Hello, Michigan!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Day 24 - Ludington, Michigan to Hudsonville (Grand Rapids), Michigan
110 miles
2,446 feet of climbing

Today was a phenomenal day on the bike:  The sun came out!  It was warm!  It didn't rain! We didn't have to carry our rain gear!  It was a pleasant and relatively easy ride to Grand Rapids today.  About 14 miles of our route today was on a paved bike trail  (from mile 28 to mile 42).  For the rest of the ride we were on quiet, lightly traveled country roads.  Notable events:  (1) I missed a turn after the second rest stop, but realized it quicker than usual and only added about a half of a bonus mile; (2) our route card said our ride today was to be 120 miles, but there was a 10-mile error in the cumulative mile listing, so our ride was actually only 110 miles today!  Woo-hoo!  We celebrated by going to McDonald's for a shake.  Nothing like compounding the impact of the 10 miles worth of unburned calories with ingesting even more calories.  I actually felt a little guilty, but only for a few minutes.  I'm confident I will redeem those lost miles in spades in the form of missed and wrong turns.  Be that as it may . . . we had a fantastic day.  Join me tomorrow for the next episode of . . . As the Pedals Turn.

The elevation profile of today's ride

A beautiful day to ride (my finger making a cameo appearance)

Nice, quiet roads all day

My buddy, Cowboy Ed, chillin' at the end of today's ride

Another 110 miles closer to our final destination!

Today, We Rest!

Monday, July 29, 2013
Lake Michigan Ferry Crossing
Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan

Today is a scheduled day off the bike.  We took a 4-hour ferry across Lake Michigan to the town of Ludington, Michigan, where we will resume our ride tomorrow morning.  We are all going to appreciate a day off the bike after the several consecutive days of long mileage we've been riding.  We did not need to get to the  ferry until 1:15, so we had some free time this morning to sleep in a little and walk around and explore Manitowoc.  The PAC Tour crew put on an omelet breakfast for us at 9:00, which was a real treat.  Not only did they serve made-to-order omelets, but also a fresh fruit bowl and pastries.  We loaded our bikes onto the ferry - the "SS Badger" - and then settled in for a relaxing 4-hour "cruise" to Ludington.  We changed time zones again (for the last time on this Tour), and are now in the EDT, so we lost an hour.  I'm having a hard enough time keeping track of the day of the week and the date, but I've noticed it totally throws me off when there's a time zone change.  The ferry ride was quite pleasant - it was more like a watered-down version of a cruise ship than any ferry boat I've ever been on.  There was a cafe, also a buffet/restaurant, they had a movie room with comfy chairs, a T.V. lounge, also with comfy chairs, bingo, games and a "boatique" where you could buy SS Badger signature items.

Did you know that Lake Michigan is the second largest of the Great Lakes?  Lake Superior is the largest.

The ferry landed in Ludington around 7:00 p.m. (EDT), and by the time we disembarked and rode our bikes the short one-mile ride to our hotel, it was 7:30 . . . almost past our bed time.  So Art & I grabbed a Subway sandwich for dinner and made an early night of it.  Tomorrow, we're back in the saddle!

The shore of Lake Michigan - near the ferry landing

Art with the S.S. Badger

Our group getting ready to board the ferry with our bikes

The wake of the S.S. Badger on Lake Michigan

Nearing the harbor in Ludington, Michigan

Zach, me and Art sitting in the rocking chairs outside our hotel - Snyder's Shoreline Inn

The Ups and Downs of Riding in Wisconsin

Sunday, July 28, 2013
Portage, Wisconsin to Manitowoc, Wisconsin
127 miles
4,257 feet of climbing

As far as I can see, the state of Wisconsin has an ample supply of cows, farms, cheese factories and big rolling hills.  All in all, it was an awesome ride today, although we still are experiencing unseasonably cool temperatures.  This morning when we started our ride, the temperature was in the low 50s and the sky was overcast.  Even without the sunshine, however, the scenery was gorgeous - lush green farms and fields. We passed a couple of Amish horse and buggies on the road in the early part of the ride.  It was up and down the rollers for most of the day, which was fun, except when I dropped my chain going up a steep part of one roller.  There was one steep but short climb today at mile 48 on Breakneck Road.  It was one of those climbs where you don't realize how steep it is going to be until you turn the corner and all of the sudden you can't turn your pedals anymore.  I'm amazed I didn't drop my chain on that climb, too, when I frantically and abruptly switched to my little chain ring.  When we got to to the town of Mount Calvary at mile 78, where our lunch spot would be, the town happened to be holding a parade just as Art & I arrived at the street we were supposed to ride down to get to lunch.  I've never seen such a well-attended parade - it looked like everyone in town was there!  We found our lunch spot after taking a short detour.  The parade continued as we ate lunch - we could hear the music and see the people and vehicles making their way down the main street.  We left lunch right at the tail end of the parade, and Art & I became the last exhibits of the parade.  The people were great - they clapped for us as we went by, except for a few that threw candy at us.  After that flurry of excitement, the remainder of our ride was notably serene.  We passed the Henning Cheese Factory and Museum at mile 104 and, although I really, really wanted some Wisconsin Cheddar, I didn't stop because it had started to rain and I still had about 23 miles to go.  Around mile 118 we started getting some views of Lake Michigan.  I tried to get some pictures, but I'm not sure they turned out well.  I'm now using my Go-Pro camera, which does not always provide great mid-distance pictures, particularly when my finger is covering part of the lens.  Yes, my camera problems continue . . . but I'm working on it.  I was happy to have finished today's ride before 3:00 p.m. and was able to get out of the cold and rain.  Despite the inclement weather, I thoroughly enjoyed today's ride.  It was a day full of challenges and surprises.  And it's always a good day when you get to be in a parade.  : )    

The elevation profile of today's ride

The ride out of Portage under cloudy skies

Wisconsin landscape - many wind turbines on today's route

Here's part of the parade - our lunch spot was behind the Ford dealership

Art - riding like a champ

Uh-oh, looks like rain!  (Note that my finger is absent from this picture)

Trust me, that's Lake Michigan in the background

Progress!