International Cyclist ... (August 27, 2010)

Here I am ... made it into Canada and will be heading south to Lake Erie tomorrow. After three months of saying "... then across the Canadian shoreline of Lake Erie ...", I am finally here.

The adjacent photo is of the Blue Water River, where I crossed into Canada via a ferry at Marine City, MI. The river is indeed "blue water". Really stunning (the color of the water does not really show in the photo, but believe me, it is a stunning shade of light blue).

I am coming to realize that the Atlantic Ocean is getting close ... about three more weeks, or so, and I should be at Cape Cod. I have decided (for the moment, anyway) to head north toward Maine after Cape Cod, to see the changing of the leaves. After that, return to Arizona and move to Tucson ... I am looking forward to getting off the road. I am not tired of riding, just tired of the off-bike travel (camping, hotels, eating establishments, etc.).

There are some incredible high spots that have occurred on this trek. The latest occurred two days ago. Jane and Jim Hoover live about four miles north of Capac, Michigan. Capac is on an Adventure Cycling route, and Jim has seen cyclist riding past their home for years. He had an opportunity to talk with a cyclist earlier this summer, and decided that he and Jane would offer camping to cycling tourist. What a wonderful and generous thing for them to do. I spent the late afternoon and early evening talking with Jim ... he is not a cyclist, he hikes. He has been hiking the Appalachian Trail the past several years, two-to-three weeks at a time (and yes, he has read "A walk in the Woods"). He said he has received numerous acts of generosity while hiking the Trail, so thought the "cyclist campground" would be a way to "give back". What a great thing to do. Jim is heading off this coming Wednesday for the next section of the trail. Happy hiking, Jim.

Lake Erie awaits.

Ridin' the Trail (August 23, 2010)

Today's ride along the Pere Marquette Rail Trail was a thing of joy ... 34 miles of smooth, relatively flat and car-less riding, under an overcast sky.

Yesterday and today's rides both ended up being in the 75 mile range, even though I had planned on doing shorter rides. Last night I camped at Sunrise Lake Campground ... along with a group of beer drinking, loud-music listening, shouting, staying-up-til-2:00 PM campers. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep. I thought about going up to their camp and asking them to be quiet, but thought that personal safety over-ruled personal sleep. Due to the lack of sleep and general discomfort, I have elected to camp in a hotel this evening. Ahhhh, much better, indeed.

Back to today's ride ... for a good section of today's ride, I was on a "rails-to-trails" path. The State of Michigan is far out in advance of the other states I have been in, in that there are a great number of bike paths running along side of highways, or on former railroad lines. Earlier this summer I talked with a couple from Belgium who spoke of bike paths along side the highways throughout Europe. Great idea for all involved ... drivers do not have to accommodate bike riders, and bike riders do not have to focus on not becoming a hood ornament. Here's hoping more states provide bike paths along the major highways.

I am in Midland, MI tonight ... Midland is the site of the World Headquarters for Dow Chemical Corporation. Most all of the community facilities (arena, concert hall, baseball stadium, etc.) have the name "Dow" emblazoned on the side of the structure. As one local bike shop operator told me, "As goes Dow Chemical, so goes Midland." Midland is a pretty town ... one of many cities and towns of which I have been unaware. One of the true benefits of this summer's ride is having my eyes opened to the beauty of the Midwest (excluding what I saw of Illinois and Indiana).

Short ride tomorrow (I hope); rest these tired legs.

Travel by Whim (August 22, 2010)

I have been following a northerly route based upon conversations I have had with other travelers. For the past three or four days, if two or three separate people suggest a similar route, I have headed that direction. Makes for interesting travel.

The adjacent picture was taken as a result of a conversation I had with Rick and Kim (fellow cycling tourists), at Van Buren State Park. It seems that sometime in the late 1800's (I think), there was a monumental snow storm that completely immobilized travel in and out of the Glenn, MI area. A very large number of people were stranded in Glenn. Food supplies were consumed quickly ... however, just prior to the storm, a very large shipment of pancake batter was received (why, I do not know). Glenn, MI celebrates this arcane piece of historic fact with an annual Pancake Festival ... pancakes are a big deal to the local Chamber of Commerce!

