a giant transparent ball - like a hamster ball - but with spikes and lasers on the outside that destroy everything in your path? If not, why not? Please be brief - I have many other blogs in need of suggestions.
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