Another piece of area history ... we are all aware, no doubt, of the great Chicago fire of 1871. That same summer, a very large segment of the northern area of lower Michigan was also devastated by fires ... from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. A very large percentage of Holland, MI and Manistee, MI (two pretty mid-size towns that I was not aware of prior to following the shoreline) were also destroyed by fire.

The logging industry was the dominate economic engine for the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan from the 1830s to 1900, or so. This area is very interesting, and I intend to come back here, sometime in the future, for additional bike touring.

In the past I have felt quite isolated when surrounded by travel trailers and RVs at campgrounds, but last night and this morning I had a different experience. Conversations were shared with a couple from Germany, who are on an East Coast-to-West Coast RV trip, and also with a couple from the Chicago area. Denise and Glenn (the couple from the Chicago area), invited me into their travel trailer this morning for coffee. What a great way to start the day ... sitting on a comfortable couch, drinking delicious coffee, and sharing a great conversation. Denise and Glenn have done considerable travels over the past 23 years in the Wisconsin and Michigan area, so they were a great source of information about the area. Next best thing to sharing a table and coffee with old friends is making new friends.

So today I am heading eastward toward Lake Erie. I had thought about continuing north, but I think I will save these northern rides for another time ... plus the wind is to be out of the northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Travel by whim ... or rather, by wind.

Lake, my ass ... (August 17, 2010)

To paraphrase Lloyd Benson, "I've seen lakes, and Lake Michigan ... your no lake." I have seen the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans; Lake Michigan ... you are an ocean!!

Had a wonderful ride up the shoreline of Lake Michigan (I call it a coast, but I guess that is incorrect), riding from St. Joseph to South Haven. Easy ride on wonderfully smooth and wide bike lanes. Even though there was a slight headwind for most of the day, the weather (cool and dry) was a joy.

Spent last night at the Van Buren State Park, where the adjacent picture was taken. Had the good fortune to meet up with a couple who are doing a five day ride around Central Michigan. They live in the Grand Rapids, MI area, so they were a great source of information ... not to mention laughs and great conversation. Kim and Rick have been touring this part of the country on their tandem since 1993. Very enjoyable evening.

I will be heading on up the coa ... er, shoreline to the Muskegon area, then heading east toward Port Huron. My plan has always been to see the changing of the leaves in New England. But now I am thinking that I will be getting into the Massachusetts area about a month early. Talking with a bike rider yesterday, he suggested riding up along the St. Lawrence Seaway prior to coming back down to Massachusetts. His reasoning is that the leaves change earlier the further north you go ... sounds interesting. I have quite a bit of time to decide as the fork-in-the-road (go north or continue east) won't occur for another couple of weeks. Something to think about.

English Quiz:
Answer A: "... further north you go ..."
Answer B: "... farther north you go ..."

I am writing this posting in a coffee shop in South Haven ... a coffee shop with WiFi and white porcelain.

Question: Could life get any better?
Answer: Yes, if friends were sharing the table.

Never-the-less, life is good.

Ahhh ... Water (August 15, 2010)

After almost a month of seeing little more than corn and soy bean fields, I have reached Lake Michigan. I am sure the pioneers of the 1850's had similar feelings upon reaching the Pacific Ocean ... or maybe not.

The route through the Midwest, while enjoyable (riding on low-traffic farm roads), provides views that are extremely repetitive. The best aspect of riding these roads is viewing the housing at the many farmsteads. The quality of housing varied from dilapidated mobile-homes up to palatial estates. Being a basically lazy individual, it struck me how vast the areas of mowed lawns are that surround most of the homes. As if the farming families do not have enough to do, they usually have a very large expanse of lawn which needs to be mowed on a regular basis. I have never seen so many riding lawnmowers in my life.

Many of these homes include a fair-sized pond for swimming and fishing. And of course, the one element common to all of these houses is the TV/internet satellite dish.

Today I rode from Elkhart, IN (home to the manufacturers of 95% of domestic RVs and trailers) to Benton Harbor, MI. Adjacent to Benton Harbor is the town of St. Joseph, which provides a "beach town" feeling to this area. I spent the afternoon riding and walking along the shore area and the "tourist trap" commercial area. What with the cool breeze coming off of the Lake, the warm temperatures and the beach-attired crowds, I felt as though I was in Pacific Beach, CA ... a very welcome break from the "riding lawnmower" landscapes, believe-you-me.

I am looking forward to riding up the shoreline of Lake Michigan, then heading east to Lake Erie. I am also looking forward to returning to Arizona ... having put in just under 3,800 miles, I am ready for this adventure to end. That is not to imply that I do not intend to complete the trip to the Atlantic, it is just a fact that I am looking forward to seeing familiar places and faces.

The weather is cooler, and for that I am grateful.

Placid (August 10, 2010)

There are times and places where we should take the time to realize just how good life can be ... where conditions are such that the pure enjoyment of life needs to be contemplated and embraced.

Last night I camped at Lake Fletcher, IN. This was definitely not a night for contemplating and embracing! Temperatures in the 90's and humidity also in the 90's (I think). No breeze what-so-ever. Sitting in the shade and reading resulted in rivulets of perspiration on every inch of my skin. Sleeping (or rather trying to sleep) in such conditions was not at all enjoyable.

For every down experience, there seems to be an up ... yesterday I ended my ride in Iroquois, IL, a village of approximately 250 people. They have a very nice park on the edge of town; simple, but quite beautiful. After looking at spots to camp, I walked across the street to a cafe to ask about whom to talk with to get an okay to camp in the park. The waitress said she would call the mayor, and he would meet me over by the Village Town Hall.

Mayor Jack Karr, who has been mayor for 21 years, drove up and unlocked his office. He told me I could set-up in his office ... he then turned on the air conditioning. The shower and bathroom were also available for my use. He then advised me that, in the morning, I should go back over to the cafe for a free breakfast (the local banker pays for cyclists' breakfast). On the wall of the mayor's office there are notes of thanks from cyclist who have stayed in these facilities. Quite amazing to receive such generous hospitality ... the mayor shook his head when I told him of being chased out of city parks in other towns.

Two words about riding through Illinois and Indiana ... quite boring. The Adventure Cycling map takes riders off of the main highways onto the farm roads. I think the entire Midwest is covered by farm roads on a one-mile grid. Following this route allows you to see corn on the left and soy beans on the right ... or soy beans on the left and corn on the right ... or corn on the left and corn on the right ... or soy beans on the left and soy beans on the right. Exciting stuff.

Tonight I am in a hotel (air conditioned) in Wabash, IN and will be heading to Fort Wayne, IN tomorrow. Weather forecasts call for rain ... great way to spend a birthday, riding in the rain.

Getting closer to the Atlantic Ocean ... life is humid.

Refreshed and on the Move (August 6, 2010)

On the move and feeling good.

The final day of RAGBRAI was a pure joy. There was such a party atmosphere as we glided down the final hills into Dubuque that I found myself smiling and laughing along with the other riders and the citizens of Dubuque who lined the streets. Great fun. I look forward to future RAGBRAI rides, and thank the other members of "Team Pearl Snaps" for making the week such a joy. By way of explanation, "pearl snaps" refers to the snaps/buttons on the western-style shirts worn by some of the denizens of the bus.

After saying my good-byes to one-and-all, I loaded-up my bike with my panniers and headed south along the Mississippi River to Bellview, IA. After a somewhat confusing "campground" quest, I ended up at the Bellview State Park. After setting-up my tent, I joined some other campers for a few beers and conversation. Subsequent to the beers, I headed to the shower-house ... took a great hot shower only to discover (while drying off as best as one can with the high humidity) that I was in the women's shower. Oh well, guess it gave the lady something to talk about (although I thought the pointing and laughing was rude on her part).

The next two days I enjoyed 40 mile days riding on the Great River Bike Trail on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. These two days proved to be just what I needed ... easy days to allow my body to regroup. On Tuesday, I pedaled into Davenport and was picked-up in the downtown area by my cousin Larry. Larry and Ilene live in a very nice and comfortable house in Davenport. Two days of resting and seeing the sites of Davenport were also what my body and mind needed.

So here I am, back out on the road and heading east. Spent last night in Kewanee, IL after an easy 40 mile ride, and will be heading to Henry, IL today ... another easy 40 mile day. I have decided to do the rest of my journey in short mileage days and try to soak up some history along the way. I am guessing that I have about 1500 miles remaining and think I will be getting to Cape Cod sometime in Mid-September.

Hopefully wi-fi will be available more often than in the recent past.

I am feeling good, and very enthused about the remaining ride. Dare I say it ... life is good.